Does your Regional Chapter (RC), Special Interest Group (SIG), or Specialty Section (SS) have a topic that you would like to present to the entire Society of Toxicology (SOT)? Is it a topic that will not be presented at the SOT Annual Meeting, but is still worthy of dialogue? One option open to all RC, SIG, and SS members is to request support for a webinar, sponsored by SOT. This year, the Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues (ELSI) SS has proposed two topics that the SOT Council Subcommittee for Non-SOT Meeting, Component, and Global Funding was happy to approve and support. In the fall, the ELSI-sponsored webinar is titled “Pesticides and Pollinator Health.” This webinar will explore the current evaluation of pesticides in risk assessment paradigms, as they apply to pollinator bees, an insect important to the life cycle of modern agriculture. “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to sponsor and share very current topics with the greater SOT in a webinar format,” remarked Sol Bobst, ELSI President. “Webinars offer the opportunity to invite participation from Society members, who may not be able to attend the SOT Annual Meeting, or for special topics more suited for a short, focused event than for an annual meeting session.” Coming in January, ELSI is sponsoring another webinar, titled “Impact of Toxicology and Three Interactive Texas State Regulatory Programs to Decrease Ambient Air Toxics Level.” The panel will include staff members of the toxicology section of the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ). “I am so pleased to have staff of the TCEQ be willing to present and have dialogue on the regulatory process,” said Dr. Bobst. SOT Headquarters can assist with promoting awareness of webinars and registering participants.The process and instructions for applying for a webinar are available on the SOT website.
The submission of the proposal should include a support statement, explaining how the webinar aligns with the Society’s mission and Strategic Plan 2012–2015. The deadlines for submission are January 1, April 1, July 1, and September 1 of each calendar year. For additional information, webinars, please contact Marcia Lawson.