Spring Issue 2006

News in This Issue

President's Message

May 1 is the time for transition of membership on and leadership of the various Committees as well as Council and Officers of SOT and coincides with the completion of activities related to the Annual Meeting. As we make this transition, we should pause to recognize the vast contributions that have been made by all those who have participated in the leadership of the Society during the past year. The Society is successful due to the dedication of the numerous members that contributed to the success of the Committee and Task Force activities as well as the success of the Regional Chapters and Specialty Sections. The leadership of each of these groups has done a superb job providing guidance to the respective activities. Likewise, the Council has made steady progress in refining the overall structure and direction of the Society under the admirable leadership of President Ken Wallace, resulting in an impressive list of accomplishments as outlined in the Presidential overview at the annual business meeting. Fortunately, the SOT leadership structure is designed to maintain continuity on each administrative body by retaining a significant number of members that have knowledge of the past activities as well as plans for the future. The Society is certainly looking to the experienced members of each group for the historical perspective required to maintain steady progress in the development of SOT. Likewise, the Society is looking to the new members of the various groups to provide new perspective and indeed challenge the current direction of activities.

While we can take pride in the progress of the past year, it is important that all members now focus on the future. First we must continue to participate in the planning of the Annual Meeting in 2007. The activities of the Specialty Sections and Program Committee are of central importance to propose and subsequently refine plans for Symposia, Workshops, Roundtables, and Historical Highlights sessions. In addition to this activity, it is important for all members to begin planning for submission of abstracts in October. All members should make a conscious decision to select their best work and ideas for submission to SOT so the quality of the Annual Meeting is maintained and improved.

As our second focus on the future, it is important that the activities of the three Strategy Committees progress as rapidly as possible to help define the future of the SOT. Recall that during the past year Strategy Committees were established to provide guidance for the Society in the broad areas of the science of toxicology, support of membership needs, and communication, both within the Society as well as communication of toxicology outside the Society. These three areas are directly linked to the major Goals of the Society as outlined in the Long-Range Plan. I encourage all members to provide comments to the leadership of the Strategic Committees, who are as follows: Bernard D. Goldstein, Chair, Communications Strategy Committee; Shawn Lamb, SOT Staff Liaison; Patricia Ganey, Chair, Member Services Strategy Committee; Betty Eidemiller, SOT Staff Liaison; and Cheryl Lyn Walker, Chair, Science Strategy Committee, Clarissa Russell Wilson, SOT Staff Liaison.

As our third focus for the future, the Society is continuing to develop plans that will assure the long-term financial stability of the Society. This effort starts with continually assessing the efficiency of utilization of resources under the watchful attention of the Treasurer and the Finance Committee. In addition, the Society continues to develop plans for an Endowment that will provide an opportunity for members to financially contribute to the future success of the Society. While plans are not finalized at this point, I am happy to report that significant progress has been made in developing a future SOT Endowment taking into account the needs of the Society and potential concerns of future donors.

I look forward to contributing to the future development of the Society of Toxicology as your President. While the Society has a high level of membership participation, I ask that all members consider enhancing their participation by providing comment and perspective in regards to the activities of the Society. Please feel free to contact the leadership of the various units of the Society such as Committees, Task Forces, Specialty Sections, Regional Chapters, and Council to provide your contribution to the future success of SOT and the field of Toxicology in general.

Sincerely,

James A. Popp, D.V.M., Ph.D.

2006–2007 SOT President

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SOT Expands Media Outreach for 2006

At the request of the new SOT Communications Strategy Committee, SOT Council retained an experienced communications consultant to help strengthen SOT media outreach for the 2006 Annual Meeting. A number of press releases were distributed that highlighted scientific sessions, awardees, and SOT outreach activities and special events. Visit the Press Release section on the SOT Web site.

Stacy Wild with local news team

As a result of the increased efforts, a local radio station featured James C. Griffiths, Burdock Group, on an evening drive-time call-in-show, and two local TV news stations covered the “Paracelsus Visits the Genome” exhibit at the San Diego Natural History Museum, with coverage on the evening news (view news video). Local area reporters attended the meeting and developed feature articles, e.g., The Village News http://www.thevillagenews.com/story.asp?story_ID=14447.

In addition, journalists from scientific publications, and the trade press (e.g., Science magazine, Science News and BNA’s Daily Environment Reporter) continued their traditional coverage and attendance at the SOT Annual Meeting and prepared articles on sessions of special interest to their readership.

Furthermore, the SOT Communications Strategy Committee will build on this success and continue to work on a comprehensive strategy to enhance SOT communications. In the near future, a “Communications Corner” feature will be launched in the Communiqué. Please feel free to send your ideas to Shawn Lamb at SOT Headquarters.

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Redesigned Toxicological Sciences Web Site Provides More Member Benefits

Submitted by Shelley Andrews, Executive Editor
Oxford University Press

A key benefit of SOT membership is on-line access to Toxicological Sciences. Oxford University Press has recently revamped the journal Web site as part of a major redesign initiative at Oxford Journals. The journal site now incorporates a new URL, new look, new content, and new functionality. The new site complies with accessibility legislation for persons with disabilities and is rich in new features.

Oxford Journals has worked closely with the SOT to enhance your on-line experience with a host of new features and functionality. If you haven’t visited the ToxSci Web site recently, here’s what you are missing:

• Images from within an article can be exported to PowerPoint format complete with full citation information. This feature is available for all issues from January 2000 to the present.
• Table of contents and abstracts are available for PDA delivery.
• RSS feeds, an enhanced programming tool to expedite the retrieval of information from one Web site to another, are also available and provide up-to-date “news feeds” of current information about the Web site content.
• A new “My Account” function allows users to manage all of their details and preferences from within a single section. Registration is free and once logged in you can manage your subscriptions, set up e-mail citation alerts, readily access favorite articles, and save searches.
• CrossRef, ISI, and PubMed related articles and reference links allow ToxSci readers to click through to the full-text articles, without a subscription.

We encourage you to visit the ToxSci Web site by logging in through the SOT Web site. We welcome your feedback on existing features, or on others you would like to see us develop. Simply click on “Contact This Journal” from the ToxSci homepage to send us your feedback.

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SOT Members Encouraged to Write Congress on Need for Biomedical Research Funding

SOT Council asked the Regulatory and Legislative Assistance Committee (RALA) to develop a template letter for the Write to Congress system to stimulate a letter writing campaign regarding continuing the funding of two distinct and important biomedical research funding issues, the National Children’s Study (NCS) FY2007 Funding and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) FY2007 budget.

SOT Council recognized that NCS is a unique and important study that will have potential impact on future science studies. SOT 2005-2006 President Ken Wallace noted in his e-mail message that the goal of the NCS is to improve the health and well-being of children and the efforts underway in Congress to add $7 billion to the FY2007 budget would fund vital health and education programs. He noted that the additional $7 billion would “put the appropriations committees in position to provide vital increases for NIH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, K-12 education, higher education…”

The template “Write to Congress Letters” are posted on the SOT Web site, which provides an easy-to-use system for constituents to make their positions known to their Congressional representatives in the House and the Senate. As of May 16, 2006 the NCS letter has been sent by 100 constituents to their Congressional Representatives and the NIH FY2007 letter has been sent by 80 constituents to their Congressional Representatives.

RALA is working with Council to develop more specific criteria for launching all-out-alerts to Congress on specific studies.

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SOT Annual Meeting Attendee Membership Offer

Continue to take full advantage of your 2006 SOT Annual Meeting registration. If you paid a non-member registration fee and you apply for SOT membership (Full, Associate, or Student) by September 1, 2006, SOT will waive your 2006 dues. As a SOT member, you will have the opportunity to learn about exciting scientific advances and new research initiatives. You will also be able to access the members-only sections of the SOT Web site (including the On-Line Membership Directory), join Specialty Sections ($15—first one free for students), participate in the leadership of your Regional SOT Chapter, submit un-sponsored abstracts for the Annual Meeting, and register for next year's meeting in Charlotte at the reduced member rate (1/2 the non-member fee). Be sure to visit our Web site to learn of the many other benefits of SOT membership.

