Recognition for Collaboration: From Austin to Timișoara
By Dr John McKeon, President ASHRAE Ireland
One of the highlights of the ASHRAE Region XIV Chapters Regional Conference in Timișoara was being presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from ASHRAE Region XIV.
The recognition related to the work around the Region XIV dinner held during the ASHRAE Annual Meeting in Austin, where the iAIR Institute had also convened a wider healthy buildings forum bringing together engineers, clinicians, scientists, industry leaders and public-health voices.
During the Region XIV CRC, I was honoured to receive a Certificate of Appreciation from ASHRAE Region XIVrecognising the work involved in securing sponsorship for the Region XIV dinner held during the Annual Meeting in Austin.
The award was presented during the conference in the presence of ASHRAE President Sarah Maston and Region XIV Director and Regional Chair Eduardo Maldonado.
It was a generous recognition, but for me its real significance was not the certificate itself.
It represented something more important: the value of bringing people together.
The Austin gathering worked because it was collaborative. The iAIR Institute created the forum. Knauf provided the industry support that made the evening possible. ASHRAE colleagues contributed their experience and leadership. Dr Jessica Green brought a compelling public-health perspective from ARPA-H. Scientists, engineers, clinicians, architects and innovators then did what good communities do best: they talked to one another.
That, for me, is the bigger story behind the award.
It is about using platforms such as the iAIR Institute to create connections, raise the profile of healthy buildings, and help bring Irish leadership and ideas into a much wider international conversation.
As President of ASHRAE Ireland, I am particularly proud when those efforts also help elevate the visibility of our Chapter and Region XIV across the global ASHRAE community.
The certificate is a welcome acknowledgement, but the real value lies in the relationships created, the conversations started and the opportunity to keep building on that momentum.
Healthy Buildings. Stronger Community. Greater Impact.
About the author
Dr John McKeon is President of the ASHRAE Ireland Chapter for 2026–27 and Principal of the iAIR Institute. A medical doctor by training, his work focuses on the intersection of indoor environmental quality, engineering and human health. He serves on the ASHRAE Environmental Health Committee and TG2.RAST and contributes to the ASHRAE Center of Excellence for Indoor Environmental Quality. He is also medical director of Airmid Healthgroup an aerobiology contract research organisation specialising in ASHRAE 241 testing.
