A Message from the Student
Advisory Committee (SAC)
Dear Students,
Welcome to the spring edition of the
SOTudent e-Letter, a biannual publication
distributed by the Society of Toxicology’s
Student Advisory Committee (SAC). In this
issue you will discover everything you need
to know about Student/Post-doctoral
Member activities at SOT 2004 in Baltimore!
Also, you will find announcements regarding
activities in your Regional Chapter!
SOT 2004 will be my last SOT meeting as
an active member and Chair of the SAC. I
have truly enjoyed serving on the SAC, and
will miss the experience. I have a great deal
of confidence in our current Co-chair,
Christina Wilson of the Midwest SOT, who
will be taking over as Chair in May 2004. I
expect the SAC will continue to grow under
her leadership.
I look forward to seeing all of you at SOT
2004 in Baltimore!
Overwhelmed by
planning for SOT 2004?
See page 4!
Need a job?
Remember Placement
Services
See page 4!
James Luyendyk
SAC Chairperson
SOT 2004
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
SATURDAY
SPECIAL SESSION
Still deciding which career path to take in
Toxicology? If so, don't miss out on a unique
opportunity at this year's annual meeting.
"Life as a Toxicologist - A Graduate
Student and Post-doc Primer to Careers
in Toxicology"
This special session will be offered Saturday
evening, March 20 from 6:00pm-8:30pm at
the Convention Center room 316 for those
who preregister. This session will familiarize
graduate students and post-docs with the
day–to-day
responsibilities,
scientific
challenges and activities of practicing
toxicologists in various professional fields of
employment.
Toxicologists
from
the
chemical/agrochemical,
pharmaceutical,
contract & consulting, and governmental
arenas will provide perspectives on the
specific activities, use of toxicology data,
and scientific challenges associated with
these careers in toxicology. A reception for
registrants will be provided free of charge
beginning at 5:30 PM.
SEATING IS
LIMITED!! For more information, contact
Rita at sothq@toxicology.org
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Lunch with an Expert
“LWAE”
Register now!!!
LWAE is quickly becoming one of the most
popular activities for SOT Student Members
at the National meeting. LWAE gives small
groups of students and post-doctoral fellows
the opportunity to meet with career
toxicologists for informal discussions over
breakfast or lunch. Typically about six
students are grouped with each expert
based on research interests. Students will
meet at the LWAE poster (near the SOT
registration counters) and will proceed to the
restaurant
of
the
expert’s
choice.
Participants are required to pay for their own
meals.
doctoral mixer grows in attendance and
energy. This year will be no different! Don’t
miss out on FREE FOOD and a chance to
mingle with the SOT Student Membership.
Last chance registration for LWAE will be
available while spots last. In addition, if you
download a Student Planner and registered,
you might win a prize. You must attend the
mixer to claim your prize! 
Tickets to this event are complimentary!
Get yours:
- by checking the box on your SOT
2004 registration
- at the SOT registration counter
while they last
Student Symposium on
Effective Presentation
Registration information:
Monday, March 22, 12:15 PM–1:15 PM
Registration is easy and can be completed
online at the SOT 2004 registration site:
On-site registration is available, but
spaces are limited. Attend the Student Mixer
on Sunday, March 21 to find out more!
NEW THIS YEAR! Students will meet
experts at the LWAE poster (near the SOT
registration counters) at least 10 minutes
prior to their scheduled meeting time.
Student/Post-doc Mixer 2004!
Sunday, March 21, 7:30 PM–8:30 PM
Baltimore Convention Center–Room 325
Without a doubt, this is the event to write
home about! Each year the student/post-
NEW THIS YEAR!
Endorsed by:
Education Committee
National Capital Area Chapter
Placement Committee
Student Advisory Committee
Women in Toxicology Specialty Section
The ability to deliver an effective
presentation is a critical academic and
career skill. In this Scientific Session
Roundtable, the speakers will cover general
concepts
of
communication,
provide
practical hints for organizing and conveying
information in posters and oral presentations
of various lengths, and discuss the skills
needed to effectively answer questions and
comments from the audience.
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Placement-Career Development
Seminar
Job Search Skill Workshop
Monday, March 22 4:30-6:00 PM
Sponsored by the Placement Committee
Targeted for job seekers, especially firsttimers, the first portion will include Q & A
about the current market, employment in
different fields, and skills needed to be
successful The second part will involve
break out sections so that participants can
have resumes reviewed and practice other
techniques.
made to clarify controversial areas in skin
absorption methodology with regard to the
skin reservoir, skin metabolism, and other
issues.
