Spring Issue 2009

SOT News

President's Message

President Cheryl Lyn Walker

SOT held another very successful Annual Meeting, March 15–19, 2009, in Baltimore, Maryland. This year's meeting, with 6,750 attendees, was second in attendance only to the SOT 2008 Annual Meeting held in Seattle, Washington (6,861 attendees). Of those participating in the SOT 2009 Annual Meeting, 16.8% (1,134) were international attendees, underscoring that this is a "must attend event" for scientists from around the globe.

This participation surpassed all expectations given our challenging economic back drop. I am proud and grateful that you came en masse and considered attendance a priority, particularly as you now are called on to prioritize your time and resources more aggressively than in recent memory. Moreover, you have not waivered in your commitment to keeping the Society moving forward at a brisk and steady pace. Appointments to Committees, Task Forces, and other bodies were graciously and enthusiastically accepted.

The Scientific Program Committee's thematic approach received abundant praise in the recently conducted Annual Meeting Survey. The themes of Biomarkers, Epigenetics, Inflammation and Disease, Nanotechnology, and Neurodegenerative Disease helped shape the symposia, workshops, roundtables, and informational sessions, as well as the Continuing Education Program. This thematic approach continues to illustrate the diversity of research within the Society and the impact we are having in these important scientific areas.

The significance of our efforts is underscored by how well much of the cutting-edge toxicological research being conducted by our membership is aligned with the research pursuits of Nobel Laureates Paul Greengard and Aaron Ciechanover, who delivered the Plenary and Keynote Medical Research Council (MRC) Lectures, respectively. The Society's commitment to recognizing scientists for their outstanding contributions to the field of toxicology also was demonstrated by awarding Gil Omenn and John Walker with SOT Honorary Membership. Furthermore, two new awards were presented to scientists recognized as superlative representatives of their discipline. The inaugural recipient of the Translational Impact Award was Thomas W. Kenlser and of the Leading Edge in Basic Science Award was John Katzenellenbogen, both of whom have made many important contributions to the toxicological sciences.

As I write this message, I know that many of you are already preparing for the SOT 2010 Annual Meeting, March 7–11, 2010, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hopefully, many of you also developed proposals aligned with the themes for that meeting: Cell Signaling, Gene Environment Interactions, Metabolic Disease, Mitochondrial Basis of Disease, and Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century, or will be submitting abstracts related to these thematic areas. We look forward to this meeting and plan to provide opportunities in the year ahead to increase your anticipation of this internationally recognized scientific event.

Over the next year I will communicate more about the Society's efforts to fully implement the SOT Strategic Plan. In 2009–2010, we are committed to expanding and deepening member engagement through the implementation of 21st Century communications tools. We know that your time and resources are at a premium and so the Society has secured the tools to help us be more efficient and effective. In the days and months ahead, you will be learning about the electronic innovations being implemented by SOT Headquarters to increase and facilitate communications while containing costs, such as travel and lodging expenditures.

The Society now will be utilizing WebEx Meetings, Webinars, and Wikis to facilitate your activities. These tools will help with virtual interactions within entities such as Specialty Sections, Committees, or Task Forces, and will provide powerful channels for facilitating and promoting collaborative, synergistic activities. I encourage you to read the article in this issue of the Communiqué that describes the electronic communications tools that will enhance our efforts as good stewards of the Society's resources, particularly its human and intellectual capital—our members.

Before I close, I want to thank the SOT Councilors whose terms have ended for their exemplary service, including George B. Corcoran, Kim Boekelheide, Denise Robinson Gravatt, and William Slikker, Jr. and welcome to the Council Jon Cook, Peter Goering, Matthew S. Bogdanffy, and Susan J. Borghoff.

Cheryl Lyn Walker,
2009–2010 SOT President

---

SOT Members Demonstrate that SOT Annual Meeting is a "Must Attend" Event: Attracting Scientists from Around the Globe

With over 6,700 attendees, SOT held a hugely successful 2009 Annual Meeting (March 15–19, 2009), second in attendance only to the 2008 Annual Meeting held in Seattle, Washington (6,861 attendees). Against the stark economic times, the attendance at the Annual Meeting underscored the importance of this event to scientists from around the globe. Comments in response to the 2009 Annual Meeting Survey included the following:

"Critical networking opportunity." "Meeting was scientifically strong." "Great meeting, the largest and best in Toxicology."

The Scientific Program Committee selected a number of themes to help shape a portion of the program, which were featured in some of the 27 Symposia, 19 Workshops, 14 Roundtables, 2 Historical Highlights, a Regional Interest session, as well as 4 education and career development and 5 informational sessions. There were 2,322 abstracts presented in 76 poster and 27 platform sessions, which included more than 70 extended abstract submissions highlighted at the Thursday, March 19 poster session. Moreover, 2,291 scientists attended the Continuing Education Program that offered a wide range of courses covering state-of-the-art knowledge in toxicology, as well as new developments in toxicology and related disciplines. The 13 courses included basic and advanced offerings.

Two Nobel Laureates delivered scientific presentations: including Paul Greengard, Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller University, New York, New York, and Aaron Ciechanover, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Bat Galim, Haifa, Israel, who delivered the Plenary and Keynote Medical Research Council (MRC) Lectures, respectively.

Paul Greengard	Aaron Ciechanover

Two distinguished scientists, Gilbert Omenn and John Walker, were named SOT Honorary Members. Dr. Omenn is Professor of Internal Medicine Human Genetics and Public Health at the University of Michigan and was recognized as the "archetypal candidate for this honor based on his significant contributions to creating a safer and healthier world." Professor Walker is Director of the Medicine Research Council Dunn Human Nutrition Unit in Cambridge, UK. In 1997, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Dr. Paul Boyer for their elucidation of the enzymatic mechanism underlying the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Dr. Walker delivered the Keynote Medical Research Council Lecture at the SOT 2008 Annual Meeting.

Gilbert Omenn	John Walker

Adrian Nanez, Vanessa De La Rosa, and Claude McGowan (from l to r)

A highlight of the Annual Meeting was the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Undergraduate Education Program for Minority Students, which has raised awareness of the discipline of toxicology and serves as a catalyst to interest attendees to pursue graduate studies. Some of those scientists are now leading this program focused on attracting the next generation of scientists. For example, Adrian Nanez, now at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, was introduced to toxicology through this program. He presented the first Perry Gehring Diversity Student Travel Award to Vanessa De La Rosa. This award is presented to an alumna of the Undergraduate Education Program for Minority Students who is presenting a paper at the meeting in recognition of his/her continued activity in toxicology.

The NIH Brown Bag Lunch and NIH Resource Room were inaugurated this year by the Research Funding Committee, chaired by Joel G. Pounds. Annual Meeting attendees joined with staff from the NIH Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and the NIEHS program officers for the Brown Bag Lunch and also in informal discussion in the NIH Resource Room. This new program will be continued at the SOT 2010 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City.

NIH Brown Bag Lunch

Preparations are underway for the SOT 2010 Annual Meeting, March 7–11, 2010, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The themes for the scientific sessions are Cell Signaling, Gene Environment Interactions, Metabolic Disease, Mitochondrial Basis of Disease, Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century, and Translational Toxicology. Visit the SOT Web site to keep abreast of meeting developments and begin your plans to attend.

For additional Annual Meeting articles, go to the Annual Meeting section of this Communiqué

---

SOT Reaches Out to Capitol Hill

As part of the SOT 2009 Annual Meeting in March, Council members and members of the Society (27 in all) traveled to Washington, D.C., to visit key Congressional offices to open the dialogue between toxicologists and Congressional members and their staff. Members of Congress visited included Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Christopher Dodd, Richard Burr, Arlen Specter, Herb Kohl, Kathy Dahlkemper, John Kerry, Tom Harkin, Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Boxer, Mike Enzi, Max Baucus, and Mitch McConnell and Congressmen David Price and David Obey. Staff from the Congressional offices voiced interest in a number of topics including endocrine disrupters, VOCS, sensitive populations, epigenetics, pharmaceuticals in the environment, the use of antibiotics in food producing animals, Brownfields, and Superfund sites.

The purpose of these Congressional visits, according to Daland Juberg, Chairman of the SOT Congressional Task Force of the Communications Committee, is to offer "Members of Congress and standing committees consistent access to toxicological and scientific expertise and resources during legislative discussions and Congressional hearings." He explained that the hope is that SOT scientists can offer expert evaluation or testimony on proposed legislation and provide toxicological and risk perspective on complex science and issues of concern involving human health and the environment. He also encourages SOT to sponsor more scientific briefings on topics of high relevance to elected officials and the public.

---

SOT and American Chemical Society Host Congressional Science Briefing on Biomonitoring

On March 20, 2009, SOT and the American Chemical Society hosted a Congressional Briefing on Biomonitoring, "Chemicals in Our Bodies: Use of Biomonitoring Data for Policymaking." The briefing, which was sponsored by Sen. Thomas Carper, featured four panelists including Dana Barr, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Carol Henry, George Washington University School of Public Health; Gina Solomon, Natural Resources Defense Council; and Linda Sheldon, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The briefing addressed the potential opportunities and limitations presented by biomonitoring data for policymaking. Panelists also discussed recent progress in the field and addressed questions from the participants.

Michael Holsapple, now SOT Vice President, introduced the panelists and provided the audience with an overview of biomonitoring. He noted that in order to better understand the health implications, we need to combine biomonitoring information on exposures with other information, such as knowledge about the circumstances of exposure and an understanding of how specific chemicals affect the body. More than 90 people attended from various Congressional offices and from a multitude of non-profit organizations and agencies.

---

SOT Co-Hosts Press Briefing with George Mason and STATS on Chemical Risks

On May 21, SOT's Council and researchers from George Mason University held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to discuss the preliminary results of a survey that SOT members undertook last winter to explore the members' perceptions about chemical risk and the distribution of toxicological information.

SOT conducted the survey in recognition of the gaps in communications that exist between toxicologists, the press and the public. As SOT President Cheryl Lyn Walker explained when she introduced members of the panel who participated at the press event, "the scientists and the press sitting here have a big part to play in how much concern and fear we generate in the public's mind. The polling of a subset of the general membership, though limited in terms of its value in defining measure of perceived or real risk, is a useful tool to begin to define some of the critical issues that can drive discussions between toxicologists, the media and the general public."

