11th Annual Iowa Physiological Society Meeting
The 11th annual meeting of the Iowa Physiological Society (IPS) was held on September 22-23, 2006 at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, IA. This year’s meeting marked the 10th anniversary of the Iowa Physiological Society, which was established in 1996 with the goal of providing a regional venue for scientific exchange and the opportunity to develop new friendships and collaborations. This year’s meeting attracted approximately 60 participants from Iowa and neighboring states, reflecting continued success of the Society in achieving this goal. The focus of this year’s meeting was "The role of oxidative species in cardiovascular control", and included four keynote speakers that addressed reactive oxygen species in neural and vascular control of arterial pressure. The first speaker was Dr. Greg Fink from Michigan State University, who provided the APS-sponsored lecture “Reactive Oxygen Species In The Central And Peripheral Nervous Systems In Salt-Sensitive Hypertension”, after which Dr. Donald Heistad from the University of Iowa presented a talk on “Reactive Oxygen Species in Blood Vessels”. On Saturday Dr. John Osborn from the University of Minnesota gave the second APS-sponsored lecture “Salt and hypertension: Could it all be in your head?”, after which Dr. Mark Chapleau from the University of Iowa presented the talk "Reactive oxygen species signaling in the autonomic nervous system: From disease to ion channel”. The lectures were highly stimulating and a major highlight of the meeting.
A second purpose of the annual Iowa Physiological Society meeting is to recognize ongoing research at institutions in Iowa and neighboring states. This year’s meeting featured poster sessions over the two-day period in which 24 abstracts were presented, and these submissions represented five regional institutions, including large universities and small liberal arts institutions. From these abstracts eight trainees were selected as finalists for the Society’s trainee award competition. All finalists gave oral presentations and the winners were selected based on the trainee’s presentation and ability to field questions from the audience. This year’s winners were Brandon T. Larsen, a graduate student in David D. Gutterman’s laboratory at the Medical College of Wisconsin, who presented the talk “NADPH Oxidase-Derived Reactive Oxygen Species Reduce Cytochrome P450-Mediated Dilation Of Human Coronary Arterioles”, and Amanda Langager, a graduate student in Harald Stauss’ laboratory at the University of Iowa, who presented the talk “Importance Of L-Type Ca++-Channel Dependent Mechanisms For Very Low Frequency Blood Pressure Variability”.
Other highlights of the meeting included a barbecue on Friday night, which was a great success and provided a highly relaxed atmosphere for continued discussion and a time to celebrate ten years since the Iowa Physiological Society was founded. On Saturday Gale Davy, Executive Director of States United for Biomedical Research, gave a presentation on the organization’s goal of promoting public awareness of the importance of animal research. Dr. Harold Schultz from the Nebraska Physiological Society gave a presentation on holding a joint meeting with the Iowa Physiological Society in 2007. This meeting will mark the 10th anniversary of the Nebraska Physiological Society, and will allow the two societies to jointly celebrate our established histories and collaborations. A combined meeting will also increase regional awareness of the Iowa and Nebraska Physiological Societies, and better expose students and young investigators to the important advances that are being made in physiology research and education in our region.
In summary, the 11th annual Iowa Physiological Society’s meeting was a tremendous success and I look forward to next year’s joint meeting with the Nebraska Physiological Society. The conclusion of this year’s meeting also marked the end of my tenure as president of the society, and Dr. Robert Dunbar from Buena Vista University officially assumed this position. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the society’s board members for their help with planning this year’s event, and wish to extend a special word of appreciation to Dr. Harald Stauss, the former society president, for his tremendous assistance in making this meeting a success.
Scott H. Carlson, Ph.D.
President
Iowa Physiological Society