December 2000 UKEMS Newsletter
THE UNITED KINGDOM
ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGEN SOCIETY
(The United Kingdom Branch of the
European Environmental Mutagen Society)
President:Dr B M Elliott
Central Toxicology Laboratory
Alderley Park
Macclesfield
Cheshire SK10 4TJ
Tel: 01625 515426
Fax: 01625 517911
Email: / Secretary:
Dr S W Dean
Research Toxicology Centre
Via Tito Speri 12
00040 Pomezia
Rome, ITALY
Tel: +39 06 91 09 52 13
Fax: +39 06 91 22 23 3
E-mail: / Treasurer:
Dr K Adams
Huntingdon Life Sciences
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE18 6ES
Tel: 01480 892174
Fax: 01480 890693
E-mail:
DECEMBER 2000 NEWSLETTER
Introduction
As we near the end of 2000, we can look back on one of the most successful annual meetings we have held, and look forward to more exciting conferences, with annual meetings at Nottingham in 2001, Plymouth in 2002, and with UKEMS hosting the annual EEMS meeting in 2003. We will be searching for opportunities to co-host meetings with groups having common or related interests, and looking for useful and effective ways of using the funds at our disposal. Any members with creative and constructive ideas are encouraged to contact the UKEMS committee. On behalf of the committee, I would like to wish all members a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Meetings
The programme for the 2001 UKEMS meeting in Nottingham is now taking shape starting with registration at lunchtime on Monday 2nd July and running through to lunch on Wednesday 4th. The lecture theatres and accommodation are all in the Jubilee Campus of Nottingham University, a purpose built postgraduate centre opened last year. To facilitate transport arrangements, accommodation on the campus will also be available for the Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday nights. The scientific programme will contain two main symposia. Monday afternoon will comprise a session entitled "Alternatives to Conventional Rodent Carcinogenesis Bioassays" in which it is intended to have feedback from the ILSI initiatives, to address welfare aspects of transgenic aniimals and to consider in vitro transformation assays. The biggest part of the meeting will be the symposium on Tuesday chaired by Rob Newbold (Brunel University) on “Cell Senescence,Telomeres And Telomerase In Tumour Suppression And Carcinogenesis". This will be followed by a session addressing the impact of the Human Genome Project led by Ian Dunham (Sanger Institute, Cambridge). Following what promises to be an extremely stimulating day, delegates will be able to relax at the Conference Dinner, to be held at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. Finally, the meeting will end on the Wednesday with contributed papers and Jim Parry's UKEMS Fellowship lecture entitled “From Hazard Identification To Risk Assessment; The Evolution Of The Science Of Genetic Toxicology”. We will be soliciting as many contributions as possible from the UKEMS membership, both as posters and oral papers, with further details appearing early in 2001.
UKEMS Committee
Dr David Dixon was the successful candidate in the recent ballot and I am delighted to welcome him as an Ordinary Committee Member. Our thanks go also to Dr Awadhesh Jha for his enthusiasm and the proposer and seconder who put his name forward for this ballot.
My own term of office finishes in 2002, so we will be looking for a new UKEMS Secretary Elect from next year in order to ensure a good 12-month overlap for the transfer of responsibility and information. We already have received the name of one good candidate, and enclosed you will find a nomination form if there are others out there interested in tackling this “interesting” role. If anyone wishes to find out more about what is involved, please do not hesitate to contact me.
IGG News
REPORT TO BE ADDED
MEG News
The AGM of the Molecular Epidemiology Group was held at the UKEMS annual meeting at Swansea on July 3rd 2000. The activities of the Group were summarised by the Chairman, Peter Farmer, and a report was given on the finances, which were deemed to be in good order, by the Treasurer, Ann Daly. The results of the election for committee members was announced. In a closely run race, the successful candidates were Sheila Bingham and David Phillips. Subsequently the new committee felt that it would be appropriate to invite the third candidate Lesley Rushton also to be on the committee as a coopted member, in view of her extensive epidemiology expertise, and she has now accepted this invitation.
