Membership

Image created by Andrew Lehoullier

New Session! - Career Chat: Exploring Government, Academia, and Industry   

In this event starting off the Tuesday sessions, all students and early career professionals are invited to participate in a Q&A session with participants from each sector – academia, government, and industry. Students/early-careers will travel to each triad table where they will have approximately 15 minutes to ask questions about various careers in each sector. We kindly ask that all other attendees volunteer in this event as representatives of their respective sector, to provide their valuable advice and career experiences. We hope that this event will provide students and young professionals with beneficial insight and foster more connections within our Midwest SETAC community! Come prepared to ask questions, give advice, and learn from each other. Some possible questions to think about:

​     - What advice did you wish you had while you were in undergraduate/graduate/postgraduate?

     - ​What did your career path look like? 

     - ​​What keeps you motivated in your current role?

​


​In 2019, citizens in Ely, Minnesota realized that much of the effort to prevent the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species was highly local and driven by a lake association, and that the Boundary Waters had no lake association to organize an AIS Prevention Plan for the area. MLR worked to organize a pilot group to test using the Civic Organizing framework and the result is the AIS Boundary Waters Collaborative, ABC. The ABC has had significant impact on preventing and managing AIS in the Arrowhead of Minnesota.

​​Location


3M Innovation Center

​2350 Minnehaha Ave E, Maplewood, MN 55119


Parking is free on site and will not be limited.


Find directions from your travel location here. 


 Presented by Jeff Forester Executive Director, Minnesota Lakes & Rivers Advocates

​

"Minnesota Lakes and Rivers (MLR) is a Civic Organizing Agency through Midwest Active Citizenship Initiative (MACI). We drive citizen stewardship of the social and ecological vitality of Minnesota’s waterways. By building the civic imagination and infrastructure necessary at the local level we are safeguarding Minnesota’s lake heritage, lake by lake by lake."

       -  Minnesota Lakes & Rivers mission statement,            from MLR website

​

short course


Introduction to the Global Chemical Registration Process
     Presented by Peter Rose and Catherine Jacobson, 3M Toxicologists
     Monday, April 14, 10:00 –11:30 AM​

     Cost: Free when registering before March 28, after $15, $5 for students

  

Global chemical manufacturing requires navigating an intricate web of regulations and registration processes. In this short course, the primary chemical regulatory framework of EU REACH will be discussed in detail. This will include specific information requirements for a chemical's use, toxicity, and environmental fate testing required for risk assessments. Additionally, internationally recognized requirements, such as use of standardized OECD test guides and an overview of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) quality requirements will be recovered. Lastly, resources for learning about where this data is stored and can be accessed will be shared.  

Midwest SETAC 32nd Annual Scientific Meeting



Beyond the Bench: Uniting Science, Community, and Decision-Making


​

April 14 - April 15, 2025

3M Innovation Center - Maplewood, MN​

Join the Executive Board

Consider joining the Midwest SETAC Executive board! Board members help plan meetings and other activities throughout the year. It is a great way to network and develop your leadership skills. We will have open positions for both standard board members (3 year term) and a student board member (1 year term). Those interested can self nominate or nominate others in person at the Chapter Meeting or by email to Gavin Saari, Chapter President, at gavin.saari@gmail.com. Feel free to check in with any of the current board members if you are interested or have further questions. Nominations will be accepted until the vote takes place at the Chapter Business Meeting on April 15. More information can be found on our Chapter Governance page.​

Engage with us!


The meeting is approaching soon! See some ways to engage before and at the meeting below:


​


Students: Apply for a Scholarship!

In honor of a member of the chapter, Midwest SETAC offers a $500 Legends Scholarship to a student who has demonstrated the ability to perform original research in the field of either environmental toxicology or chemistry. All students are encouraged to apply! Please review the requirements and consider submitting an application. Applications must be submitted by April 14. ​

​3M Innovation Center Tour

    Monday, April 14, 4:00 - 5:00 PM


     Cost: Free when registering for the meeting, sign up during registration


​An interactive group tour of 3M's customer connection and business development center that focuses on connecting you to 3M Innovation. 


Please sign up for the tour during meeting registration, as we need a count of those interested. No other meeting activities will be occurring during this time. If you are not interested in the tour, consider using this

time for personal networking or quiet worktime.

important dates

​ 

​​               If you encounter difficulties submitting this application please contact caryt@beloit.edu

  • March 17: Platform abstract submission deadline (extended from March 10!)

                     Abstract acceptances sent out on a rolling basis

  • March 21:  Poster abstract submission deadline (extended from March 10!)

​​                 Abstract acceptances sent out on a rolling basis

Participate in the Career Chat

New to the meeting this year! All meeting participants are invited to participate in mini-group discussions divided by sector — government, industry and academia — where students and peers can ask questions about career paths, typical work life, words of wisdom and other insights for building a successful career in the sciences. See below for more information on this session, and come ready to share your advice!​

Other activities



Cottage Grove Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour Sign-up closed!


