About MIEC26
The Fifth Annual Mississippi IDeA/EPSCoR Conference 2026 (MIEC26) will be held on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Co-hosted by Mississippi INBRE and Mississippi EPSCoR, MIEC26 will offer concurrent oral STEM presentations, a student poster session, networking opportunities, professional development and more. We aim to enhance in-state STEM research infrastructure through offering an engaging platform for researchers to learn, collaborate and exchange key research discoveries.
STEM research faculty, undergraduate & graduate students, healthcare professionals, public health leaders, and other research industry stakeholders are highly encouraged to attend. In addition, MIEC26 is an excellent opportunity for Mississippi college students pursuing STEM research or public health-related careers to gain presentation experience, network and learn from experienced professionals.
Benefits of Attendance
- Participate in professional development sessions for both students and junior faculty
- Network with like-minded professionals and industry leaders from across Mississippi and the Gulf South
- Receive constructive feedback and critique on your research
- Gain insight into the research of other in-state academics
- Support future scientists and health professionals
- Stay up-to-date with the latest research trends and discoveries
- Enhance your visibility and recognition within Mississippi’s research community
Stakeholders
Mississippi INBRE
The Mississippi IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) is a network of colleges and universities designed to build a biomedical research infrastructure in Mississippi. Our mission is to engage talented faculty and students in biomedical research projects that will increase the state’s research competitiveness as well as impact the health of the citizens of Mississippi.
Mississippi EPSCoR
The NSF EPSCoR program began in Mississippi in 1988, when the governor named the Mississippi Research Consortium (MRC) as the State EPSCoR Committee. The state was awarded an NSF EPSCoR grant in 1989, a joint effort of the MRC with Mississippi State University serving as the fiscal agent. Since that time, the program has had an enormous impact within the state and at the four research institutions and their affiliates. Utilizing the multi-institutional framework of the EPSCoR project along with the commitment to creating a critical mass of scientists and engineers, Mississippi EPSCoR has produced a stronger and more competitive research community in the state.
To learn more about last year’s meeting, click here.
This conference is open to all individuals or organizations that are committed to increasing the STEM research capacity of Mississippi. Registration is free for all attendees.
Registration
MIEC26 welcomes any and all individuals or organizations that are committed to increasing the STEM research capacity of Mississippi. Registration is free for all attendees. STEM research faculty, undergraduate & graduate students, healthcare professionals, R&D industry professionals and more are highly encouraged to attend.
Please read the below prior to registering if you plan to participate in the conference poster session:
- Participation in the conference poster session requires submission of a separate abstract submission form in addition to conference registration. Sole submission of this registration form does not guarantee eligibility to participate in the poster session. Only individuals who have both registered for the conference and submitted the abstract submission form by the listed deadlines are eligible to participate.
- You will receive an email confirmation following submission of conference registration. Be sure to save the email confirmation you receive, as you will be required to submit a screenshot of the confirmation as part of your abstract submission. The confirmation will be sent from the email address “info@msinbre.org” and the subject line will be “MIEC26 Registration Confirmation.”
- If you have not received an email confirmation following registration submission, first be sure to check your junk folder in the event that the email was mistakenly flagged by your email provider. If you still are not able to find the confirmation, contact Mississippi INBRE Events and Public Relations Coordinator Danny Holland at herbert.holland@usm.edu or call (601)266-4531 for assistance.
Poster Competition Judging Acknowledgement
- Potential selection to serve as a poster competition judge is a condition of registration. By submitting the registration form below, you acknowledge and agree to the condition that faculty members, graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and other qualifying registrants may be selected to serve as judges in the conference undergraduate poster competition.
Click the button below to register today!
Registration Deadline: Thursday, July 9, 2026
This conference is open to all individuals or organizations that are committed to increasing the STEM research capacity of Mississippi. Registration is free for all attendees.
Undergraduate Poster Competition
MIEC26 is proud to support student research through our annual undergraduate poster competition. Undergraduate students conducting research in the fields of biomedical science, engineering, biology, polymer science, data science and other areas of STEM research are encouraged to submit an abstract and compete in the poster competition.
Awards
- 1st Place Research Poster- $500
- 2nd Place Research Poster- $400
- 3rd Place Research Poster- $300
- 4th Place Research Poster- $200
- Honorable Mention Research Poster- $100
Poster Competition Eligibility
- Only currently-enrolled undergraduate students who have registered for the conference are eligible to compete in the poster competition.
