The Carolinas SETAC Regional Chapter Annual Meeting was held April 19-21st 2023 in Charleston, SC. Over 70 scientists from both North and South Carolina made it to the meeting held at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resource’s Marine Resources Research Institute on Fort Johnson. The meeting featured a short course on Wednesday afternoon titled “Tools for toxicologists: EPA resources to support environmental health,” a full day of presentations on Thursday followed by a career roundtable event for students and a tour of the NOAA Hollings Marine Laboratory mesocosms, then a poster session on Friday morning.
Congratulations to our student presentation award winners!
Best Platform Presentations
Graduate Student Award
1st Place: Jonathan Stewart, College of Charleston: “The impacts of select PFAS-free Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFFs) on the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica.”
2nd Place: Jessica Wenclawiak, College of Charleston: “Microplastic Accumulation in Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) co-Exposed to Vibrio vulnificus and Microcystis aeruginosa: A Toxicokinetic Approach”
Undergraduate Student Award
1st Place Platform: Appalachian State University Project team “Middle Fork of the South Fork New River Pre-Restoration Assessment”: Rian Habel, Sam McCrary, Zach Williamson, Rodrigo Roque
Best Poster Presentations
Graduate Student Award
1st Place: Bridget Knapp, US EPA ORISE: “Identifying Negative Control Chemicals for use in Larval Zebrafish Behavior Assays”
2nd Place: Seraiah Coe, UNC-Greensboro: “Involuntary Inheritance: Ancestral BPA exposure alters susceptibility to liver and reproductive disorders induced by novel PFOS exposure”
Undergraduate Student Award
1st Place Poster: Chase Plyler, Appalachian State University: “Vertical profiling of atmospheric hydrocarbons using uncrewed aerial systems to quantify emissions from natural oil seeps”
In addition to great science, CSETAC members had a chance to socialize at Bohemian Bull on Wednesday and Fams Brewery and Pizzeria on Thursday. Both social events were well attended and a great opportunity to connect with familiar faces as well as new colleagues.
We would like to thank Barbara Beckingham (College of Charleston) for organizing our time in Charleston as her final role as CSETAC Past-President. As of the conclusion of this meeting, Sue Calcagni (Catawba College) is now the Past-President and Pete Key (NOAA) is now the President of Carolinas SETAC!
Our next annual meeting will be in Boone, NC hosted by Shea Tuberty (Appalachian State University) in spring of 2024. We look forward to meeting again then, if not at the SETAC North American Annual Meeting in Louisville this fall.