The easy on-line membership application is available or contact Rosibel Alvarenga at (703) 438-3115. Be a part of the leading global force in advancing science to enhance human, animal, and environmental health by joining the Society of Toxicology.

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Call for Authors for NLM ToxLearn Modules

The ToxLearn Work Group of the SOT Education Committee is soliciting applications from potential authors for Modules 4-6 of the Web tutorial replacing the National Library of Medicine (NLM) ToxTutor.

ToxLearn Modules Introduction Dose-Effect and Dose-Response Types of Toxicity Factors Affecting Toxicity Dose Route of exposure Time course of exposure Characteristics of exposed organism Toxicokinetics and Toxicodynamics Toxicokinetics Absorption Distribution/Storage Biotransformation Excretion Toxicodynamics Toxicity Assessment – Human and Animal Methods Laboratory studies: in vivo, in vitro and in silico Human observation: epidemiology and clinical investigation Assessing acute toxicity Definition of acute toxicity LD50/LC50 Assessing chronic toxicity Definition of chronic toxicity Non-cancer effects: neurotoxicology, reproductive toxicology, immunotoxicology, etc. NOAEL, LOAEL, etc. Cancer: potency factor Toxicity Assessment – Ecological Applied Toxicology

ToxTutor was originally produced as a basic tutorial for those using the NLM toxicology databases. The new version with updated content is called ToxLearn to reflect the emphasis on active learning and effective use of graphics and the web format to address the needs of a variety of learners. The content is directed to the level of the undergraduate student and educated general public. SOT is partnering with NLM in the production of ToxLearn. We expect release of Modules 1-3 this summer. Potential authors will provide the following information: An expression of interest in the project indicating which one or more modules you are interested in authoring. A writing sample consisting of about 250 words, highlighting a relevant toxicology concept, and aimed at undergraduate students. Ideally, it would incorporate graphic images. A PowerPoint or Web-based presentation which fulfills or complements these requirements could also be submitted. Personal resume of no more than 3 pages.

These items will be sent electronically to Betty Eidemiller at SOT Headquarters, no later than June 15, 2006.

The authors selected for the modules will receive:

1. Outline of content to be developed
2. Module production template
3. Author Agreement; timeline includes receipt of module draft by September 1, 2006
4. $3,000 per module for the author or team of authors upon completion

 

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Teaching Toxicology to the Public: TEF Foundation Debuts Award-Winning Video

“Is it Safe? Evaluating Chemical Risks” is a video produced by the Toxicology Education Foundation (TEF) and co-sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). TEF is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging, supporting, and promoting charitable and educational activities that increase the understanding of toxicology. The video is aimed at giving people a clearly explained and engaging look at the basics of toxicology and risk assessment. It offers guidance on determining what chemicals may be causes for concern and, more importantly, under what circumstances. Fundamental concepts, such as “The dose makes the poison” and prevention are enhanced by the visual format. In April 2006, this video received a Platinum “Best of Show” Aurora award in the Instructional/Educational/Training programs category. The Aurora Awards is an international competition designed to recognize excellence in the film and video industries.

“Is it Safe?” How many times have we, as toxicologists, heard that question from family, friends, acquaintances, or strangers? How often do we begin our answer with, “Well, on the one hand ….”? To the toxicologist, toxicology is obviously rife with complexity and scientific uncertainty. Yet we, as ordinary citizens, have to make daily decisions about exposures to potentially hazardous substances. Toxicologists can perform an important civic duty by helping the public, media, and policy makers understand how to evaluate chemical risks. Now there is a new teaching aid we can add to our communications tool box.

This video is designed as both a stand-alone unit for unmediated viewing by interested members of the public and, more importantly, as a teaching tool. Toxicologists and other public health professionals are encouraged to use the video at group meetings, schools, libraries, and community centers. One might, for example, choose to screen the video and then serve as a moderator-specialist to highlight and clarify certain concepts, take questions, and facilitate discussion.

This sixteen minute video stars two well-known members of the toxicology community and SOT, John Doull and Ann de Peyster, and a cast of characters as average citizens who, in the course of their daily activities, must confront issues related to lead paint, vitamin A, ozone, and warfarin. An acronym, “RITE,” developed by TEF and illustrated in the video, is used to explain that Risk Is a function of both Toxicity and Exposure. This mnemonic device helps reinforce the toxicological principles discussed.

“Is it Safe?” is available via streaming video at TEF’s Web site and on DVD, available from TEF. The video is the latest of a number of significant outreach products created by TEF, which continues to seek new ways to broaden its educational reach and transmit authoritative toxicological information to the public and other audiences. For more information about the video and TEF’s work, or to contribute, contact the Foundation at:

Toxicology Education Foundation
P.O. Box 31021
Raleigh, NC 27622-1021
tefhq@toxedfoundation.org
(919) 676-4666

Annual Meeting Highlights

2006 ToxExpo™ Has Record-Breaking Participation

ToxExpo™ continues to be the biggest and the best toxicology-related exhibition in the world. This year 302 exhibiting companies, including 46 international companies, displayed the very latest cutting-edge technology used in scientific development. Each year ToxExpo™ outpaces its best record and sells out the exhibit hall. In San Diego, over 6400 attendees visited the exhibit hall and gained first-hand knowledge about products and services from 302 participating vendors, and viewed the poster presentations on display.

 

ToxExpo Exhibits

SOT members are able to visit the ToxExpo Web site year round to access current information on the latest cutting-edge technology, products, and services. If your company is interested in being listed on ToxExpo™ or would like to exhibit at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Charlotte, NC, please contact Libby Jones at SOT Headquarters.

In celebration of the 45th Anniversary of the Society, contests were held in the exhibit hall during the lunch hours. Check the ToxExpo Web site during the year for details on the 2007 special attraction.

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Visit the 2006 Annual Meeting Photo Gallery

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2006 Business Meeting Highlights

Highlights from the SOT 2006 Annual Business Meeting (PowerPoint Presentation—allow a few minutes to download) are now available to SOT members.

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Electronic Message Center or Paper?

For the first time, the SOT 2006 Annual Meeting Message Center was web-based and provided an electronic method to stay connected to colleagues during the Annual Meeting. The Message Center facilitated correspondence among attendees, members, and CRAD Job Bank registrants and was developed as a result of member and attendee requests to offer a service that was secure, confidential, and more convenient than the post-it message and bulletin board system SOT used in the past. But attendees either loved it or hated it. A record number of 500 comments were received concerning the Message Center on the Annual Meeting Evaluation Form.

Many of the attendees appreciated the new electronic Message Center for its convenience. Since the Message Center was available 24-hours a day, before, during, and after the meeting (February 24 through March 31) from any computer with Internet access, users were thrilled to learn they had access to their mailbox from a laptop in their hotel room at their convenience. Attendees were no longer at the mercy of the convention center schedule or location to access the Message Center. If you didn’t bring your laptop or handheld/PDA to the meeting, computers in both ToxExpo and the registration lobby provided access while attending the meeting. The service even sent notification via your personal e-mail and displayed your name on a message panel on-site when you received a new message.

Other attendees longed for the simplicity of the pink pads. No passwords, computers, and hours of operation.

Now the Program and Career Resource and Development Committees, as well as Council, must decide if more computers and member education can be significant enough to convince 99% of the Annual Meeting attendees to “love” an electronic message center or if a return to paper pads is in SOT’s future.

Additionally, the Message Center provided extended communication permitting members and CRAD registrants who did not attend the meeting to communicate with attendees. Even colleagues and family members could send messages in to an attendant to be delivered to mailboxes.

