2026 Spring Retreat – March 9 – 11

Agenda

Venue

University of Georgia Griffin Campus
Student Learning Center
1109 Experiment Street
Griffin, GA

Accommodations

2026 Spring Retreat Accommodations

Monday, March 9

3:00 – 5:00 PMArrival and hotel check-in
5:00 – 7:00 PMSocial Activities
Sponsored by the UGA IPA Student Club
7:00 – 9:00 PMDinner
The Mule Barn on the UGA Griffin campus

Tuesday, March 10

8:00 – 8:30 AMLight Breakfast
Assorted protein bars, granola bars, cookies with coffee, juice, tea, and water
8:30 – 9:00 AMWelcome & Introductions
9:00 – 10:30 AMStrategic Plan | Bylaws and Governance
10:30 – 10:50 AMBreak
10:50 – 11:50 PMBreakout Groups: Strategic Plan | Bylaws and Governance
11:50 – 12:20 PMIIPA Industry Advisory Board
Tony Llano
12:20 – 1:30 PMLunch
1:30 – 2:30 PMTranslating Graduate Skills into Careers
UGA IPA Student Club -led panel discussion
Moderators: Sara Maktabi and Amrinder Jakhar
Panelists: Thirimachos Bourlai, Professor and Faculty Innovation Fellow, UGA School of Electrical & Computer Engineering; Subash Dahal, Senior Statistician and Science Fellow, Bayer Crop Science; Jack Huang, Professor, UGA Department of Crop and Soil Sciences; Brandon Solie, Career Consultant, UGA Career Center
2:30 – 6:30 PMForever Young Aquaponics Tour
6:30 – 9:00 PMReception | Dinner | Innovation Showcase (sponsored by the UGA IPA Student Club)

Wednesday, March 11

8:00 – 8:30 AMLight Breakfast
Assorted protein bars, granola bars, cookies with coffee, juice, tea, and water
8:30 – 10:00 AMFY26 IIPA Seed Grant Project Presentations
Anderson Alves, Liang Dong, Beiwen Li, Md Sultan Mahmud, Baviththira Suganthan, Xin Zhang
10:00 – 10:20 AMBreak
10:20 – 10:50 PMCertificate in Agricultural Data Science
Harald Scherm
10:50 – 11:50 PMIIPA Plans for FY27
Group Discussion
11:50 – 12:30 PMLunch
Lunch speaker: Bethany Harris, Director, Center for Urban Agriculture
12:40 – 3:00 PMUGA Griffin Campus Tour
Center for Urban Agriculture Irrigation Demonstration Site, Controlled Environment Agriculture Greenhouse Facilities, Remote Sensing and High-Throughput Plant Phenotyping, Food Product and Innovation Center Facility