SOT Vice President Michael Holsapple participated in the panel discussion along with S. Robert Lichter, President of the Statistical Assessment Service and Professor of Communications at George Mason University; Gary L. Kreps, Chair of the Dept. of Communication and Director, Center for Health & Risk Communication at George Mason University; and Steven Ross, Editor-in-Chief Broadband Properties Magazine. Dr. Holsapple pointed out that the Society is a diverse organization consisting of scientists with differing views. "It should not be surprising that we have differing opinions about what poses a risk and/or what chemicals are harmful. By undertaking the survey, we had the opportunity to find out just how much variation there is in our membership on a range of topics," he explained. He went on to point out that SOT was interested in asking scientists how they felt the media was interpreting their research results and in finding ways to enhance the exchange with the media and the public. Surveys show that only one in four Americans is science literate. "We need to do a better job communicating our results, interpretations, perspectives, and recommendations and to give guidance as to the best ways we all can evaluate potential health risks."

The survey is the first phase of what the Society hopes to do in terms of filling in the gaps that exist between science and the media's coverage of the science. The SOT Council and members of the SOT Communications Committee will devise a long-term strategy to facilitate discussions with other organizations, toxicologists, and the media.

For additional information about this activity, about the SOT Communications Strategy, or about future SOT plans relating to outreach to the media, please contact Martha Lindauer, SOT Communications Manager.

---

Roger McClellan Receives Special Recognition for Endowment Fund Success

SOT President Kenneth S. Ramos presented Endowment Fund Board Chair Roger O. McClellan with a special tribute during the SOT Business Meeting on March 17 at the SOT 2009 Annual Meeting.
Dr. McClellan received a lovely and unique floral arrangement with each of the flowers tagged with the name of one of the Endowment Funds. All of these funds (4 General Purpose and now 24 Specific Purpose Funds) have been established to advance the science of toxicology by providing an extra measure of financial support for SOT programs.

Dr. McClellan noted in his remarks to the SOT Annual Business Meeting attendees that support for the Endowment Fund has grown each year, resulting in a total of $415,948 in contributions at the time of the Annual Meeting, matched with $415,948 provided by the SOT 50th Anniversary Match. With the continued commitment of donors, the million dollar mark is well in reach. More than 300 individuals/families and 15 corporations have contributed to the fund. There are multiple options for gifting, including:

• Cash Equivalent (Check, Credit Card)
• Transfer from Charitable or IRA Account
• Appreciated Securities
• Charitable Gift Annuities naming SOT as beneficiary
• Bequests naming SOT as beneficiary

In order to be recognized in the next SOT Endowment Annual Report, contributions must be received by the end of the fiscal year, June 30. You are encouraged to visit the SOT Web site and use the Endowment Donor Form.

The newest fund, the Dharm V. Singh Carcinogenesis Awards Fund, was established in April 2009, shortly after the Annual Meeting. This Fund was created with an initial generous contribution from Dr. Singh in memory of his wife, Sita Singh, and is intended to foster research that will lead to a better understanding of the causes of cancer and improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The proceeds from the fund are to be used to encourage students and postdoctoral fellows within the first 3 years of training to conduct research in this field. The initial contribution and associated matching funds resulted in the Dharm V. Singh Carcinogenesis Awards Fund having assets of $25,000, thereby qualifying it as a "Permanently Restricted Net Asset Fund" that will be continued in perpetuity. This fund will be aligned with the Carcinogenesis Specialty Section, which will have the responsibility for identifying the number of awards to be given each year, the detailed criteria for selection of the award recipients, the selection of recipients, and the bestowing of the awards at an event held in conjunction with the SOT Annual Meeting.

Many of the 2009 graduate student and postdoctoral fellow Endowment award recipients will be recognized in the 2008–2009 Endowment Fund Annual Report. It is clear from their statements that the Endowment Funds are instrumental in building the future of toxicology, one of the top priorities of the SOT Strategic Plan. For more information about the funds, please visit the SOT Endowment Fund section of the Web site.

---

SOT PPTOXII CCT International Conference to Explore the Developmental Basis of Disease—Abstract Deadline October 21, 2009

The SOT PPTOXII CCT International Conference to Explore the Developmental Basis of Disease will examine the animal and human data supporting the paradigm that fetal and early postnatal development constitutes the most vulnerable time period of human life, in regard to adverse effects of environmental hazards. This paradigm also states that developmental exposures to environmental chemicals results in altered programming leading to increased susceptibility to disease/dysfunction later in life.

This international and multidisciplinary conference will present the science supporting this scientific paradigm, stimulate collaborations that will lead to the translation of the animal data to human risk of disease, stimulate the development and validation of biomarkers of exposure and disease susceptibility, improve exposure assessment and extrapolation across species and route of exposure, and discuss future research needs and challenges. This is a must attend meeting for anyone interested in understanding the role of toxicology in the etiology of disease and human health.

Anticipated workshop outcomes also include an overview of the conference in Toxicological Sciences as well as publication of the presentations in other journals focusing on the developmental origins of disease. For more information and to register for this workshop, visit CCT Meetings section of the SOT Web site.

20 Student Travel Awards Are Available Graduate Students, Postdoctoral fellows (<less than 5 years since receiving doctoral degree), and European early career lab heads are eligible to apply. Candidates may come from academia, contract research organizations. For additional information, visit CCT Conference page.

---

SOT Membership Applications for May 2009 Set a Record High

Record Application Numbers. For the May 1 deadline, SOT received 331 applications for membership. The applications for this time period are up by 18% from last year's number of 281. Approximately one-third of these applications were from the newest generation of toxicologists—Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellows. The Society continues to be a vibrant organization for toxicologists at all stages of their career, and it is a good time to make sure that your member type is appropriate for your current career status.

Retired Membership. Those SOT members who now earn less than 50% of total income from toxicology-related work can send a letter of request to Council requesting Retired Membership. Retired members do not pay dues and maintain most of the membership benefits at their original member type, with the bonus of lower Annual Meeting registration.

Dues Waiver Requests. Any SOT member in good standing whose employment is temporarily interrupted may apply for a waiver of dues for a period of up to one year. An additional year may be requested by reapplication. A written request including a description of the most recent employment history is submitted to the SOT Executive Director Shawn Lamb. Requests are treated confidentially by the Membership Committee, which makes recommendations to Council. Members granted dues waivers will continue to receive all the benefits appropriate to their membership category.

---

Update Your Contact Information by June 15 for the SOT Membership Directory

It is more important than ever to make sure that your SOT member information is accurate as SOT is preparing to print its 2009–2010 Membership Directory. If you did not respond to the recent e-mail request to review this information, please check now to see that all demographic information, your member join date, and your title are correct and current (e.g., Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Fellow, Associate Professor, Research Director). Please be sure that your primary address is correct and is indicated as your preferred mailing address. You can enter multiple addresses, so check that each address type is marked appropriately, for example: Business, Delivery, or Home. Please note that your degrees and certifications can be entered in the order you prefer.

View and/or edit your membership information.

Edits completed by June 15 will be included in the print version of the 2009–2010 Membership Directory. If you have any questions, please contact Member Services by e-mail at SOT Headquarters or by phone at (703) 438-3115.

Any time you need contact information about SOT members, the most up-to-date source is the On-line Directory.When your contact information changes, please make the change in your member record, so the information available for you is accurate and you can receive communications from SOT and other members.

---

Nominate an Outstanding Toxicologist:
Web Site Open for 2010 Award Nominations July 1–October 9

The Awards Committee encourages you to nominate a deserving scientist for an SOT 2010 Award. Criteria for awards presented at the Annual Meeting, as well awards conferred by other SOT groups, is available on the SOT Awards and Fellowship section of the Web site.

Nominations will be accepted on the SOT Web site beginning July 1, 2009. For SOT Awards, a sponsor and seconder who are full members of SOT must submit a nomination using the Awards Nomination on-line form. The submission process allows for easy upload of supporting letters that describe the candidate's achievements and a curriculum vitae.

Graduate Travel Eligibility

Doctoral students intending to apply this fall for Graduate Travel Support through the Graduate Fellowship should submit their SOT membership applications in advance of the September 1 membership application deadline in order to be eligible.

Alternative Methods Award Deadline is June 15

June 15 is the next deadline for the Colgate-Palmolive Awards for Student Research Training in Alternative Methods. These applications are also accepted October 9 and February 15. 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.

ToxSci and Postdoc Best Paper Awards

The Board of Publications Best Paper Award for the Best Paper in Toxicological Sciences is presented to the author(s) of the best paper published in the official SOT publication during a 12-month period, terminating with the June issue of the calendar year preceding the Annual Meeting at which the award is presented. The Postdoctoral Assembly accepts nominations of papers resulting from postdoctoral work published during the same interval for consideration for the Best Postdoctoral Publication Award.

Regional Chapter, Specialty Section, and Special Interest Group Awards

The SOT Regional Chapters, Specialty Sections, and Special Interest Groups confer a number of awards, principally to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Deadlines and criteria for these awards vary and are listed on the Awards and Fellowships section of the Web site.

---

Graduate Advisors—SOT Student Members Are Eligible for Travel Support and Reduced Annual Meeting Registration Fees

Mentors should encourage students to apply for SOT Membership before September 1. Graduate students must be members of SOT and in a doctoral program to receive 2010 SOT Travel Support. Also, students accepted as members will be eligible to register for the 2010 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah (March 7–11, 2010) at the lower member rate.

The SOT on-line membership application form is convenient and the only certification required is one letter from the student's research advisor or director of graduate studies. Students with questions about membership can e-mail SOT Headquarters.

---

SOT Collaboration Tools Facilitate Efficient Member Engagement

SOT has a number of Web-based communications tools that will help foster and encourage effective interactions. These collaboration tools are applicable for communicating within any working group within the Society, but especially suited for Committees, Task Forces, Specialty Sections, Regional Chapters, or Special Interest Groups, as well as for increasing capabilities for synergistic activity between two or more groups.

