Eva Harris, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, Berkeley, has accepted ASM's invitation to be the keynote speaker for the 8th Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting. Harris will lecture about recent advances in her research on a mouse model for dengue virus infection and disease.  
Many have described Harris as an "activist researcher." In 1997, she founded the Sustainable Sciences Institute to develop scientific research capacity in areas with pressing public health problems related to infectious diseases. Harris simplifies and replicates biotech breakthroughs at a lower cost for transfer to public health workers in the developing world.

The 8th Biodefense Meeting will bring together individuals who are carrying out research to defend against the growing threat of bioterrorism as well as key players shaping the future biodefense agenda. Invited scientists will inform attendees about the latest scientific developments, policy issues, legislation, and gaps related to biodefense. Poster sessions will complement the invited speakers' program. Cuttingedge research will be presented on biothreat agents, vaccines, detection and diagnostic procedures, animal and plant pathogens, global surveillance, and other vital topics.

The website for the 8th Biodefense Meeting has launched, and the Call for Abstracts will be posted to the website in September. Later in the fall, Discounted Registration and Housing will open. Check http://www.asmbiodefense.org/ for these future meeting announcements.

The 2010 Biodefense Meeting will be held at the Baltimore Marriott Hotel. The Marriott is set on the edge of Baltimore Inner Harbor, just steps from the Inner Harbor restaurants and shopping, National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center, and USS Constellation. Transportation including Amtrak and BWI Airport are also within easy reach. More detail about how to make reservations at the Marriott will be provided at the Biodefense website at the opening of registration for the meeting.

Theresa Koehler and Connie Schmaljohn are again cochairs of the Biodefense Program Committee and look forward to your participation in 2010.