2007 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum

In December 2007, the USWBSI will hold its annual conference, the 2007 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum.  It will be held at The Westin Crown Center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.  The Forum is an integral component of the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative.  Growers and grower group representatives, millers and other food processors, consumers, and scientists (public and private) are all urged to attend.

FORUM PROGRAM:

The Forum will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 2, and end around 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4.  The program will return to it's usual format (speaker and poster sessions- see summary below) this year, although part of Monday’s afternoon session will be dedicated to Focused Discussion Groups.

• Session 1:  Food Safety, Toxicology, and Utilization of Mycotoxin-contaminated Grain (Sunday)
• Session 2:  Pathogen Biology and Genetics (Sunday)
• Session 3:  Genetic Engineering and Transformation (Sunday)
• Session 4:  FHB Management (Monday)
• Session 5:  Variety Development and Host Resistance(Tuesday)

Click here to view the Forum program.

HOTEL AND TRAVEL INFORMATION:

The Forum will be held at the The Westin Crown Center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.  Participants are responsible for making (and paying for) their own reservations directly with the hotel using a credit card, and are guaranteed special room rates (see rates below) between the dates of November 26 - December 9.

• $99.00+tax/night for single and doubles
• $109.00+tax/night for a triple (i.e. three people to a room)
• $119.00+tax/night for quads (i.e. four people to a room)

These low room rates are based upon the expectation that Forum participants will stay at this hotel.  To reserve a hotel room at The Westin Crown Center at one of the special rates, please click here to make your reservations on-line.  Once you have opened the Hotel's Website, click on the "reserve" button and follow the instructions.  Reservations may also be made by calling the hotel directly at 816-474-4400.  Please inform the reservation agent that you wish to make the reservation under the '2007 National FHB Forum' group.  This will ensure that your reservation is booked under our group with the special room rate.

Hotel reservations must be made by Friday, November 16th.  After November 16th, the rooms that have been held for the Forum participants will be released (including special rate), and sold on a first come first serve basis.

TRAVELING TO THE FORUM

• Traveling by Air:  Forum participants should fly into the Kansas City International Airport (MCI).  To get to The Westin, it is suggested that you use the KCI Shuttle  The Westin is their first stop when traveling downtown, and their last stop when traveling to the airport.  Their rates are listed below:
  
  KCI Shuttle Rates:


• One-Way: $17.00
• Round-trip: $29.00

There is service every 30 Minutes from approximately 4:30 am to 6:30 pm to downtown; no reservations are needed prior to 6:00 pm  To purchase tickets, walk up to one of the KCI Shuttle ticket counters. These counters are conveniently located adjacent to most airline baggage claim areas and are located at:


• Terminal A - Gates 1, 15, 30
• Terminal B - Gates 31, 50, 60
• Terminal C - Gates 61, 72, 80
• Traveling by Car:  There is a link on the Hotels's reservation page (click here) to obtain driving instructions from various points of direction.
• U.S. Visa Information

POSTERS/PAPERS:

Forum participants can report research results in one of the following formats: 1) poster plus associated paper; 2) poster with an associated abstract; or 3) stand-alone paper.  There is no limit to the number of poster abstracts or papers submitted by one author. Please click here for more information on the submission of poster/papers for the 2007 NFHB Forum.

FORUM PROCEEDINGS:

The Proceedings, which will be available prior to the start of the Forum, are not meant to act as a formal scientific reference but rather as a means of increasing communication both during and after the Forum.  Readers will be informed that reproduction or referencing of reports can only occur with the author's permission.  Although one copy of the proceedings is included with the registration fee, additional copies can be purchased on-line.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

Cancellations made on or before November 1^st will receive a full refund.  Cancellations received after November 1^st will receive a partial refund.  No refunds will be issued for cancellations made after November 12th.

SPONSORSHIP:

If your company or organization is interested in sponsoring a portion of the Forum (i.e. Proceedings, Conference Materials, Reception, Meals, etc.), please contact the USWBSI's Networking & Facilitation office (contact information listed below).  Recognition will be given both during the Forum and in the Forum proceedings.

Sponsors as of 11/13/07:

Amercian Malting Barley Assoc.

Miller Brewing Company

Sierra-Nevada Brewing Company

Boulevard Brewing Company

Bayer CropScience

BASF

WestBred, LLC

Anheuser-Busch Companies

(Click on sponsor's logo to access their designated Website.)

IMPORTANT DATES:

TOURIST INFORMATION:

• Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association
• The Crown Center
• The Country Club Plaza
• Hallmark Visitors Center
• The National World War I Museum
• Tour the Boulevard Brewing Company

Questions/Contact Us:

If you have any questions regarding the 2007 National Fusarium Head Blight Forum, please contact the Networking and Facilitation Office at 517-355-0271 ext. 183 or scabusa@scabusa.org.  Mailing address listed below:

ATTN: Susan Canty
USWBSI's Networking & Facilitation Office
380 Plant and Soil Sciences Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1325