- Email: [email protected]
Report of the nineteenth annual meeting of the Behavioral Toxicology Society, June 24–29, 2000
Neurotoxicology and Teratology 23 (2001) 111 ± 113
Report of the nineteenth annual meeting of the Behavioral Toxicology Society, June 24±29, 2000 Philip J. Bushnell Head, Behavioral Toxicology Laboratory, Division of Neurotoxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas, USA
1. Introduction
2. Business meeting summary
The Behavioral Toxicology Society (BTS) convened its nineteenth annual meeting in conjunction with the 24th annual meeting of the Neurobehavioral Teratology Society at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, from June 24 to June 29, 2000. The BTS Business Meeting opened the proceedings Sunday morning, and was followed by a session of platform presentations chaired by Walter Weisenburger. A symposium organized by Frans van Haaren and supported by NIDA entitled ``Impulsivity: Precursor to and sequel of toxicant exposure'' filled the afternoon. The first ever meeting of the Editorial Board of Neurotoxicology and Teratology convened that evening, and featured reports by Editor-in-Chief Chip Vorhees and Managing Editor Lulu Stader from Elsevier Science, Inc. In addition, a joint BTS / NBTS / Organization of Teratology Information Services / Teratology Society President's Reception / Mixer continued until all were sated with science and society business. BTS members had a break Monday morning while NBTS Council met; this was followed by the inaugural Primedica Lecture, given by Greg McCarthy of the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University Medical Center. After this intriguing and eye-opening talk, we enjoyed our annual banquet, also supported by Primedica. The afternoon featured a well-attended joint BTS / NBTS symposium organized by Ginger Moser and sponsored by the National Center for Environmental Assessment of the EPA, entitled ``Revisiting the developmental neurotoxicity test guideline''. This symposium was followed by a joint BTS / NBTS / TS poster session in the evening which concluded the BTS portion of the meeting and segueÂd smoothly into the NBTS meetings that followed.
2.1. New officers Phil Bushnell announced the results of the recent election and welcomed the new officers of the Society: President: Chris Newland of Auburn University (Presidential term: 2000 ±2001) President-Elect: Ed Levin of Duke University (Presidential term: 2001 ± 2002) Secretary: Bob Parker of DuPont Haskell Laboratory (2000 ±2002) Elections for President-elect for the 2002± 2003 presidential term and for Treasurer will be held before the next meeting. 2.2. Committee reports 2.2.1. Treasury and fund-raising Treasurer Ginger Moser reported that BTS has 76 duespaying members as of the end of June, 2000. Of the $2054 taken in as dues in fiscal year 2000, $1296 have been paid to Elsevier for subscriptions to Neurotoxicology and Teratology. In addition, we have had $160 in donations from members. Some members have not yet paid 2000 dues, even though they were members in good standing during 1998 and/or 1999. As of 6/21/00, we had $11,848.85 cash balance, but much of that money will go towards expenses of the 2000 meeting. It is too early to know the monetary impact of the 2000 joint meeting in Palm Beach. There were a total of 99 attendees and two guest registrants. We received generous
112
P.J. Bushnell / Neurotoxicology and Teratology 23 (2001) 111±113
donations from Elsevier Science ($1000) and the Society of Toxicology ($500). In addition, the very successful Primedica lecture and luncheon were supported by Primedica Corp. with their donation of $3000. Frans van Haaren applied for and received NIDA conference support through a R-13 grant ($7500) for his impulsivity symposium, and Ginger Moser received support (approximately $3100) from the National Center for Environmental Assessment of the U.S. EPA for her symposium on the developmental neurotoxicity guidelines (joint BTS / NBTS symposium). This year has thus been the most successful fund-raising year in our history, with over $15,000 worth of meeting enhancements to the Society's credit. We thank our sponsors for their generous support and will pursue additional sources for supporting our future meetings, to further elevate the quality of the meetings, to encourage attendance, and to keep costs low. 2.2.2. Membership Secretary Walter Weisenburger reported that membership remained steady this year and called for ideas for increasing interest in the Society in young investigators. 2.2.3. Constitution and bylaws President Phil Bushnell reported that the By-Laws of the Society were approved by vote of the membership last year and have been published in Neurotoxicology and Teratology [22(2):311 ±316, 2000]. The Society has also obtained an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and has been incorporated in the State of North Carolina as a non-profit organization. An application to the IRS for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRC has been submitted and is being reviewed by the IRS now. Tax-exempt status will facilitate fund-raising from private industry, which will be able to deduct donations to BTS from their tax liability. 2.2.4. Note added after the meeting As of July 14, 2000, BTS has been granted nonprofit status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. This means that we can inform our sponsors and potential sponsors that contributions to the Society are tax-exempt. 2.3. Journal Our new section editor for Behavioral Toxicology, Deborah Rice, was unable to attend the business meeting. Phil Bushnell relayed her report that submissions to the section, since she took over in August 1999, numbered 16, of which 4 had been accepted as of June 23, 2000. Statistics from the Editor-in-Chief indicated that submissions overall to the Journal were very low (about 60% of normal) this year.
