National Capital Area Chapter Society of Toxicology Newsletter Electronic Edition August 2014 Issue No. 36 M. Biggs, Editor CHAPTER MISSION STATEMENT 1 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 2 MESSAGE FROM THE GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES 2 MESSAGE FROM THE POST-DOCTORAL REPRESENTATIVE 3 NCAC-SOT MEMBERSHIP DETAILS 4 NCAC-SOT EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS 4 2014 ANNUAL SOCIETY OF TOXICOLOGY MEETING RECEPTION 5 USA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FESTIVAL 6 2014 FALL SYMPOSIUM 8 2015 ANNUAL SOT MEETING INFORMATION 8 NCAC-SOT S TREASURER S REPORT 9 NCAC-SOT MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 10 CHAPTER MISSION STATEMENT The National Capital Area Chapter of the Society of Toxicology (NCAC-SOT) was established to provide a regional focus for scientists of all disciplines interested in toxicology. The Chapter acts to: Sponsor and co-sponsor symposia on current issues in toxicology Provide annual awards to an outstanding student and postdoc in toxicology to assist in attending the annual meeting of the SOT Maintain communication with the National SOT regarding current toxicology and regulatory concerns Sponsor Regional Chapter events at the SOT Annual Meetings 1
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT Dear Fellow Members: NCAC-SOT is well on its way in planning another wonderful operational year! Moving forward, we plan to build upon our previous successes and continue to hold engaging, interactive seminars, symposia, networking and social events. By leveraging our unique geographic location we are able to incorporate the finest academic, government, industry and NGO scientists for well-rounded discussion and debate. Over the next year we also strive to expand our interactions within and outside SOT. By building strong partnerships with other SOT chapters, SOT specialty sections, and other professional societies (e.g., Society for Risk Assessment) we can better serve the diverse interests, needs, and focus areas of our membership. This includes not only the traditional areas of toxicologic investigation but also the cutting edge research of our newest, early-career members. An additional key area for us to highlight is the ground-breaking research and publications by our members, specifically emphasizing graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. By bringing increased visibility to the excellent research being conducted by our members we hope to advance their impact and recognition within the field. Lastly, please plan to be an active participant over the next year. I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and suggestions. This is your SOT chapter, and it should support and reflect your vision. Please feel free to contact me at mark.miller2@nih.gov I am excited about the upcoming operational year and look forward to working with all of you to advance and stimulate the field of toxicology for professionals and the general public. Warm regards, Mark Miller Ph.D. NCAC-SOT President MESSAGE FROM THE GRADUATE STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES Greetings NCAC-SOT Students, The 2015 NCAC Fall Symposium will focus on mixtures. There will be an opportunity for student platform and poster presentations. Agenda and abstract submission details will be sent out by email soon. The 54 th SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo will be March 22-26, 2015 in San Diego, CA. The abstract submission deadline is October 7 th, 2014. Information for travel awards and award deadlines can be found at http://www.toxicology.org/ai/af/awards_details.aspx?criteria=14. 2
The Graduate Student Leadership Council (GSLC) will be hosting a webinar on applying for SOT Awards and Fellowships on September 16 th at 11:00 am (EST). In November, there will be a webinar on Presenting and Preparing for Poster Presentations. Emails with additional details for attending the GSLC webinars will be sent out closer to the event dates. We highly encourage student participation in NCAC-SOT. This gives you the opportunity to network with professionals for academia, government, and industry as well as apply for NCAC-SOT awards. If you have any questions about how to get more involved with the NCAC-SOT regional chapter contact us at sot.ncac.officers@gmail.com. You can also find us on ToxChange or follow us on Facebook (SOT National Capital Area Chapter). Your Student Representative, Suzanne N. Martos NCAC-SOT Graduate Student Representative MESSAGE FROM THE POST-DOCTORAL REPRESENTATIVE Dear NCAC-SOT Postdocs, The 54th Annual