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Another Blockbuster Year for Continuing Education Course Offerings

The Continuing Education (CE) Committee would like to extend its appreciation and thanks to everyone who participated in the CE courses at the 2006 Annual Meeting in San Diego, California this year. Registration for our courses exceeded 2,400 for the 11 courses that were offered.

Such a success is a direct result of the interesting and varied course offerings, and the hard work and efforts put in by the speakers, course chairs, and CE committee course liaisons. The Continuing Education Committee very much appreciated the course chairs and the speakers who generously contributed their time in organizing the courses and preparing presentations and course handouts. A special thanks goes to our dedicated graduate students, listed below, whose participation and assistance were an essential part of helping to keep the courses running smoothly, and to the SOT staff members who quietly take care of the myriad of details involved in planning and executing this program.

The high quality educational courses that are presented at the annual meetings come about based on proposals submitted by our members, and the CE Committee appreciates continued input regarding new and interesting ideas for courses from our members.

Finally, as a note to the Regional Chapters, please remember that the CE Committee maintains a list of speakers in our Speakers Bureau. This list is comprised of those individuals who were found to have done a particularly outstanding job presenting during CE courses over the last several years. SOT will help underwrite the costs of bringing these individuals to your local chapter meetings. (Funding for Regional Chapter Activities and Speakers.) As one of the most under-utilized resources of SOT, please consider contacting SOT for more information on bringing one of these dynamic speakers to your event. If you have questions regarding this program, please contact Nichelle Sankey at SOT Headquarters.

Thanks again to everyone who participated helped make this year's program a success.

2006 CE Student Volunteers

Lauren Aleksunes
Irene M. Baskerville-Abraham
Jaya Chilakapati
Kristina D. DeSmet
Ankur V. Dnyanmote
Anne Gilson
Jessica Houghton
Tisha King Heiden
Michele Merrill
Alejandro Molinelli
Elizabeth Myers
Sheung Ng
Prajakta S. Palkar
Chunli Quan
Sharmilee P. Sawant
Tina Stevens
Lauren Tarantino
John Urban
Elizabeth Vancza
Steve Yee

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Animals in Research Special Session Draws Large Crowd at Annual Meeting

The Animals in Research Committee sponsored a Special Session, “Using Animals for Toxicological Research and Testing: Best Practices for Assuring Compliance with Animal Welfare Regulations, Policies, and Guidelines,” during the 2006 SOT Annual Meeting. By all indicators, this March 6 session was a huge success. Co-chairs Jan Oberdoerster, Ph.D., and William S. Stokes, D.V.M., developed an interesting and valuable session with recognized leaders in this field from the United States and Europe giving excellent presentations. The size of the audience was 150-200 throughout the program, and the session was extended 30 minutes to accommodate questions from the audience.

The workshop was organized to discuss current compliance issues and best practices for adhering to animal care and use regulations, policies, and guidelines for laboratory animals used in toxicological research and testing, and to discuss opportunities for future progress. Best practices for regulatory testing include careful consideration and appropriate incorporation of in vitro methods, humane endpoints, tiered testing strategies, and weight-of-evidence evaluations at the completion of each stage of testing (i.e., to ascertain whether sufficient information is present for determination of hazard or if additional data are needed). Adoption of these best practices helps to ensure that animals are used in the most humane and judicious manner consistent with successful attainment of research and testing objectives and helps avoid deficiencies and disruptive mandatory corrective actions.

Jodie Kulpa-Eddy, D.V.M, reviewed and discussed the most common deficiencies cited by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Care Inspectors in toxicological research and testing facilities. Real-life examples of non-compliance citations were given, and the current best practices used as inspection benchmarks by the USDA were highlighted. The most common citation in toxicology facilities is for investigators not adequately addressing the requirement for the consideration of alternatives to procedures that cause more than momentary or slight pain and distress. She also noted that toxicology facilities generally had a lower frequency of non-compliance than other types of facilities, with over half of these having no citations during the past year.

In an interesting presentation, Axel Wolff, D.V.M., reviewed current compliance issues with the U.S. Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals for institutions with NIH assurances. Compliance data analysis was presented and the type of non-compliance, the types of animals involved, and the corrective actions described. NIH expectations of compliance were presented, and expected best practices for assuring compliance also were discussed.

In his presentation, John Miller, D.V.M., reviewed the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) voluntary accreditation program for animal care and use programs and facilities and identified the most common suggestions for improvement. The AAALAC accreditation process and AAALAC expectations (e.g., use of analgesics, environmental enrichment), as well as suggestions for improving site visit outcomes, were included in the presentation. Current best practices for assuring adherence to AAALAC standards were highlighted.

Clement Gauthier, Ph.D., reviewed the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) animal care and use accreditation program and the current best practices used as benchmarks for site visits. He noted that the 3Rs concept of reduction, refinement, and replacement serves as an underlying basis for all CCAC guidelines and policies. Common deficiencies and best practices for animal care and use programs and facilities were presented.

Jon Richmond, M.D., reviewed regulatory compliance issues for toxicological research and testing facilities that must comply with European Union and United Kingdom animal welfare laws and regulations. The UK has the oldest animal protection laws in the world and current regulations and policies in the UK are also considered among the strictest in the world. Current best practices for animal care and use that are expected by the Home Office and lessons learned were reviewed.

Future programs are being developed by the Animals in Research Committee with the intent to provide these sessions at the Annual Meeting on a regular basis.

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Learning with the Distance Learning Curve

The sunset session on distance learning at the 2006 meeting attracted a number of participants from industrial and academic spheres interested in learning more about enhancing their teaching environments through the use of technology. The presenters provided a smorgasbord of current distance learning offerings as well as insight into some of the pedagogical issues involved in these undertakings. The session was sponsored by the Education Committee.

During his keynote presentation, John Morris (Drexel University) discussed the many ways in which technology can be utilized for learning purposes. He highlighted the fact that e(ffective) distance learning endeavors recognize different teaching and learning styles and different levels of proficiency with electronic communication. He emphasized engagement of both student and teacher as integral to successful on-line education.

Kristine Willett (University of Mississippi) presented her perspective on distance learning in toxicology, drawing from her experiences teaching toxicology on-line to undergraduate and graduate students. She put forth data from a series of surveys given to students during the course of their on-line courses in which their experiences in both traditional and on-line environments were queried. Her results indicated that students value the opportunity to study on-line. However, these students exhibited a certain degree of ambivalence with regard to equating on-line courses with traditional face-to-face courses.

Jane Huggins (Drexel University), organizer of the session, described the series of on-line toxicology courses she has taught to undergraduate and graduate students as portals through which students can advance their understanding of the basic concepts of toxicology. She emphasized various features of WebCT® content management software, the electronic tool with which she teaches. Students in these courses are encouraged to engage in a range of activities utilizing chatroom, assignment, e-mail, and discussion group utilities. Moreover, students have access to a collection of audio/video materials including archived lectures and virtual seminars.

John Duffus (Edinburgh Centre for Toxicology) presented a summary of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists' (IUPAC) teaching activities internationally, in which on-line learning is utilized to a large extent via educational modules available on the IUPAC Web site. The main thrust of these teaching endeavors is to provide training in toxicology to chemists. Dr. Duffus, who participated in development of these modules, discussed their efficacy in teaching individuals from diverse backgrounds and his interest in the value of glossaries to supplement the on-line teaching of technical disciplines, including toxicology.

Paul Wright (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) discussed the fully on-line postgraduate programs he has developed for Graduate Diploma or Masters in Applied Science in Toxicology. He described stimulating the engagement of both student and teacher through use of on-line breakout groups and discussions, distance co-supervision of research projects for minor theses, use of learning journals and workplace practical applications, and other distance learning modalities. Moreover, he emphasized the international component of these programs, indicating that students from both developed and developing countries participate in them.

