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PROPOSED PROGRAM SYMPOSIUM AND STUDENT DEBATE TOPIC
FOR
THE 2002 MEETING OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA
NOVEMBER
17-20 2002, FORT LAUDERDALE FLORIDA
Organized
with the cooperation of the International Society for Plant
Pathology
Biosafety AND BIOTERRORISM:
ASSESSING THE THREAT TO AGRICULTURE FROM BIOLOGICAL
AGENTS
1. Co-Organizers’
Information
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Ernest S. Delfosse
Past-Chair, Section C
USDA-ARS-National Program Staff
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
Building 4, Room 4-2238
Beltsville, MD
20705-5139
Telephone:
301-504-6470
Facsimile:
301-504-6191
E-mail:
esd@ars.usda.gov |
Dr. Peter R. Scott
President, International Society for Plant
Pathology
Director, Programme Development
CAB International
Wallingford, Oxon OX108DE
UK
Telephone:
44-1-491-832-111
Facsimile:
44-1-491-833-508
E-mail:
p.scott@cabi.org |
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Concept: Following the terrorist acts of 11
September 2001 and subsequent anthrax exposures, there is increasing global
awareness of the need for heightened biological safety. One of the key areas of concern is
protection of the food and fibre supply from deliberate introduction of invasive
arthropods and pathogens.
We propose a Program Symposium with five unique aspects. First, biosafety has never been
dealt with by ESA. Second,
the Symposium will address arthropods and plant pathogens, the key taxa that
have the greatest potential as biological agents against agricultural production
and valuable native plants, with clear implications for food security and
invasive species management. The
Symposium will also show the relationships among many arthropods and plant
pathogens. Third, this will
be a cross-discipline Symposium, in line with the 2002 “integrated science”
thrust, with the co-organizers representing two main scientific societies
involved in the disciplines of entomology and plant pathology. Fourth, this Symposium will
highlight the important but underutilized role that scientific societies can and
should have in informing decision-makers of the science affecting important
societal issues. Fifth, we
propose that a student debate on the Symposium topic (see below) should follow
immediately from the Symposium. A
limited-access Internet group will be set up before the meeting to facilitate
information exchange among students.
We will ask the participants to provide papers based on their
presentations, which when published (e.g., in the Thomas Say series), will provide
valuable guidance to decision-makers in government, and will raise the awareness
of this key issue among scientists.
The publication could subsequently be developed as a White Paper from
ESA.
The presentations will include:
(1) a key government official to set the scene; (2) identification of the
key need of filling research gaps in systematics of groups containing potential
biological agents; (3) discussing the steps that must be taken to put in place
standard operating procedures to exclude potential arthropod and pathogen
biological agents, proactively prepare for early detection and eradication of
deliberately introduced biological agents, and to develop integrated procedures
for long-term management of species
that become established; and (4) placing the information in a risk analysis context. An open discussion with members of the
audience would conclude the symposium.
A student debate on this subject will follow the symposium(see
below).
Finally, as part of this collaboration, we will establish an on-line
debate on biosafety in collaboration with the American Phytopathological Society
(a member society of the International Society for Plant Pathology). This debate will be open for one month
prior to the annual meeting. APS
has a long history in this type of activity, and could host the debate. This on-line activity will provide very
useful input to the Symposium and the student debate.
PART
1. THE
SYMPOSIUM
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8:00
am |
Welcome and Introduction
(Co-organizers) |
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8:15
am |
Overview of threats to biosafety posed by arthropods and
pathogens.
Governor Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security
(Invited) |
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8:45
am |
Research gaps in systematics of potential arthropod biological
agents.
Michael E. Schauff, USDA-ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory,
Washington, DC (Confirmed) |
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9:15
am |
Research gaps in systematics of potential pathogen biological
agents.
Amy Y. Rossman, Research Leader, USDA-ARS Systematic Botany and
Mycology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD
(Confirmed) |
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9:45
am |
What are the other gaps in the American safety
net?
Rick Dunkle, Deputy Administrator, USDA-APHIS
(Confirmed). |
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10:15
am |
Deliberate or accidental?
A proactive or reactive response? What do we need to do to prepare
for new introductions of biological agents?
Ian McDonell, Executive Director, North American Plant
Protection Organization (Invited) |
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10:45
am |
Break |
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11:00
am |
Risk analysis of biological agents that could be used to
disrupt food and fibre production.
Ernest S. Delfosse, USDA-National Program Staff, Beltsville, MD
(Confirmed) |
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11:30
am |
Facilitated discussion with
audience |
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12:00
pm |
Summary and conclusions
(co-organizers) |
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PART
2. STUDENT DEBATE: A NEW FORMAT FOR A NEW
TOPIC
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1:00-1:45 pm |
Debate topic: “Can
we be prepared for deliberate release of biological agents against
agriculture?”
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1:45-2:30 pm |
Facilitated discussion
(audience) |
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This
debate will really challenge students to think logically and
present cogent arguments on a very difficult social issue. We will not use the standard setup
of pro and con sides debated by placing one university department against
another. Rather, two teams of
four students each will be made up of one representative from each of four
departments of entomology and four departments of plant pathology (thus
two entomology students and two plant pathology students on each team,
from a total of eight different departments). In preparation for the debate, a
restricted-participation internet group site will be established, at which
information relevant to the debate will be
exchanged. |
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2. Name of function/event: We request that this
proposal is considered for a Program Symposium.
3. Proposed day/date of function: TBA by ESA; we suggest
either Sunday, 17 November or Monday, 18 November.
4. Start and End time of function:
Symposium, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm; student
debate, 1:00-2:30 pm, on the same day as the
Symposium.
5. Estimated number of guests:
Everybody at the meeting (certainly,
several hundred).
6. Room set up: Standard, with four
microphones set up in the audience to take questions and
comments.
7. Audiovisual needs: Slide, overhead and LCD projectors;
electronic pointer; large screen.
8. Catering needs: N/A
9. Do you want this event made
public?
Yes
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