Professional Development

Communities

SETAC members can log into communities.setac.net with their SETAC username and password and have access to all the current discussions about the meeting including the pub crawl, roomshare / rideshare and message board.

Short Courses

	Short Courses
	Full-Day		Half-Day
	By 4 Oct	After 4 Oct	By 4 Oct	After 4 Oct
Member	$ 230	$ 355	$ 120	$ 185
Member (Student)	$ 75	$ 115	$ 45	$ 65
Nonmember	$ 260	$ 385	$ 150	$ 225
Nonmember (Student)	$ 85	$ 125	$ 55	$ 75

SHORT COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Half-day Courses - Sunday, 8:00am - Noon

SC05 :: Toxicity Identification and Reduction Evaluations
SC10 :: Nanomaterials: Environmental Implications and Applications

Half-day Courses - Sunday, 1:00pm - 5:00pm

~~SC11~~ ~~:: Environmental labeling – The Do's and Dont's~~ (Cancelled)

Full-day Courses - Sunday, 8:00am - 5:00pm

SC01 :: Spatially Explicit Techniques in Ecological Risk Assessment
SC02 :: Environmental Chemistry for Non-Chemists
SC03 :: Advanced mass spectrometric analysis for endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals in the environment
SC04 :: Statistics in Ecotoxicology using R
SC06 :: Identifying Causes of Biological Impairments Using the EPA’s CADDIS System
SC07 :: Comparative risk of toxics on humans and ecosystems
~~SC08 :: Understanding Freshwater Mussels and their Significance in Toxicity Research and Water Quality Management~~ (Cancelled)
SC09 :: Approaches to Utilizing Amphibians and Reptiles in Environmental Assessments
SC12 :: Conversations that stick

Course: SC01

Title: Spatially Explicit Techniques in Ecological Risk Assessment

Instructor: Bruce Hope

When assessing the impact of chemical and non-chemical stressors on ecological receptors, it is generally recognized that the relative spatial positions of receptors and stressors can strongly influence estimates of exposure and hence of effect. It has been common to assume that receptors have equal and random access to all parts of an entire study area. That receptors and stressors may not be evenly distributed in space or that a receptor may not be able to move completely at random through space (i.e., unconstrained by available habitat or physical barriers) are often not considerations. Ignoring the heterogeneous distribution of receptors, their habitats, and stressors may lead to false positive or false negative outcomes, either of which are potentially misleading to environmental managers. Tools for incorporating such spatial considerations in ecological assessments are becoming increasingly available but have yet to gain wide acceptance or use. This workshop will explore recent advances in spatially-explicit assessment techniques that may be practically applied to both terrestrial and aquatic environments. It will also discuss environmental managers' willingness to consider results based on these methods when making decisions for protection of natural resources.

Course: SC02

Title: Environmental Chemistry for Non-Chemists

Instructor: James G. Straka

Environmental scientists come from a broad range of disciplines, ranging from physics to engineering to biology to ecology. Each area of expertise suits the individual to evaluate environmental impacts from different unique perspectives. From a broad point of view, however, understanding environmental fate and effects of chemicals and formulations of chemicals is closely associated with the chemistry of the material(s) of interest. This suggests that environmental scientists should have at least a minimal understanding of chemical structures and reactivities, and how these factors may affect important environmental parameters such as mass transport, biotic and abiotic degradation, bioaccumulation or bioconcentration, and toxicity. This short course will address a few of the more important topics of chemical interest that will provide the environmental scientist with the tools to better evaluate chemicals and the impacts they will have in the environment. Topics will include: 1. Physical chemistry a. free energy and “fugacity” b. pH and its effect on transport phenomena 2. Organic chemistry a. structures and functional groups b. affects of structure on solubility and mass transport c. reactivity 3. Inorganic chemistry a. oxidation – reduction b. reactivities and solubilities in aqueous environments c. bioaccumulation.

Course: SC03

Title: Advanced mass spectrometric analysis for endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals in the environment

Instructor: Damia Barcelo

In this course you will learn about the various mass spectrometric methods used for the determination of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals in environmental samples. Among the EDCs we have selected five groups of compounds that are of priority within European Union and US research activities: alkylphenols, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, phthalates and steroid sex hormones. Target pharmaceuticals included in this short course will be antibiotics, ß-blockers, anti-inflammatory drugs, lipid regulators and psychiatric drugs.

