National Education Conference
Held every three years, the National Education Conference (NEC) is a training event hosted by HQ for everyone participating in IR-4 GLP research. This event brings together field, laboratory, quality assurance, regional, and headquarters team members from across the US to learn and connect.
2026 NEC
The 2026 National Education Conference was held on February 3-5, 2026, in Charleston, South Carolina. Presentations from the conference are posted here.
View the final agenda for event details.
Awards
Internal awards are presented at every NEC; learn about the 2026 recipients here.
Photo Superlatives Contest
Thank you to all who submitted photos for our inaugural photo superlatives contest at the 2026 NEC. Check out this year’s submissions and winners below.
- View the full collection of photo submissions here (great work, everyone!)
Winners of the Photo Superlatives Contest at the 2026 NEC
| CATEGORY | WINNER |
| Most Interesting Critter Encounter | Lisa the Gator by Moriah Murrin—it’s great to be a Florida Gator! |
| Best Equipment Setup | Holiday Samples by Matt Hengel—analyzing pepper and cranberries makes a festive photo! |
| Most Difficult Crop/Matrix | Hops Harvest by Alexis Thompson |
| Best Photo at Work | Cherry by Nicole Soldan—during a residue harvest; had to snap a selfie with this photogenic crop! |
| Best Emergency Photo | Cat 5 Tornado Damage by Leona Horst |
| Coolest Crop | Prickly Pear Harvest by Martin Beran in Salinas, CA |
Past NEC Materials
- 2026 (Charleston, SC)
- 2023 (San Juan, PR)
- 2020 (San Diego, CA)
- 2017 (Orlando, FL)
- 2006 (Phoenix, AZ)
