The fourth (2015) installment of the ever befuddling Tox ShowDown proceeded at its usual breakneck speed to the delight of an attentive audience of 100, most of whom were belly laughing uncontrollably. For those few of you still not in the know, Tox ShowDown is an It’s Academic Style quiz game that pits teams of toxicologists against each other to answer questions of toxicological fact and fancy.
Kudos to the contestants who went out on a limb at the risk of irrevocably tarnishing their professional reputations. Congratulations to the Endocrine Disruptors (Brian Day, Susan Emeigh Hart, Paul Zigas) who narrowly beat out the competition, the Toxic Metabolites (Jacques Descotes, Stacey Harper, John Lipscomb), and the Free Radicals (Shama Bhatia, Bill Brock, Julie Goodman).
Try your hand at the questions below, if you think you’re so smart.
Harry Salem (right), as judge, firmly opened the show with his gavel and crab hammer, laid down the law, and didn’t take no guff from nobody.
Phil Wexler (far right) noted in jest, "the emcee, actually drank only half the contents of his whiskey flask this time around and, for a change, did not have to be straightjacketed or carried off the premises."
Meghan Cromie, Alessandro Venosa, Todd Zurlinden, and David Rossé, also instrumental in organizing and conducting this wacky event, managed to keep their heads, just barely, to prevent the game from devolving into total chaos.
Toxicology texts were generously donated by Elsevier and Taylor and Francis/CRC Press as prizes for all contestants. In addition, members of the winning team received $75 Amazon gift cards. An engraved mug and decanter (the latter saying, in Latin, Graviora Manent. Ergo Bibamus, i.e., Grave Danger is Imminent. Therefore let us Drink) were provided for the Judge by The Blasting Company, an engraving company run by Matt Geraci, a clinical toxicologist from Jacksonville, Florida. The members of the audience were awarded with their loyalty until the end with door prizes that included three DVD sets and a Kindle Fire, contributed by Elsevier.
It’s never too early to volunteer for the coming year’s ShowDown. Show us your stuff and sign up as a contestant for SOT’s New Orleans Annual Meeting in 2016 before you’re locked out. Send expressions of interest to Phil Wexler.