Pensacola, Fla.—SETAC North America has added a special session, “Breaking News—Oil Spill Update,” to the lineup of scientific events during its 31st Annual Meeting from November 7–11 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore.
Representatives from academia, business and government who are actively engaged in assessing and monitoring the effects of the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill will bring their latest research findings to this year’s meeting. Oil-spill related topics include crude oil chemistry, ecotoxicology of crude oil and dispersants, hydrocarbon concentrations in affected media, natural resource conditions, summary statistics and comparisons to other large crude spills (Ixtoc and Exxon Valdez).
Plenary speaker Paul A. Sandifer, senior science advisor to the NOAA administrator, will kick off oil-related events on Monday with his presentation on “NOAA, Oil Spills, the Deepwater Horizon and New Directions in Ocean Policy.” On Tuesday, a special symposium, “Spill in the Gulf: Oil Spill Responses, Scientific Issues and Expectations,” will include an introductory panel presentation and discussion featuring representatives from NOAA, U.S. EPA, Queens University, University of Louisville and Exponent, an engineering and scientific consulting firm. More than 40 posters, “Spill in the Gulf: Fate, Behavior and Effects of the Gulf Oil Spill,” will be presented on Wednesday, followed by a full-day platform session featuring “Spill in the Gulf: Informing Our Scientific Understanding” on Thursday.The SETAC 31st Annual Meeting will draw more than 2,500 scientists, assessors, regulators and managers from around the world as they discuss the latest in environmental science. Presentations will number more than 1,900, resulting in a record number of sessions and featuring topics such as nanotoxicology, contaminants and wildlife, climate change, sustainability and genetically engineered crops.
For more information about SETAC, visit www.setac.org. For information about the 31st Annual Meeting, visit portland.setac.org.
SETAC is a not-for-profit, worldwide professional organization comprised of nearly 6000 individuals and institutions in 80 countries dedicated to the study, analysis and solution of environmental problems, the management and regulation of natural resources, research and development and environmental education. Our mission is to support the development of principles and practices for protection, enhancement and management of sustainable environmental quality and ecosystem integrity. SETAC fulfills its mission by providing a platform for the advancement and application of scientific research related to contaminants and other stressors in the environment, education in the environmental sciences and the use of science in environmental policy and decision-making.