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SETAC North America 27 th Annual Meeting
Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Global Environment and Sustainability: Sound Science in a World of Diversity
5-9 Nov. ׀ Montréal, Québec, Canada ׀ Located at the Palais des congrés de Montréal

Ecotoxicology and emerging pollutants to be discussed at SETAC North America’s 27 th annual meeting

Oct. 23, 2006

The Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to environmental quality through science, will host its 27th annual meeting for the North America geographic unit, Nov. 5-9, 2006 at the Palais des congrés de Montréal. This year the meeting theme is Global Environment and Sustainability: Sound Science in a World of Diversity.

SETAC North America’s annual meeting provides outlets for the scientific community to network through research, environmental education and management, regulation, life-cycle assessment, risk assessment, and chemical manufacturing and distribution. The meeting has an expected attendance of 2,500 scientists from 34 countries who will focus on global environmental sustainability through 2,000 platform and poster presentations, professional development courses, plenary speakers, technical sessions and short courses.

The meeting will incorporate special sessions and symposia, including Exposure of Beluga Whale to Contaminants and Toxic Effects; Predicting Ecological Effects of Pollutants from Biomarkers and Omic Responses; Invertebrate Biomarkers: Applications and Limitations in the Assessment of Aquatic Pollution; Metals in the Environment: Speciation, Geochemistry, and Bioavailability; Fate and Transport of Emerging Contaminants in Aqueous Systems; and Nanotechnology Nexus– Science, Technology, Risk and Regulation.

Additional sessions will cover a variety of research disciplines with a strong emphasis on ecotoxicology and emerging pollutants/contaminants, including Use of the ICE and ACE Modeling Tools to Estimate Aquatic Species Sensitivity to Contaminants; Sediment Toxicity Testing: Methods to Achieve Strong Data Sets and Interpret Results; Advance Mass Spectrometric Analysis for Endocrine Disruptors in the Environment; Gene Expression, Proteomics and Microarrays and their Respective Informatic Approaches to Address Ecotoxicological Issues; Food-Web Bioaccumulation Modeling of Organic Substances; Understanding Freshwater Mussels and Their Significance in Toxicity Research and Water Quality Management; and Endangered Species and Environmental Contaminants: Conducting Problem Formulation under the Endangered Species Act.

SETAC North America’s new Executive Director, Paul Goodson, attended SETAC Europe’s 16th annual meeting in The Hague, The Netherlands, last May, but this will be his first SETAC North America annual meeting in his new position.

“I had the chance to meet a number of the society’s members in The Hague, but there are still many I have not had the chance to speak with,” said Goodson. “I look forward to receiving feedback on the society, and what members want to see happen in the future.”

SETAC meetings serve as a platform for representatives from government, business, and academia to exchange ideas, observe trends and present research in their areas of expertise.

“The SETAC North America annual meeting is a premier event for environmental scientists, engineers, and others, who desire to improve environmental quality through a better understanding and application of related sciences,” said Goodson.

Currently, scientists from the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and The Netherlands have registered for the Montréal meeting in high numbers, but members of SETAC span more than 70 countries.

In addition to the presentation of research at the meeting, a daily tradeshow will take place in the Exhibit Hall, where meeting attendees can talk with representatives from more than 60 consulting firms, laboratories and manufacturers.

Every day scientific poster sessions will be grouped by topic and viewed from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall. Monday, Nov. 6 through Thursday, Nov. 9 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., there will be a poster social where people are encouraged to congregate and learn about ongoing research in the fields of environmental toxicology and chemistry.

Advance registration has been closed, but onsite registration for both meeting sessions and social events will be available beginning Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. On the first day of the conference, Sunday, Nov. 5, and the last day, Thursday, Nov. 9, one-day onsite registration will be half price.

Sunday social events available to those attending the meeting include a three-hour city tour of Montréal, beginning at 10 a.m.; a tour of the Montréal Biodôme, Montréal Botanical Garden, and the Montréal Insectarium beginning at 10:30 a.m.; and ice-skating and a visit to the Montréal Planetarium beginning at 11:00 a.m. Sunday evening events will include the Opening Session with food, drinks, and entertainment from 6:30 to 8:30, followed by a later evening reception in the Exhibit Hall from 8:00 to 11:00.

An opportunity for students to mingle and network with SETAC members will be available Monday evening through the Student Career-Mentor Dinner starting at 6:30 in the Palais des congrès de Montréal. During the dinner, students will be seated at tables with mentors who work in their field of interest. There will be two mentors per eight students who attend, and mentors will be available to answer student questions and give career advice. The event is open to students and mentors only, but is followed by dancing and karaoke at 9:00 that is open to all meeting attendees.

Tuesday, those attending the meeting can partake in the 10:30 mid-morning 5K Fun Run, where they will receive a t-shirt and have the opportunity to experience Montreal’s outdoors. Later, there is a Women in SETAC Luncheon from 11:45-1:30, which features a discussion titled, “What You Can Do to Encourage Women to Enter and Stay in Science?" by Karen Lloyd, Federal Champion for Women in Science and Technology, Director of the Environment Assessment Division of Health Canada. In the evening, meeting attendees can top off their night with cocktails, canapés and dancing at the 737 Altitude Club from 7:00 to 11:00, located atop the 737-foot downtown skyscraper Place Ville-Marie, which provides a unique panoramic view of Montréal.

Starting at 6:00 Wednesday evening, meeting attendees are invited to participate in a tour of the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal for a spectacular light and sound show. The meeting comes to a close Thursday evening after the poster social ends at 6:30.

SETAC is a global, scientific, not-for-profit organization founded in 1979 and now comprised of nearly 5,000 individuals. SETAC members are professionals and students from an array of scientific fields including environmental toxicology and chemistry, biology, ecology, earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, health sciences, and environmental engineering.

For more information on the SETAC North America meeting in Montréal go to the official website:

http://montreal.setac.org

SETAC’s official website is:

http://www.setac.org