The public is invited to attend a discussion at the University of Georgia entitled "Challenge of Obesity: How Government, Academia and Industry Work Together." This lecture will take place on June 13 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center in Atlanta.

The program is sponsored by Georgia Bio and will be focused on how the government, academia and industry are uniting, particularly on the issue of childhood obesity. Keynote speakers will include William Dietz, director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the CDC and Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health.

The event is open to the public and tickets are $35 per attendee. Registration is available online. Registration for UGA faculty, staff and students is free and UGA is providing additional free transportation to the event. Buses will leave at noon on the day of the conference. To reserve a seat on the bus visit http://www.doodle.com/hrmxpuzds5nyvq88.

Experts from the University of Georgia Obesity Initiative will be addressing the challenge of overweight and obese citizens in the U.S. and Georgia. Panelists include the following:

• Clifton A. Baile, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Agricultural Biotechnology, Distinguished Professor of Animal Science and Food and Nutrition, director of the UGA Obesity Initiative

• Mark Wilson, professor and department head, department of health promotion and behavior, College of Public Health

• Linda Matzigkeit, chief administrative officer, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

• Deborah Young-Hyman, professor of pediatrics, Georgia Health Sciences University