Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Events

Student/Postdoctoral Fellow Mixer

Sunday, March 7, Time: 7:30 PM–9:00 PM
Room 355

(Ticket Required)

Sponsor: Student Advisory Council

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

In Vitro Toxicology Lecture and Luncheon for Students: Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: The Vision and Some Questions

Monday, March 8, Time: 12:00 NOON–1:20 PM
Room 255 E

(Ticket Required)

Lecturer: Kim Boekelheide, M.D., Ph.D., Brown University, Providence, RI

Sponsor: Colgate-Palmolive Company

The purpose of this lecture is to discuss the importance of animal research to biomedical sciences and toxicology and the ethical obligations of the scientific community to follow the "3R’s" of animal testing (refine, reduce, replace) whenever it is feasible.

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

Historical Highlights Session: Translating Toxicology to Public Health Protection: Lessons Learned from Superfund

Monday, March 8, Time: 12:10 PM–1:30 PM
Ballroom I

Chairperson(s): Michele La Merrill, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, and Claudia Thompson, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC

Sponsor: Occupational and Public Health Specialty Section

Endorsed by:
Postdoctoral Assembly
Research Funding Committee

The NIEHS strives to improve human health through the translation of scientific discoveries from bench to policy and bench to public health. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) defined and refined how toxicology can translate to public health benefits. This includes using the best available science to make health protective decisions at Superfund sites and conversely adapting what is learned at sites to inform new research directions. This two-way communication is exemplified by the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP). The SRP, mandated by Congress to complement the applied nature of the national Superfund program, supports teams of scientists from the biomedical, engineering, environmental, and ecological disciplines to provide fundamental knowledge that could be used by decision-makers. To accelerate the timeframe whereby science is used by decision-makers, each SRP must include translational activities which include technology transfer, community outreach, and partnership with governmental agencies. Superfund responses need to act on the best available science, and not be halted by knowledge gaps in toxicology. This session will examine what lessons have been learned from the SRP; how toxicological research can be translated to remediation decisions; how biomarkers can inform risk assessment; how biomonitoring can reduce exposure at contaminated sites; and how SRP innovation can benefit the multi-agency work at Superfund sites.

Translating Toxicology to Public Health Protection: Lessons Learned from Superfund, M. La Merrill, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, and C. Thompson, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC

The NIEHS superfund Research: Translating Basic Science to Human Health and Environmental Risk Assessment, William Suk

The Use and Development of Biomarkers in Superfund Risk Assessment, James Swenberg

Translation of Toxicological Mechanisms into Bioassays for Chemical Detection and Site Characterization, Michael S. Denison

Integrating Health promotion into Biomarker Studies,Thomas McDonald

Translating Innovations of the Superfund Research Program in the Future, Linda Birnbaum

Panel Discussion

The MAP Kinase Signaling: A Common Target Eliciting Unique Tissue Responses

Tuesday, March 9, Time: 9:00 AM–11:45 AM
Ballroom A

Chairperson(s): Haitian Lu, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, and Sarah Campion, Brown University, Providence, RI

Sponsor: Student Advisory Council and Postdoctoral Assembly

Endorsed by:
Mechanisms Specialty Section
Molecular Biology Specialty Section

This session will highlight the most recent research progress made to characterize the alterations of MAPK signaling pathways in response to toxicant exposures, and how these alterations contribute to toxicity and/or pathogenesis in different tissues and cell types. The qualitative comparison among data presented in this session will either suggest a paradigm of MAPK response to various toxicants, or illustrate the cell type/tissue specific difference in the role of MAPK signaling alterations during toxic responses.

Gene Expression Studies Demonstrate That the K-ras/Erk MAP Kinase Signal Transduction Pathway Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Cumene-Induced Lung Tumors, Stephanie Lahousse, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC

Role of MAP Kinases and Phosphatidylinositol-3 Kinase/Akt in Regulating Keratinocyte Antioxidant Expression in Response to 4-Hydroxynonenal, a Lipid Peroxidation End Product, Ruijin Zheng, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

Activation of c-Jun N-Terminal Protein Kinase Is a Common Mechanism Underlying Paraquat- and Rotenone-Induced Dopaminergic Cell Apoptosis, Heather Klintworth, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

Toxicant Mediated Anti-Inflammatory Effects and the Role of MAP Kinase, Wei Tan, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS

Multiparametric Single Cell Analysis of Toll-like Receptor Activated Kinase Phosphorylation Alteration by 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, Colin North, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Where Do I Go Now? Rational Career Development Planning for Early-Career Scientists

Tuesday, March 9, Time: 9:00 AM–11:45 AM
Ballroom G

Chairperson(s): Betina J. Lew, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, and Amy Wang, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC

Sponsor: Postdoctoral Assembly

Endorsed by:
Career Resource and Development Committee
Student Advisory Council

Toxicology training during graduate school and postdoctoral fellowships provides early-career scientists with a wide array of transferable skills that can be used in many job sectors, but navigating the all of the possible career options can be a daunting task. Additionally, finding and preparing for a career path that is right for yourself is not always easy, particularly when it differs from that of your mentor or is non-traditional. With broad coverage of non-traditional career paths in toxicology, this session will provide early-career scientists with insight on how to map a career path that fits their passion and skills.

