Highlights From the Carolinas SETAC Regional Chapter 2026 Annual Meeting

Bonnie Ertel, University of South Carolina

The Carolinas SETAC Regional Chapter 35th Annual Meeting was held from 13–14 April in Raleigh, North Carolina. More than 130 people were in attendance, making this the largest CSETAC meeting in recent years! The meeting welcomed researchers, industry leaders and students local to North Carolina, as well as colleagues from South Carolina, Florida and Virginia.

The meeting began on Monday morning at the Yates Mill Aquatic Conservation Center (YMACC) at North Carolina State University. Greg Cope, YMACC Director, began the short course with an introduction to the center’s history and conservation work. Christopher Eads, Assistant Director and Facility Manager, discussed the biology and propagation of freshwater mussels, including the three federally listed species housed at the YMACC. We then split into groups to tour the laboratory facility, consisting of approximately 4,400 square feet of both indoor and outdoor research and production space. The morning wrapped up with Howling Cow Ice Cream, courtesy of local NC State dairy cows, and a break to explore the Historic Yates Mill County Park.

Monday afternoon’s Poster Social was held in the Plant Sciences Building at NC State’s Centennial Campus. During two full sessions of poster presentations, students and professionals connected over shared research interests. Between poster sessions, we introduced our first-ever Microscopic Talks – an oral presentation format similar to the well-known “lightning talks.” This format allowed us to accommodate a record number of abstract submissions in a packed meeting schedule.

On Monday evening, CSETAC members met for drinks and catered dinner at Incendiary Brewing Co. This event provided an opportunity to network with new connections, catch up with colleagues and play some of the provided board games.

Tuesday morning started off with a warm welcome from Elizabeth Medlock Kakaley, CSETAC Past President, who recognized our sponsors who helped make this meeting possible. Michele Harmon, SETAC North America Treasurer and CSETAC Treasurer, gave an update from SETAC North America and the different ways to get involved in the society, including submitting an abstract for the SETAC North America 47th Annual Meeting in Montreal before 3 June. Katie Irhin, North America Student Advisory Council (NASAC) Chair from Virginia Tech, discussed how to get involved with NASAC as a CSETAC student representative or member.

Joe Bisesi, University of Florida, and Eric Van Genderen, International Zinc Association, gave an inspirational plenary talk titled “Colleague, Mentor, and Friend: Celebrating Steve Klaine,” where they outlined lessons learned from Steve, shared how his mentorship guided them in their own careers, and described his impressive legacy. Steve Klaine was a professor in the Clemson University Department of Biological Sciences and an internationally recognized environmental toxicologist. He passed away in 2016. A decade later, his impact is still evident throughout SETAC and beyond.

This opening was followed by a full day of platform presentations by students and professionals, with fantastic talks all around! Sessions included talks on contaminants of emerging concern, risk evaluations, public health and environmental case studies.

We are pleased to recognize the recipients of the 2026 CSETAC best presentation awards. Congratulations to our 2026 award winners:

Undergraduate Student Poster Presentations

• 1st Place: Collin Moriarty et al., Clemson University 
• 2nd Place: Grif Tschopp et al., Appalachian State University

Graduate Student Poster Presentations

• 1st Place: Bridget Reheard, Duke University
• 2nd Place: Noelle Muzzy, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)

Microscopic Talks

• 1st Place: Noelle Muzzy, ORISE
• 2nd Place (tie): Morgan Jacobellis, Clemson University, and Zachary Padgett, Clemson University

Graduate Student Platform Presentations

• 1st Place: Beija Gore, Virginia Tech
• 2nd Place (tie): Alexandra Larson, College of Charleston, and Kara Joseph, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

President Lisa Manglass surprised Bonnie Ertel, University of South Carolina and Research Planning, Inc./National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with the CSETAC President's Award for Service in recognition for her commitment as a board member of the regional chapter, her leadership within NASAC and her role as a chair for the upcoming SETAC Young Environmental Scientists (YES) Meeting.

We would like to thank our Past President Elizabeth Medlock Kakaley and Current President Lisa Manglass for putting together this annual meeting. CSETAC would also like to thank Maria Rodgers, Kylie Rock, Bonnie Ertel, Alex Larson, Aleisha Whipple, Greg Cope, Christopher Eads, Loretta Lutackas, Bob Swarthout, Dana Dawkins and Lola Renauer for assisting with meeting logistics, as well as all meeting participants for attending!

Thank you also to all who bought T-shirts and donated to our fundraiser. We were able to raise $489 to go towards the Dr. Pat McClellan Green Student Travel Award fund.

As of the conclusion of this meeting, Kylie Rock, Clemson University, is now CSETAC President, and Lisa Manglass, Francis Marion University, is now CSETAC Past President. CSETAC board members who have served their three years and are now rolling off include Stephanie Kennedy, Tox Strategies; Jessica Reiner, National Institute of Standards and Technology; William Baldwin, Clemson University; and Shea Tuberty, Appalachian State University – thank you for your service!

We are now seeking nominations for CSETAC board members, student representatives and CSETAC vice president. Please fill out this brief form by the end of the day on 19 June to submit your nomination.

The 2027 CSETAC annual meeting will be held next spring at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. We look forward to seeing everyone again then, if not before this November at the SETAC North America 47th Annual Meeting in Montreal.

Author contact: [email protected]