Overall, presenters and audience at this session engaged in a productive teaching/learning session about these new tools in toxicology education. Hopefully, this session and others like it will help individuals engaged in teaching/learning toxicology to more effectively “learn with the distance learning curve.” Many thanks are due IUPAC for providing speaker travel support for this endeavor.

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Happy First Birthday Post-Doctoral Assembly: Recent Accomplishments and Future Directions

Jennifer Duringer, 2006-2007 PDA Chair

Jennifer Duringer

The Post-Doctoral Assembly (PDA) has accomplished much in its first year as an official committee of SOT. Elections for PDA Board positions were held on-line in February for the first time, with voting open to all PDA members (i.e., SOT members who are identified as post-docs). Personal statements were submitted by all candidates and posted for review during the election process. Officers who will serve for 2006-2007 are as follows: Jennifer Duringer (transition from Co-Chair to Chair), Michail Panagiotidis (Co-Chair), Aaron Rowland (Secretary-Treasurer), and Kristin Mitchell (Councilor).

Jose Manautou

The PDA also had a very successful Annual Meeting in San Diego and participated in multiple events.

• The first “Post-Doctoral Event” was Sunday night and included a keynote address from Jose Manautou, winner of the 2006 Achievement Award, and comments by George Corcoran, Council Liaison. Incoming and outgoing PDA Board members were also introduced, followed by informal discussion amongst all attendees regarding future endeavors of the PDA.
• The PDA partnered with the Career Resource and Development Committee (CRAD) to offer a seminar entitled “Life After Your Post-Doc: Advice on Finding and Landing a Job.” A stellar panel representing experts from industry, academia, and the government were present to give advice on an array of topics including the job search, CV preparation, interview tips, salary negotiation, and benefits. We hope those who were able to attend found this session entertaining and informative. For those who could not attend, you’re in luck! The PDA Board took some notes! The summary of answers to each question is posted at the SOT PDA Web site. We hope that our continued partnership with CRAD will provide for additional post-doctoral sessions at future SOT meetings.
• The PDA will also post the minutes from our meetings in San Diego and the PDA Board conference calls. Our hope is that by posting meeting minutes, the SOT Post-Doctoral membership can stay informed of active PDA programs and also those in every stage of development. If you see something you would like to comment on or help with, just let us know! Be sure to check out the PDA minutes at the Web site. You might even see yourself in a picture from the Annual Meeting!
• This year the Student Advisory Committee and the PDA suggested the format for the meeting between Council, students, and post-docs be more informal. The goal was to provide an opportunity for students and post-docs to network with Council members and to facilitate communication about issues they would like to have addressed in the coming year. The meeting was very effective, as many new acquaintances were made and a variety of issues were discussed. Thank you to all those who attended, and we look forward to seeing you all at the meeting with Council next year!

The PDA Board has been working hard since our inception to bring post-docs in the Society the resources and leadership opportunities they need. We have many innovative ideas for the coming year, which were refined in discussions at the Annual Meeting. Current initiatives include:

• Conducting a survey of post-docs to get to know our members and to better gauge their needs.
• Submitting a proposal for a platform session at the 2007 Annual Meeting that will highlight abstracts submitted by post-docs in a specific area of research.
• Designing a “First Time Presenters Program” that will welcome first-time post-doctoral poster presenters to the Society and PDA. Experts will be asked to volunteer to visit post-docs at their posters and will encourage their membership in SOT.

• Increased collaborative efforts with Specialty Sections, Regional Chapters, and Special Interest Groups.

• Creation of more awards geared towards post-docs.

We welcome the input and help of any PDA member for these initiatives. Please feel free to contact us at SOT Headquarters. We want to get you involved!

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Student Advisory Committee Events in San Diego Well Attended

Submitted by John Norman, 2005-2006 SAC Co-Chairperson

The 2006 Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting in San Diego was once again a tremendous success for the 660 student and 353 post-doctoral attendees. The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) sponsored and coordinated several student events at the Annual Meeting. The newly created Room Sharing Program was a success, allowing students at various institutions and other meeting attendees to locate roommates to help share in the cost of the Annual Meeting. There were approximately 30 to 40 attendees who used the service for the 2006 SOT Annual Meeting. The annual Student/ Post-Doctoral Mixer was well attended and provided an excellent setting for students to interact and network with one another. Posters from the Specialty Sections and from some SOT Regional Chapters were also displayed for student/post-doctoral perusal. The SAC awarded prizes for readers of the “2006 SOT Student Event Planner,” which is a convenient student guide to the SOT Annual Meeting. The “Lunch with an Expert” (LWAE) program is designed to facilitate networking of students with other SOT members. This year, over 180 students and 40 experts participated in the LWAE program.

During the Annual Meeting, the SAC held elections for new officers. The new terms begins on May 1, 2006, and the newly elected officers are: John Norman (SAC Chairperson), TBA (SAC Co-Chairperson), and Kristina DeSmet (SAC Secretary).

With over 1,000 current SOT student members, the SAC is pursuing several initiatives in the upcoming year in an effort to serve the needs of the growing student population. The SAC hopes to compile a resource guide that will include programming ideas for students to use at their own institutions and Regional Chapters as well as tips for poster and platform presentations at the Annual Meeting. The guide will also contain an alumni directory. The SAC is also proposing several measures to increase student membership and participation in pursuit of its primary function. We look forward to the challenges presented in the upcoming year.

If you have any further questions or comments regarding student events, student initiatives, or student membership, please contact SOT Headquarters. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2007 Annual Meeting in Charlotte!

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Toxicology is a Great Career: Undergraduates Explore the SOT Annual Meeting

Daniel Acosta, Jr., University of Cincinnati; Winston Evering, Pfizer Global Research and Development; and William Farland, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provided an overview of careers in toxicology (academia, industry, and government, respectively) during a panel discussion that was a new feature of the Undergraduate Education Program held during the San Diego Annual Meeting. This discussion capped the two-day program, which was hosted by the Committee for Diversity Initiatives (CDI) for outstanding undergraduates who were selected from a pool of national applicants. NIH-MARC funding, which has supported the Undergraduate Program at SOT since 1990, provided travel funds for 30 students from ethnic groups that are under-represented in the sciences and for six faculty advisors. Another group of 10 students from institutions that receive a low level of federal funding for science and mathematics received travel support from EPA. The diversity of institutions represented can be seen on the list of participants (Minority Student Award Recipients) (Undergraduate Toxicology Education Award Recipients).

The Program opened on Saturday night with an ice-breaker that includes the story of the founding of the FDA, and conferring of bowler hats to participants who distinguished themselves from their peers through extreme-“high dose” ways, e.g., most languages spoken, largest pet, most dangerous hobby, etc. (see photo). The introductory toxicology lecture Saturday night was followed on Sunday with additional lectures that illustrated the breadth of toxicology, including a chance for students to interpret toxicology data and for a student speaker to present research findings. A special subset of scientific posters captured the attention of these students Monday morning. The students were motivated to find the answers to various questions in order to discover which presenter was the mystery scientist and to win great prizes. Advisors and students also had special break-out sessions to explore topics such as advising students for graduate school admission, how to apply to graduate school, and what graduate school is like. Representatives of a large number of academic and internship programs visited with students and advisors during an informal session.

The Sunday portion of the Undergraduate Education Program is open to any undergraduate student registered for the Annual Meeting, and this year delegations from several academic institutions added to the number of participants, as did the recipients of the first Pfizer Undergraduate Travel Awards.

Students are enthusiastic about their experience at the SOT Annual Meeting, and many comment that their interest in graduate school and toxicology has been whetted. Alumni from the Program continue to participate as speakers, peer mentors, and host mentors. CDI is proud to feature these toxicologists in “Eye on CDI.” We thank all the many people who make this extensive and important effort possible, including the speakers, peer mentors, host mentors, and the organizing committee. Peter Thomas chaired CDI this year.

