Students from throughout the Southeastern Conference participated in this week's 2017 SEC Academic Conference hosted by Mississippi State University. A session titled "Student Career Speed Dating" allowed students to network with professional contacts. Additional sessions and presenters tackled a breadth of water-related issues, including regional policy, partnerships, coastal resiliency, sea level rise, restoration projects, contamination, water treatment processes, public perception, agriculture and economics. The conference emphasized research collaboration in pursuit of solutions for some of the world’s most complex scientific and social challenges.