3. Web page Our website manager, Kent Anger, was unable to attend the meeting. The web page address remains Home.ATT.Net/ ~AngerK/BTS. Many thanks to Kent for his countless hours of service to the society in establishing, maintaining, and updating this site. There was discussion about creating an independent URL for the site, which would require a volunteer and Society funds. 3.1. Association for assessment and accreditation of laboratory animal care international Merle Paule has assumed the important function of BTS' representative to AAALAC International, beginning his three-year term in September, 1999. Merle called for volunteers from the Society to join site visiting teams organized by AAALAC. 3.2. Meeting Issues Ideas for the 2001 meeting were discussed. Given that the Society business meeting occurred before the scientific sessions began, the success of the present joint meeting with NBTS was impossible to judge. It was decided that incoming President Chris Newland would poll the society soon after the meeting with specific proposals and let the membership decide the next venue on that basis. Publication of abstracts and symposium summaries remains an important issue. The flexible abstract submission procedure used this year was deemed viable, as it allows submitters to request publication of their abstracts by BTS or not, based upon the nature of the work submitted and whether it had been presented previously at another venue. No discussion about changing the membership dues was entertained. The dues will therefore remain unchanged for the next year. 3.3. Scientific presentations Reports of the two symposia will be published at a future date by the organizers, Frans van Haaren, Phil Bushnell, and Ginger Moser. Abstracts of the symposium talks and of most other presentations at the meeting were published in the program, which can be obtained from Phil Bushnell, Neurotoxicology Division, MD 74B, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; or by email at [email protected]. Those abstracts representing new work are also published in this issue of Neurotoxicology and Teratology, if so requested by the senior authors. The membership is strongly encouraged to organize symposia for future meetings and special issues of Neurotoxicology and Teratology. Special thematic issues could include a series of papers from a symposium, an open peer commentary, or a set of reviews of related topics. These issues will elevate the stature of both the journal and the
P.J. Bushnell / Neurotoxicology and Teratology 23 (2001) 111±113
society, by increasing readership and visibility of the work we do. 3.4. Acknowledgments Finally, please join me in thanking our generous contributors, without whom this meeting would not have been half as much fun:
National Institute on Drug Abuse National Center for Environmental Assessment, U.S. EPA The Primedica Corporation Elsevier Science, Inc. The Society of Toxicology
113
Report of the nineteenth annual meeting of the Behavioral Toxicology Society, June 24±29, 2000 Philip J. Bushnell Head, Behavioral Toxicology Laboratory, Division of Neurotoxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas, USA
1. Introduction
2. Business meeting summary
The Behavioral Toxicology Society (BTS) convened its nineteenth annual meeting in conjunction with the 24th annual meeting of the Neurobehavioral Teratology Society at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, from June 24 to June 29, 2000. The BTS Business Meeting opened the proceedings Sunday morning, and was followed by a session of platform presentations chaired by Walter Weisenburger. A symposium organized by Frans van Haaren and supported by NIDA entitled ``Impulsivity: Precursor to and sequel of toxicant exposure'' filled the afternoon. The first ever meeting of the Editorial Board of Neurotoxicology and Teratology convened that evening, and featured reports by Editor-in-Chief Chip Vorhees and Managing Editor Lulu Stader from Elsevier Science, Inc. In addition, a joint BTS / NBTS / Organization of Teratology Information Services / Teratology Society President's Reception / Mixer continued until all were sated with science and society business. BTS members had a break Monday morning while NBTS Council met; this was followed by the inaugural Primedica Lecture, given by Greg McCarthy of the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University Medical Center. After this intriguing and eye-opening talk, we enjoyed our annual banquet, also supported by Primedica. The afternoon featured a well-attended joint BTS / NBTS symposium organized by Ginger Moser and sponsored by the National Center for Environmental Assessment of the EPA, entitled ``Revisiting the developmental neurotoxicity test guideline''. This symposium was followed by a joint BTS / NBTS / TS poster session in the evening which concluded the BTS portion of the meeting and segueÂd smoothly into the NBTS meetings that followed.