For a special report on professional opportunities in toxicology, see the article in Nature highlighting the diverse pathways and rewards of this career choice.

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Novartis Graduate Fellowship Awarded to Sheung Ng

Sheung Ng has been selected to receive the 2006 Novartis Graduate Fellowship. The top candidates from an outstanding pool of applicants were selected to interview with the Education Committee in San Diego, where the award was announced. Ms. Ng is a student of Judith Zelikoff at the New York University School of Medicine. Her work involves cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response to prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke and the relationship with subsequent tumor development.

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Paracelsus Explored the Genome, and the Event was a Success!!!

 

The Committee on K-12 Education charted new territory this year at the 2006 SOT Annual Meeting. As an alternative to the teacher workshops previously offered at the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting, the Committee partnered with the San Diego Natural History Museum to offer free admission on Sunday, March 5. At that time, the museum was featuring the Pfizer-sponsored traveling exhibit "Genome: The Secret of How Life Works." The Committee on K-12 Education and the Southern California Chapter of SOT sponsored the program “Paracelsus Explores the Genome: Toxicology Advances Health.” The special activities included exhibits about toxicology, a display of teacher materials, and a fun passport for kids along with free gifts. With the help of over 40 volunteers from the Society of Toxicology and the San Diego Natural History Museum, as well as support from Pfizer La Jolla, the Museum hosted almost 2500 visitors!!

The passport “Paracelsus Explores the Genome” encouraged children and adults to explore the Genome Exhibit and learn about toxicology along the way. The passport stations introduced visitors to Paracelsus, the father of modern toxicology, and the dose-response concept. Next stop was to learn about poisons — animal, plant, household, and general poison control information. The museum pet, “Harry the black widow,” was a real hit! Next to the 20-foot long DNA model within the Genome Exhibit was the Genetic Toxicology station — complete with an interactive computer display of DNA adducts, an introduction to genotoxicity testing, and how alterations in the genome lead to cancer.

Another excellent station was the Milestones of Toxicology display where over 500 copies of the poster developed by Steven G. Gilbert and Antoinette Hayes were given away. Passport participants could earn “extra credit” by going on a scavenger hunt to find the California condor at the museum, one of the bird species affected by DDT poisoning. The final passport station included a review of the toxicity of lead and how the reduction of lead in products has resulted in health benefits. Besides the passport stations, visitors were able to explore other toxicology exhibits such as Dose-Response, Poison Control, and Pulmonary Toxicity (lung casts courtesy of Dr. Robert Phalen, University of California, Irvine). The lung and interactive dose-response displays hosted many visitors with lots of questions!

Teachers could also obtain educational materials and handouts to share in their classrooms. Janessa Gruby, a high school teacher, attended a Museum Teacher’s Day exhibit in early February. While there, she heard about the free day that SOT was offering and created a 25-question scavenger hunt for her students to complete. She brought in over 45 students to explore the Genome exhibit and to participate in the Paracelsus Explores the Genome event. SOT applauds energetic teachers such as Janessa, who encourage learning and stimulate the minds of our students.

Visitors to the event had many positive comments and provided feedback to SOT, such as the comment from Harsh Sangani and family, “It was an excellent exhibition, great set up, and great explanations by members of your Society.”

When asked “What is one thing you learned about Toxicology today?,” many people learned “a lot.” Responses included:

“If my mom and I drink the same amount of medicine, I’ll get sick.” 9-year old visitor
“It can help people.”
“The harmful effects smoking has on the lungs.”
“Lead is toxic.”
“Don’t smoke or drink bleach.”
“The dose makes the poison.”
“It is very important.”

The local organizing committee thanks the following organizations for contributing to this successful event: Pfizer LaJolla for printing and charitable contributions; Dr. Bob Phalen, UCI for the pulmonary exhibit; Southwestern College for graphic art design; California Lead Poisoning and Prevention for providing the lead test exhibit and free brochures; California Poison Control System for providing free magnets and brochures; the San Diego Natural History Museum for partnering on the event; and SOT for supporting the event.

Local Organizing Committee

Stacie Wild	Local Chair, Committee on K-12 Education, Southern California Chapter of SOT (SoCal SOT)
Ken McMartin	Chair, Committee on K-12 Education
Ann de Peyster	SoCal SOT
Kathy Dougherty	Committee K-12 Education, NorCal SOT
Betty Eidemiller	Headquarters Liaison, SOT
Vanessa Fitzanakis	Committee K-12 Education
Sarah Ganiere	San Diego Natural History Museum
Steven B. Harris	SoCal SOT
Michelle Horner	SoCal SOT
Dave Hovland	SoCal SOT
Diana Johnson	SoCal SOT K-12 Liaison
Elena McDorman	SoCal SOT
Dee Parks	San Diego Natural History Museum
Melissa Rhodes	SOT Member
Randy Sleet	SoCal SOT
Greg Stevens	SoCal SOT, Pfizer La Jolla
Marie Vicario	Southwestern College, San Diego

Paracelsus Explores the Genome — Volunteers

Juan Betancourt	Michelle Horner	Ray Probst
Jeanine Bussiere	Dave Hovland	Melissa Rhodes
Kathy Dougherty	Bart Jessen	Mara Seeley
Bruce Ennis	Tim Kauffman	Randy Sleet
Nadia Ernst	Daniel Kemp	Jacque Smith
Gloria Esparza	Michelle LaMerrill	Greg Stevens
Vanessa Fitzanakis	Paige Lawrence	Dawn Stewart
Suzy Fitzpatrick	Leo Lee	Andrew Sutton
Joanne Furer a	Lisa Marroquin	Sheryl Vaughn
Sarah Ganiere a	April McGinley	Teresa Velazquez
Steve Gilbert	Ken McMartin	Marie Vicario
Theresa Gonzalez b	Jeff Moffit	Beth Vordestrasse
Bora Han	Alicia Ortiz	Larry Wallace
Steven B. Harris	Dee Parks a	Stacie Wild
Toni Hayes	Tracy Pickering	Husam Younis
Jerry Hook
a San Diego Natural History Museum b California Lead Poisoning and Protection Branch

The Genome exhibit is sponsored by Pfizer, Inc. and produced by Clear Channel Exhibitions in collaboration with the National Human Genome Research Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, and Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research. This exhibit http://genome.pfizer.com/index.cfm was on display at the San Diego Natural History Museum until May 1, 2006. Next stops for the exhibit are Museo Tecnologico in Mexico City May 2006–January 2007, New York Hall of Science from January–May 2007, and the St. Louis Science Center from September 2007–January 2008.

Regular Features

Member News

Communicating with SOT Leadership — Council Meeting and Conference Call Schedule

The Council conference call and meeting dates are listed for reference by members and Committee Chairs. If you are interested in having an item included in the Council agenda, please contact Shawn Lamb via e-mail at SOT Headquarters at least 3 weeks before the scheduled conference call.