These tools include the following:

WebEx Meetings—Virtual conferencing—meeting on-line provides all the benefits of a face-to-face meeting without the need for travel. In addition, use this tool to enhance the productivity of your teleconferencing. For example, a group may engage in any or all of the following activities:

• Conduct meetings or training sessions
• Show presentations
• Review and edit files and share applications
• Display the Internet during a meeting
• Develop Annual Meeting Proposals

This communication tool also provides the capability for real-time writing and editing of documents, presentations, and applications displayed through a remote desktop where everyone on the conference call is discussing and working together. Rather than a barrage of separate e-mail exchanges, everyone is literally on the same page via the on-line meeting. Additionally, you can record, edit, and playback meetings for anyone who couldn't attend.

Wikis—Web sites that are collaboratively written by their readers. Everyone is familiar with—and many rely on—Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia that nearly anyone can contribute to and edit. Wikipedia has served as an eye-opening example of how effective wikis are for simple large group collaboration.

SOT is providing sections of the SOT Web site to function using wiki technology. Working Committee sections and a Strategic Priorities section are the first to be made available in June. The active Committee designation and Member type in your membership record provide access and/or contributing privileges to the respective sections. The working Committee sections offer a centralized and protected collaboration environment where rosters, meeting agendas, minutes, reports, and working documents are accessible. The Strategic Priority section provides a method for Council, Committees, and groups working on objectives to collaborate and partner with others working on the same objectives.

WebEx Webinars—Web-based seminars or meetings, also know as distance-learning, is relied on as an essential method to provide scientific and professional development knowledge conveniently over the Internet. Now SOT can help you prepare for and host webinars of interest to a small or large number of participants (up to 500). SOT plans to engage attendees using multimedia presentations, threaded Q&A, polling, and interactive feedback. Event registration and e-mail notification are part of this system as well. Recorded events are available to view at your convenience.

The SOT Postdoctoral Assembly hosted the first webinar Toxicology Career Strategies for Early Career Professionals in April. This event was recorded and can be viewed at your convenience.

Headquarters staff is prepared to work with you on the logistics of sharing information and working with these collaboration tools for groups with which you are affiliated. For additional information, contact your group's staff liaison or SOT Headquarters.

---

PDA Pioneers Web Career Seminar: The Future of SOT Communications

With the ink barely dry on the SOT contract with WebEx, the communications platform vendor, the Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA) was the first group to initiate a Web-based seminar using the new communication tool for meetings and events. "Toxicology Career Strategies for Early Career Professionals" was presented April 30 by the PDA and is available now at this link.

Terry Leyden of the Leyden Group was the presenter and PDA Secretary/Treasurer Valerie Mitchell of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control moderated. The seminar took attendees through the entire job hunt process from determining in which sector one is interested in working, to resume preparation, interviewing, and negotiating an offer. One of the highlights of the Web seminar was a mock interview that presented both "good and bad" answers to questions commonly asked during the interview process.

The event had priority registration for postdoctoral scholars followed by a registration window for graduate students. Of those responding to the survey after the event, 56% were postdoctoral scholars and 46% were graduate students. Registrants were encouraged to host multiple attendees at their respective institutions. Almost 50 sites hosted the seminar, with approximately 150 in attendance. This is an important accomplishment for PDA. Responding to results of surveys, PDA decided, as part of their strategic efforts, to address the need to provide resources for members outside the Annual Meeting, especially as postdocs frequently do not have travel funding to attend the SOT meeting. All of the respondents to the post-event survey agreed that the seminar met the objectives. When asked how much of the content was new, 62% rated the content as 50–100% new to them.

The seminar took advantage of a number of the features available via the WebEx platform. A PowerPoint presentation was coupled with dialogue between the presenter and the moderator, and participants could direct the discussion by sending in questions. In addition, attendees were polled throughout the seminar (for example, "In which employment sector are you seeking employment?"). Participants were able to weigh in on what they thought of the responses in the mock interview via the polling function. The platform provides the mechanism for recording and accessing the seminar after the event.

The PDA is anticipating developing more Web-based seminars in the future.

---

Lew Attends National Postdoctoral Association Meeting

Betina Lew, 2009–2010 Chair of the SOT Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA), attended the seventh annual meeting of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) the end of March 2009. The conference was hosted by a large number of Houston, Texas, research institutions, with the majority of the sessions at the University of Texas Cancer Center. NPA values include:

• Postdocs make invaluable contributions to the research enterprise.
• Postdocs share personal responsibility for the progression and outcome of their careers.
• Disparities within the postdoctoral community should be corrected to the maximum extent practicable, while recognizing the unique needs of each stakeholder.
• The U.S. research community should make every effort to attract the best and brightest men and women from all groups, including international scholars, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Stacy Gelhaus, the current Chair of the NPA Board of Directors, opened the meeting and highlighted some of the accomplishments of the organization in its five year history. NPA has assumed a leadership role in addressing the many issues facing members of the postdoctoral community. For example, the call for NIH policy changes led to NIH establishing the Pathways to Independence award to help postdocs successfully transition to tenure-track faculty positions.

One of the speakers was Peter Fiske, Ph.D., President and CEO of PAX Mixer, Inc. and author of several books aimed to help scientists with career development. He pointed out that most postdocs do not appreciate the value and transferability of the skills acquired during their postdoctoral years and encouraged attendees to dedicate 10% of their time to career development. Another speaker was Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty, Ph.D., Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis and the University of Melbourne, Australia, and author of several books including The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize: Advice for Young Scientists. A session focused on the value of individual development plans (IDPs). The IDP is a "framework" or "planning process" for identifying short- and long-term goals, and includes helpful steps for achieving them, such as clarifying expectations and milestones and facilitating communication between postdocs and mentors.

More details about this meeting will be found in the article in the Spring Post-y, the SOT PDA newsletter.

---

By-Laws Changes for Standing Committees Approved

Several changes to standing committees have been approved by the Voting Members of SOT. An Auditing Committee has been established. Since the responsibilities of the Regulatory Affairs and Legislative Assistance (RALA) and Animals in Research (AiR) Committees are now under the auspices of the Communications Committee, these committees have been removed from the By-Laws. In addition, representation on the Nominating Committee has been expanded to include a representative from the Special Interest Groups. The current SOT Constitution and By-Laws are posted on the SOT Web site.

---

Member Spotlight

University of Southern Maine Programs Put a New Spin on High School and Undergraduate Toxicology Research Training

By John Pierce Wise

Ever find yourself frustrated with workplace politics? Worn out by ever decreasing grant funding rates and the woes of a worsening economy? Wondering why you decided to go into science in the first place? Well, one of the best and most refreshing ways to energize is at your fingertips—engage in learning with high school and undergraduate students and rediscover the joys of science and why you chose it as a career. Engaged student learning is a salve for the science soul and a great way to help with our country's and profession's future.

It's now well-accepted that the United States is facing a shortage of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The challenge before us as toxicologists and scientists is how to reverse this trend and engage more students in STEM majors and careers. You can help with this problem without too much difficulty. One excellent approach is to engage students early and often in the wonders of the STEM disciplines by involving them in active projects and through this engagement sharing with them the thrill of discovery and the pride in the accomplishment of a job well done.

There is no better way to refresh your own scientific soul than by sharing the excitement and joy exhibited by a high school or undergraduate student when they are given the chance to join in on actual projects and discover that they too can do it. They can become scientists! It's a more technical version of the old adage—Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day, but teach them to fish and you feed them for life-modified to say—Give a science presentation to a student and you make them a scientist for a day, but engage a student in research and you will make them a scientist for life. We, too, have experienced the frustrations of our times, but found a new spirit in our newer students.

The following stories are some examples of what we have done with undergraduate and high school students working for the first time in toxicology. Their joy at discovery has reenergized and reinforced our own passions for science and research, while also generating useful and important data. We think this approach can be used by many to both reenergize their research teams and conduct important research, and at the same time help engage more students in STEM disciplines. To learn more about opportunities such as these, go to the Education Outreach section of the SOT Web site.

University of Southern Maine Practices Engaged Learning

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a regional comprehensive university dedicated to engaged student learning as one of its core values. As stated by USM's president, Dr. Selma Botman, "Engaged learning is critically connected to motivating students to take full advantage of the transformative potential of higher education. If a professor can introduce them to the joy of learning, and then help them make the connection between learning and a career, students are thereby empowered to follow their hearts toward a satisfying and productive future."

Perhaps nowhere is this effort more evident at USM than in the School of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (ASET). For example, ASET houses the Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health (MCTEH). MCTEH is the focus of USM's biomedical research and the hub of toxicology and environmental health research for the entire statewide University of Maine system. It is also a haven for engaged student learning.

Examples of this student engagement occur in the Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology. This lab is focused on understanding the genotoxic and carcinogenic mechanisms of environmental agents such as chromium, arsenic, depleted uranium, and nanoparticles. Members of the Wise Lab now span from high school students through emeritus professors. All are actively engaged in research, some of which was presented at this year's Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting. As noted by Dr. John R. Wright, ASET Dean, "The Wise Laboratory at USM is a unique learning community focused on the excitement of science and the day-to-day mentorship of future scientific researchers."

High School Student Program
Our formal high school program started as a partnership between the Wise Laboratory and Windham High School in Windham, Maine. USM is in Portland, Maine, about a 20 minute drive from Windham. It emerged in a most unexpected way, through conversations at youth soccer games between me and Mrs. Marni Bickford, a Windham high science teacher and USM graduate.

As we watched our sons play, Mrs. Bickford and I started discussing how to engage her high school science students with my doctoral students. From these conversations, a pilot internship program was created where four students in the introductory high school biology class (sophomores and juniors) received school credit for working in the Wise Laboratory. These high school students were then trained by graduate students in the Wise Laboratory in laboratory safety and protocol, and how to analyze metaphase cells treated with chemicals for chromosome damage.

Each high school student worked 4 hours a week in the late afternoons and evenings at the microscopes in the Wise Laboratory. In addition, each student analyzed a portion of the experiment with the trained graduate student scoring the other half as a quality control. All participants were blinded to the identity of the slides and each experiment included a positive control. A project was chosen that was of significant scientific interest (measure the genotoxicity of chromium in endangered bowhead whale cells) and one that could evolve at a pace that would allow the students to have a full year to complete the analyses (including at least three replicate experiments).