How to Identify Your Skills and Passions, Kristen Keefe, University of Utah, Salt lake City, UT

Career Planning and Development for Early-Career Scientists, Douglas Wolf, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle
Park, NC

Improving Networking and Communication Skills, Lori Conlan, NIH, Bethesda, MD

Making Yourself More Marketable in Private Industry, James Popp, Stratoxon LLC, Lancaster, PA

The NIH Pathways to Independence Award: A Transition to an Academic Career, Carol Shreffler, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, NC

Postdoctoral Assembly Luncheon

Tuesday, March 9, Time: 12:00 NOON–1:15 PM
Room 255 E

(Ticket Required)

Chairperson(s): Betina Lew, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

Sponsor: Postdoctoral Assembly

Amidst scrambling to attend all of the events at the meeting, this will be time for postdocs to kick back and relax! All postdoctoral fellows are invited to a casual luncheon organized by the Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA). We will announce the recipients of the Best Postdoctoral Publication Awards and acknowledge the postdocs who received awards this year from Specialty Sections and Regional Chapters. The PDA Board members will present an overview of accomplishments and future directions for the PDA and will introduce the new board members for 2010–2011. There will be a drawing for prizes. Postdocs can reserve a ticket when registering for the Annual Meeting. Lunch is served at the beginning of the event and service concludes before the talk/ main program begins. Meal service may not be available to guests who arrive after 12:30 PM.

Science Communication in 2010: A New Decade in Toxicology and Need for Better Communication

Tuesday, March 9, Time: 12:00 NOON–1:20 PM
Ballroom F

Chairperson(s): Banalata Sen, NIEHS, Durham, NC, and Sneha Bhatia, Research Institute of Fragrance Materials, Inc., Woodcliff, NJ.

Endorsed by:
Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues Specialty Section
Postdoctoral Assembly
Women in Toxicology Special Interest Group

Scientists do science, writers write. Wrong! Scientists do science and write about it as well. It is imperative that scientists publish their work. Furthermore, publishing is just one aspect of science. Scientists also have to be able to communicate complex scientific concepts to the non-scientific audience. This large group of constituents include the general public, media, policymakers, communities, and individuals. This is an obligation scientists have towards the community-at-large and one that can be accomplished with relative ease once the basic nuances of effective communication are understood. Effective communication is therefore, not just an icing on the cake; rather it is fundamental to interpretation and dissemination of science. Yet science communication is not an integral part of science education. Most scientists do not have any formal training in science writing. They learn to write by following the style and approach of their mentors or other authors. Some form of training in science writing becomes even more crucial for authors for whom English is a second language. Laying this basic foundation is important since the public learns about science from many different sources, including newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television, the Internet, electronic news services, and films. Because information is readily available at our finger tips it can easily be distorted with the unfortunate circumstance that bad science sometimes triumphs over good science. Therefore it is important for U.S. to effectively communicate science messages to distinguish the myths from the facts. This session will aim to highlight strategies, techniques, and resources that make the field of good science communication invaluable.

Seeking Funding for Undergraduate Research

Wednesday, March 10, 4:30 PM–5:50 PM
Ballroom D

Chairperson(s): Joan B. Tarloff, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, and Vanessa Fitsanakis, King College, Bristol, TN

Sponsor: Education Committee

Endorsed by:
Postdoctoral Assembly
Research Funding Committee

It is often difficult for undergraduate professors to readily know where to go for research funding. Both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) have grants specifically tailored to the needs of undergraduate students and faculty in the form of classroom and teaching enhancement, professional development, or research opportunities for faculty and students.. This session will provide undergraduate faculty with the opportunity to hear presentations from representatives from NIH and NSF and to ask questions of each.

Seeking Funding for Undergraduate Research, Joan Tarloff, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Academic Research Enhancement Awards (AREA) through NIH, Michael Humble, NIEHS, Durham, NC

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Awards through NSF, Sally O’Connor, NSF, Arlington, VA

Experiences with the AREA Program, Eli Hestermann, Furman University, Greenville, SC

Lunch with an Expert

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

This event is an informal gathering of a small group of students and a Toxicology Expert. The purpose is to provide students and opportunity to network with well-established toxicologists while obtaining career advice and meeting new colleagues. The groups are matched by research interests and the Expert for each group identifies a time and place to assemble. The deadline for student and postdoctoral fellow registration has passed. You may sign up for any open spaces at the Student/Postdoctoral Mixer on Sunday, March 7 Details for the group meeting will be sent in advance of the meeting.

Student Planner

The Student Advisory Council has developed a brief booklet with key information about the meeting specifically tailored to the needs of student members and attendees. Please use this Student Planner to enhance your Annual Meeting experience!