 Meeting Registration (9/10 & 9/11) (1 remaining)Breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days of the event (September 10th and 11th). Your ticket also includes a banquet dinner held on Tuesday, 9/10. | |
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 Meeting Poster Fee (Sold Out)Promote your latest research findings and display your poster at the meeting. * Please note that the poster abstract deadline has passed, but we are still offering posters to be presented without an abstract at the meeting. | |
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 Permanent Magnetic NPDN Member Name Tag with Institutional/Agency Acronym (Sold Out)Purchase a new name tag for latest NPDN members or those who have changed institutions or names. Use this name tag for all future events instead of disposable tags! Opt out and amplify your sustainability and frugality by wearing your 20th anniversary name tag from the 2023 meeting.
*If needed, we can print a disposable paper name tag onsite. Available until August 16th. | |
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 Meeting Buddy (4 remaining)Meeting buddies are intended to provide you with a familiar face at the meeting and to encourage exchange of conference thoughts, reflections, and intentions. If you are interested in participating in this program, please fill out the fields below. The program subcommittee will work on connecting conference buddies after early registration has closed. Reach out to Jenny Glass with any questions ([email protected]). | |
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 Lobster Bake on Coastal Island of Maine (9/11) (Sold Out)Experience a Maine lobster tradition on Peaks Island! Enjoy a delicious lobster dinner while taking in stunning coastal views. Dinner will be served at the historic Peaks Island Lions Club. Savor your meal on the outdoor patio, enjoying Kan Jam, corn hole, or volleyball with fellow travelers. Your ticket includes a ferry ride to and from Peaks Island, your choice of lobster, steak, chicken, or a vegetarian dinner (each dinner comes with a side of chowder, potato, rolls, coleslaw, and corn on the cob), homemade blueberry cake for dessert, and ample time to explore the island!
Non-meeting participants, family members, and friends are welcome to join us on this quintessential Maine experience.
Dinner is at 6:30 PM (last ferry ride to the island is at 5:35 PM) . | |
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 Kid's Lobster Bake Ticket (9/11) (Sold Out)This ticket is for any kids joining you and will feature a reduced price for their meal. The meal options for kids are a cheeseburger, a hamburger, or 2 hot dogs (all kids meals come with a side of chips). | |
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 Banquet Only (For non registrants of Annual Meeting) (Sold Out)This is for individuals who would like to attend the September 10th Banquet (5:30- 7:30 PM) but are not registered to attend the annual meeting. (*If you are registered for the annual meeting, this is included in your registration fee) | |
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 Acadia National Park Tour (9/12) (Sold Out)Explore Acadia National Park. 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM. Guided by Aaron Bergdahl, Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry.
Acadia National Park is one of the top 10 most-visited national parks in the United States. The park is the highest rocky headland along the Atlantic coastline of the United States, making the most beautiful views. This tour will focus on exploring the beauties of the park and some of its forest pests! You will have a guided tour of the park by a Maine Forest Service forest pathologist and entomologist exploring a beech leaf disease long-term monitoring plot, learning about red pine scale, hemlock wooly adelgid and biocontrol efforts, and seeing the impact of white pine needle damage, among other pests causing issues in the park.
*Bring appropriate footwear for walking on uneven and steep trails. A windbreaker-type jacket is suggested due to the often windy and cooler coastal environment. | |
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 Workshop: Bacterial Basics with Dr. John Bonkowski, Dr. Nick Goltz, and Dr. Alicyn Smart (9/12)Bacterial Basics by Dr. John Bonkowski, Purdue University, Dr. Nick Goltz, University of Connecticut, and Dr. Alicyn Smart, University of Maine. This is a 2 hour workshop held on September 12th. It will be held from 8AM - 10AM.
If you are interested in incorporating bacteria testing to genus in your lab or would like to expand the differentials that you perform, this workshop is for you! We will discuss common symptoms of bacterial diseases, how to look for bacterial streaming, and the various tests that can be used to identify bacteria to genus.
Participants will have an opportunity to perform different bacterial media isolation techniques, observe positive and negative results of bacterial differential tests, and to inoculate indicator plants to test for hypersensitive response. | |
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 Workshop: Fungal Basics (Scopes) with Dr. Megan Romberg (9/12)Fungal Basics (Scopes) by Dr. Megan Romberg from MRP-APHIS. This is a 2 hour workshop held on September 12th. It will be held from 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM.