In the past , GC-MS has been the technique most commonly employed for the environmental analysis of EDCs and selected pharmaceuticals like anti-inflammatory drugs . However, due to the poor volatility and/or polarity of some compounds, derivatisations step aimed to produce more volatile products is required to improve the sensitivity of subsequent GC analysis. Thus, the advantages of better sensitivity are sometimes largely offset by loss of sample during the additional manipulation. Furthermore, each derivatisation step is generally focused on one group of target analytes, producing volatile derivatives of the expected compounds, and thus discriminating related compounds and metabolites, which are simultaneously present but differ in structure. This is the reason why, for some groups of EDCs and pharmaceuticals, GC-MS and GC-MS-MS methodology has been recently substituted with LC-MS and mainly with LC-MS-MS. LC-MS-MS has gained in popularity, due to the sensitivity, ruggedness and ease of use given by API interfaces, such as electrospray (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), respectively Combined with a new generation of MS equipment (single triple quadrupole, ilinear on-trap and time of flight), LC-MS and LC-MS-MS have become often routine methods for several classes of EDCs, and pharmaceuticals such as alkylphenolic compounds, synthetic and natural steroids ,bisphenolic compounds , brominated flame retardants like HBCD , antibiotics, ß-blockers, anti-inflammatory drugs, lipid regulators and psychiatric drugs. The latest developments on the use of LC-Q-TOF-MS and other hybrid instruments for multi-residue analysis of pharmaceuticals will also be reported.

Course: SC04

Title: Statistics in Ecotoxicology using R

Instructor: Stephen Cox

The primary goals of this course are to introduce participants to R, a freely available and very powerful tool for conducting statistical analyses, and to demonstrate the capabilities and tools available in R that are specifically relevant to environmental toxicologists. Example topics include basic data input and manipulation, graphics, and statistical modeling with emphasis on dose response modeling and survival analysis. The course is intended for participants who would like a brief introduction to some of the statistical tools that are particularly relevant to ecotoxicologists, or are familiar with statistics but are interested in the R programming environment. Some conceptual background information about relevant statistical tests will be presented. Participants need to bring their own laptops to step through several exercises on their own. Only a general understanding of basic statistical principles (sampling, hypothesis testing, and probability distributions) is required.

Course: SC05

Title: Toxicity Identification and Reduction Evaluations

Instructor: Wayne McCulloch

Concepts of toxicity identification evaluation/toxicity reduction evaluations (TIE/TRE)for effluents are presented. The primary objective of this course is to provide a level of awareness of TIE/TRE procedures to professionals who are relatively unfamiliar with the process. The course will benefit regulators and permittees who require a basic understanding of TIEs/TREs and how they are performed. For environmental services professionals who wish to perform TIEs/TREs, this course will serve to introduce them to the topic and allow them to begin to effectively participate in TIE/TRE programs. Topics covered include related permitting issues; TIE/TRE procedures including characterization, identification and confirmation approaches; toxicity treatment evaluations; TDS studies, helpful suggestions for performing TIEs/TREs; and case examples of a number of different types of TREs. Ample time is provided for questions/discussions and interactions with course attendees. The target audience is industrial and municipal professionals who are responsible for NPDES compliance and who have a need to understand the general framework for TREs, Environmental services and regulatory professionals who are relatively new to the field of effluent toxicology and permitting will also benefit.

Course: SC06

Title: Identifying Causes of Biological Impairments Using the EPA’s CADDIS System

Instructor: Glenn Suter

Increasingly in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere, biological survey techniques are being used to identify impaired populations and communities. The next step is to identify the causes of impairments so that they can be remediated. The EPA has developed a methodology for performing these causal analyses called Stressor Identification (SI), for impaired aquatic communities identified under the Clean Water Act. However, the methodology is generally useful and has been applied to biological impairments associated with contaminated sites (Superfund) and in other contexts. This course will present the concept of causation and its relationship to observed environmental effects. It will then present the SI methodology which includes 1) defining the impairment, 2) developing conceptual models, 3) converting data into evidence, 4) analyzing the evidence by three methods (elimination, diagnosis, and strength of evidence), 5) identifying the most likely cause, evaluating confidence in the results, and 6) either reiterating the process or presenting the results to the appropriate manager. This presentation will include short exercises to inculcate critical skills. The Causal Analysis/Diagnosis Decision Information System (CADDIS) will be introduced. Finally, students will perform a case study. All participants should bring their own laptop, as they will not be provided.