During the summer, each student was provided with a small stipend and increased their time and effort to 20 hours a week in the Lab. They were trained how to do cell culture and perform the experimental aspects of the chromosome aberration test under the watchful eyes of their graduate student partners and their teacher Mrs. Bickford, who also spent the summer working in the Lab. These efforts led to a poster at this year's SOT Annual Meeting (the students themselves were unable to attend), and the data are now being written into a scientific publication by me with the help of those students.

The experience proved to be a huge success and we entered year two of the program. Three of the four students have continued on into the second year (the one who didn't has remained in biology, choosing instead to work in the high school greenhouse). This year these students will learn confocal microscopy and how to measure DNA double strand breaks in cells by counting phosphorylated H2A.X foci. In addition, we have enrolled another five students. Like the first cohort, they will spend their first year working on chromosome damage with two students continuing the whale project and three studying the genotoxicity of Moon and Mars dusts.

It should be noted that these are not our only high school students. We have others who have come in more through serendipity than planning. These students were curious about science and made initial contact with the Lab to fulfill other student obligations (such as a class report or a job shadowing experience). Of course they were nervous when they made initial contact, but we have found that a warm welcome and talking to them about each others' passion for science (like talking about how cool it is when an experiment works), breaks down the barriers and brings them back.

We often tell them that many experiments are like cooking—just follow the recipe! Helping them see that they can do it has brought many back to the Lab outside of their school commitments. Currently, there are three of these students, bringing our total to 11 high school students. We have been pleased that several of these students were so engaged by their experiences that not only did they stay in science, but they came to USM and joined our lab as undergraduates! Imagine undergraduates arriving as freshmen already experienced in cell culture and basic toxicology assays—very cool!

Our undergraduate program is thriving as well. We have 15 undergraduates now in the Lab at all levels. Three started with us as high school students. We are finding, as with the high school students, the engaged learning is causing them to decide to commit to pursuing STEM careers. Some pursue further graduate studies while others seek technical jobs. All are actively engaged in research, presenting their work at meetings and trying to publish their work.

NASA Program Helps Launch Science Team

Our most remarkable undergraduate student experience occurred last year. We learned of the Reduced Gravity Flight Opportunities Program offered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from a collaborator at NASA. This program allows undergraduate students to fly experiments in microgravity on-board NASA's C9 aircraft (more commonly called the "vomit comet"). The program had to be and was student-led and designed. John Wise, Jr., my son, was in his first semester as a freshman at USM, but had worked in the Lab for three years as a high school student. He volunteered to lead and designed a project to test the effects of altered gravity on chromate-induced chromosome damage. His proposal was selected and he won a place for his team in the program. He led a 10-member team (6 undergraduates and 1 graduate student representing 5 different majors, plus 2 faculty mentors and a senior staff member) from both USM and the University of Maine who went to Houston to carry out the project. They were the first team from Maine to fly in zero gravity!

The students were impressed and inspired by NASA and spent 10 grueling days in the wilting Houston heat (it was July and they're from Maine!). The team returned home and spent months analyzing the hundreds of slides they created in the experiments. They also carried out an outreach campaign all year visiting K–12 schools and encouraging them to consider a future in toxicology and science. The data were surprising showing altered gravity did have an effect and were presented at this year's SOT Annual Meeting. Because of their excellent performance and work, John applied again this year and was again accepted. This year the team is expanded to 14 members (4 additional undergrads) and will seek to confirm the previous year's results. They will fly in June.

One of the remarkable things about engaged undergraduates is that they are infectious in their enthusiasm. Our students love to talk about their work and their experiences and draw in more students. Many members of the flight team are engaged in studies to understand the genotoxicity of Moon and Mars dusts. Upon meeting students from the Biology Club from the University of Bridgeport (UB) in Connecticut, our students engaged six UB students in the project, and they now are now part of the team. UB is developing its toxicology efforts under the guidance of SOT member and UB faculty member Dr. Spiros Katsifis. While he works to obtain equipment to establish a cell-culture based toxicology lab at UB, the undergraduates in the Wise Lab conduct the cell culture work and then split the slide analysis with the UB students. Soon the students will begin a regular journal club meeting between the schools via videoconferencing. Our students also engage an increasing number of USM students in discussion and participation in their work.

The interest and enthusiasm of our undergraduates in toxicology is growing such that they are now drafting a proposal to the student government of the University for a Toxicology and Environmental Health club with hopes of attending the SOT Annual Meeting each year. Our high school students are also discussing a similar club for their school as well. Their interest has also caused us to initiate serious discussions with USM's administration about the possibility of adding an undergraduate toxicology major to the curriculum, and we have been met with a warm response. For now, our students can take toxicology courses, but in the context of more traditional majors such as Biology and Chemistry.

Many of our undergraduates started in the Lab as a freshman. Our training approach has them progress from basic cell culture and toxicology experiments through to state-of-the-art molecular biology tools during their years with us. In addition, they progress from learning the importance of following protocols and basic experimental design to eventually designing and testing their own mechanistic hypotheses. Imagine the quality of employee or graduate student that emerges at graduation with 4 years of both hands-on experience and theoretical training. It becomes even more remarkable when you think that some will graduate with multiple years of high school experience too.

Our approach is styled, of course, to our work. But with some creative thinking, we believe a similar approach can be replicated, widely increasing the number of undergraduates and high school students in research and inspiring them to careers in STEM fields while simultaneously bringing a fresh perspective and infectious energy to the home laboratory. The most important steps are to inspire their confidence and to engage them as part of the team. Teach them that even mistakes and failed experiments happen and provide us with useful information.

One of the more remarkable and fun ways we found to engage the whole Lab in each other's work was to conduct a scientific relay race. In this game, the Lab was divided into teams (including the administrative and IT personnel) and listed in a sequence. The rules were simple. Each member of the team had to go to one of two whiteboards in the hall and teach the next member of the team in sequence about their project. Once they did that the baton (a decorated plastic pipette) was passed and then the next person was told about the next project. Thus, member one told member two about member one's project and then member two told member three about member two's project and so on. When they reached the end, they then reversed the order. Then when all had presented their project twice to two different people, they had to gather with the Principal Investigator and each person to talk about what they learned about someone else's project. What emerged were fantastic interactions as students would gather at the whiteboards to learn about all of the projects—even those for members of the other team. By the end, all members at all levels were engaging as a full team and even the frustrating experiments were fun.

The excitement and the engagement these students have brought to our work has been energizing and inspiring. Their constant curiosity makes even the most frustrating tasks rewarding. Plus, there is a real satisfaction in seeing one of your team graduate and move on to seek even greater aspirations and know that you played a meaningful role in their success.

---

Career Insights

In Good Times and Bad, It Helps To Have a Mentor

In today's challenging economic environment, you can seek and find mentoring for scientific and professional development through SOT's Mentor Match Program. This confidential, electronic system is accessible on the SOT Web site and is a free benefit of SOT membership.

The objective of this new on-line mentoring program is to provide a service that matches mentees with potential mentors from the SOT membership to provide advice on career path selection, professional development, and life/work balance issues.

SOT members are encouraged to share their professional knowledge and experience by serving as mentors for toxicologists at all stages of their career as well as to help foster the next generation. Mentees have access to experts in many disciplines and market sectors. In fact, many of the participants in the Mentor Match system are registered as both mentors and mentees.

There is no need to go it alone. Take advantage of this free member benefit!

---

Regional Chapters, Specialty Sections, and Special Interest Groups

NCAC SOT Sponsors Girl Scout Science Day

The National Capital Area Chapter (NCAC) of SOT sponsored the 3rd Annual Girl Scout Nation's Capital Science Day on January 23–24, 2009, which was organized by the Girl Scouts Council Nation's Capital Service Unit 37. This event introduced scientific terms and ideas to Brownies at different grade levels (1–3), Juniors (4–5), Cadets (6–8), Seniors (9–10), and Ambassadors (11–12) using hands-on experimental protocols designed to be performed by a group of 10–12 girls in 30 minutes.

As in past years, experiments were led by Senior Girl Scouts with the assistance of volunteers, including troop 'moms' and 'dads' and area scientists. All participating Girl Scouts rotate through 4 to 6 experiments depending on their age group and the theme their troop has selected. This year, Brownies earned either a Chemistry Try-It or a Science in Action Try-It, while the Juniors earned either a Science Sleuth badge or a Science Discovery badge. For the first time, we also added a component to expose the Cadets, Seniors, and Ambassadors to multiple aspects of science and earn a Chemistry IP.

For the second year, Mary Stapleton of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI, Baltimore, MD) assisted in supplying materials and volunteers to help in performing experiments with the Brownies and Juniors. Brownies earning the Science in Action Try-It were exposed to different phases of matter (Weird Glop); the idea of germs and how they spread (Germ Spread/Making Soap); what is carbon dioxide (Balloon Blow-Up/Dancing Raisins) as well as why some things dissolve and others do not (Dissolving). For the Chemistry Try-It, Brownies learned about polymers (Meg A. Mole Bouncing Ball), oxidation and toxicology (Lemons, Onions and Fruit, Oh My!), chromatography (Chromatography), and how chemistry helps to make ice cream (Making Ice Cream).

The afternoon session with the Junior Girl Scouts for the Science Discovery badge involved experiments on pH (Acidity), water pressure (Water In, Water Out), how to design experiments using fungus (Friendly Fungus), what things impact surface tension (Surface Tension), and what is static electricity (Static Electricity). Juniors also looked at how to make gum, and how different ingredients impact the final product (What Makes Gum Gummy). The Science Sleuth badge focused on where DNA comes from (Make Your Own DNA), and how genetics can determine different traits (Which Gene Do I Have?). Juniors learned how different materials added to a mixture can have a different chemical effect (Baggie Science). Juniors also learned about polymers and emulsions (Making Lotion), as well as density (Density), and how temperature can affect the rate of a reaction (Seltzer Reactions). Throughout all the experiments, Girl Scouts were encouraged to think scientifically about what reactions are occurring and why, and to write their hypotheses and results in the supplied lab notebooks. All experiments had questions at the end for the students to answer before leaving the "bench." Students were encouraged to work together and discuss as a group the results of each experiment.

