Your Vote Counts: Help Determine the Future of SETAC North America

Carla Ng

I have been an active member of SETAC North America for nearly twenty years (since my Ph.D. studies) and have also actively participated in SETAC Europe (during my postdoctoral studies in Switzerland). As such, I have an appreciation for the roles that SETAC plays globally. I have participated in Pellston Workshops and Focused Topic meetings, and SETAC has been the core association and scientific meeting place for my research career.

I am trained as a chemical engineer, work in a department of civil and environmental engineering, and manage projects that span chemical hazard assessment, toxicology, environmental fate modeling and human exposure assessment. This highly interdisciplinary experience helps me appreciate many of the fields of relevance to SETAC and the important roles this association plays in academic, regulatory and industrial sectors.

I am currently an Associate Editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, a Past President of the Exposure Modeling Interest Group, a Past Steering Committee Member of the Chemistry Interest Group and was a Co-Chair of the 2022 SETAC North America Meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.

Ruth Sofield

I have been an environmental toxicology and chemistry faculty member in the Environmental Science Department at Western Washington University since 2003.  My research is focused on contaminants in Puget Sound, and I'm involved in the restoration of the Sound as a member of the Puget Sound Partnership Science Panel. Additionally, I have coordinated and run an online speaker series since 2020 called Toxicology and Societies; this series is designed to make our science more relatable to the general public.

I have a B.A. in Biology from West Virginia University, an M.S. in Environmental Science from McNeese State University, and a Ph.D. and post-doc from Colorado School of Mines (Environmental Science and Engineering). As a member of the SETAC Board, I would like to contribute to activities that make toxicology and chemistry relatable and relevant to different audiences, support toxicology programs in universities, and build on inclusive practices.

I served as one of the chairs of SETAC North America Annual Meeting in 2021, as on-site coordinator for the Pacific Northwest (PNW) SETAC Chapter meeting in 2020, and on the committee of the SETAC North America meeting in 2010. I have also served on the PNW-SETAC Board of Directors since 2016 and was an officer from 2019–2021.

Karen Watanabe

I am a faculty member in the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at Arizona State University. SETAC is the professional society most relevant for the dissemination of my research, and I look forward to reconnecting with friends at the annual meetings. I’m committed to SETAC’s mission of advancing environmental science and management by way of building student engagement and awareness of the varied career opportunities in environmental toxicology and risk assessment. I value how SETAC engages professionals from academia, government and industry, and I’ve applied that in the classroom when talking about career options and selecting invited speakers. Strengths that I would bring to the board include a perspective on advancing computational methods in toxicology, building undergraduate research and education, and a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

I served the society in different capacities over the years. From 2006 to 2008, I was the academic-at-large board member for Pacific Northwest SETAC. In 2017, I joined the SETAC North America Awards and Fellowships committee. In 2018, I began leading an effort to revitalize the Desert Southwest (DSW) Regional Chapter. I served as the DSW liaison to the SoCal SETAC regional meeting organizing committee for 2021 and 2022. I served on the SETAC North America 42nd Annual Meeting (Portland) planning committee.

Alan Jones

I am a Global Regulatory Ecotoxicologist with Adama, Ltd in Raleigh, North Carolina. I received a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Emory & Henry College and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from Clemson University, where I studied the effects of multiple stressors on small stream ecosystems.  I was a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University, working on the Hanford Site Natural Resources Damage Assessment, and went on to join the crop protection chemicals industry in 2015. I have been an active SETAC member since 2005 and have both been a member of and (co-)chaired the steering committees of the Chemistry Interest Group and the Sediments Interest Group. I was a member of the Membership Committee and have organized the SETAC North America Buddy Program for the last three years. 

