UGA will host a field hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 24 in Masters Hall at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel.
U.S. Rep. John Linder, chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack, will chair the hearing, entitled “Agroterrorism’s Perfect Storm: Where Human and Animal Disease Collide.”
Representatives will hear testimony from six experts from agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Experts from state agencies and institutions such as the Georgia Office of Homeland Security and the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine also will provide testimony.
“Increasing awareness of these issues is our best defense. If we catch the first case, we can prevent disaster,” said Corrie Brown, a panelist and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.