For the Chemistry IP, the Cadets performed more technical experiments in a Friday night session. Again with the assistance of UMBI and area scientists, the older Girl Scouts went through three experiments in three main areas: DNA (Make Your Own DNA), protein (The Crooked Cell), and blood typing (No Trace Left Behind). Further, a fourth rotation was designed to expose them to career paths in the sciences. Area scientists in the fields of medicine, nursing, pathology, and risk assessment discussed their career path and experiences. Experiments and panel discussions were led by area scientists from EPA, NIH, UMBI, CPSC, and NIOSH.

Based on the evaluation responses from the troops attending and their leaders, Science Day was a great success. The Brownies and Juniors enjoyed the hands-on experiments, and learned a variety of scientific facts. For the first time, the Cadets, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts were also exposed to new areas of science, and were able to discuss potential career paths in science. The Girl Scouts were able to take copies of experimental protocols home to share with their family. These lab notebooks not only included the experimental set-ups, but also the Instructor's Notes to help explain the protocols to their families. In some cases, the Girl Scouts were also able to bring home the results of their experiments, including DNA necklaces, vials of lotion that they made, and personalized weird glop. Many of these experiments would not have been possible without the financial support of the NCAC SOT Regional Chapter, and through them, the SOT Council Subcommittee on Regional Chapter Funding. This year we were also pleased to include some experiments, supplies, and staff from UMBI (Baltimore, MD) and MDBio (Frederick, MD). The hope is to continue this collaborative relationship for future Science Days, which will allow us to introduce even more aspects of science to the Girl Scouts in our area.

Experimental protocols are available available or contact Maureen Gwinn.

Klaassen Received Career Achievement Award from Metals Specialty Section

Dr. Curtis D. Klaassen received the Career Achievement Award at the Metals Specialty Section (MSS) annual meeting/reception on Wednesday, March 18, which was held in conjuction with the SOT 2009 Annual Meeting. The award is presented in recognition of outstanding accomplishments in four areas in metals toxicology—research, teaching, service, and risk assessments. Many current and former students and postdoctoral fellows from the Klaassen laboratory were on hand to see Dr. Klaassen receive the award. Photo, from l to r: James Kang, MSS president; Curtis Klaassen; and Peter Goering, a former student from the Klaassen lab who shared highlights of his career accomplishments.

Stay Up-to-Date on Regional Chapter, Specialty Section, and Special Interest Group News

You are encouraged to make frequent visits to the SOT Web sites of the Specialty Sections (SS), Regional Chapters (RC), and Special Interest Groups (SIG). During your next visit, plan to visit the recently launched Web site for the Nanotoxicology Specialty Section as well as the site for Toxicologists of African Origin. SOT Headquarters will be pleased to work with SS, RC, and SIG representatives to enhance or revamp your Web site.

The RC, SS, and SIG Web sites are accessible at the People and Groups Section of the SOT Web site and many of these groups publish and post electronic newsletters that are an excellent source of non-technical and technical information. Those newsletters posted over the last quarter are listed below for your convenience.

Recently Posted Newsletters

Regional Chapters

Allegheny-Erie
Michigan
Midwest
National Capital Area
North Carolina
Northeast
Northern California
Ohio Valley
Pacific Nortwest

Specialty Sections

Biological Modeling
Carcinogenesis
Food Safety
Inhalation and Respiratory
Mechanisms
Metals
Occupational and Public Health
Regulatory and Safety Evaluation

Special Interest Groups

American Association of Chinese in Toxicology
Association of Scientists of Indian Origin

---

In Memoriam

In Memoriam Bryan Ballantyne Mildred Christian Leo Kanegis

Bryan Ballantyne Internationally Acclaimed Toxicologist (1934–2008)

Submitted by Tipton Tyler and Hon-Wing Leung

Dr. Bryan Ballantyne passed away on December 3, 2008, after a fall in his London, UK, home. He suffered severe head injuries, and died shortly thereafter without regaining consciousness.
Dr. Ballantyne was born on September 11, 1934, in Yorkshire, UK. He received his M.B., B.Sc., Ph.D., M.D., and D.Sc. degrees all from the University of Leeds. He was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons in England, a Licentiate of the Royal College of Medicine, London, and a Fellow of eight medical societies.

Following his time in clinical medicine and surgery, Bryan started his career as a member of the academic staff at the University of Leeds with academic and research interests in histology, histochemistry, and biochemistry, particularly with respect to the biological functions of cholinesterases and the role of enzymes in monovalent cation transport. In 1968, he left Leeds to become Senior Medical Officer at the U.K. Chemical Defense Establishment, Porton Down, Salisbury, UK, with the position of Head of the Section of Toxicology and Pathology. In this position, he conducted research and gained wide knowledge in a variety of areas of toxicology and with multitudes of toxicologically interesting chemical moieties. He was one of the world's leading experts in the toxicology of cyanides and riot control agents and had a particular interest in ocular toxicology.

Bryan left the UK in 1978 to become the Director of Applied Toxicology for the Union Carbide Corporation. This position took him to Charleston, West Virginia, where he maintained a home for the remainder of his life. He essentially designed and directed the corporate toxicology program for Union Carbide and nurtured a strong collaboration with the Union Carbide toxicology laboratory, initially the Chemical Hygiene Fellowship of the Carnegie Mellon Institute that later evolved into the Bushy Run Research Center. This association gained him much respect and camaraderie with many members and staff of Bushy Run. Notably Dr. Ballantyne was a prolific writer with over 500 major publications and 10 books, including co-editing the three volume set, General and Applied Toxicology, the 4 volume 3rd edition of which he was completing at the time of his death, and now is in press. He encouraged and assisted all of his colleagues and co-workers to publish their findings and contribute their knowledge to the many books he edited.

Dr. Ballantyne was a very private individual, yet he took an interest in his colleagues' careers and had compassion for their personal problems. He could on occasions demonstrate a somewhat volatile personality, particularly if his integrity was challenged, yet possessed a wry wit, as demonstrated in some of his classic letters probably yet found in the achieves of upper management and corporate attorneys. He is survived by his wife and four living daughters. He will be missed by those of us who learned from and worked with Bryan for the last 30 years.

Mildred Christian

Mildred Christian passed away on March 26, 2009, in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania. She was the co-founder of Argus Research Laboratories (now a Division of Charles River Laboratories) and President and CEO of Argus International, Inc. She received her Ph.D. in developmental anatomy (teratology) from Thomas Jefferson University and was active in industrial toxicology for more than 30 years. She was an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University since 1992 and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences since 1997. She was a certified Diplomate in General Toxicology, The Academy of Toxicological Sciences. In addition, she was the Founding Editor of the International Journal of the American College of Toxicology and was its Editor-in-Chief for 10 years. Dr. Christian edited and/or contributed to several major textbooks and was the author of more than 100 papers and abstracts.

 

Annual Meeting

Visit the 2009 Annual Meeting Photo Gallery and Start Planning for 2010 in Salt Lake City

The Photo Gallery provides a comprehensive overview of the SOT 2009 Annual Meeting. Many of the photographs feature the recipients of the awards and honors presented to outstanding scientists whose work is aligned with SOT's mission of "creating a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology."

Plans are underway for the SOT 2010 Annual Meeting. The Scientific Program Committee received 14 scientific session proposals and many of the other committees and task forces are developing programs and events that will be featured on the SOT Web site. To help you plan for the SOT 2010 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 7–11, 2010, please refer to the dates below.

• October 3, 2009—Abstract Submission Deadline
• October 9, 2009—Awards Nomination Deadline
• January 22, 2010—Early Bird Registration Deadline
• February 11, 2010—Housing Registration Deadline

We look forward to seeing you in Salt Lake City!

---

Over 2,200 Attendees Participated in Baltimore Continuing Education Courses

The Continuing Education (CE) Committee would like to extend its appreciation and thanks to everyone who attended the 2009 Annual Meeting Continuing Education Program in Baltimore, Maryland, this year. Registration for these courses exceeded 2,200 for the 13 courses that were offered.

The courses reflected interesting and varied offerings, and the hard work and efforts put forth by the speakers, course chairs, and CE Committee course liaisons. The CE 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. Special thanks goes to the dedicated graduate student volunteers, listed below, whose participation and assistance were important in helping to keep the courses running smoothly, and 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 directly from our members, and the CE Committee appreciates the continued efforts of the SOT membership to submit new and interesting course proposals each year.

Finally, a reminder to the Regional Chapters that the CE Committee maintains a list of speakers, the CE Speakers Bureau . The current list will be updated in mid-June. The speakers on the list made particularly outstanding CE presentations. SOT will help underwrite the costs of bringing these individuals to your local Regional Chapter meetings through the funding support of the Council Subcommittee for Regional Chapter Funding. If you have questions regarding this program, please contact Marcia Lawson at SOT Headquarters.

2009 CE Student Voluteers

Varun Ahuja Gayathri Chadalapaka Judy Choi Dave Ellis Tharu Fernando Aaron Fullerton Sarah Gilpin Anne Gilson Mitzi Glover Craig Harvey Kim Henderson Christina Hickey Indira Jutooru Steve Krival Michele La Merrill Sookwang Lee Eric Liberda Nick Manzo

Marissa Papaccioli Dhvani Parikh Chunli Quan Rakesh Ranjan Josiah Ray Sudheer Reddy Richard Salisbury Karen Thomas Elizabeth Vancza Mark Walters Xuequian (Shirley) Wang Aya Westbrook Sally White Mitsuko (Lynn) Yamamoto Yu (Janet) Zang Yuzhao Zhou Leah Zorilla

---

Fellowship Recipients Selected

Congratulations to Yue Cui of the University of Kansas Medical Center, the 2009 recipient of the Novartis Graduate Fellowship. The Awards Committee made the selection during the SOT Annual Meeting in Baltimore in March after completing interviews with an excellent pool of candidates. Finalists included Gaythari Chadalapaka, Texas A&M University, Tsz Yan Clement Chan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Mike Kimzey, University of Arizona.

Congratulations also go to Ankur Dnyanmote of the University of California, San Diego, the 2009 recipient of the Colgate-Palmolive Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in In Vitro Toxicology. Interviews for this award also took place at the SOT Annual Meeting. Jun Gao, Los Alamos National Laboratory, was the other finalist chosen for a fellowship interview in Baltimore.

Since the Colgate-Palmolive Postdoctoral Fellowship Award in In Vitro Toxicology is only offered in alternate years, the next fellowship will be awarded in 2011, with a 2010 application due date. More details are found in the Awards and Fellowship section of the SOT Web site.

---

SOT Undergraduate Education Program for Minority Students Celebrates 20th Anniversary

An impressive milestone was reached in March 2009 with SOT hosting a selective group of undergraduate students from groups under represented in the sciences at the 2009 Annual Meeting. For almost every year in the last two decades, SOT has received funding from the NIH Minority Access to Research Careers program to provide travel support for students and advisors selected through a national application process. A special event was held on March 14 celebrating this milestone, and the program was also recognized during the SOT Awards Ceremony on March 15 with a special citation.

Claude McGowan, co-chair of the anniversary events along with Vicente Santa Cruz, said "For the past 20 years, a significant number of undergraduate students have been given not only some valuable face time with practicing toxicologists, but also afforded the opportunity to learn first hand what Toxicology is, what Toxicologists do, where they work, what types of salaries are possible, the types of career opportunities that are available, and where to go for training. All this has been accomplished during an extended weekend in March!! Whether or not past participants have chosen toxicology or a related biological sciences discipline as a career path is not as important as is knowing that this brief but impressionable look at the lives and careers of members of SOT most likely influenced their career path decision making in some way."

Anniversary celebrants hear the history and accomplishments of the undergraduate program

Currently three program alumnae—Vanessa Silva, Adrian Nanez, and Jennifer Rayner—have stepped into leadership roles in SOT by serving on the Committee for Diversity Initiatives. Another alum participating in the 2009 program was Antonio Baines.

During the celebration event, photos from the last decade cycled on the screen as students who were in the program in the past, those who were in the early years, current participants, and others supportive of the program continued to network. Dr. McGowan noted "The photos from past sessions clearly show that each SOT member who has taken the time to interact with and engage the visiting students in discussions of career opportunities has a deep commitment to the objectives of the program. They care about the students, they care about the Society, they care about the future of our discipline, clearly they care."

Faye Calhoun Broadwater encouraged students to take advantage of opportunities for careers in research

Of the many people responsible for the success of the program, four were selected for special recognition. In introducing special speakers Faye Calhoun Broadwater and Marion Ehrich, McGowan said, "Vision, commitment, caring, dedication, tenacity…are all words that describe these individuals and their actions on behalf of the SOT's Educational goal of attracting more minority students to the discipline. In 1989, Drs. Ehrich and Calhoun Broadwater worked with others to address this issue and successfully brought local students to the Annual Meeting in Atlanta and the following year in Miami. This eventually led to funding from the NIH-Minority Access to Research Careers Program. Dr. Ehrich served as initial Principal Investigator (PI) for the Grant before passing the baton on to Myrtle Davis-Millin, who diligently preserved the funding through several cycles before passing the stewardship responsibilities on to the current PI, Jose Manautou." All four received a special plaque.

Dr. Calhoun Broadwater puts the program in perspective when she says, "This program has stood the test of time and proven that with our kind of support and mentoring, we can increase and retain minority scientists in toxicology. Most impressive is the fact that those who were mentored in the first 10 years have stepped up to the task of carrying on this Program as well as becoming known for developing students at their home institutions."

---

20th Group of Undergraduates Participate in Undergraduate Program at Annual Meeting

Submitted by Adrian Nanez, 2009–2010 CDI Chair

Julio Davila organized the special poster session and Mari Stavanja was 2008–2010 chair of the CDI

The 2009 Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, marked the 20th anniversary for the Undergraduate Education Program for Minority Students (UEP). Mari Stavanja chaired the Committee for Diversity Initiatives (CDI) in this important year. The historic occasion was celebrated on Saturday, March 14, with a special event highlighted by historical perspectives from early program organizers Faye Calhoun Broadwater and Marion Ehrich (see article). The night continued with the inaugural presentation of the Perry J. Gehring Diversity Travel Award to Vanessa Y. De La Rosa for work performed at the University of Texas at El Paso entitled, "Bioluminescent bacteria as biosensors for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons." This award was established with generous contributions to the SOT Endowment in the name of Perry J. Gehring. Tony Ndifor encouraged attendees to contribute to the Gehring Diversity Fund as well as the newly established Diversity Initiatives Fund, which has recently achieved permanently restricted status. Program alumni, current students, organizers from the past two decades, and CDI friends shared their personal experiences while partaking in a delicious commemorative cake.

Students discussed toxicology research during a special poster session

As usual the pool of applicants for the 2009 UEP was stocked with topnotch talent that showed scientific prowess in the classroom and laboratory. The 38 students and 8 faculty advisors were selected through a national review process. The official program for the students selected through application runs from Saturday night to Monday. All undergraduate students registered for the meeting can register for the Sunday portion. That day was officially kicked off by a welcome from the SOT President, Kenneth S. Ramos. Jose Manautou presented a crash-course "Introduction to Toxicology" that was followed by a stimulating foray into nano particles by Martin Philbert. Adrian Nanez, an alumna of the program and CDI Committee member, presented work detailing the role of transcription factor in fetal programming or renal disease. Mary Ann Smith's talk on translating toxicology into public health actions rounded out the scientific program.

Students explore options for graduate school and internships

In the afternoon, students were treated to an insider's perspective on graduate school followed by a panel discussion with academic advisors including Robert Roth, Kim Daniel, Katherine Squibb, and Kim Boekelheide. There was not an empty seat in the house during the recruiting session with over 31 Academic Toxicology Program Directors and Internship sponsors available to meet with students to discuss graduate and research opportunities.

The final day of the program was highlighted by the stirring plenary lecture presented by Nobel Laureate Paul Greengard entitled "Signal Transduction Pathways Used by Therapeutic Agents and Drugs of Abuse." The whirlwind weekend was closed out with plenty of photos, goodbyes, and the promise of newly burgeoning careers in Toxicology.

Students were organized into groups with mentors

Many SOT members devoted the weekend to serve as mentors and peer mentors for the students. Participants are organized into small groups, with designated mentors and peer mentors, and this key aspect of the program is possible because of the dedication of SOT members who devote their time to make this happen. We recognize mentors Antonio Baines, Abraham Dalu, Julio Davila, Erin Hines, Braulio Jimenez, Marquea King, Craig Marcus, David McGuinn, Eva McLanahan, Rebeka Merson, Kristini Miles, Chuck Miller, Jeffrey Moffit, Jorge Naciff, Tony Ndifor, Ofelia Olivero, Jennifer Rayner, Angela Slitt, Alice Villalobos, and Judy Zelikoff and peer mentors Natasha Catlin, Vanessa De la Rosa, Navada Eagleton, Jessica Epple-Farmer, Enrique Fuentes Mattei, Patricia Gillespie, Dan Hochman, Natalie Johnson, Adrienne King, Alicia Marroquin-Cardona, Erica Rogers, and Vikrant Vijay. On behalf of the CDI, I would like to thank all of the volunteers, participants, and SOT staff for making the 2009 UEP a success. See you next year in Salt Lake City, UT!

---

Paracelsus Outside the Classroom Was Huge Success in Baltimore

On March 15, the excitement in the Baltimore streets for St. Patrick was equally matched inside the Port Discovery Children's Museum. The Society of Toxicology K–12 Task Force, under the sponsorship of the Communications Committee, organized an energetic and successful outreach event in association with this year's Annual Meeting.

"Paracelsus Outside the Classroom" introduced children to the role of toxicology in every day life through hands-on experiments and a scavenger hunt of toxicology facts. More than 800 small children and their families were exposed to various toxicology concepts, including oxidation, chemical reactions, and healthy habits to prevent disease. Children from various organizations (SOT membership, Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Big Brother/Big Sister, home schools, and elementary schools) took part in the event, having learned about it from various networking and publicity sources in the Baltimore area. SOT paid for reduced rate tickets and distributed them to those who registered in advance.

Lead by Maureen Gwinn, the other Task Force members organizing the event included Joanna Matheson (experiments), Suzanne Fitzpatrick (volunteer coordination), Daniel Arrieta (volunteer recruitment), Kathy Gabrielson (high school recruitment and organization), Katie Sprugel (scavenger hunt), and Stacie Wild (registration). Kristie Gulick was the chief contact at Port Discovery, Mary Stapleton at UMBI, and SOT staff assistance was provided by Martha Lindauer and Betty Eidemiller.

Paracelsus Outside the Classroom was modeled after an outreach event that the SOT National Capital Area Regional Chapter has sponsored for the past two years in Frederick, MD. The three experiments were selected from those used in this pilot event, and included Baggie Science, Bouncing Ball, and Friendly Fungus. Two weeks prior to the event, high school volunteers were trained in the experiments, and then lead the younger children in these experiments with the assistance of SOT members. In this way, this event not only exposed the younger children to toxicology, but also served as an excellent training exercise for the high school students. Further, the high school students were able to interact with established scientists and learn more about career opportunities in toxicology. The scavenger hunt highlighted various key points in toxicology, including natural toxins, pesticide use, toxic effects of lead, food safety, and others, using displays that were already present in the museum. The Maryland Poison Control Center was also on hand with a booth on household poisons. Representatives also answered questions throughout the day to help kick off Poison Prevention Week.

At Port Discovery Children's Museum (target age group grades 1–6) from 10:00 AM to 12:00 NOON families pre-registered through SOT rotated through the three different experiments, participated in the scavenger hunt, or did independent exploration, or combinations of those activities. At noon, the museum opened to the public, who were then encouraged to participate in all aspects of the event, including experiments, demonstrations, and the scavenger hunt. At 2:00 PM, the second session officially began with a wave of more pre-registered individuals to take part in all events until the museum closed at 5:00 PM.

More than 40 high school students (primarily juniors and seniors) were scheduled a half day as experiment leaders at Port Discovery and the other half day at University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI). There they engaged in an experiment extracting natural plant products and looking for toxic effects on bioluminescent bacteria. Students were welcomed by Bill Hays or Marion Ehrich, active participants in SOT Educational Outreach activities, who interacted with area scientists about the Society of Toxicology. A mentoring sign-up sheet was supplied so that students interested in a mentoring experience could be matched by their interests and that of area scientists. Lunch was provided for them at UMBI between sessions.