On 21-23 September the Molecular Epidemiology Group held a very successful joint workshop with the British Association for Cancer Research (BACR), on the Applicability and Relevance of Methods used for Molecular Cancer Epidemiology. This was organised by David Shuker (on behalf of BACR) and Peter Farmer (on behalf of MEG), with abundant support from Jenny Duckmanton.
The meeting was held at the Low Wood Hotel on the shores of Lake Windermere in Cumbria, and attracted over 50 participants, many of whom were from abroad. The meeting was designed along the lines of a Gordon Conference, with opportunity to mingle with other participants and to explore the surrounding countryside. The meeting coincided with the Olympics, which gave a reasonable excuse for late evenings in the bar watching the sporting activities.
Overseas speakers were Jim Swenberg (Use of mass spectrometry in biomonitoring), Monica Hollstein (Leopard spots and p53 patches), Marlin Friesen (Short oligonucleotide mass analysis), Doug Bell (Use of microarray technology in molecular epidemiology), Soterios Kyrtopoulos (Biomarkers of genotoxicity of air pollution - results from the AULIS project) and Kirsi Vahakangas (Your tissue or mine - ethical issues in molecular epidemiology). The final plenary lecture on 'Biomarkers in molecular epidemiology: a challenge for innovative interdisciplinary research' was presented by Prof Helmut Bartsch. The meeting was introduced by David Shuker and the UK speakers included Chris Wild, Peter Farmer, Ann Daly, Sheila Bingham, David Phillips, Colin Garner, Liz Martin and Chiara Leuratti. The unanimous feeling of the participants at the end of the meeting was that it had been a great success and that, if possible, it would be good to have a follow-up meeting in 2002.
The next meeting of the Molecular Epidemiology Group was at the Scientific Societies Lecture Theatre in London on the Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases on December 4th. The presentations included lectures on BSE and variant CJD by Professor Roy Anderson (Imperial College), Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus by Dr Chris Boshoff (Royal Free and University College Medical School), parasitic
disease by Dr Judith Smith (University of Leeds) and helicobacter and gastric cancer by Profesor David Forman (University of Leeds). Sadly attendance at this meeting was very depleted because of the problems with travelling by rail, but the audience was well rewarded for their efforts in attending as the standard of presentations was very high.
The planned international meeting with the European and AACR Molecular Epidemiology Groups has been postponed until the finances have been raised.
Please note that details of forthcoming IGG and MEG meetings will be posted on the UKEMS website, together with registration details, so please visit the site regularly to keep up to date with Society activities.
EEMS News
A second announcement is expected soon for the 8th ICEM to be held in Japan in October 2001, but we do have some exciting news about a proposed Shizuoka Home-Stay Programme, organised through the IAEMS, and coordinated through EEMS. If all goes to plan, the following details are expected to be included in this announcement:
“It is expected that there will be the offer of a 'Shizuoka Home-Stay Program' arranged by the Organising Committee with the help of the Shizuoka Prefecture and the International Association of Environmental Mutagen Societies (IAEMS). Young students will be enabled to stay at private citizens’ residences as IAEMS Fellows. They will be provided with a private room, breakfast and dinner without any charge whatsoever. Their registration fees will also be exempted. The residences will usually be within 10-30 minutes travelling time from the conference site by public transport. It should be noted that the final number of applications is expected to be limited to 50 individuals. Details will be available from the local Environmental Mutagen Society to which you belong. The absolute deadline for receipt of applications is March 1, 2001.”
Thus, UKEMS hopes to receive one or two places for Student members. Since UKEMS will pay the airfare for these students, and this initiative is being channelled through the local societies. Anyone wishing to be considered for this opportunity should apply in writing to the UKEMS Secretary before Friday January 19, 2001. Applicants must include their age, details of student status, college, and course/work, the title of work to be presented at ICEM and other reasons for wanting to attend this meeting. The UKEMS committee would then make a decision in the normal way and make sure this is co-ordinated with EEMS.
