Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Events

Student/Postdoctoral Fellow Mixer

Sunday, March 15, Time: 7:30 PM–8:30 PM
Camden Lobby
Baltimore Convention Center

(Ticket Required)

Sponsor: Student Advisory Council

The Student Advisory Committee hosts this opportunity for students and postdoctoral fellows to gather, to meet new colleagues, and to reestablish relationships in an informal atmosphere at the beginning of the meeting. Tickets are obtained at no cost by registering for this event on the Annual Meeting Registration Form. Ticket and meeting badge are required. Complimentary refreshments and a cash bar will be available.

Regional Chapter/Special Interest Group Graduate Committee Meeting

Monday, March 16, Time: 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM
Room 302
Baltimore Convention Center

Representatives will conduct their business meeting.

In Vitro Toxicology Lecture and Luncheon for Students

Monday, March 16, Time: 12:15 PM–1:30 PM
Room 339
Baltimore Convention Center

(Ticket Required)

Chairperson(s): George B. Corcoran, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, and William S. Stokes, NTP, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC

Title: The 3R's in Animal Use and a Prospective In Vitro Screening Tool for Identifying Potential Immunotoxicants

Lecturer: Courtney E.W. Sulentic, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

Sponsor: Colgate-Palmolive Company

The purpose of this lecture is to discuss the importance of animal research to biomedical sciences and toxicology and the ethical obligations of the scientific community to follow the "3R's" of animal testing (refine, reduce, replace) whenever it is feasible. Following this discussion the remainder of the lecture will briefly describe Dr. Sulentic’s current research utilizing an in vitro alternative to understand mechanisms in altered immune function. The immune system is critical to human survival but also plays a contributing role in various mechanisms of toxicity. Assessing alterations of immune function by potential immunotoxicants is complicated by the diffuse nature of the immune system which is composed of various effector cells each with differing functions. Current immunotoxicity testing relies heavily on animal studies underscoring the need to develop and implement alternative approaches. Dr. Sulentic will discuss a cell line model developed to provide an in vitro alternative to animal studies in identifying immunotoxicants that specifically target B-cell function (i.e., alteration of immunoglobulin expression and antibody secretion) as well as elucidating the mechanisms of altered B-cell function.

Graduate students, undergraduates, postdoctoral scholars, and recipients of Colgate-Palmolive awards are among the guests at the In Vitro Toxicology Lecture and Luncheon. The goal of the In Vitro Toxicology Lecture series is to feature important research using in vitro and alternative techniques to study basic mechanisms and to illustrate how these test methods benefit animal welfare by refining and reducing animal use. Students and postdocs can reserve a ticket for the luncheon with a $5 deposit when they register for the SOT Annual Meeting. Lunch is served at the beginning of the event and service concludes before the talk/main program begins. Meal service may not be available to guests who arrive after 12:30 PM.

Specialty Section Graduate Committee Meeting

Tuesday, March 17, Time: 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM
Room 306
Baltimore Convention Center

Representatives will conduct their business meeting.

Postdoctoral Assembly Luncheon

Tuesday, March 17, Time: 12:00 NOON–1:15 PM
Room 339
Baltimore Convention Center

(Ticket Required)

Chairperson(s): Heather Floyd, Alcon Laboratories, Fort Worth, TX

Sponsor: Postdoctoral Assembly

Amidst scrambling to attend all of the events at the meeting, this will be time for postdocs to kick back and relax! All postdoctoral fellows are invited to a casual luncheon organized by the Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA). We will announce the recipients of the Best Postdoctoral Publication Awards and acknowledge the postdocs who received awards this year from Specialty Sections and Regional Chapters. The PDA Board members will present an overview of accomplishments and future directions for the PDA and will introduce the new board members for 2009–2010. There will be a drawing for prizes. Postdocs can reserve a ticket when registering for the Annual Meeting. Lunch is served at the beginning of the event and service concludes before the talk/ main program begins. Meal service may not be available to guests who arrive after 12:30 PM.

Student Advisory Council Meeting

Wednesday, March 18, Time: 7:00 AM–8:30 AM
Room 302
Baltimore Convention Center

Current and incoming Student Advisory Council members will conduct their business meeting, then meet with SOT Council and the PDA Board.

Symposium Session: Gene-Environment Interactions: Epigenetic Pathways in Chronic Disease Promotion and Progression

Wednesday, March 18, Time: 12:00 NOON–1:20 PM
Room 307
Baltimore Convention Center

Chairperson(s): Heather S. Floyd, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC and Sheppard A. Martin, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Sponsor: Postdoctoral Assembly Board

Endorsed by:
Inhalation and Respiratory Specialty Section
Occupational and Public Health Specialty Section
Student Advisory Council

The study of gene-environment interactions has become increasingly more common as it relates to disease susceptibility and chronic disease development. These studies aid in the characterization of environmental exposures and development of targeted prevention/treatment regimens. Traditional genetic endpoints can be expanded to include epigenetic modifications related to altered DNA methylation patterns, histone modifications, and germ-line reprogramming. Heritable alterations in the expression of particular genes or gene clusters and transgenerational effects that are linked to environmental exposures, such as gonadal sex determination and tumor development, are of particular interest. Alterations that result in chronic conditions present in early to mid-life stress the importance of ongoing research efforts to characterize molecular mechanisms associated with these conditions. Gene-environment interactions resulting in the promotion of autoimmune or neurodegenerative diseases serve to highlight current public health issues with an epigenetic basis. This is an important platform that will highlight toxicologically relevant epigenetic alterations with accompanying disease states and showcase trainee achievements. This session is brought to you through the collaborative efforts of the Postdoctoral Assembly and the Student Advisory Council.

Lunch with an Expert

Date and time varies by group (Meet at Bulletin Board in Registration Area)

This event is an informal gathering of a small group of students and a Toxicology Expert. Sign up via the Student Services section of the SOT Web site. The groups are matched by research interests and the Expert for each group identifies a time and place to assemble. Details for the group meeting will be sent advance of meeting.