Society of Toxicology meeting in San Diego, CA is right around the corner. Registration is currently open and the deadline for abstract submission is October 7th. Postdoctoral participation is crucial for the success of our national meetings and provides a great opportunity to share your work with other SOT members. When registering, don t forget to sign up for some of the postdoc-specific activities including the Postdoctoral Assembly Luncheon, the Student/Postdoc Scholar Mixer, and the In Vitro Toxicology Lecture and Luncheon. The Chat with an Expert program also provides an excellent networking opportunity for postdocs. A complete list of these activities can be found at the following website: http://www.toxicology.org/ai/meet/am2015/studevent.asp In addition, the PDA is currently accepting applications for the Best Postdoctoral Paper Award through October 9th. If you have published a paper that has made a significant impact in the field of toxicology I highly encourage you to apply (http://www.toxicology.org/ai/spd/pd-pubawardann.asp). There are also a number of additional postdoctoral award deadlines approaching which can be found on the SOT website (http://www.toxicology.org/ai/af/awards.aspx). If you have any questions or suggestions don t hesitate to contact me (chad.brocker@nih.gov). I look forward to seeing everyone in San Diego next March! Sincerely, Chad Brocker, Ph.D. NCAC-SOT Postdoc Representative 3
NCAC-SOT MEMBERSHIP DETAILS Did you remember to renew both your SOT and NCAC memberships this year?? Annual membership fees for NCAC-SOT are only $25 for regular memberships and $10 for full-time students. These negligible fees are used to fund our symposium each year and to support a myriad of student activities, including student awards, travel supplements, and K-12 outreach. If you have not yet renewed your regional chapter membership, please do so today! You can do so online at http://www.toxicology.org/script/loginredirect2.asp?page=dues, or just fill out and mail in the membership application found at the end of this newsletter. It s never too late to renew your NCAC-SOT membership for 2014! NCAC-SOT EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS President: LCDR Mark Miller (2014-2015) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences 919-541-7758 mark.miller2@nih.gov Vice-President/ Pedro Del Valle (2014-2015) President-elect: U.S. Food and Drug Administration 301-796-2111 pedro.delvalle@fda.hhs.gov Past President/ Bruce Fowler (2014-2015) Councilor Private Consultant 240-743-8041 drtox@earthlink.net Secretary: Erik Janus (2012-2015) Monsanto Company 202-383 2866 erik.janus@monsanto.com Treasurer: Nancy Beck (2014-2017) American Chemistry Council 202-249-6417 Nancy_Beck@americanchemistry.com Councilors: David Szabo Website coordinator (2013-2016) Reynolds American Inc. 336-741-4435 szabod@rjrt.com Susan A. Laessig Student Liaison (2013-2016) US Environmental Protection Agency 202-564-5232 laessig.susan@epa.gov Postdoctoral Chad Brocker (2013-2015) Representative: National Cancer Institute 301-402-0624 Chad.brocker@nih.gov Graduate Student Suzanne Martos (2014-2015) Representative: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health 480-620-2769 smartos@jhsph.edu Graduate Student Vice Representative: Vacant Councilors: Melanie Biggs, Newsletter editor (2012-2015) Consumer Product Safety Commission 301-987-2593 mbiggs@cpsc.gov 4
2014 ANNUAL SOCIETY OF TOXICOLOGY MEETING RECEPTION Bliss -ter in the Sun 2014 The SOT National Capital Area Chapter continued its fine tradition of throwing a big party at the SOT annual meeting. This time, the group gathered at the Bliss Bar in downtown Phoenix to socialize and recognize our hard working members. Research awards were given out this year to: * Spencer Todd (U Maryland): Prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos leads to MAPK dysfunction and epigenetic modifications in the brain * Peter Petrochenko (FDA): Laser 3D printing with nanoscale resolution: Improving biocompatibility and mitigating toxicity from photoinitiators * Anurag Mishra (FDA): Induction of autophagy at noncytotoxic concentrations of silver Thanks to all our members who contribute to our local chapter meetings and attend our chapter functions (both local and otherwise). We look forward to hosting you (and toasting you) next year in sunny San Diego, where there is a non-zero probability of more fine Mexican cuisine. This event is also an opportunity to showcase the activities of our chapter to prospective members so please plan to bring a friend to the social next year. Research Award winner Spencer Todd (U Maryland) with NCAC-SOT officers. Research Award winner Anurag Mishra (FDA) with NCAC-SOT President. 5