This 2 hour workshop will use specimens and previously prepared slides to cover some of the distinguishing characters used to determine the major fungal group present on a sample. Overarching characters for asexual and sexual states of Ascomycota, Basidiomycota (rusts and smuts) and Oomycota (downy mildews and white rusts) will be demonstrated, along with literature resources that can be used for genus and species identification once the major fungal group has been determined. | |
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 Workshop: Micro Lepidoptera Specimen Preparations, Techniques and Identification with Dr. Jason J. Dombroskie (9/12) (Sold Out)Micro Lepidoptera Specimen Preparations, Techniques and Identification with Dr. Jason J. Dombroskie, Cornell University. This is a 1 hour and 45 minute workshop held on September 12th. It will be held from 1:15 PM - 3PM.
Microlepidoptera are often difficult to identify and this is only made more difficult or impossible when specimens are poorly prepared. In this workshop we will cover the most frequently encountered superfamilies, which structures are important for identification, best killing agents, how to relax specimens, and various spreading techniques. We will also do an overview of dissection tools and techniques. | |
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 Workshop: Sampling and Identifying Eriophyid Mites with Dr. Matt Bertone (9/12) (Sold Out)Sampling and Identifying Eriophyid Mites with Dr. Matt Bertone, North Carolina State University. This is a 1 hour and 45 minute workshop held on September 12th. It will be held from 3:15 PM - 5PM.
Mites in the superfamily Eriophyoidea (Phytoptidae, Diptilomiopidae, and Eriophyidae) are phytophagous arthropods, some of which are important direct plant pests or disease vectors. Although they are common, they are also minute (~0.25 mm), thus often difficult to diagnose and identify. In this workshop, Dr. Bertone will give general information regarding the diversity and identification of mites in this group, along with hands-on techniques for sampling, manipulating, and identifying them. | |
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 Wild Blueberry Tour (9/13) (Sold Out)Learn about Wild Blueberry. 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Guided by Dr. Lily Calderwood and Dr. Seanna Annis, University of Maine. The tour starts by visiting a wild blueberry field in Rockport, located in the portion of the state called the Midcoast. Here, you will learn about the uniqueness of this crop, the introduction of solar and blueberry production, and the pests and diseases that are problematic. Next, you will visit a blueberry field where a mulching study is being carried out, followed by visiting the farm's fresh pack building and a distillery. The tour will end in Camden, where you can enjoy blueberry wine while enjoying the views of this beautiful seaport town.
*Bring appropriate footwear for walking on uneven and steep trails. | |
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 Workshop: Fusarium for Busy People with Dr. David Geiser (9/13) (1 remaining)Fusarium for Busy People by Dr. David Geiser, Penn State University. This is a 4 hour workshop held on September 13th. It will be held from 8AM - 12PM.
This four-hour workshop will focus on the basics of Fusarium identification, aimed at diagnostician who have little time to spend on speciating Fusarium. An introduction to the concepts of speciation within this challenging genus, the challenges within identification, and protocols for isolating and culturing will be discussed. The majority of the workshop will be spent with samples at the microscope, allowing participants to differentiate between standard species of agricultural importance based on their morphological characters. | |
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 Workshop: Emerging Insect Pests From Each Region with Gary Fish (9/13) (Sold Out)Emerging Insect Pests from Each Region by Gary Fish, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, APHIS Pest Survey Specialist, and a representative from USDA. This is a 2 hour workshop held on September 13th. It will be held from 1PM - 3PM.
Emerging pests of concern may show up unexpectedly in your lab. This workshop will provide a hands-on look of the arthropod specimens that have recently emerged in North America. Become more familiar with the identification of these emerging pests, the symptoms they cause on plants, and how to communicate sensitive information with your SPRO and SPHD. | |
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 Workshop: Comparison of Phytopythium, Phytophthora, and Pythium with Dr. Alejandro Rojas and Austin Mccoy (9/13) (Sold Out)Comparison of Phytopythium, Phytophthora, and Pythium by Dr. Alejandro Rojas and Austin Mccoy, Michigan State University. This is a 2 hour workshop held on September 13th. It will be held from 3:15 PM - 5:15 PM.
Numerous crops are affected by economically significant diseases caused by various species of Phytophthora and Pythium. A new genus called Phytopythium, which is intermediate between the two groups, has been introduced to differentiate it from other oomycetes, despite the overlapping morphology with both Pythium and Phytophthora. The identification and diagnosis of the potential oomycete genera causing a disease can be challenging for several reasons. The workshop conducted by Dr. Rojas and Dr. McCoy will provide essential information on the morphological and molecular characteristics and techniques that can be used to accurately diagnose an oomycete causal agent. | |
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