A special thanks to the more than 30 SOT volunteers who assisted on the day of the event, including a few who volunteered their children as well. All volunteers were enthusiastic and able to assist in multiple areas, including experiments, scavenger hunt, registration, and demonstrations. The interaction of these toxicologists with the student volunteers, participants and the public at the event helped to bring home the message of the variability of toxicology careers and the role of toxicology in every day life.

An additional opportunity for high school students was exhibiting their research posters near the SOT Resource Pavilion in the Baltimore Convention Center Tuesday, March 17, and Wednesday, March 18. Seven students participated, each displaying a poster for half of the day. Dr. Gabrielson accompanied these students to scientific sessions and tours of the exhibit hall.

These activities were a wonderful success on multiple levels. Through this event, SOT was able to introduce toxicology to hundreds of children and their families of multiple ages and from multiple organizations; SOT also introduced high school students to toxicology and many of the career opportunities in the field of toxicology. Further, the task force members were able to engage many SOT members in the event and encourage them to bring these ideas back to their Regional Chapters for similar events. In fact, several volunteers solicited information about using similar activities for education outreach efforts in their region. These materials have been made available to members and participants at K–12 Outreach for Scientists. Outreach materials were also available for review at the SOT Resource Pavilion. SOT also had requests from area after school groups to keep them informed of any future events of this type. And finally, we were able to show children that science is fun and a possible career option for all.

Given the overwhelmingly positive response from participants and volunteers, the K–12 Task Force hopes that SOT continues to support science outreach efforts to the K–12 audience. The local volunteers are enthusiastic and willing to host a similar event in conjunction with the SOT Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in 2011.

---

2009 ToxExpo™—Another Great Success Story!

The 2009 ToxExpo™ in Baltimore once again proved to be the biggest and best toxicology-related exhibition in the world with 348 companies represented in the exhibit hall. Exhibitors included 73 international companies and 46 first-time vendors who displayed the latest cutting-edge technology and services available in scientific development. The 6,750 Baltimore attendees were also able to view several hundred scientific poster sessions on a multitude of topics of interest to the toxicologists. We want to again thank all the Exhibitors for their support!

Information on the ToxExpo™ Web site is available twenty-four hours a day. Current information on the latest technology, products, and services provided by ToxExpo™ exhibitors is at your fingertips with just a few clicks of the mouse! If your company is interested in exhibiting at the 2010 Annual Meeting and ToxExpo™ in Salt Lake City, Utah, please use the "Become an Exhibitor" link to submit a booth request. For more information, contact Liz Kasabian, Exhibits Manager, at SOT Headquarters, (703) 438-3115. If you know of a company that should be exhibiting at ToxExpo™, please let us know! Referring companies receive a free Web link with their online booth listing if the company they recommend reserves a booth!

---

2010 Annual Meeting Sponsorship Opportunities Are Available

Our Thanks to SOT's 2009 Annual Meeting Sponsors

Sponsorship serves as visible evidence of an organization's commitment to the Society's mission of "creating a safer and healthier world by advancing the science of toxicology." In addition, sponsorship provides an opportunity for private, public, and not-for-profit organizations to increase overall awareness of their services and programs to SOT members and over 6,700 Annual Meeting attendees.

In 2010, a number of new benefits will be added to highlight your participation as a sponsor, including broadcast e-mails to SOT Members and heightened visibility at the 2010 Annual Meeting. Moreover, as a sponsor, companies will be featured in pre- and post-meeting newsletters, the ToxExpo™ Directory, pre- Annual Meeting publications, on-site meeting registration materials, and the SOT Web site. As has been SOT's ongoing practice, acknowledgement signs will group sponsors by levels of support and will be displayed at many of the SOT functions. Annual Meeting Sponsor listings are included in the SOT presentations in all session rooms. In appreciation for their support of the Society, sponsors are invited to the SOT President's Reception. There are four levels of sponsorship available, as follows:

• Diamond ($10,000 and more)
• Platinum ($5,000–$9,999)
• Gold ($2,500–$4,999)
• Silver ($1,000–$2,499)

Your sponsorship helps SOT keep registration fees low thereby enabling the Society to attract scientists at all levels of their career. Your sponsorship also will help offset the cost of functions such as the: Minority Student Program, Undergraduate Program, K–12 and other public outreach activities, Student/Postdoctoral Scholar events, Continuing Education Program, refreshments, and the Welcoming Reception. If you are interested in SOT Sponsorship, contact Marcia Lawson at SOT Headquarters (703) 438-3115.

---

Postdoctoral Assembly Activities Featured at the Annual Meeting

By Betina Lew (PDA chair, 2009–2010)

During the 48th Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology, the Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA) sponsored several events targeting SOT postdocs and early career scientists. All of the PDA-sponsored events were extremely well-attended and successful.

The PDA luncheon took place on Tuesday afternoon with about 150 postdocs present to meet old friends, make new friends, and enjoy a wonderful lunch provided free of charge. In a very friendly environment, the 2008–2009 Chair, Heather Floyd, opened the session. SOT Past President George Corcoran and the incoming Chair, Betina Lew then provided remarks. During the luncheon three SOT postdocs (Jeffrey W. Card, Cantox Health Services International; Kembra L. Howdeshell, U.S. EPA and Lewis Zhichang Shi, University of Wisconsin-Madison) were awarded the 3rd annual Best Postdoctoral Publication Award. Each awardee received an engraved plaque and a monetary prize. A fun and dynamic raffle was conducted with several door prizes donated from generous sponsors.

The PDA and the Student Advisory Council jointly sponsored a symposium session entitled "Gene-Environment Interactions: Epigenetic Pathways in Chronic Disease Promotion and Progression." The session was chaired by Heather Floyd (Alcon Laboratories, Ft. Worth, TX) and co-chaired by Sheppard A. Martin (Environmental Health Sciences Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA). The session featured an innovative approach, with all of the talks presented by toxicology postdocs and students. The speakers were Adermi Dosunmu (Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI), Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna (School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA), Wan-Yee Tang (University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH), and Donna Ray (University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI). All of the presenters did an excellent job in communicating their research, presenting their achievements, and representing their laboratories. Our session addressed one of the meeting's 2009 themes by highlighting toxicologically-relevant epigenetic alterations in various disease states.

In addition to the scientific session, the PDA sponsored an informational session entitled "Career Opportunities and Transitions in Toxicology" in partnership with the Toxicologists of African Origin Special Interest Group. The session was co-chaired by Lauren Aleksunes (University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS) and Bernard Gadagbui (Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment, Cincinnati, OH). The turnout for the session was excellent with 199 attendees. The majority of attendees were early-career scientists (less than 5 years of toxicology experience). Speakers represented diverse career sectors and included James Lamb (Exponent Consulting), Myrtle Davis (National Cancer Institute), Nancy Gillett (Charles River Laboratories, Inc.), David Jacobson Kram (U.S. FDA), Jerry Hjelle (Monsanto Company), and Michael Dourson (Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment). At the end of the individual talks, the speakers answered questions during an interactive panel discussion.

The PDA had an extremely productive meeting with a number of successful and well-attended events. We are thankful for the exceptional work done by the outgoing members of the PDA board (Heather Floyd, Chair for 2008–2009; Betina Lew, Vice-chair; Valerie Mitchell, Secretary/Treasurer; Lauren Aleksunes, Councilor; Ronald N. Hines, Council Liaison and Betty Eidemiller, SOT Staff Liaison).

---

Student Advisory Committee Integrates SOT's Strategic Plan to Enhance Student Experience in the Society: 2008–2009 Highlights

Submitted by: Thomas J. Kannanayakal, outgoing SAC President and SS-GC Chairperson; Kristina D. DeSmet, outgoing SAC Secretary-Treasurer and RC/SIG-GC Chairperson.

(l to r) Top Row: George Corcoran, Erica Sparkenbaugh, Melanie Weed, Betty Eidemiller, Dan Hochman, and Sheppard Allen Martin Bottom Row: Thomas Kannanayakal and Kristina DeSmet

One of the major goals of the Student Advisory Council (SAC) is to play an integral role in implementing SOT's Strategic Plan. Members of SAC, George Corcoran, Council Liaison, and Betty Eidemiller, SOT Staff Liaison, met in Reston, Virginia, this past fall to align SAC's mission, goals, and objectives with the SOT Strategic Plan. The goals that the SAC set as highest priority include increasing scientific impact, building for the future of toxicology, expanding and deepening member engagement, and strengthening organizational effectiveness. SAC is working with specific objectives that are encompassed by these goals to further enhance the student services we provide. SAC has accomplished a number of milestones already, including the creation of the Outstanding Leadership Award, development of a Regional Chapter Contact List, retooling of the Student Event Planner for the Annual Meeting, and development of a survey that will be distributed to all student members to better gage the effectiveness of our programs.

Outstanding Leadership Award
The Student Advisory Council's success is the result of hard work from each graduate student representative. To recognize the contribution of graduate student representatives who go beyond their expected duties, proactively identifying student needs and using innovative methods to improve students experience in SOT, we established the Outstanding Leadership Award. This year Enrique Fuentes-Mattei and Sheppard Allen Martin were the award recipients. Mr. Fuentes-Mattei, the graduate student representative for the Hispanic Organization of Toxicologist Special Interest Group, was recognized for his service to minority and undergraduate students. Mr. Martin, the graduate student representative for the Risk Assessment Specialty Section, was recognized for his proactive approach in identifying student needs within his Specialty Section.

Thomas Kannanayakal presents award to Sheppard Allen Martin	Kristina DeSmet presents award to Enrique Fuentes-Mattei

SAC/PDA Joint Research Symposium Session
SAC collaborated with the Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA) to develop the symposium titled "Gene-Environment Interactions: Epigenetic Pathways in Chronic Disease Promotion and Progression" for the 2009 SOT Annual Meeting. Heather S. Floyd from PDA and Mr. Martin from SAC chaired this session. Planning for another joint symposium to be held at Salt Lake City in 2010 is currently underway.

Regional Chapter/Special Interest Group Graduate Committee
The Regional Chapter/Special Interest Group Graduate Committee (RC/SIG-GC) was responsible for organizing the Student/Postdoc Mixer and developing the 2009 Annual Meeting Student Event Planner. The Mixer was a success yet again with more than 350 students and postdocs attending this function. This year the 2009 Annual Meeting Student Event Planner was redeveloped. The Student Event Planner was pared down from previous years to more effectively help student members, especially first time attendees, navigate the Annual Meeting. On top of our normal annual projects, the RC/SIG-GC put together a Regional Chapter Contact List to help graduate student representatives distribute regional and national SOT information.