2.1. New officers Phil Bushnell announced the results of the recent election and welcomed the new officers of the Society: President: Chris Newland of Auburn University (Presidential term: 2000 ±2001) President-Elect: Ed Levin of Duke University (Presidential term: 2001 ± 2002) Secretary: Bob Parker of DuPont Haskell Laboratory (2000 ±2002) Elections for President-elect for the 2002± 2003 presidential term and for Treasurer will be held before the next meeting. 2.2. Committee reports 2.2.1. Treasury and fund-raising Treasurer Ginger Moser reported that BTS has 76 duespaying members as of the end of June, 2000. Of the $2054 taken in as dues in fiscal year 2000, $1296 have been paid to Elsevier for subscriptions to Neurotoxicology and Teratology. In addition, we have had $160 in donations from members. Some members have not yet paid 2000 dues, even though they were members in good standing during 1998 and/or 1999. As of 6/21/00, we had $11,848.85 cash balance, but much of that money will go towards expenses of the 2000 meeting. It is too early to know the monetary impact of the 2000 joint meeting in Palm Beach. There were a total of 99 attendees and two guest registrants. We received generous
112
P.J. Bushnell / Neurotoxicology and Teratology 23 (2001) 111±113
donations from Elsevier Science ($1000) and the Society of Toxicology ($500). In addition, the very successful Primedica lecture and luncheon were supported by Primedica Corp. with their donation of $3000. Frans van Haaren applied for and received NIDA conference support through a R-13 grant ($7500) for his impulsivity symposium, and Ginger Moser received support (approximately $3100) from the National Center for Environmental Assessment of the U.S. EPA for her symposium on the developmental neurotoxicity guidelines (joint BTS / NBTS symposium). This year has thus been the most successful fund-raising year in our history, with over $15,000 worth of meeting enhancements to the Society's credit. We thank our sponsors for their generous support and will pursue additional sources for supporting our future meetings, to further elevate the quality of the meetings, to encourage attendance, and to keep costs low. 2.2.2. Membership Secretary Walter Weisenburger reported that membership remained steady this year and called for ideas for increasing interest in the Society in young investigators. 2.2.3. Constitution and bylaws President Phil Bushnell reported that the By-Laws of the Society were approved by vote of the membership last year and have been published in Neurotoxicology and Teratology [22(2):311 ±316, 2000]. The Society has also obtained an Employer Identification Number from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and has been incorporated in the State of North Carolina as a non-profit organization. An application to the IRS for tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRC has been submitted and is being reviewed by the IRS now. Tax-exempt status will facilitate fund-raising from private industry, which will be able to deduct donations to BTS from their tax liability. 2.2.4. Note added after the meeting As of July 14, 2000, BTS has been granted nonprofit status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. This means that we can inform our sponsors and potential sponsors that contributions to the Society are tax-exempt. 2.3. Journal Our new section editor for Behavioral Toxicology, Deborah Rice, was unable to attend the business meeting. Phil Bushnell relayed her report that submissions to the section, since she took over in August 1999, numbered 16, of which 4 had been accepted as of June 23, 2000. Statistics from the Editor-in-Chief indicated that submissions overall to the Journal were very low (about 60% of normal) this year.
3. Web page Our website manager, Kent Anger, was unable to attend the meeting. The web page address remains Home.ATT.Net/ ~AngerK/BTS. Many thanks to Kent for his countless hours of service to the society in establishing, maintaining, and updating this site. There was discussion about creating an independent URL for the site, which would require a volunteer and Society funds. 3.1. Association for assessment and accreditation of laboratory animal care international Merle Paule has assumed the important function of BTS' representative to AAALAC International, beginning his three-year term in September, 1999. Merle called for volunteers from the Society to join site visiting teams organized by AAALAC. 3.2. Meeting Issues Ideas for the 2001 meeting were discussed. Given that the Society business meeting occurred before the scientific sessions began, the success of the present joint meeting with NBTS was impossible to judge. It was decided that incoming President Chris Newland would poll the society soon after the meeting with specific proposals and let the membership decide the next venue on that basis. Publication of abstracts and symposium summaries remains an important issue. The flexible abstract submission procedure used this year was deemed viable, as it allows submitters to request publication of their abstracts by BTS or not, based upon the nature of the work submitted and whether it had been presented previously at another venue. No discussion about changing the membership dues was entertained. The dues will therefore remain unchanged for the next year. 3.3. Scientific presentations Reports of the two symposia will be published at a future date by the organizers, Frans van Haaren, Phil Bushnell, and Ginger Moser. Abstracts of the symposium talks and of most other presentations at the meeting were published in the program, which can be obtained from Phil Bushnell, Neurotoxicology Division, MD 74B, U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; or by email at [email protected]. Those abstracts representing new work are also published in this issue of Neurotoxicology and Teratology, if so requested by the senior authors. The membership is strongly encouraged to organize symposia for future meetings and special issues of Neurotoxicology and Teratology. Special thematic issues could include a series of papers from a symposium, an open peer commentary, or a set of reviews of related topics. These issues will elevate the stature of both the journal and the
P.J. Bushnell / Neurotoxicology and Teratology 23 (2001) 111±113
society, by increasing readership and visibility of the work we do. 3.4. Acknowledgments Finally, please join me in thanking our generous contributors, without whom this meeting would not have been half as much fun:
National Institute on Drug Abuse National Center for Environmental Assessment, U.S. EPA The Primedica Corporation Elsevier Science, Inc. The Society of Toxicology
113