CALL FOR STUDENT RESEARCH POSTERS!
The 16th Annual Maritime Risk Symposium invites undergraduate and graduate students from colleges and universities worldwide to participate in the 2026 Maritime Risk Symposium Student Research Poster Contest. The poster competition, sponsored by the CCICADA Center based at Rutgers University, will be held online with winners invited to present their posters at the Maritime Risk Symposium on June 2-3, 2026 in Houston, Texas, USA.
The Maritime Risk Symposium, hosted this year by the Institute for Homeland Security at Sam Houston State University, is a two day event in which an anticipated 200 – 240 participants from government agencies, commercial entities, and institutions of research and higher education meet to discuss various threats, challenges and risks to the international and domestic Marine Transportation System.
Students or student teams may submit posters of their research in one of the following topic areas:
• Maritime Border Security
• Littoral Disruptions and Cascading Consequences on Private Industry
• Maritime Cybersecurity/Artificial Intelligence
• Harbor Safety and Security Committees
• Cargo Screening – Balancing Speed and Security
• Forging Maritime Readiness Through U.S. Shipbuilding, Supply Chains, and Workforce
• A Topic of Your Choice with a Nexus in Security Threats and Risks to the Maritime Transportation System
Students are required to use the Maritime Risk Poster Template as well as preparing a 5-minute video presentation of their poster. To be considered, all submissions must be provided to the Submission Link (see below) no later than midnight, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, Eastern time.
Submission Links: (Please upload files in lastname_firstname format)
For Gmail account users, use this form.
For non-Gmail account users, use this form.
Competition Timeline:
1. April 1, 2026: Deadline for poster submission
2. April 15, 2026: Winners announced
3. June 2-3, 2026: Maritime Risk Symposium in Houston; selected posters printed and displayed at MRS
4. June 2, 2026: Winners present at Maritime Risk Symposium (in person or virtually): 40-minute session
Judging will be done online prior to the Conference. We expect that selected posters will be displayed at the conference. Contest winners will be announced on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 and invited to present their posters in person or via videoconference at the Maritime Risk Symposium in Houston.
All students, whether participants in the poster competition or not, may register for the Maritime Risk Symposium at a discounted student rate. A registration page will be posted at Maritime Risk Symposium.
Submit questions to maritime_risk_symposium_2026@dimacs.rutgers.edu.