Finally, the second EEMS Newsletter is due for publication on the EEMS website this month, so please visit the EEMS site and see the latest news from the local societies and information on forthcoming meetings.
Financial Matters – UKEMS Awards
We have decided to provide a clear definition of the awards that are available and criteria for eligibility, as well as a standard application form for travel awards. These really are attached this time and will also appear on the website, so you can download an application form and submit by letter, Fax or E-mail. We will, of course, review these periodically so other ideas and suggestions are always welcome. We believe we have an exciting range of awards to encourage young workers in this field, and reward them with prestige, or more tangible assets including financial assistance to travel to UK or overseas meetings. We would encourage young scientists and their supervisors to contribute fully to the UKEMS meetings and to take advantage of these schemes.
Steve Dean (Secretary)
More Meetings of Interest
16-21 March 2001, San Diego, USA, EMS Annual meeting. (Contact David DeMarini, e-mail: ).
26-29 March 2001, San Francisco, USA, 40th SOT – see
1-4 July 2001 (note the change), Nottingham, UKEMS Annual Scientific Meeting (Contact Mike O’Donovan, e-mail: ).
8-13 July 2001, Brisbane, Australia, 9th International Congress of Toxicology (Contact ASCEPT Secretariat, 145 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia, Tel: +61 2 2565456; Fax: +61 2 2523310).
1-5 September 2001, Ghent, Belgium, the 31st Annual Meeting of the EEMS “Genetic Susceptibility at Low Dose Exposure” 8CONTACT Prof H Thierens, e-mail: ).
13-16 September 2001, Istanbul, Turkey, Eurotox 2001 (Contact the congress secretariat, e-mail: ).
21-26 October 2001, Shizuoka, Japan, 8th ICEM (Contact Dr N Kinae, University of Shizuoka, Tel:+81 54 264 5528/5526; Fax: +81 54 264 5528/5099; e-mail: ). See also
18-22 March, 2002, Nashville, USA, 41st SOT.
1-3 July 2002, Plymouth, UKEMS Annual Scientific Meeting (Contact Awadhesh Jha)
July 2003, Aberdeen, EEMS Annual Scientific Meeting (Contact Andrew Collins)
11-16 July 2004, Tampere, Finland, The 10th International Congress of Toxicology (Contact Prof Hanna Tähti, E-mail or visit
Current Committee Members
Barry Elliott(President, 2000-2002, EEMS Councillor, 1999>)
Andrew Collins(Vice-President, 2000-2002)
Steve Dean(Secretary, 1996-2002)
Kevin Adams(Treasurer & Membership Secretary, 1995-2001)
Jim Parry(Mutagenesis Editor, <2000)
Julie Clements(IGG chairperson, 1999-2002)
Peter Farmer(MEG Chairperson, 1998>)
Brian Burlinson(Committee Member, 1998-2001)
Mike O’Donovan(Committee Member, 1998-2001)
David Dixon(Committee Member, 2000-2003)
(Anthony Lynch, Treasurer Elect, to become Treasurer & Membership Secretary, 2001-2004)
Our Website is
UKEMS AWARDS FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS
The UKEMS Young Scientist Award
This biennial award will be presented to a UKEMS member aged 35 or below who has made an outstanding contribution to the field. Nominations are requested from the membership by mail following publication of an announcement in the UKEMS newsletter. Adjudication will be by a panel of five judges, including three or more UKEMS Fellows, selected by the Committee. The award consists of:
- Travel, registration and accommodation expenses for the subsequent EEMS meeting
- Cheque for £250
- Inscribed UKEMS Young Scientist medal
- One year’s subscription to Mutagenesis
The recipient is expected to present an award lecture at the UKEMS annual meeting and to submit an appropriate manuscript to Mutagenesis. The recipient is encouraged to present at the EEMS meeting, also.
