Emerging Biosecurity Threats in the Southeast: Science, Impacts, and Preparedness
The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety’s Biosecurity Research Forum will bring together researchers, industry professionals, and agricultural health and safety leaders to examine emerging biosecurity challenges facing the Southeast.
The meeting will focus on how animal-borne diseases and other infectious threats affect the region’s agricultural, fishing, and forestry industries. The program will highlight emerging science and practical implications across topics, including avian influenza, food safety, disease surveillance, agricultural economics, and invasive species. We will be joined by experts who will share research and resources that can help Extension professionals, producers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers better understand and prepare for evolving biosecurity risks.
If you have questions, please email Dr. Ashley McLeod-Morin via ashleynmcleod@ufl.edu.
Call for Poster Abstracts
This call is open to anyone interested in sharing innovative research or outreach ideas related to biosecurity topics in agriculture, natural resources, or public health. Abstracts related to the following topics are highly encouraged:
- Zoonotic diseases such as H5N1/avian influenza
- Animal, plant, and vector-borne disease surveillance
- Invasive species
- Food-borne illness
Important submission notes:
1. Poster abstracts must be submitted through an online Qualtrics form. Authors will receive confirmation of their submission via email.
2. Poster abstracts must be submitted as a PDF.
General Guidelines
Posters provide a unique and informal means for researchers, practitioners, and students to share their work and interests.
Poster abstracts must be of potential state or regional significance focusing in the areas of agricultural health and safety, including public health, occupational safety, and Extension. Accepted posters will be presented during the Biosecurity Research Forum presented by the Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety.
If your poster abstract is accepted, one of the authors must register for the event and give the presentation in-person at the Biosecurity Research Forum on Monday, November 16, 2026 at the UF/IFAS Extension – Alachua County Auditorium
Abstract Guidelines
Submit your poster abstract as a PDF only. Your abstract is limited to one single-spaced page, including tables and figures, excluding reference list. Use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12-point font. Prepare all tables using the table function in Microsoft Word. Your abstract document should be blinded, meaning any mention of authors’ names or institutions should not be present.
Do not include any subheading in the poster abstract.
The final submitted abstract document should consist of the following items:
- The poster abstract narrative, including tables and figures;
- One page for references.
In addition to the abstract document, submit a cover page document including the title of the abstract, authors’ names, and corresponding institutions. In the submission form, indicate which type of poster abstract you are submitting and include the following components, without using subheadings, within the abstract document:
Innovative Outreach Idea:
- Introduction/need for innovation or idea
- How it works/methods/program phases/steps
- Results to date/implications
- Future plans/advice to others
- Costs/resources needed
- References
Innovative Research Idea:
- Conceptual or theoretical framework
- Results/findings
- Future plans/advice to others
- Conclusions/implications/recommendations/impact on stakeholders
- References
Poster Guidelines
Poster abstracts that are accepted should be developed into posters which are:
- Brief and clearly organized.
- Easy to read from a distance of 4 to 6 feet.
- No larger than 24 inches wide x 36 inches tall.
Poster Abstract Submission and Review
Submit poster abstracts electronically via the following Qualtrics form:
You will receive an email confirmation that your poster submission has been received. Posters will be reviewed. Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by Oct. 30, 2026.