Okay folks. Time to grab the mink oil and condition those boxing gloves of yours. You knew it was coming, the ever dreaded call for contestants for the ever dreadful Tox ShowDown, this coming March in New Orleans. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, it’s a quiz game in which simple, esoteric, and just plain zany toxicological (sort of) questions are posed to three teams (the Endocrine Disruptors, the Toxic Metabolites, and the Free Radicals). These teams of three dazed contestants are presented with challenging questions by a stewed emcee—all of whom are kept in line by a judge with palms ready to be greased. This already shady cast of characters is assisted by a timekeeper, scorekeeper, and keeper of the slides, to be selected from loiterers on Bourbon Street 30 minutes before show time.
The 2016 ShowDown will be held in the Jefferson Ballroom, Hilton New Orleans Riverside, on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, 7:30 pm–9:30 pm. We know you have many choices, but why stick with the routine? Give in to your baser instincts—Be a ShowDown Contestant. You know you’ve got it in you. You’ve just been waiting to show up your colleagues with your infinite store of toxicological knowledge and, hey, your infamous status will remain intact regardless of the outcome.
Give it a try. There are prizes galore for the winning and losing teams and a cash bar to steady your nerves, and you’ll walk away with that exhilarating feeling of having contributed in a profound way to society, though you may not know how.
Send expressions of interest to Joanna Kreitinger, Secretary, SOT Graduate Student Leadership Committee.
For a brief rundown of the 2015 ShowDown in San Diego, see No Slow Down for Tox Show Down.