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UKEMS Young Scientist Travel Award
This award is presented to a UKEMS member aged 30 or below who is judged to have made the best contribution at the UKEMS annual meeting, either through a poster or platform (oral) presentation. Three judges will be selected in advance of the meeting by the Committee and adjudication will encompass both the scientific content and clarity of the presentation. Eligible persons should be undergoing undergraduate, postgraduate or postdoctoral research in connection with a University or Higher Education College at the time of deliberation. This will include those working in industry who are registered for a higher qualification with an external educational institution. The award consists of:
- A certificate.
- Up to £500 towards travel, registration and accommodation expenses at an international meeting, where the recipient is to present a poster or platform presentation.
The winner will be expected to provide a brief report summarising the highlights of the meeting, for publication in the next UKEMS Newsletter.
UKEMS Young Scientist Poster Awards
These are awarded at every annual meeting to (generally) four UKEMS members aged 30 or below who have been judged to have presented exceptionally good posters. Adjudication will be by the same judges selected for the UKEMS Young Scientist Travel Award and the same criteria apply. The awards consist of:
- A certificate
- A cash prize of £50
Assessing eligibility
In order to assess eligibility, for all abstracts and posters, the name of the lead (presenting) author must be underlined and the declarations must be completed accordingly:
“I declare that at the time of the meeting I am”:
A UKEMS student member YesNo
Aged 30 or below at the time of the meeting YesNo
Registered as an Undergraduate or Postgraduate Student YesNo
Conducting Postdoctoral Research YesNo
Circle yes or no
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UKEMS Young Scientist Travel Bursaries
UKEMS provides bursaries for UKEMS student members aged 30 or below, registered for a graduate or post-graduate degree, to attend local or international scientific meetings. Applications should be made using the appropriate application form (attached) by letter, Fax or E-mail attachment to the Treasurer, well in advance of the deadlines for registration and abstract submission for the meeting concerned, with confirmation that an abstract is to be submitted (a copy should be included). If UKEMS receives too many applications, the awards will be made on the basis of one per institute and/or on a first come-first served basis. Awards will generally consist of:
- Up to £250 towards economy class travel for meetings within the UK
- Up to £500 towards economy class travel for meetings outside the UK
Recipients are expected to provide a brief report (one or two paragraphs) summarising the highlights of the meeting they attended, for publication in the next UKEMS Newsletter.
Preference will normally be given to those who have not already received a Bursary for that year.
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President:Dr B M Elliott
Central Toxicology Laboratory
Alderley Park
Macclesfield
Cheshire SK10 4TJ
Tel: 01625 515426
Fax: 01625 517911
Email: / Secretary:
Dr S W Dean
Research Toxicology Centre
Via Tito Speri 12
00040 Pomezia
Rome, Italy
Tel: +39 06 91 09 52 13
Fax: +39 06 91 222 33
E-mail: / Treasurer:
Dr K Adams
Huntingdon Life Sciences
Huntingdon
Cambridgeshire
PE17 5HS
Tel: 01480 892174
Fax: 01480 890693
E-mail:
APPLICATION FOR A UKEMS YOUNG SCIENTIST TRAVEL BURSARY
Name:Tel No
Address of Institution:Fax no.:
E-mail:
Title of meeting for which a bursary is requested:
Location:Date(s):Registration fee:
Type and cost of accommodation:
Mode and cost of travel:
What funding is available from other sources?
Amount requested:
I attach a copy of my abstract for a poster / platform presentation (delete as applicable)
Supervisor’s declaration
I support the above application for student member travel bursary and certify that the applicant is registered for a graduate or post-graduate degree. I confirm that at the time of the meeting he/she is a UKEMS student or postdoctoral member aged 30 or below and that the details given above are correct to the best of my knowledge.
Name:Position:
Signed:Date:
NOMINATION FOR SECRETARY-ELECT OF UKEMS
(December 2000, for 2001, then Secretary from 2002)
Nomination for Secretary-Elect:
Proposer:
Signature (date):
Seconder:
Signature (date):
Please return this form, with a brief one-paragraph justification for the nomination, to Dr S W Dean (UKEMS Secretary), Research Toxicology Centre, Via Tito Speri 12, 00040 Pomezia (Roma), Italy, by Friday 2 March 2001 at the latest.
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