REGISTRATION:
Students must register for this event on the
annual meeting registration form; a $5
deposit per ticket is required and will be
exchanged for the ticket at the luncheon.
Seating is limited. If you have already
registered,
you
may
contact
SOT
Headquarters directly to add this lecture to
your schedule—sothq@toxicology.org.
SOT Council Meeting with
Graduate Students and Post-docs
In Vitro Toxicology Lecture
In vitro Methods for Dermatotoxicology
Tuesday, March 23, 12:00-1:15 PM
Lecturer: Robert L. Bronaugh, Ph.D.,
USFDA, Laurel, MD.
Hosted by:
Company
The
Colgate-Palmolive
The lecture will address in vitro methods for
skin corrosivity, skin sensitization, skin
phototoxicity and skin absorption that are
widely used in the safety assessment of
topical products. These alternative methods
can reduce and sometimes replace the need
for animals. Methods for skin corrosivity and
skin sensitization have been validated by
both the ICCVAM (Interagency Coordinating
Committee on the Validation of Alternative
Methods) and the ECVAM (European
Centre for the Validation of Alternative
Methods). ECVAM is poised to begin a
validation study to assess the adequacy of
three methods for dermal irritation
measurements. Further efforts are being
Wednesday, March 24, 4:45 PM–5:30 PM
All students and post-doctoral fellows are
encouraged to attend this meeting, which
serves as a two-way dialog between SOT
Council and students. Come get all of your
questions
answered
and
suggest
improvements to SOT Council in an
informal, no pressure atmosphere. SAC
representatives will also be present to
answer questions.
Come make your voice heard!
Volunteer Opportunities for
Graduate Students
For
more
information
on
volunteer
opportunities for Student Members at SOT
2004,
contact
Jim
Luyendyk
at
Luyendyk@msu.edu, Betty Eidemiller at
bettye@toxicology.org,
or
visit
www.toxicology.org/script/volunteerform.asp .
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PLACEMENT SERVICES
For any students/post-docs looking for a job,
the Society of Toxicology On-line Placement
Service provides you with the opportunity to
establish contacts relating to your specific
needs and areas of interest. In addition to its
online year-round service, Placement
Services will be available at the 2004
Annual Meeting in Baltimore. Services
include assistance with scheduling of
interviews. Candidates will have the
opportunity to view job announcements and
message boards will be available to facilitate
communication between employers and
candidates.
On-line
registration
is
encouraged and is free to all students
prior to the meeting. Registration will also
be accepted at the Annual Meeting, however
you will be charged a fee. Register on line
at: www.toxicology.org/jobbank/login.asp
Reminders for anyone using the
service:
 In order to reduce overhead
expenses, Placement Services in
Baltimore will have only 4 computers
linked to the SOT Job Bank Web site.
Therefore, computer use will be limited to
short searches for updates or new
information. SOT Job Bank Web site
users should plan ahead and input
resumes prior to the meeting, and to
search for and compile lists of jobs prior
to the meeting.
Placement Service. No employer will be
allowed to advertise positions elsewhere
at the Annual Meeting.
 Online registration prior to
meeting is free for all students.
the
DON’T FORGET SEMINARS!
"Life as a Toxicologist - A Graduate
Student and Post-doc Primer to Careers
in Toxicology"
Saturday, March 2004, 6:00 PM–8:30 PM
“Job Skills Seminar”
Monday, March 22, 4:30 PM-6:40 PM
SOT 2004
Graduate Student Event Planner
Overwhelmed by planning for SOT 2004?
Scheduling headaches?
Afraid you’ll miss Student Events??
These questions and more can be answered
by just one click!
www.toxicology.org/memberservices/for
msapps/GradStudPlanFeb04.ppt
 As a job candidate attending the
Annual Meeting, you are encouraged to
bring multiple copies of your personal
resume for interested interviewers.
 All job placement activities at the
Annual Meeting will be carried out via the
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In 2003 the SAC created the Graduate
Student Event Planner, a printable
calendar of Student Events at the National
SOT meeting. Not only that, we included tips
on surviving your first National SOT
meeting, room numbers and maps, and
descriptions of events SOT hosts for its
Student Membership.
In March 2003, nearly 200 people
downloaded this innovative guide!
The SAC has carried the success of this
planner into 2004! In this year’s issue you
will find:
-
Tips for surviving SOT 2004
Session Descriptions
Calendar and description of
Events for Student Members
Regional Chapter Meetings
Specialty Section Meetings
Placement Services Information
…and don’t forget that all events listed in
the planner are coded so you can find
your way using the INTEGRATED
BALTIMORE
CONVENTION
CENTER
MAP!!
Plus, new in 2004!
When you download the planner in 2004
you will be asked, if you wish, to put your
name in a drawing! Names will be drawn
at the Student Mixer Sunday evening.
You must attend to claim you prize!
-
First Prize: $100 for the
textbook of your choice
-
Other prizes include SOT
merchandise such as mouse
pads, t-shirts, and coffee mugs
will be given away
DON’T MISS OUT!
Regional Chapter Announcements
Gulf Coast
The Gulf Coast Regional Chapter of the
SOT is having a reception at the national
meeting on Monday, March 22nd, at
7:30pm. All student and post-doc attendees
that are members of, or are interested in, the
GCSOT are invited to join us at the Hyatt
Regency Frederick room! For more
information, contact Danyel Tacker at
dptacker@utmb.edu
Michigan
The MISOT Fall Meeting at the Kellogg hotel
and conference center was a success again
in 2003! Winners of the graduate student
poster competition were Darrell Boverhof
and Jim Luyendyk of Michigan State
University. In addition, the research staff
award was presented to Shaila Kulkarni of
Pfizer. Abstracts for award winners can be
seen in the January issue of the MISOT
Newsletter. XinWen Yu was the winner of
MISOT’s annual post-doctoral poster award,
and will have the opportunity to give a 20
minute presentation at the MISOT Spring
Meeting! Speaking of the MISOT Spring
Meeting…MPI Research is graciously
sponsoring the meeting, to be held at Brook
Lodge: www.hfs.msu.edu/brooklodge/ . Be
watching your mail for registration
information. Don’t miss out on the event of
the year! For more information on MISOT
5
student activities, please contact
Luyendyk at: Luyendyk@msu.edu.
Jim
Mid-Atlantic
Our spring meeting is coming! Present your
poster from SOT for a chance to win a prize
of up to $1000!!! Details about location and
date of the meeting will be posted on the
website (www.masot.org). If you would like
to become a student member, fill out the
application form on the website.
Any
questions,
contact
Jessica
at:
jessd2000@yahoo.com.
Midwest
The Midwest Regional Chapter 2003 Fall
Meeting was a well-attended success! The
topic of this meeting was “Imaging
Techniques
with
Applications
to
Toxicological Research.”
One of the
exciting student highlights of this meeting
was the presentation of the first Midwest
Regional Chapter Young Investigator Award.
This award consists of a $1500 cash prize to
the student who submits the best toxicologybased research proposal. This fall, the
winner was Tisha King Heiden, from the
University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee), for her
proposal entitled “Modulation by Dioxin of
Reproductive Function by Zebrafish.”
Congratulations Tisha! The 2004 Spring
Meeting of the MRC-SOT will be held in
May. Details regarding the meeting are to
be announced soon.
For MRC student members attending the
2004 SOT meeting in Baltimore:
The MRC-SOT will be hosting a breakfast at
the SOT meeting in Baltimore.
The
breakfast will be on Wednesday, March
24th, at 7:30am in the Patapsco Severn
Room of the Marriott.
If you have any questions regarding student
membership, the Midwest Regional Chapter,
or if you are attending the 2004 SOT
meeting in Baltimore, please contact me!
Hope to see you in Baltimore!
Christina Wilson
wilsonc@purdue.edu
National Capital
On November 18, 2003 the NCAC held its
annual Fall Symposium at Howard
University. The title of the Fall Symposium,
which was open to all chapter members,
was “Animal models for safety and efficacy
testing of agents that cannot be tested in
humans.” A bevy of speakers explained the
ethical, practical, and scientific issues
surrounding the USFDA’s Animal Rule,
which specifies the conditions for the use of
animals for drug safety and efficacy testing
when the conduct of such studies in human
populations would be considered unethical.
On the following day (Nov. 19), graduate
students and post-docs from the University
of Maryland, Virginia Tech, Howard
University, Johns Hopkins University, and
the USFDA converged on Howard once
again (or for the first time) to attend the
second annual NCAC Career Enhancement
Day. Attendees were treated to a day of
talks and Q&A on the skills necessary for
interviewing successfully for post-graduate
positions in the private and public sectors.
To see the full list of speakers for the day,
as well as the programs from previous
years, visit the NCAC website at
www.toxicology.org/memberservices/region
alchapter/ncac/Default.htm.
Put these dates on your calendar! The
NCAC-SOT Spring Symposium will be held
6
on June 8, and the Fall Symposium will be
held on November 2 at the National Library
of Medicine, Lister Halll Auditorium,
Bethesda, MD. Topics for the meetings will
be announced soon.
Rob Mitkus (University of Maryland) and
Melinda Pomeroy (Virginia Tech) are the
current Student Representative and Vicerepresentative, respectively.
North Carolina
Annual Spring Meeting,
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Northland
The Northland Regional Chapter of SOT will
be holding its Spring meeting at the end of
May (a specific date has not been chosen
yet). It will be held at the Minnesota
Department of Health Metro Square
Building, 121 East 7th Place, St. Paul, MN
55164-0975.
The Spring meeting will
include the annual Student Poster
presentation with awards of $150, $100,
and $50 going to the top three posters as
judged by a panel of full members. The
meeting will also include morning and
afternoon scientific presentations and
discussions. Lunch will be provided. Check
the NL-SOT webpage for further updates
concerning date and time.
Topic: Analysis of High Throughput Data
Ohio Valley
There will be a pre-doctoral student poster
competition with several cash awards going
to the winners. It is open to pre-doctoral
students who are members of the North
Carolina Regional Chapter of the Society of
Toxicology. Keep informed via the NCSOT
homepage through the national site at:
www.toxicology.org/MemberServices/Regio
nalChapter/nc/main.htm. Additional details
for the pre-doctoral awards can be found if
you click on the upcoming meetings link or
the link for the Spring 2004 meeting. If you
would like to become a student member you
can also go to the NCSOT homepage to get
all of that information.
Any questions,
please contact Wendy Jefferson at:
jeffers1@niehs.nih.gov.
Northeast
The next meeting of the NESOT will be held
at University Of Southern Maine. Stay tuned
for more information!
The 2003 annual meeting of OVSOT was
held on November 7, 2003 at the Andrew W.
Breidenbach
Environmental
Research
Center in Cincinnati, OH. There were over a
hundred attendees and around thirty student
posters on this meeting. This year’s meeting
focused on the issues surrounding genetic
variation in the response to toxicants.
OVSOT has increased the number of
student platform presentations to six from
last
year’s three,
emphasizing the
importance of supporting the student
members in their research endeavors. Three
student awards were presented this year.
The Best Student Award offered a $500
cash award to the student making the best
presentation (poster or platform) at the
meeting. This award also carries an
invitation to be the student liaison to
National SOT SAC and $250 support to the
National meeting. The Best Student Poster
and the Honorable Mention awards convey
$250 and $100, respectively.
7
Soma S. Ray* from University of Kentucky
won the Best Student Award for her
presentation entitled “Elucidation of dioxin’s
tumor promoting activities: use of microarray
analysis to identify genes targeted during
keratinocyte
differentiation
and
senescence.” Because Ms. Ray is about to
graduate from UK, the new student liaison to
National SOT for the next two years will be
Yu Zang from University of Louisville, who
won the Best Poster Award with her poster
entitled “Enhanced protein degradation in a
human
N-acetyltransferase
2
variant
enzyme encoded by a T341C (Ile114Thr)
single nucleotide polymorphism possessing
allele.” Another student from University of
Louisville, Jian Li, was offered Honorable
Mention for her work on “Mitochondrial
metabolism: the root of hyperoxic cell
damage”.
Pacific Northwest
* The latest news about Soma is that she
just got a job interview at Eli Lily because,
guess what? The interviewer happened to
be one of her poster judges at an OVSOT
annual meeting!
Southern California
More information about this meeting can be
accessed online at:
www.toxicology.org/memberservices/region
alchapter/ohiovalley/summer03nl.pdf
There will still be a mixer for the Ohio Valley
Chapter at the national SOT meeting this
year. The mixer has been scheduled for
March 23 at the top floor bar in the Hyatt
from 10 PM, so people can still attend
specialty section meetings before that if they
wish. Detailed information or any possible
change to this meeting will be included in an
OVSOT newsletter before the national
meeting.
The Pacific Northwest Regional Chapter will
be holding its business meeting on Tuesday,
March 23rd, from 6:00-8:00 PM. It will be
held at the Hyatt Regency in the Frederick
room. There will be food and drinks, and this
is an excellent opportunity to mingle and
meet people within the region. All members
are encouraged to attend.
South Central
Our 2004 Fall Meeting will be at Mississippi
State University in October. The exact date
and time is "to be announced." Also, our
Spring reception at the SOT meeting in
Baltimore will be Monday, March 22, 5:006:30 PM at the Sheraton Inner Harbor in
Severn 1.
