As a result of former Secretary Madigan's initiative concerning USDA/1890 University interactions, ARS and FSIS, in cooperation with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), established in FY1994 an ARS worksite at Princess Anne, MD. The worksite, which is part of the Microbial Food Safety Research Unit at ERRC, has a mission to develop risk assessment and predictive models to provide the scientific basis for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems in poultry production, processing, and distribution. The goals of the program include: to determine the natural prevalence of bacterial pathogens in grow-out houses, processing plants, and in distribution channels; to conduct challenge studies on critical control points in model systems to provide data for predictive model development; and to develop risk assessment models for use in hazard management systems. Dr. Tom Oscar is the Lead Scientist assigned to the worksite. A Specific Cooperative Agreement (SCA) was established with UMES, using FSIS funds. To conduct FSIS directed research the university used the SCA to hire a temporary faculty member and to support a graduate student. This faculty member has a UMES graduate student working on contamination sources of Salmonella during poultry grow out. Seven UMES undergraduates, and one graduate student, are employed by the ARS staff to conduct modeling studies. One of the undergraduate students works has worked at ERRC during the summer; providing a valuable year-round research opportunity. A UMES faculty member is employed during the summer months.

Art Miller, Eastern Regional Research Center

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