Course: SC07

Title: Comparative risk of toxics on humans and ecosystems

Instructor: Manuele Margni

To answer the increasing need of methods assessing the risk of toxic emissions on human health and ecosystems this course provides a practical overview of multimedia chemical fate modeling, multi-pathway human exposure modeling, and estimation of comparative indicators for human health and aquatic ecotoxicological impact. Typical environmental mass balance modeling concepts are explained, like partitioning coefficients, 1st order rate coefficients, mass balances, persistence, and long-range transport. The fundamentals of multipathway models are then presented for human intake via inhalation, drinking water and food. A brief theoretical introduction is also presented to estimate risk-based and disability-adjusted-life-years (DALY)-based effect, as well ecotoxicological effect factors. Finally, straightforward examples are provided from raw data sets to characterisation factors estimates for human health and ecotoxicological impacts using the consensus model developed by SETAC/UNEP Life Cycle Initiative designed specifically for the comparative assessment of chemical fate, human exposure, and (eco)toxicological impacts This short course is strongly based on the outcomes of an international project, where six models where compared and harmonized to develop the consensus model used to calculate recommended characterization of toxic impacts in Life Cycle Impact Assessment.

Course: SC09

Title: Approaches to Utilizing Amphibians and Reptiles in Environmental Assessments

Instructor: Sherry Krest

Amphibians and reptiles (herptiles) are often in close contact with soils, sediments, and water on contaminated sites. Herptiles also represent a significant proportion of the biomass in many ecosystems, and a wide range of species in higher trophic levels feeds upon them. These factors have made herptiles the focus of an increasing amount of environmental assessments on contaminated sites. This course will present the methods necessary to design and implement effective herptile studies on contaminated sites, focusing on the integration of field and lab studies. It includes reviews of herptile ecology, potential exposure routes, and assays and techniques currently being used in the field and laboratory. The course will benefit scientists, regulators, and risk management professionals who are considering herptiles in their environmental assessments. Monitoring methods, including habitat characterization, marking, and capture techniques, will be presented. Laboratory and field assays assessing potential effects of contaminants at different stages of amphibian development -- embryo-larval development, limb development, metamorphosis, and sexual development -- will also be discussed. The course will conclude with a realistic site situation in which participants are given an opportunity to design a study incorporating the methods discussed in the class.

Course: SC10

Title: Nanomaterials: Environmental Implications and Applications

Instructor: Kathleen Sellers

The development and applications of nanomaterials have presented unique problems to environmental scientists and risk assessors. Nanomaterials include a wide diversity of material types and variations within types. The novel properties of these materials provide a high level of versatility that is being applied in product and process design. This usage has spilled over into the environmental realm where these properties are being applied to economically and efficiently solve problems associated with waste treatment as well as the clean-up of already-contaminated environmental media. However, because these materials are not true solutes and interact as surface moieties rather than solution constituents, the models and paradigms typically used to predict environmental behavior are inadequate. New considerations that take into account conditions of surface chemistry need to be added to the standard model. Regulations have been slow to catch up with the rapid development of these materials but new compliance requirements are likely to be forthcoming as nanomaterials gain greater exposure.

Course: SC12

Title: Conversations that stick

Instructor: Merrill Ronning

The way you talk sets you apart. To be identified as someone worth listening to is essential in this noisy and over-communicated world. The three most important ingredients for developing Conversations That Stick are; First, learn how to stop and get your bearings as to what is required in the conversation! Don't just talk, communicate! Secondly, it is critical that an organizational method be used so that you and your audience have a road map to follow as you speak and they listen. Thirdly, to learn how to grab their attention and be assured that the listener will recall (STICK) your conversation by using stories, examples, illustrations and demonstrations. As this skill is developed your ability to improve your effectiveness will increase because your audience will SEE, UNDERSTAND and USE what you've talked about! I look forward to guiding you toward "Conversations That Stick!"