May 2006
Conference call Thursday, May 25 (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Tuesday, May 30 (2:00 PM-9:00 PM)
Wednesday, May 31, (8:00 AM-4:30 PM)

August 2006
Conference Call, Tuesday, August 14 (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Wednesday, August 16 (8:00 AM-6:00 PM)
Thursday, August 17 (8:00 AM-3:00 PM)

September 2006
Conference call September 28 (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Wednesday, October 4 (12:00 Noon-9:00 PM)
Thursday, October 5 (8:00 AM-3:00 PM)

November 2006
Conference call Tuesday, November 21 (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Tuesday, November 28 (8:00 AM-6:00 PM)
Wednesday, November 29 (8:00 AM-3:00 PM)

January 2007
Conference call Wednesday, January 10 (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Tuesday, January 16, 2007 (8:00 AM-6:00 PM)
Wednesday, January 17, 2007 (8:00 AM-6:00 PM)
Thursday, January 18, 2007 (8:00 AM-3:00 PM)

March 2007
Wednesday, March 20 Conference Call (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
Saturday, March 24 (8:00 AM-12:00 Noon)

Society of Toxicology History and Historians: a New Beginning

Ernest Hodgson, SOT Historian/Archivist, March 2006

As we approached our 45^th anniversary, SOT had reached a size, complexity, and importance as a scientific society probably never dreamed of by our founding members. Although previous society historians had prepared annual reports as well as some special reports at certain milestone anniversaries, the number of members available for first-hand information or as a source of early documentation was inevitably shrinking. For both of these reasons, it seemed to be a good time to re-examine not only the role of the SOT historian, but also how the Society would preserve its history for future members. As a newly appointed historian, it was soon apparent to me that the Historian should be a Historian/Archivist and that the Society should have properly planned and maintained archives. Thus, as time went by, anyone seeking detailed information concerning any aspect of the history of SOT, or indeed of the recent history of toxicology, should have an accurate source of information.

Interactions with Council, discussions with archivists, and interactions with SOT staff led to Council approval for the establishment of such an archive. The characteristics of the archive will be as follows: it will be, as far as is possible, electronic; it will be well protected against computer failure; it will be maintained as a separate entity, although in large part will function through links to other files; it will be readily accessible. Further, to facilitate efficient organization each “entry year” will start and finish on the same date as the change in officers.

The archive should contain at least the following:

• The membership rosters for every year
• List of officers
• Council minutes
• Annual Meeting Program and numbers attending
• Reports of Current Concepts in Toxicology workshops
• Communiqués and earlier newsletters
• List of awardees with award citations
• List of honorary members, with award citations
• List and reference information of award winning papers
• Committee rosters and committee reports
• Reports of Regional Chapters
• Reports of Specialty Sections
• Position statements
• List of supporting affiliates
• List of associated societies, with liaisons
• Special lists for unusual items, such as SOT member-recognized organizations, other than SOT, including other societies, national or international bodies, etc.

In addition to maintaining the archives, the role of the Historian/Archivist would then be to write or solicit occasional articles of topical interest, such as five year anniversary articles emphasizing growth and change and biographical sketches of founders, honorary members, etc. The Historian/Archivist could also function as member of committees planning anniversary celebrations and other events of a historical nature.

The current goal is to have the archive functional before the 50^th anniversary of the Society in 2011. To achieve that goal much help will be needed from members to locate earlier material, and calls for help in locating specific materials will be going out from time to time. Anyone with suggestions as to additional topics that should be archived or with material that they believe should be archived (particularly early hard copy material that will not be found in computer databases) should contact Clarissa Wilson at SOT Headquarters.

Many thanks to Gary Carlson, the 2005-2006 Council Liaison to the Historian/Archivist.

Make Certain You Stay in the Loop—Update Your Member Profile On-Line

SOT is preparing to produce the 2006-2007 Membership Directory. Please take a minute to review the accuracy and completeness of your SOT member information, which will be used in the published Membership Directory. Log onto www.toxicology.org using your member ID. Go to the “Membership” button located under the “Inside SOT” section and select View or Edit Membership Information to make needed changes.

Edits done before July 3 will be included in the 2006-2007 Membership Directory.

SOT Members Featured in Nature Article on Careers in Toxicology

Interviews with a number of SOT Members provided the basis for a special report in Nature on the varied training and experiences that led to a career in toxicology. The reporter Ricki Lewis noted that: "Despite toxicology's diverse worksites, the field is cemented by shared problem-solving strategies and the common language of risk assessment." Visit the Nature Web site and you will see some familiar faces.

Graduate Advisors—Travel Awards and Reduced Annual Meeting Registration Fees Available to SOT Student Members

Mentors should encourage students to apply for SOT Membership now. Graduate students must be members of SOT to receive 2007 SOT Student Travel Support. Also, students and post-docs who apply by September 1 and are accepted for membership will be eligible to register for the 2007 Annual Meeting at the member rate. The on-line membership application form is convenient, and the only certification required is from the student’s major advisor or director of graduate studies. Students with questions about membership can e-mail Rosibel Alvarenga at SOT Headquarters.

Annual Meeting Travel Support Available for Undergraduates

Many toxicologists provide summer research experience for undergraduates. The Education Committee would like you to encourage these students to submit an abstract for the 2007 SOT Annual Meeting and apply for the Pfizer Undergraduate Travel Award. This award provides travel support and special recognition for outstanding undergraduates who are presenting at the SOT meeting.

Nominate for SOT Officers by August 1

The Nominating Committee will prepare a slate of nominees for the 2007 elected officers and elected standing committees this fall. The offices of President, President-elect, Treasurer-elect, Secretary-elect, and Councilors will be on the ballot. Positions on the Awards, Membership, Education, and Nominating Committees will also be on the ballot. Please send your candidate recommendations to SOT Headquarters by August 1.

Call for SOT Award Nominations—Deadlines are Approaching

Now is a good time to begin preparations for nominating SOT members—or yourself—for one of the many SOT Awards. The application deadline is October 9, with an earlier deadline for one student award (see below). Each year at the annual meeting the Society recognizes its distinguished toxicologists and students with several prestigious awards at a special Awards Ceremony. The Awards Committee reviews applications and selects the recipients for SOT awards and Sponsored Awards, and this year will be assuming the responsibility for the graduate student and post-doctoral fellow awards previously determined by the Education Committee. Details about each award and the required application items are available on the SOT Awards and Fellowships section of the Web site. Students intending to apply this fall should submit their membership applications in advance of the September 1 membership application deadline.

For SOT Awards, a sponsor and a seconder, who are full members of SOT, must submit a nomination using the Award Nomination Form available through the Awards Nomination On-Line system beginning July 1. The supporting documentation must indicate the candidate’s achievements in toxicology and is critical in the review of each application. These nominations remain valid for two additional years.

Several Sponsored Awards are available, including the Colgate-Palmolive Grants for Alternative Research. This year the deadline for applications is also October 9. The goal of the funding is to identify and support efforts that promote, develop, refine, or validate scientifically acceptable animal alternative methods to facilitate the safety assessment of new chemicals and formulations.

June 15 is the next deadline for the Colgate-Palmolive Award for Student Research Training in Alternative Methods. Graduate Student applicants submit a proposal for funding of a training experience in in vitro or alternatives methodology to enhance their thesis or dissertation research. Additional deadlines are October 9 and February 15.

This is the year for applications for the Colgate-Palmolive Post-Doctoral Fellowship in In Vitro Toxicology. The fellowship is awarded in alternate years to support post-doctoral research furthering the development and implementation of research techniques that replace, reduce, or refine the use of animals. The award is renewable for a second year.

Eye on CDI

Over the past decades the annual SOT Undergraduate Education Program, organized by the Committee on Diversity Initiatives, has had a meaningful impact on the careers of many members of our Society. Dr. Tenea Nelson is a great example of an individual who took advantage of this Program and continues to contribute to its success.

Name: Dr. Tenea M. Nelson
CDI Undergraduate Education Program for Minority Students Honoree: 1998

Education/Experience:
BS in Chemistry, Mary Baldwin College, Program for the Exceptionally Gifted
MS in Toxicology, University of Rochester
Ph.D. in Toxicology, University of Rochester
Associate Scientist, Genentech, Inc.
Research Scientist, Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Married to Zonda Nelson, Jr. and step-mom to Davyen, age 12.

During her sophomore year of college, at age 15, Tenea Watson decided upon Chemistry major. Through the recommendation of her advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Hairfield, Tenea applied to several summer internships and was accepted to work in a molecular biology laboratory under the tutelage of Janet DiPasquale at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). After two summers at the USDA determining the genetic similarities between viral isolates from cucumber plants, Tenea recognized graduate school as the next step to achieve her educational and professional goals. Tenea decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Toxicology after Dr. Hairfield gave her the SOT book The Resource Guide to Careers in Toxicology (now on-line). She also had candid conversations with her mother, Aremita Watson, who described her own experiences as an African American female in the sciences.