Student/Postdoctoral Fellow Mixer

Specialty Section Graduate Committee
The Specialty Section Graduate Committee (SS-GC) organized the Lunch with an Expert (LWAE) program at the Annual Meeting. This program provides participants with a great opportunity to network and gain insights from seasoned toxicologists. The LWAE program was a great success again this year. About 60 experts volunteered to meet 150 students during the Annual Meeting. The SS-GC greatly appreciates and thanks the experts for their continuous support for the program. At the Annual Meeting, the SS-GC representatives took the initiative to introduce the LWAE program to new students and encouraged their participation in the program. LWAE team members worked hard in matching the students and experts, establishing communication between the students and their experts, and facilitating the event at the Annual Meeting. SS-GC representatives do not meet the student members of their Specialty Section in person very often. To bridge this lack of face-to-face communication, the SS-GC decided to expand our interaction with our student members through SOT's Web site and another social networking Web site.

RC/SIG-GC and SS-GC Elect New Officers
New officers were elected for the Regional Chapter/Special Interest Group Graduate Committee (RC/SIG-GC) and the Specialty Section Graduate Committee (SS-GC) during the Annual Meeting. The incoming RC/SIG-GC officers include Erica M. Sparkenbaugh, Chairperson, Ofek Bar-Ilan, Chairperson-elect, and Erica Rogers, Secretary. Incoming SS-GC officers include Sheppard Martin, Chairperson, Haitian Lu, Chairperson-elect, and Dan Hochmann, Secretary. New officers for the Student Advisory Council are Erica Sparkenbaugh, President, and Sheppard Martin, Secretary-Treasurer.

(l to r) Enrique Fuentes-Mattei, Thomas Kannanayakal, Natalie Johnson, Kenneth S. Ramos, Erica Sparkenbaugh, Kristina DeSmet, and Sheppard Allen Martin

We are proud to serve the SOT community, and sincerely thank Dr. Corcoran and SOT staff for their outstanding guidance and support. We are grateful for the continuous support and encouragement from SOT President Kenneth S. Ramos and the SOT Council members.

 

Science News

Toxicological Sciences Benefit: CiteTrack Alerts Deliver Requested Content to You

CiteTrack Alerting is one of the services freely available to all users of Toxicological Sciences and allows you to track topics and authors in any of the hundreds of participating journals. Once you sign up through Oxford Journal's My Account registration service, you will be alerted by email whenever new content in Toxicological Sciences or a participating journal is published that matches the criteria based on the topics, authors, and articles you want to track.

Alerts include citations (authors, title, journal name, volume, and page) and URLs for articles that match your criteria in each journal you are tracking. You or your institution will need a subscription to see the full text for articles you are alerted to in other journals.

Oxford Journals also provides email table of contents and advance access alerts through My Account. For more information and to register for these services, go to the Oxford Journals Web site.

---

Update on Historic Changes Announced in May Issue of NIH Peer Review Notes

The NIH Center for Scientific Review provides information about a number of significant changes in the May on-line NIH Peer Review Notes, now available. The "Notes" are published periodically to inform reviewers, NIH staff, and others interested in news related to the NIH grant application review policies, procedures, and plans.

This issue includes articles on the following topics that may be of interest to you.

• New Order to Reviews Start in Spring Meetings
• NIH to Extend Anytime Submission of Grant Applications to More Reviewers
• CSR Acts to Protect Reviewer Identity on Small Review Groups
• Study Section Chairs Rate CSR Orientations
• New Grant Mechanism Seeks to Spur Transformative Science

Comments may be sent to Don Luckett, Communications Director, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health.

---

NTP Signs International Agreement to Reduce Animal Use in Product Toxicity Testing

Representatives from four international agencies, including the director of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP), Linda Birnbaurm, signed a memorandum of cooperation on April 27, 2009, that could reduce the number of animals required for consumer product safety testing worldwide. The agreement between the United States, Canada, Japan, and the European Union will yield globally coordinated scientific recommendations on alternative toxicity testing methods that should speed their adoption in each of these countries, thus reducing the number of animals needed for product safety testing.

"Signing this international agreement demonstrates our commitment to finding and advancing alternatives to animal testing," said Dr. Birnbaum, who is also the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health. "This agreement will help us achieve greater efficiency by avoiding duplication of effort and allowing us to leverage limited resources." (More SOT News and Announcements)

---

Meeting of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Alternative Toxicological Methods Scheduled for June 25–26

An April 29, 2009, Federal Register Notice announced a June 25–26 meeting and request for comments for the Scientific Advisory Committee on Toxicological Methods (SACATM). This meeting will be held at the Hilton Arlington Hotel, Arlington, Virginia, and is open to the public with attendance limited only by the space available. The SACATM advises the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), the NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM), and the Director of the NIEHS and NTP regarding statutorily mandated duties of ICCVAM and activities of NICEATM. For complete information about this meeting, please go to the Web site.

---

AAALAC's International Council on Accreditation Conducts Peer Review of Animal Care and Use Programs

Submitted by Loren D. Koller, DVM, Ph.D., SOT Representative, AAALAC Board of Trustees

The Council on Accreditation (COA) of the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC International) consists of 50 professionals with expertise in animal care and personnel safety, including North American and European sections that evaluate programs in their respective regions. This body of experts visits sites to evaluate programs and determine if the units policies and procedures satisfies AAALAC's criteria for accreditation. The mission of the COA is to promote quality and continuing improvement of the well being of animals used in research, testing, and teaching programs and the health and safety of personnel who handle those animals. This mission is achieved by conducting peer review of animal care and use programs, educational efforts, and on-going communications with the stakeholders.

The mission is executed by applying performance-based standards using professional judgment within the framework of the National Research Council's (NRC) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, applicable references, resources, and relevant regulations that conform with each countries regulations and guidelines. AAALAC is not a regulatory agency but rather members of the site visit team are ambassadors for AAALAC and are to serve as advocates for the institution under review in order to present fair and balanced findings to "Council" for review and final determination of a unit's accreditation status.

---

U.S. and Global Meetings Receive SOT Sponsorship

Please visit the SOT Web site to view the upcoming meetings in the U.S. and internationally to which SOT provides sponsorship support.

To apply for this sponsorship, please review the guildelines on the SOT Web site and submit the completed application to Marcia Lawson.

 

Legislative and Regulatory Update

You Can Take Action! UCLA Pro-Test Rally and Petition Champions Vital Need for Animals in Research

On April 22 on the campus of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), a Pro-Test Rally was attended by approximately 800 participants. Sponsored in part by the Americans for Medical Progress, of which SOT is a member, the purpose of the rally was to raise public awareness and understanding of the vital role of the use of animals in biomedical research. A petition campaign was launched concurrently and is ongoing.

This event received widespread media attention in newspapers (e.g., Los Angles Times, New York Times), on the Web (e.g., AAAS SCIENCEInsiderblog), and on national (e.g., CNN) and local broadcasts.

A video of this event was posted on YouTube.

To demonstrate your support of this effort, the petition is posted at UCLA Pro-Test Web site. The preamble to the petition is as follows:

"For far too long a small hardcore segment of animal rights activists have used violence and threats against scientists who use laboratory animals in their quest for new treatments and cures.

The Pro-Test Petition gives you the opportunity to show your support for the scientists and your opposition to the use of threats and violence in the ongoing debate over the use of animals for biomedical research.

The Pro-Test Petition brings together people of goodwill who believe that ethical and humane animal research is a vital cornerstone for advances in medicine and who condemn all acts of violence against researchers and other life science professionals"

 

Position Advertisement(s)

Visit the SOT Job Bank to See New Position Listings

SOT Members can register as a job seeker at no charge and access positions posted on the SOT Job Bank. The Society's on-line SOT Job Bank makes it easy for candidates and employers alike to access this resource year-round, any time, any place via the SOT Web site.

Currently there are over 160 positions posted including the following:

• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Toxicology at a university in Tucson, Arizona
• Regulatory Toxicologist position for a leading industrial company in Chicago, Illinois
• Multiple federal government agencies seeking toxicologists, scientists, and directors in the District of Columbia., Maryland, and North Carolina.

Below is a new posting:

The National Health and Environmental Effects Laboratory (NHEERL), a leader in environmental science research, recently completed reorganization of their health divisions. This reorganization builds on the laboratory's traditional strengths and also positions it to take better advantage of much of the rapidly emerging cutting-edge science, enhancing the ability to address the increasingly complex science issues faced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Because of this reorganization, NHEERL is recruiting for new senior leadership for several high-level positions including:

• Director, Toxicity Division;
• Director, Environmental Health Division; and
• Director, Integrated Systems Toxicology Division.

For additional information on all positions, visit the SOT Job Bank.

Postdoctoral Positions in Molecular Toxicology/Environmental Disease

Center for Molecular and Cellular Toxicology
Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology
College of Pharmacy
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas

Fellowship positions at the postdoctoral level are available in a NIH/NIEHS sponsored T32 training program in molecular toxicology and environmental disease. The focus of the training program is to prepare trainees for careers that address the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which environmental agents instigate toxicity and disease. Faculty mentors come from a wide variety of scientific disciplines and departments, including Pharmacology and Toxicology, Nutrition, Biochemistry, Marine Biology, and Civil and Environmental Engineering. Therefore, trainees have the opportunity to explore diverse areas of toxicology and environmental health related research. Ideal applicants will have strong academic records of achievement and previous laboratory experience in the basic sciences, and a desire to develop a career in toxicology/environmental disease. Fellowships are available for 2–3 years. After working with a mentor, fellows will be trained to develop and submit an individual NRSA-type grant proposal by the end of the second year of training for continued support. Applicants should hold a MD or a Ph.D. in toxicology, pharmacology, molecular and cellular biology, or related field. Minorities and women are strongly encouraged to apply, however the funding mechanism restricts fellowships to U.S. citizens, noncitizen nationals, and permanent residents of the United States only. Start date is negotiable, stipend commensurate with experience (NIH scale). The University of Texas at Austin is an equal opportunity employer. Send CV and statement of research interests via e-mail to:

Anita Mote
Training Program Coordinator