Research Award winner Peter Petrochenko (FDA) with NCAC-SOT President. USA Science and Engineering Festival Members of the NCAC-SOT staffed the SOT outreach booth at the USA Science and Engineering Festival on April 26-27, 2014. Festival events at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center involved some 750 leading science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) organizations at the two-day expo attended by an estimated 350,000 people. The event marked the culmination of school programs, contests, and events held nationwide during 2013. The primary goal of the meeting, which is held every other year, is to interest K-12 students in pursuing careers in specific disciplines of science before they enter college. 6
NCAC-SOT members did an outstanding job in representing toxicology as an excellent career choice. Our booth received a steady flow of interested students and their families over the 2 days of the meeting. The first question was usually What is Toxicology? Students at this stage of education have usually taken courses in biology, chemistry and perhaps physics but not inter-disciplinary sciences like toxicology. Yet- many of the students were well aware of the need to evaluate chemicals and pharmaceuticals for safety and hence a high degree of interest both in terms of public health but also future job prospects. NCAC-SOT members provided answers and passed out information that would assist the students in obtaining more detailed information from the SOT website. 7
Overall, the meeting was an outstanding success and it is strongly recommended that SOT make a more robust effort to raise the visibility of our discipline among students and the public at large. These students are the future toxicology- and how important is that? 2014 FALL SYMPOSIUM NCAC-SOT is in the process of planning the annual fall symposium focusing on mixtures. We are actively engaging with the SOT Mixtures Specialty Section to identify renowned experts as well as young investigators to round out a dynamic program agenda. Please look for emails soon with more information. 2015 ANNUAL SOT MEETING INFORMATION The SOT 53rd Annual Meeting is March 22 26, 2015, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Online and housing registrations are now open, and abstract submittal ends October 7, 2014. See http://www.toxicology.org/ai/meet/am2015/am.asp for more information. 8
NCAC-SOT Treasurer's Report August 7, 2014 by Nancy Beck, Treasurer Account activity since last report (Dated Feb 12, 2014, in February 2014 Newsletter) Jan 31, 2014 (Closing balance) $7,524.05 Debits Credits Feb3 Metropolitan Board Installers 2014 Annual SOT Meeting NCAC Happy Hour 2014 Bern Schwetz Student Travel Award winners 2014 NCAC Graduate Student Representative 2013 Fall NCAC Symposium Student Poster Presentation Deposit Balance $150.00 $469.50 $469.08 1 st place $300.00 1 st place $300.00 2 nd place $200.00 SOT Travel Award $350.00 2014 NCAC-SOT/SRC Travel Award for $500.00 2 high school students $500.00 Total Debits $3238.58 ($4285.47) 2/7 $1,295.00 3/11 $915.00 Dues (renewals and 4/8 $335.00 new members) 4/30 $75.00 6/5 $45.00 7/10 $75.00 Total Credits $2,740.00 ($7,025.47) July 31, 2014* (Closing balance) *Most recent bank statement in our possession. $7,025.47 9
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name: Affiliation: Address City: State: Zip Code: Area Code: Phone: FAX: E-mail: Membership Type Full Member ($25) Student ($10) SOT Member Yes No A.S. B.A. Please check the most appropriate responses: Highest Degree Attained M.P.H. M.S. Academia Consulting Type of Affiliation B.S. M.A. Contract Lab D.V.M. Ph.D. Government D.V.M./Ph.D. Sc.D. Industry- Chemical/Petroleum M.D. V.M.D. Industry- Pharmaceutical M.D./Ph.D. V.M.D./Ph.D. Industry- Other Other- Please complete the information above and send with a check, money order or credit card (payable to National Capital Area Chapter SOT, no POs) to the address below. The NCAC SOT will review your application, and you will be notified within 30 days. Those not accepted will receive a full refund. Current RC members: please do not use this form since your renewal dues are billed annually through SOT. Payment Type: Money Order Check Credit Card Credit Card # Exp date Name on Card Signature Please send form as a pdf to: If paying by check, please send to: Nancy Beck, Treasurer Society of Toxicology, ATTN: Ashley Pomper Nancy_Beck@americanchemistry.com 1821 Michael Faraday Drive, Suite 300, Reston, VA 20190 10