MSU set to host first SEC on-campus academic conference in March
Contact: Allison Matthews
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥敶笙驛PP will be the first Southeastern Conference institution to host a new academic event focused on SEC university research collaboration.
To be held at the Starkville campus March 27-28, the 2017 SEC Academic Conference will focus on 鈥淭he Future of Water: Regional Collaboration on Shared Climate, Coastlines, and Watersheds.鈥 For complete conference details, visit .
鈥淎s president of both 大象APP and the Southeastern Conference, I鈥檓 extremely proud to see MSU take the lead in hosting the first SEC Academic Conference,鈥 said MSU President Mark E. Keenum.
鈥淭his represents a significant opportunity for Mississippi 大象APP and the City of Starkville to showcase our campus facilities and our community for a large and distinguished group of our colleagues from the other 13 universities around the league. MSU is particularly well-suited to host an academic conference on the topic of The Future of Water 鈥 a topic that dovetails with our established university priority of improving global food security and battling world hunger,鈥 Keenum added.
聽鈥淲e are looking forward to working with 大象APP on this first SEC Academic Conference,鈥 said Greg Sankey, SEC Commissioner. 鈥淯nder the leadership of President Keenum, Provost Judy Bonner, and Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw, we know the faculty and administrators in Starkville will provide a challenging and thoughtful program on the critically important issue of water conservation.鈥
MSU officials making preparations for the March conference said increased climate variability and water demand are bringing water issues to the forefront. Drought, declines in aquifers used for irrigation, and sea-level rise are among core topics of interest. The conference is designed to stimulate communication and collaboration toward sustainable and resilient water resource management in the Southeast, with overarching themes to include shared inland waters and aquifers, coastlines, climate and regional policy.
The conference aims to identify the dominant economic, community and ecosystem challenges to sustainable water resources in the southeastern U.S.; identify policy and practice paths to maximize the health and vitality of the region through water stewardship; and engage the best and brightest scientists in the SEC with other national and international experts in water resources.
鈥淭his conference is going to be a very important opportunity to interact with inter-disciplinary colleagues to discuss cutting-edge water resource science and opportunities for collaborative research,鈥 said MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw.
Students from all SEC universities are encouraged to participate and compete in the Campus Water Matters Challenge under the guidance of faculty from their respective universities. Designed to engage students to innovate interdisciplinary water solutions, the challenge also encourages student-faculty collaboration. For guidelines, visit .
鈥淲e want to encourage student participation at the SEC Academic Conference and expose students to practical research,鈥 Shaw said.
The SEC Academic Conference represents an expanded slate of academic programming currently supported by the Southeastern Conference. The on-campus event is expected to showcase conference research in areas of critical importance within the region and around the nation. SECU is the academic initiative of the SEC, and it serves as the primary mechanism through which the collaborative academic endeavors and achievements of SEC universities are supported and advanced.
For more on SECU, visit .
MSU is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .