SETAC North America 34th Annual Meeting just wrapped up in Nashville, Tennessee. The conference took place 17–21 November 2013 at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. The main focus of the meeting was to harmonize science across disciplines. The conference started on Sunday with various Professional Training Courses that drew in a great number of students, academics, and industry and government leaders. As it is the case every year, SETAC NA was well attended and scientists from various disciplines crossed paths either during the poster sessions, during the well-attended platform presentations, or during the coffee breaks and lunches that took place over the five-day conference. The daily plenary speakers offered insights into the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources (Monday speaker: Jeanne Briskin), how chemists and toxicologists need to come together to enable reduced toxicity by design (Tuesday speaker: Dr. Paul T. Anastas), and how the next generation of leadership will impact science, professions, and public service (Wednesday speaker: William Purcell). For more information on the conference and the activities that took place in Nashville, please visit www.setac.org.
Laurentian-SETAC was also represented at the SETAC-NA meeting in Nashville this year, as our student, academic, industry, and government members participated by presenting their work either with a poster or a platform presentation. Not only was our group represented, but it is with great pride that L-SETAC announces that two of our members have won distinguished awards from the organization. Dr. Yamini Gopalapillai from the University of Guelph was a Global Award Winner, and she received the Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry Best Student Paper Award for her paper:
Gopalapillai, Y., B. Hale, and B. Vigneault. 2013. Effect of major cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+) and anions (SO42-, Cl-, NO3-) on Ni accumulation and toxicity in aquatic plant (Lemna minor L.): implications for Ni risk assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 32(4): 810-821. In addition, Ruth Hall, a Senior Scientist at Intrinsik Environmental Sciences Inc., was awarded the SETAC NA Eugene Kenaga SETAC Membership Award for her contributions with the Society’s membership at the national and chapter level. Congratulations to our L-SETAC winners and to the SETAC-NA organizers for putting together yet another great meeting. Looking forward to Vancouver, BC, next year! Submitted by Oana Birceanu
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