​​     Two times offered:

             - Monday, April 14, 10:00-11:00 AM (during short course)

             - Tuesday, April 15, 1:30-2:30 PM (after meeting concludes)​     

​

     Cost: Free when registering for the meeting, sign up during registration


Join Midwest SETAC for a tour of the 3M Cottage Grove Water Quality Building and an in-person tour of the Cottage Grove Wastewater treatment plant, described here as follows: "The systems, which began construction in 2021, are engineered specifically to remove a range of PFAS from groundwater as part of a long-running cleanup program, as well as water from manufacturing processes."


Please plan for ~30 minutes travel from the 3M campus, tour will start at an offsite location. Please indicate at registration if you are interested in attending a tour - each tour has a limited number of attendees and will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Sign up will close April 7, or once all participant slots are full. More information regarding address and attire will be shared with those who sign up.​


​​​​hotel


​​Hotel block closed - you may still ask for a room at the conference hotel, but block pricing may no longer be honored.


A hotel block is reserved at the DoubleTree by Hilton St. Paul East MN at the rate of $129.00/night. A limited number of rooms are available on a first come, first served basis, or until March 30, 2025. You may book a room in the block online or by calling (651) 731-2220 and asking for the Midwest SETAC block. The rooms include free cancellation before 11:59 PM local hotel time on April 12, 2025.


The hotel is located at 2201 Burns Avenue, St Paul, MN 55119, approximately a 5 minute drive from the 3M Innovation Center, where the conference will be held. If booking with the SETAC block, the hotel will waive self-parking fees. The hotel will provide a parking validation QR code prior to check in with directions to bypass the parking fee.

Volunteer as a Judge

The Midwest SETAC board is looking for volunteers to judge student submissions for the Student Best Paper and Platform Competition. During the annual meeting, the best student submissions are determined by a volunteer panel of environmental scientists and Midwest SETAC members via a provided grading rubric. The awards are to be used for student winners to defray costs to attend and present their poster or platform at the annual National SETAC meeting. If you are interested in being a judge, please contact rebecca.fahney@wi.gov.​

Participate in the Raffle

Consider donating an item or purchasing raffle tickets (in person, at the meeting) to support the Midwest SETAC Raffle! All proceeds help to fund the SETAC Student Travel Awards that support students financially to attend SETAC conferences. If you have items you would like to donate to the raffle please contact Amy Soli at amy.soli@abbvie.com. Items are not limited to toxicology related goods (although we are happy to have those as well) - other ideas may be gift cards, home goods, plants, art, or other special treats. The raffle will be drawn at the luncheon on Tuesday, must be present to win.​

​​Agenda

​​​​student resources


Calling all students! Midwest SETAC offers several great options for financial support and awards to attend the Midwest Chapter meeting and the National SETAC Meeting.


Student Travel Award: Midwest SETAC grants several travel awards each year to encourage student participation and to help defray the cost of attending the annual Midwest Chapter Meeting. All students, including local students, are encouraged to apply. Applications are due March 10.​


Best Student Poster and Platform Competition: Sponsored by our partners 3M and SC Johnson, this competition provides students with an opportunity to share their research with a wider, national audience. Students apply for the competition when submitting their abstracts. During the Midwest Chapter Meeting, the best student poster and platforms are determined by a volunteer panel of environmental scientists and Midwest SETAC members. The student winners are provided financial support to attend and present their poster or platform at the annual fall North America (NA) SETAC meeting. All students are encouraged to participate!


​Legends Research Scholarship: In honor of a member of the chapter, Midwest SETAC offers this $500 scholarship to a student who has demonstrated the ability to perform original research in the field of either environmental toxicology or chemistry. All students are encouraged to apply, please review the requirements and consider submitting an application.​

Plenary


Civic Organizing to Bridge Silos and Protect Water
      

In Minnesota there is no single agency, governmental unit, or department solely focused on protecting or restoring our lakes and rivers; no one organization manages lake health holistically. Authority and responsibility for protecting water is divided among federal, state, Tribal, county and local governments. Water flows around and between these regulatory silos, and becomes impaired. 

Minnesota has over 500 lake associations. More people belong to a lake association in Minnesota than any other non-profit or civic organization in the state. Minnesota Lakes and Rivers, using a Civic Organizing Model developed by the Midwest Active Citizenship Initiative, is working to bridge these silos. Research supports this approach: a 2024 study by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) found that cross-county collaboration reduced uninspected boat launches from 25% to 8%. 

​

More information will be sent via email before the meeting to those who sign up

Practice for Science Improv

Each volunteer will have 3 minutes to present their research, scientific work, job field, career, etc. in short, engaging terms without using any scientific jargon. We encourage you to make it fun - write a poem, bring a song, tell a story, or give an elevator speech. The crowd will have clappers and can make noise if they think your terms are getting too in the weeds. We will be asking for volunteers on Monday, but if you already know you'd like to participate with a short talk please tell the Board members at check in!​

Cost


Early Bird Prices (ends March 28!)

  • Member: $100
  • Non - Member: $120
  • Student Member: $40
  • Student Non - Member: $60
  • Short Course Add-On: Free!


Regular Prices (after March 28)

  • Member: $120
  • Non - Member: $140
  • Student Member: $60
  • Student Non - Member: $80
  • Short Course Add-On
    • ​Member/Non-Member: $15
    • Student/Student Non-Member: $5​