The Education Committee has extended the deadline for Host applications for the Global Scholar Program to October 22.
The Society of Toxicology (SOT) has announced the 2013 Global Senior Scholars, Sri Noegrohati at Gadjah Mada University and Sanata Dharma University in Jogyakarta, Indonesia, and Mohamed Mosaad Salama at Mansoura University in Mansoura, Egypt. We now are recruiting applications for SOT member Hosts for each of these Scholars.
The primary goal of the Global Senior Scholar Exchange Program (GSSEP) is to increase toxicology capacity in developing countries by providing opportunities for senior scientists in those countries to develop professional relationships with SOT members in the US and Canada. The award provides logistical and financial support for the Scholars to attend the SOT Annual Meeting and subsequently spend up to four weeks with one or more hosts from academic, government, or industry organization(s) in the US or Canada. The Host will in turn visit the Senior Scholar’s institution to engage in teaching, curriculum development, or other activities intended to build training and research capacity in toxicology. The program provides up to $15,000 for each pair, with up to $10,000 travel support for the Senior Scholar and up to $5,000 for the Host. The award cannot be used for equipment, laboratory supplies, or renovations.
The following criteria will be use to select the Host for each Scholar.
The successful Host applicants will have:
- Research interests of potential mutual benefit to the specific Scholar
- Ability to host a scientist for up to four weeks (SOT will cover the associated costs)
- Plans to support the relationship with the Scholar and the enhancement of toxicology at the Scholar's institution
- Ability to visit the Scholar's institution
Note that more than one Host at the same or different institutions can submit a coordinated application to host a particular Scholar.
The institution(s) of the Host(s) will:
- Have a successful toxicology program with a strong track record of research, training, and outreach
- Have staff or faculty members with interest and prior experience in collaborating with institutions in other countries
- Encourage the selected Host toxicologist to visit the Senior Scholar's institution (SOT will cover the associated costs up to the budgeted maximum)
About the Awardees:
Dr. Noegrohati aims to increase training in risk assessment that is relevant to conditions in Indonesia. For example, she reports that research has shown that pesticides degrade more rapidly in a tropical climate but research on pesticide exposures are largely conducted in nontropical countries. She notes that “...integrated risk assessments in agricultural environments under Indonesian tropical conditions are important in assuring the safety of foods consumed, the continuity of food supplies, and the acceptability of foodstuffs in international trade." Thus, she says, “training in both human health toxicology and ecotoxicology are necessary to understand the risks posed by the introduction of chemicals (e.g., pesticides) into the environment and that there are currently only a very few accountable personnel who have such training. Since the Indonesian government needs safety assessors to assist in establishing wise judicious regulations, it is expected that the SOT Global Senior Scholar Exchange Program could help us in shaping a Risk Assessment training program, which would motivate younger faculties, both in Gadjah Mada University and Sanata Dharma University, to advance their knowledge in environmental sciences and life sciences, to engage in relevant research, and to use the resulting knowledge to improve public health and environmental health in Indonesia.”
Dr. Salama's research primarily involves neurotoxicology (i.e., the role of environmental agents in the development of Parkinson's disease). He envisions that the GSSEP will improve toxicology research opportunities and teaching capacity, both for undergraduates and graduate students, at Mansoura University. “Getting contact with an advanced level toxicology lab in the USA will give our ambitious plans a push. Participation in the GSSEP will increase awareness of toxicology as a multidisciplinary field with important applications both for medicine and biomedical research." Through the opportunity to travel to the USA and work with other research groups, Dr. Salama will be able to transfer modern technology and up-to-date techniques to his colleagues in Egypt, thereby improving toxicology research capacity. Moreover, he believes the visits funded by the GSSEP will expand his institution's awareness of potential new areas of toxicology research. He also expects that the exchange will facilitate development of a more advanced toxicology curriculum at Mansoura University, which will in turn allow the institution to attract more students and widen the institution's impact on toxicology infrastructure in the region. "We hope that through this program, we can improve our competitive profile and make toxicology a more recognized field in developing countries.”
Please see the GSSEP website or contact Betty Eidemiller for further information.