Tenea then applied to and was invited to attend the 1998 SOT-SCMI Undergraduate Education Program for Minority Students in Seattle, Washington, which confirmed her desire to pursue a Ph.D. in toxicology. As a direct result of this program, Tenea participated in yet another summer internship in the genetic toxicology lab of Warren Ku at Pfizer, studying the induction of cytochrome P₄₅₀ isoforms by candidate pharmaceuticals. A few weeks later Tenea enrolled in the Toxicology Training Program at the University of Rochester. During her time in graduate school, she studied the immunomodulatory effects of Clara Cell Secretory Protein under Drs. Barry Stripp and Jacob Finkelstein. She was able to network at the SOT Annual Meetings and meet her future manager, who offered her an associate scientist position in the Safety Assessment Department at Genentech. Tenea evaluated the safety of candidate pharmaceuticals to combat cancer and autoimmune disease while employed there. Continuing on the path of drug development, Tenea is currently a toxicologist at Gilead Sciences, in Foster City, CA, where she evaluates the safety of pharmaceuticals for the treatment and management of HIV/AIDS.

During school, Tenea was regularly involved in the student recruitment efforts and in affinity groups for underrepresented minorities. At Gententech she was a co-chair of African Americans in Biotechnology. She continues to give back to the community through science education and health awareness. Dr. Nelson encourages underrepresented minorities in the sciences to find a mentor to help them navigate the nuances of higher education and careers.

Member Achievements

Ehrich Receives Teaching Excellence Award

Marion Ehrich, 2003-2004 SOT President, was recently selected for the national Student Veterinary Medical Association Teaching Excellence Award, Basic Sciences. She teaches a core and an elective pharmacology course and lectures in toxicology to second year veterinary students at Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA. The award will be officially presented in July 2006, at the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association, held in Honolulu.

Swenberg Named Distinguished Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill

James Swenberg, professor of environmental sciences and engineering, nutrition, and pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named Kenan Distinguished Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, an endowed faculty position awarded to outstanding scholars and teachers. Swenberg’s successful research career has focused on chemical carcinogenesis and toxicology, with an emphasis on studying the role of DNA damage and repair in carcinogenesis, developing highly sensitive assay methods for DNA adduct research, and improving the scientific basis of risk assessment. He joined UNC-Chapel Hill in 1989 after a successful industrial and research institute career.

Acosta Receives Award in Excellence from PhRMA

Daniel Acosta, 2000-2001 President of SOT, received the 2006 Award in Excellence of Pharmacology/Toxicology from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Foundation on April 1 in San Francisco. Dr. Acosta is dean for the University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy. This award is given annually to honorees who received a grant from PhRMA at the onset of their career and have gone on to distinguish themselves in research or administration. “I received my first grant from PhRMA at a critical point in my scientific career,” says Dr. Acosta. “I used it to buy equipment for my laboratory and hire my first graduate student. The grant was truly instrumental in my development as a research toxicologist.”

Dr. Acosta’s research has focused on the development of in vitro cell cultures as models for testing and mechanistic studies on drugs and toxicants. He was a key researcher in culturing cells that mimicked the normal tissues from which they were derived, which greatly reduced the need for experimental animal testing. SOT honored him for this work with the 2005 Enhancement of Animal Welfare Award.

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Specialty Section News

OPHSS Holds Breakfast with ATSDR’s Falk

The Occupational and Public Health Specialty Session (OPHSS) hosted an informal breakfast session at the 2006 SOT Annual Meeting with Dr. Henry Falk, Director of the Center for Environmental Health and Injury Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The breakfast meeting, occurring prior to the special late-breaking Hurricane Katrina Symposium, provided a wonderful opportunity for attendees to interact one-on-one with Dr. Falk.

The SOT Council recognizes that Specialty Sections provide a tremendous benefit to the Society by bringing forward the leading science in their topic areas through submission of proposals for scientific sessions, informational seminars, Continuing Education courses, and Contemporary Concepts in Toxicology workshops. This breakfast is illustrative of Specialty Section activities, which provide a non-reception forum for networking with peers who have an interest in a specific area of toxicology. Council supports this and other innovative Specialty Section activities that build community during the SOT Annual Meeting and throughout the year and was pleased to provide funding for the breakfast event.

Mixtures Specialty Section Is Being Formed

SOT Council is working with SOT Members to help foster the creation of Specialty Sessions in new and emerging areas of interest to the membership. For example, a new Mixtures Specialty Session held a reception at this year’s SOT Annual Meeting to encourage participation and to facilitate election of officers for this group. For more information on Specialty Sessions, please contact Marcia Lawson at SOT Headquarters.

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Regional Chapter News

OVSOT Teleseminar Series Goes National

For several years, the Ohio Valley Chapter of the Society of Toxicology (OVSOT) has offered a teleseminar series to its members. The teleseminar format is a mechanism by which scientists at any institution worldwide can call a teleconference bridge (commonly called a party line) and listen live to a speaker deliver a presentation, which is viewed on a computer, preferably, in organized groups using standard audio/visual equipment. Seminars are followed by question-and-answer sessions. Over the years, OVSOT has hosted numerous prominent scientists for this seminar series. These seminars are quite convenient for speakers because they can present from any chosen location as long as they have telephone access and a computer with Internet access.

In March 2006, the OVSOT teleseminar was hosted by the National SOT and featured Dr. Dean P. Jones speaking about “Environmental metabolomics in humans.” His seminar was well received and was followed by a lengthy and thought-provoking discussion. The last teleseminar was presented on Thursday, May 11, at 12:00 EDT by Dr. Larry J. Marnett. He presented a talk entitled “Cellular response to endogenous oxidative damage" (large file size—allow a few minutes to download). For more information about participating in a teleseminar (as an audience member or as a speaker!), please contact Tim Dalton.

South Central Chapter and SOT Partner to Offer Hurricane Relief Awards

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita plus their associated inland storms and electrical outages damaged many toxicological research facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi, regions served by South Central Chapter (SCC). Consequently, several of the region’s toxicologists were displaced from their home institutes and had their research and graduate teaching activities suspended.

In response to this emergency, SCC partnered with SOT to offer $750 awards to support temporary residency of affected toxicologists at host laboratories of SCC members. Funds were available for travel, lodging, and supplies to continue comparable research in the host lab and awardees would be chosen based upon merit and need.

One SCC-SOT Hurricane Relief Award was awarded to Mr. Kan Chen at the 2005 Fall meeting of the SCC on October 21 at Little Rock, Arkansas. Mr. Chen is a graduate student at the University of New Orleans where he had been determining methylenedianiline adducts in vascular smooth muscle cell proteins. His pre-hurricane work utilized a mass spectrometer (FTMS, Bruker Apex II) with matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF). This equipment was destroyed when New Orleans flooded. After overcoming a series of personal trials while evacuating, Mr. Chen has since temporarily relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he is continuing his work with comparable equipment at LSU-Health Science Center. Dr. Tammy Dugas, member of SCC and SOT, is his host.

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Watching Washington

RASS Drafting SOT Comments to OMB on Proposed New Guidelines for Risk Assessment: June 15 Deadline is Approaching

SOT's Risk Assessment Specialty Section (RASS) is preparing comments on behalf of the Society regarding the Office of Budget and Management's (OMB) proposed issuing new technical guidance on risk assessments produced by the federal government. SOT members are encouraged to submit comments as well. For more information on the RASS comments, contact Michael L. Gargas. Comments are due to OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on or before Thursday, June 15, 2006.

