The Committee for Diversity Initiatives (CDI) would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2013 Undergraduate Education Program (UEP) for Minority Students, Saturday–Monday, March 9–11, 2013, at the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Forty-two students and six undergraduate faculty advisors representing schools throughout the United States were welcomed by CDI Chair Erin Hines of the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Participants began their investigation into the study of toxicology with a presentation by Antonio Baines, a 1993 program alumnus, Professor at North Carolina Central University.
The Annual CDI Reunion followed with a welcoming speech by SOT 2008–2009 President Kenneth S. Ramos, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and one of the UEP Program’s early leaders. The festivities continued as Dr. Hines presented the Perry J. Gehring Diversity Student Travel Award to Alexandra Colón-Rodriguez, a 2009 UEP program participant and graduate student at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. She was recognized for her research: “Low Dose Postnatal MeHg Exposure Alters mRNA Levels of Rat Brainstem Glutamate Receptors and Voltage gated Calcium Channels.” Another 2009 UEP alumnae, Carmen M. Ortiz-Sanchez from the Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ponce, Puerto Rico, received an Honorable Mention for her abstract entitled “Induction of Late Apoptosis on Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells by Sandalwood (Santalum Albium) Essential Oils.”This Gehring Award recognizes an outstanding program alumnus who is presenting a poster within three years of participation in the undergraduate program.
The reunion continued as UEP alumni, current students, and CDI friends had a chance to connect over dessert, tea, and coffee. The CDI will continue the reunion tradition next year in Phoenix celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Undergraduate Education Program at the 2014 CDI Reunion the evening of March 22, 2014. The CDI leadership sincerely hopes that all former volunteers, students, and friends of the program will mark their calendars and join us for that special occasion.
The pool of applicants for the 2013 UEP boasted some of the brightest students from across the country; almost a dozen of whom had research abstracts accepted for the 2013 SOT Annual Meeting. Students funded through the formal program were joined on Sunday, March 10 by other undergraduates who signed up for the open Sunday session as a part of their Annual Meeting registration.
SOT 2012–2013 President William Slikker, Jr., delivered a kick-off address. The program included Judith T. Zelikoff, SOT 2012–2014 Secretary, Professor at New York University School of Medicine, who provided an eye-opening look into the effects of maternal tobacco use (smoked and nonsmoked) on fetal development. Alice Villalobos of Texas A&M University followed with a talk on the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, and Martin A. Philbert, Dean and Professor of Toxicology at The University of Michigan School of Public Health, presented a glimpse into the potential of nanoparticles for neurologic cancer therapies. Dr. Hines concluded the morning session with an interactive case study in toxicology.
The afternoon began with small group presentations designed to give students an insider’s perspective on graduate school by academic advisors Lauren M. Aleksunes, Rutgers University; James P. Luyendyk, the University of Kansas Medical Center; and Richard Nass, Indiana University School of Medicine. They were paired with Graduate Student facilitators Brittany Baisch, University of Rochester; Jonathan Coulter, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health; and Kathryn Page, University of California at Berkeley.
SOT 2004–2005 President Linda S. Birnbaum, Director of the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), led off the Career Session speaking on “My Career: A Winding Road.” A career panel discussion followed moderated by Robert Casillas, a CDI Committee member from MRIGlobal. The panelists represented a number of career paths, including Darryl B. Hood, Meharry Medical College, from academia; Pedro L. Del Valle, US Food and Drug Administration, government; Mari S. Stavanja, Celanese Corporation, from industry, and Claire Redman Croutch, Midwest Research Institute, non-profit organizations.
Students met with representatives from almost 40 academic toxicology and internships programs from around the country. It was a highly energized event as students connected with program leaders offering scholarships and positions that could launch them on careers in toxicology. About 15 student program participants displayed their research posters during this time.
Monday morning, program participants attended the Plenary Lecture delivered by Nobel Laureate Bruce Beutler, followed by a special poster session in ToxExpo showcasing the various important areas of toxicology.The concluding program allowed students a chance to gain recognition for their accomplishments over the past several days and say “Good-bye” before heading to the In Vitro Luncheon, which included an interesting overview of the potential for in vitro technologies given by Hisham Hamadeh of Amgen and discussion of challenging related questions at each table.
In addition to the speakers and presenters, the CDI Committee owes a debt of gratitude to the many Host and Peer Mentors who stayed with the students throughout the sessions, personalized the vast amount of information, and helped make it meaningful to the students They also want to thank volunteers Kimberly Daniels of Texas A&M University and Joanne Mauro from the University of Georgia who assisted with registration and saw that processes ran smoothly throughout.
Next year in Phoenix the Undergraduate Program will introduce a slightly expanded format. Details will be coming soon!