The second annual Southeastern Conference Symposium was held Sept. 21-23 in Atlanta. The theme of this year’s conference was “Prevention of Obesity: Overcoming a 21st-Century Public Health Challenge.”
Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos, who currently serves as president of the SEC, and Provost Susan Wente attended the conference. Dr. Roger Cone, Joe C. Davis Professor of Biomedical Science, moderated a session on the physiology of obesity prevention. Dr. Shari Barkin, William K. Warren Foundation Professor of Medicine, and David Schlundt, associate professor of psychology, also presented at the conference.
The original concept for the SEC Symposium came from Zeppos, who saw an opportunity for each SEC university to work collectively on a single, big-picture academic topic of importance. Zeppos worked to ensure such an event was a regular part of the SECU academic initiative. The first conference was held in 2013 and focused on the impact of the Southeast on renewable energy.
The annual symposium is intended to address a significant scholarly issue using the range of disciplinary strengths of all Southeastern Conference universities. It also is an opportunity to gather leading scholars in relevant fields from other U.S. institutions to the Southeast. The event is one of several activities undertaken by the SECU, the academic initiative of the Southeastern Conference.