As reported in the 2006 Special Issue Communiqué, the stated purpose of the "Proposed Risk Assessment Bulletin" is "to provide clear minimum standards for the scientific quality and presentation of federal risk assessments." This bulletin can be obtained at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/proposed_risk_assessment_bulletin_ 010906.pdf

RALA Committee Launches Enhanced Web site

The Regulatory Affairs and Legislative Assistance (RALA) Committee revamped its section of the SOT Web site. Because of programming and design enhancements, SOT members have greater access to Congressional information and the guidance and materials to make state, regional, and national visits to representatives and their staffs . For information about past RALA Congressional Science Briefings, SOT Congressional Testimony and Legislative Alerts, go to the Washington Watch section of the web site.

From the RALA portion of the SOT Web site, all ten SOT position statements can be easily accessed. PDF versions of the statements are available, individually and grouped. By disseminating these statements to local and national decision-makers, SOT members can further affirm SOT’s commitment to the importance of research in improving the health of humans, animals, and the environment.

In addition, SOT subscribes to Capwiz·XC, an innovative government relations research tool that helps organizations effectively communicate with state and federal elected officials by increasing advocacy participation from their members.

At the present time there are nine template letters developed by SOT’s RALA Committee. The Write to Congress provides a user-friendly tool for sending personalized letters stating SOT’s position directly to an individual’s Congressional representative. The letters presently available include the following:

• National Children’s Study
• NIH Funding Amendment: Add Funds for Vital Health and Education Programs
• Support for Animals in Research and Development: Validation of Alternative Methods
• Health and Environmental Issues Facing Our Nation: Improving Our Ability to Accurately Measure Risk
• Security Issues Facing Our Nation: Improving Our Ability to Accurately Measure Risk
• Need for Nanomaterials Research to Address Safety Issues: Sound Scientific Information Reduces Uncertainties
• International Science Students and Visiting Scientists: Balancing Securing Borders and Opening Doors
• Appointment of Scientists to Science Advisory Boards and Committees: Selecting on Basis of Knowledge and Integrity
• Animal Enterprise Terrorism: SOT Advocates Human and Ethical Treatment

At the 2006 SOT Annual Meeting, 173 letters were sent to Congressional representatives in the House and Senate.

From the RALA section, you also can contact the media and make your voice heard to reporters, editors, and columnists by selecting the "Write a Letter to the Editor (Media)" option.

For more information about the work underway by the RALA Committee, please contact Marcia Lawson.

SOT “Write to Congress” Letters Help Support Animal Enterprise Protection

The National Association for Biomedical Research has been working on animal enterprise legislation of interest to the Society, H.R. 4239 and S 1926. The enactment of these bills would provide the Department of Justice the necessary authority to apprehend, prosecute, and convict individuals committing animal enterprise terror. You may wish to lend support by signing up for the Animal Enterprise Protection Coalition (AEPC) to help strengthen the efforts of this coalition. To join in this effort, click the following link or type it into your web browser: www.nabr.org/aepc/password.

To encourage support for this legislation directly from the SOT Web site, go to Write to Congress and send a letter underscoring SOT’s position that “Members of the SOT are strong advocates of the humane and ethical treatment of laboratory/research animals. Unfortunately, at present, there are no alternatives to the use of animal models in toxicology safety evaluation. Computer software and in vitro methods using isolated cells and cell components, while frequently employed, do not mimic the complex physiology and anatomy of the human body.”

RALA Committee Seeks Input for Regional and National Briefings

The Regulatory Affairs and Legislative Assistance (RALA) Committee seeks the input of SOT members for topics that can be developed into national and regional science briefings. RALA has organized lunch-hour briefings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. primarily to enhance the visibility of SOT as an important science resource to members of Congress and their staffs. View the program and PowerPoint presentations from past Congressional Science Briefings (CSBs). Two CSBs are being developed. One of these briefings focuses on basic principles of toxicology and risk assessment, and the other addresses the need for increased research on the safety of nanomaterials. RALA Committee members also can assist with briefings at the state, regional, and local levels. Please send your ideas to Marcia Lawson at SOT Headquarters.

The RALA Committee activities help to promote the use of credible and good science in order to enhance regulatory and legislative decision-making. CSBs are one method to accomplish this objective.

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Web Watch

Did You Know You Could Find...?

Over the past year the SOT Web site has been revamped to better meet member needs. One of the goals of the reorganized site is to facilitate access to all things toxicology. For example, you can readily access...

Funding Opportunities: Many organization send announcements of RFPs or other potential funding opportunities to SOT. These are posted to the SOT Web site for savvy members to find. Check out the new listings.

Tox Resource Database: The Society of Toxicology has established a Toxicology Resources database of Web sites to assist scientists, journalists and members of the public in identifying or locating toxicology-related Web sites that provide factual information on human, animal, and environmental health.

• Search Toxicology Resources Database to locate toxicology-related Web sites with information on human, animal, and environmental health.
• Submit a Web Resource to the Toxicology Resources Database: submit a toxicology-related Web site with information on human, animal, and environmental health.

If you or your organization has funding opportunities or additional sites of interest, please send them to SOT Headquarters.

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In Memoriam

In Memoriam Geary Batastini Simon L. Cassidy John W. Daniel Marc A. Lappe George Dennett Lumb Edwin F. Stula

Dr. Geary Batastini

Geary Batastini, toxicologist and Assistant Vice President, Drug Safety and Metabolism, Wyeth Research, died December 16, 2005 in Glenridge, NJ. He is survived by his wife, Norma; a son, Matthew; a daughter, Meredith; his father, George Batastini, and a brother, John.

Geary was a highly valued and respected member of the Drug Safety and Metabolism staff at Wyeth Research, Pearl River, NY. He joined Wyeth-Lederle in 1992 as a Department Head, Toxicology Evaluation, responsible for scientific interpretation of study results and the establishment of safety profiles for research compounds. During his years at Wyeth, Geary was an Associate Director, Scientific Affairs; Director, Drug Safety and Metabolism and Senior Director, Oncology Therapeutic Area Head. At the time of his death, he was Assistant Vice President, Therapeutic Area Management, supervising project-related scientific activities of all Drug Safety and Metabolism therapeutic area heads. He made many contributions to the successful development of new drugs at Wyeth. Prior to joining Wyeth, Geary was a Manager of Toxicology at CIBA-GEIGY Corporation, in Summit, NJ.

Geary was born in Reading, PA. He received his BS in biology from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, PA and his PhD from New York University in 1981 in Environmental Toxicology and was a Diplomat, American Board of Toxicology.

Memorial contributions to the Glenridge Congregational Church Scholarship Fund can be made in Geary's name. Checks made out to GRCC Scholarship Fund should be sent to Glenridge Congregational Church Scholarship Fund, 195 Ridgewood Avenue, Glenridge, NJ 07028.

Edwin F. Stula

Edwin F. Stula, 81, of Newark, Delaware, died Sunday, November 13, 2005. Born January 3, 1924 in Colchester, Connecticut. Dr. Stula graduated from Bacon Academy, the University of Connecticut, and Ontario Veterinary College. He was employed by the University of Connecticut as an instructor and extension veterinarian and later by the Dupont Company as chief research pathologist. He published 29 papers in scientific journals and books and was the editor of Toxicologic Pathology.

Dr. Stula was a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Church, the Hockessin Lions Club, and the Dupont Country Club. His wife, Elizabeth; and three brothers, Michael, Fred, and Bruno, predeceased him. He is survived by his son, Edwin J., of Atlanta, Georgia; three sisters, Alice Hardy, of Phoenix, Arizona, Frances Zawacki, of Fairbanks, Alaska, and Sister Helen Stula, of Lake Ronkonkoma, New York.; and three brothers, John, of Ft. Meyers, Florida, George, of Colchester, Connecticut and Kenneth, of Athens, Georgia.

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