FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Registration has begun for the 2014 SEC Symposium, the Southeastern Conference’s annual showcase of academic excellence of its member institutions.

The second-annual symposium is scheduled for Sept. 21-23 in Atlanta. Titled, “Prevention of Obesity: Overcoming a 21st Century Public Health Challenge,” the symposium will feature presentations from faculty and administrators from each of the 14 SEC institutions.

To register for the symposium, go to www.SECSymposium.com, which features a gold “Register” button on the home page and a draft program schedule.

Only registered SEC Symposium attendees are permitted to submit an abstract, and prior to submitting the abstract registered attendees must enter their username and password. To upload an abstract, click the gold “Submit an Abstract” button on the home page of the website.

University of Arkansas Chancellor G. David Gearhart, who has been appointed presidential liaison to the SECU, will provide opening remarks to kick off the symposium on Sept. 21.

Two health experts at the University of Arkansas — Rodolfo Nayga, a professor of agricultural economics and Matthew Ganio, an assistant professor of exercise science — will be among the scheduled presenters for the symposium.

In addition to Nayga and Ganio, the university will be represented by student ambassador Grace Heymsfield, an Honors College Fellow majoring in food, human nutrition and hospitality in the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences.

Obesity prevention and treatment are popular topics among media, lawmakers, health-care professionals and others. While the subjects have gained attention during the past decade, the United States has not seen a significant reduction in population-level obesity rates.

Researchers at the SEC Symposium hope to identify ways to markedly reduce America’s obese and overweight populations, through prevention.

This year’s topics range from genetics to technology and media to environmental influences. The symposium is divided into eight sessions of formal presentations and includes informal breakout sessions intended to foster interaction and discussion among participants.

In addition to university presenters, there will also be two keynote speakers. Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, will open the event on Sept. 21. Dr. Michael Lauer, Director of the Division of Cardiovascular Sciences at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, will deliver a second keynote address on Sept. 22.