|
|
|
Print
this article 
Spring Issue 2007
The Comments Are In and the 2007 SOT Annual Meeting Received
Rave Reviews
"It was a great meeting again. Thanks!"
"This meeting was my first meeting and I enjoyed it very much."
"Overall great experience, well worth the trip!"
"Lots of networking; interviewing;and attending sessions. Very successful
meeting."
Above are just a few of the enthusiastic comments about the 2007 SOT Annual Meeting. Over 6,400 attendees participated in the diverse programs and activities that are the hallmark of these gatherings. Most attendees take full advantage of the meeting, with 70% arriving by Sunday and over 50% at sessions on Thursday, according to the Annual Meeting Survey. For a pictorial overview of the meeting, please visit the Annual Meeting Photo Gallery. Even before the kick-off of the meeting with the Awards Ceremony and Welcome Reception
on Sunday, March 25, more than 2500 registrants participated in the 13 Continuing Education Courses. Based on the Annual Meeting Survey, 73% of the participants rated the scope of the CE courses in the top two categories on the 5 point scale; 64% rated the content in those two high categories. The CE Committee will review the survey comments at their spring meeting and possibly implement a few of the excellent suggestions mentioned.
|
|
| SOT President James Popp welcomes attendees. |
Bella Voce singers of the Charlotte Children's Choir provided entertainment. |
The meeting this year included 22 Symposia, 21 Workshops, 7 Roundtables, 8 Informational Sessions, 2 Historical Highlights, 24 Platform Sessions, 66 Poster Sessions, and a Soapbox Session. In addition, 2,174 abstracts were submitted for the invited presentations and poster and platform sessions. Those responding to the Annual Meeting Survey rated the scope and content of the sessions highly, 76% and 74%, respectively, giving these the top 2 numbers on a 5 point scale. Concerning scheduling, 74% felt that they were able to attend the seminars most relevant to them, and 83% had ample time to network.
|
|
Nobel Laureate Mario Molina and SOT President
George Corcoran.
|
Two Nobel Laureates delivered presentations during the course of the
meeting. Nobel Laureate Mario Molina delivered the
Plenary Address that you can view as a PowerPoint presentation
on the SOT Web site at www.toxicology.org. Dr.
Molina also was bestowed an Honorary Membership in SOT because of his
groundbreaking contributions that span the fundamental sciences of chemistry
and physical chemistry, and extend to the far-reaching domains of human
and environmental health. A second Nobel Laureate, H. Robert
Horvitz, delivered the MRC lecture on "The Genetic Control
of Programmed Cell Death in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans."
A centerpiece of the SOT Annual Meeting is the Town Hall and this year
was no exception. On Tuesday, March 27, three chairs of the strategic
committees presented their draft
reports addressing the "The Future of SOT: Science, Communications,
and Member Services," and received comments from attendees. Comments
were also received through the SOT Web site. The Science Strategy
Committee was chaired by Cheryl Walker, Communication
Strategy Committee was chaired by Bernard Goldstein,
and Member Services Strategy Committee was chaired by Patricia
Ganey. Council
will integrate the reports and provide a unified draft strategy for review
and comment before the 2008 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington.
|
SOT Past Presidents Glenn Sipes, Linda Birnbaum, and John Doull.
|
|
The Historical Highlight Sessions are now established as well-received and well-attended programs. One of the sessions, "SOT Presidents’ Perspective on Mixtures Toxicology,"featured three SOT past presidents, Glenn Sipes, John Doull, and Linda Birnbaum. This session reviewed (1) the nature of mixtures we encounter and historically the means that have been used to minimize their risk, and (2) the evolution from default methods, through innovative experimental design, to the current use of in
silico methods.
The Exhibit Hall was a focus of activity and had a record-breaking number of
Exhibitors—at 479 booths, and row upon row of cutting-edge poster
presentations.
Informational sessions ranged from in-depth presentations on "New Frontiers in Environmental Sciences and Human Health: Implementation Update on the NIEHS Strategic Plan" to instructional sessions on "Communicating Science: Writing for Technical and Lay Audiences."
SOT is poised for another successful meeting. At the close of the proposal
submission site on April 30, 2007, the Society had received 147 session
proposals for consideration for the 2008 Annual Meeting. This is
the largest number of proposals in the history of the Society, topping
by 33 the
proposals reviewed for the 2007 SOT Annual Meeting. The sessions
accepted for the Annual Meeting will be posted to the SOT Web site in
July. Watch the SOT Web site in July to see the tentative list of 2008
Seminars.
|