- High school students, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers are welcome to present during the session to gain presentation experience, however, they are ineligible to compete in the undergraduate poster competition and will not be judged.
- All poster session participants, whether they are eligible or ineligible to compete in the undergraduate poster competition, must register for the conference prior to the submission of the below form. Conference registration is required to be eligible to present in the poster session. As part of your submission, you will be required to submit a screenshot of the email registration confirmation you received at the time of registration.
Abstract Submission Instructions
Use the template linked below to write your abstract. Download the file, highlight each section and fill in the required components. Limit abstract body text to 250 words.
Once you have finished, ensure your file utilizes the below font styles for accurate presentation in the conference journal:
- First and Last Name: Source Sans Pro Bold, 14 pt
- Title: Source Sans Pro Bold, 12 pt
- Author(s): Source Sans Pro Light, 11 pt
- Affiliation(s): Source Sans Pro Light Italic, 11 pt
- Body: Source Sans Pro Light, 11 pt
Your completed abstract should resemble this example. Submit the Word document as a .doc or .docx file below. Only .doc or .docx files are accepted.
Click the button below to submit your abstract.
Abstract Submission Deadline: Monday, July 6, 2026
This conference is open to all individuals or organizations that are committed to increasing the STEM research capacity of Mississippi. Registration is free for all attendees.
Academic Exhibitors
MIEC26 offers exhibitor booths at no-cost for in-state higher education institutions to promote undergraduate and graduate student degree program recruitment activities.
Accepted applicants receive an exhibitor booth at the event and/or their institution’s logo and website link featured here on the MIEC26 webpage. Applicants may apply solely for their institution’s logo and website link to be featured on the MIEC26 webpage without the need for an exhibitor booth at the event on July 23.
Eligibility Guidelines
Any accredited institution of higher education in Mississippi is eligible to host an exhibitor booth at MIEC26 and receive online promotion via the conference webpage, provided that the institution intends to promote undergraduate and/or graduate student degree program recruitment activities at the booth.
Due to limited space at the meeting facility, institutions are limited to one exhibitor booth to represent the institution’s student recruitment activities overall. Institutions are not eligible to host multiple exhibitor booths to represent each department and/or program being recruited for, as was the case for meetings held in prior years. However, institutions may promote any number of departments and/or programs at the singular representative exhibitor booth.
Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) Approval
To ensure accurate institutional representation, applicants must receive approval from their Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) prior to the submission of the application. As part of the application process, applicants must attach a letter signed by their AOR stating that the institution authorizes and agrees to the following:
- Representation and promotion of the institution at the event on July 23 through the use of the exhibitor booth and/or
- Representation and promotion of the institution’s logo and corresponding website link on the MIEC26 webpage at msinbre.org/miec26
Are you looking for strong student candidates for your undergraduate or graduate school program? Click the button below to submit your academic exhibitor application today and find out if your program is eligible!
Submission Deadline: Wednesday, June 3, 2026 or when maximum exhibitor capacity is reached
This conference is open to all individuals or organizations that are committed to increasing the STEM research capacity of Mississippi. Registration is free for all attendees.
Lake Terrace Convention Center | Hattiesburg, MS
Meeting Facility
The Lake Terrace Convention Center (1 Convention Center Plaza, Hattiesburg, MS 39401) is located directly southeast of the intersection of I-59 and Hwy 49 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Hotels
Many hotel accommodations are available within a 5 to 10 minute drive from the meeting facility, both north and south along Hwy 49. Below is a list of hotels nearby. There are many more available in the surrounding area:
Hotel Indigo
(601) 264-7709
Doubletree by Hilton Hattiesburg
(601) 296-0302
Avid Hotel Hattiesburg West
(601) 475-2294
Best Western Plus University Inn
(601) 909-6658
Home2 Suites by Hilton Hattiesburg
(601) 261-3800
This conference is open to all individuals or organizations that are committed to increasing the STEM research capacity of Mississippi. Registration is free for all attendees.
MIEC26 - Organizing Committees This conference is open to all individuals or organizations that are committed to increasing the STEM research capacity of Mississippi. Registration is free for all attendees.
Have a question about registration, exhibitorship, presentations or more?
Email us at msinbre@usm.edu or call (601) 266-4531.
This conference is open to all individuals or organizations that are committed to increasing the STEM research capacity of Mississippi. Registration is free for all attendees.
Academic Exhibitors