I believe that SETAC's tripartite balance is a hallmark of the scientific relationship that is necessary to navigate the environmental challenges of the 21t century.  If I'm elected to the Board of Directors, I would work to strengthen that balance, and I would work to continue and strengthen the society's work with students. I benefitted greatly from the student activities, and it's important for both development of the society and member retention. I would bring my leadership skills, developed in part within the society, to the table to move SETAC forward. 

I have served SETAC North America over several years, most recently on the Membership Committee and as leader of the Meeting Guide / Buddy Program. I have also been very involved in steering committees of the SETAC Sediments Interest Group and the SETAC Chemistry Interest Group.

Ceil Mancini

A summary of my career exemplifies my strengths in current and emerging technical topics, collaboration, consensus, and team building and business. I am a remediation specialist with decades of consulting experience working in the investigation and assessment of contaminated aquatic systems to inform their remediation. Most of my work involves management of aquatic systems, risk assessment and risk-based decision-making, monitoring and restoration in the framework of federal and state programs. During my consulting career I initiated, grew and managed a successful and loyal team of more than 50 scientists, providing natural resource services in support of remediation programs.

As part of my professional career, I have coached and mentored scientists and engineers of all career stages for the past four decades.  This has been done through my management role in the consulting industry, American Corporate Partners Program (mentoring military veterans moving to the private sector), the Society for the Education of American Sailors and SETAC. I was instrumental in the development of SETAC’s current Mentoring Program and currently sit on their advisory group.

I have been an active member of SETAC since the mid-1980s. I have attended and presented at the majority of North American annual meetings for the past 25+ years.  During that time, I was an active contributor and member of a number of SETAC initiatives including Sediment Risk Management Work Group (2015–2017), Buddy System (2015–2016), the Career Development Committee (inception-Present), Senior Resource Group (2014–present), Mentoring Program (2019–2023).  I was also a long-time member and participant of the Hudson Delaware Regional Chapter of SETAC including several years on the regional Board.

Chris Stransky

I am a manager of the Aquatic Sciences and Toxicology Group at WSP USA in San Diego, California. My experience and interest have been centered on a variety of toxicology and ecological risk assessment programs in support of regulatory compliance as well as pushing the boundaries to develop and test new innovative methods for monitoring. Characterizing the health of the biological communities in our local bays, harbors and watersheds is a role and passion of mine. I have been an active member of SETAC since 1993 (helping to establish and grow the SoCal Chapter) and am the current co-chair for the National SETAC Regional Chapters Committee (various roles described further below). I also currently proudly serve on the Board of Directors for the Boz Research and Teaching Institute, affiliated with the University of California San Diego (UCSD). I received my B.A. in Aquatic Science from UCSB and an M.S. in Ecology from SDSU. Strengths specific to SETAC include identifying and fostering collaborative opportunities and motivation and enthusiasm to inspire others.

I have been an active member of SETAC since 1993, which was also the inaugural year of the formation of the Southern California (SoCal) SETAC Chapter. I currently serve as a co-chair for the SETAC Regional Chapters Committee. For the SoCal SETAC Chapter, I have served in several roles, including secretary, webmaster and vice president + president twice (2010 and 2019). Over the past 5–6 years, I have also assisted with the revitalization of the Desert Southwest Chapter, including the coordination of joint meetings with SoCal SETAC to help gain momentum and exposure. I am an active participant on several of the SETAC Interest Groups and have participated in almost every annual meeting since 1993, presenting, moderating and mentoring.

Bonnie Ertel

I am a Ph.D. Student in the Arnold School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Center for Oceans and Human Health and Climate Change Interactions, where my research is focused on the impacts of microplastics on bottlenose dolphins. Prior to this, I completed my masters at the Citadel. I am involved in the Carolinas Regional Chapter and have been involved in NASAC.

Leenia Mukhopadhyay

I am a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, where I am pursuing a degree in chemistry, and one of my projects is on PFAS. I received a masters in chemistry at the National Institute of Technology Jamshedpur, India, where my research focused on nanoparticles. I have been involved in NASAC and would be honored to serve the group further.