There will be a joint reception of the
Mountain West and Southern California
Regional Chapters held at the annual SOT
meeting in Baltimore. It will be held Monday,
March 22nd from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the
Renaissance Harborplace Hotel. See you
there!
The Southern California Chapter is looking
for a new student representative to the SOT
Student Advisory Committee (SAC) for the
upcoming academic year. The following are
criteria for the position: You are currently
enrolled in a graduate program; you should
have, or will apply for, a student
membership in SOT as well as SCCSOT;
you must be willing to commit for at least 1
year; and you should plan to attend the SOT
annual meeting. Please contact Karen, the
current SoCal SAC representative, at
karenriv@aol.com if you are interested.
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STUDENT MEMBERSHIP
SAC Committee Leadership
Not a Student Member of SOT?
SAC Officers
Become one today! Application information
is available online at :
www.toxicology.org/MemberServices/Memb
erInfo/member_onlineapp.html
Chair: Jim Luyendyk
Luyendyk@msu.edu
New this year! Student registration
costs at SOT 2004 for non-members
are double this year! Submit your
application for membership today to
save on next year’s registration!
Co-chair: Christina Wilson
wilsonc@purdue.edu
Secretary: Tim O’Brien
obri0150@d.umn.edu
Council Liaison: William Greenlee
wgreenlee@ciit.org
Already a Student Member of SOT?
SAC Committee Representatives
Make sure to renew your dues online!
To renew your National SOT membership:
www.toxicology.org/script/dues.asp
Continuing Education: Jessica Duffy
jessd2000@yahoo.com
If you are not a National SOT member, but
wish to renew your Regional Chapter
membership:
www.toxicology.org/memberservices/region
alchapter/regionalchapters.html
In the Fall 2003 issue of the SOTudent eletter, we highlighted the SAC’s involvement
in SOT Committee Activities. Members of
the SAC volunteer to be liaison to several
SOT Committees. For more information on
how activities of these Committees influence
the student membership, feel free to contact
the representatives or SAC Officers. In
addition, make sure to check out the Fall
2003 issue of the SOTudent e-letter where
information is available in greater detail.
Education Committee: Tim O’Brien
obri0150@d.umn.edu
Membership Committee: Jim Luyendyk
Luyendyk@msu.edu
Placement Committee: Pheona Radcliffe
Pheona_Radcliffe@urmc.rochester.edu
Women in Toxicology: Ashley Murray
amurray@mix.wvu.edu
World Wide Web: Sachin Bendre
sbendre@nctr.fda.gov
Education Subcommittee K-12: Joe Lynch
jlynch61@maine.edu
Minority Initiatives Ed Subcommittee: Yu Zang
yu.zang@louisville.edu
9
SAC Regional Chapter
Representatives
Allegheny-Erie: Ashley Murray
amurray@mix.wvu.edu
Central States: Susan Buist
sothq@toxicology.org
Gulf Coast: Danyel Tacker
dptacker@utmb.edu
Lake Ontario: Pheona Radcliffe
Pheona_Radcliffe@urmc.rochester.edu
Michigan: Jim Luyendyk
luyendyk@msu.edu
Mid-Atlantic: Jessica Duffy
jessd2000@yahoo.com
Midwest: Christina Wilson
wilsonc@purdue.edu
Mountain West: Andy Annalora
aannalora@salud.unm.edu
National Capital: Robert Mitkus
rmitk001@umaryland.edu
North Carolina: Wendy Jefferson
jeffers1@niehs.nih.gov
Ohio Valley: Yu Zang
yu.zang@louisville.edu
Pacific Northwest: Castle Funatake
funatakc@onid.orst.edu
South Central: Sachin Bendre
sbendre@nctr.fda.gov
Southeastern: Lonnie Williams
williamslonnie@hotmail.com
Southern California: Karen Riveles
karenriv@aol.com
Questions, Comments &
Suggestions
Contact information is posted with the
permission of the individual representatives.
If you do not see a contact for your region,
please contact the SOT Headquarters to
either obtain the contact information, or your
message will be forwarded to the
appropriate representative.
The SAC would love to hear any comments
students have. If you have anything to offer,
please
contact
Jim
Luyendyk
at
luyendyk@msu.edu or Christina Wilson at
wilsonc@purdue.edu
Northeast: Joe Lynch
jlynch61@maine.edu
Northern California: Vince Seaman
vyseaman@ucdavis.edu
Northland: Tim O’ Brien
obri0150@d.umn.edu
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