AALAS at the ACTE

The AALAS Foundation provides funding for exhibiting at various teacher and public outreach trade shows and events. One of these 2007 education events was the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) Conference and Trade Show which was held December 13-14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. More than 5,000 attendees were on hand.

ACTE is the largest national education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for successful careers.



















Joining John McCutchen, AALAS's Director of Member Relations and Marketing at the AALAS booth was Dee Drye, a member of the AALAS Board of Trustees from District 8.

AALAS Learning Library: Latest Courses

LATG Courses
The AALAS Learning Library (www.aalaslearninglibrary.org) now has a complete set of courses corresponding with the new LATG Training Manual. As with the previous LATG courses, a course exists for every chapter of the manual (17 courses in all); there are three review exams and a final exam. Images are more numerous in the courses than in the printed manual. Also, for the first time, the LATG courses incorporate a streaming audio file for each page of every lesson. Now, you can choose to listen to or read the course, or both at the same time!

AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia
A new course on the ALL focuses on the new AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia (formerly known as the Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia). This course is applicable to all animal species used in research. With lessons on the basic concepts of euthanasia and the types of euthanasia agents (inhalants, noninhalant pharmaceuticals, and physical methods), the learner develops an understanding for the categorization of the methods of euthanasia (as acceptable, conditionally acceptable, and unacceptable).

AALAS Seeks New Leaders

The AALAS Nominations Committee invites members to submit nominations for the following positions to be filled during the summer 2008 election for terms 2009–2011. Responsibilities commence at the close of the National Meeting in Indianapolis.

• Vice president-elect
• District 1 trustee
• District 2 trustee
• District 4 trustee and alternate trustee
• District 5 alternate trustee
• District 6 trustee and alternate trustee
• District 7 trustee

To run for vice president-elect, you must submit the required materials no later than February 1, 2008. The candidate packet and information regarding eligibility and job responsibilities for this position are located at http://www.aalas.org/association/leadership.asp. After you go to this page, log in and then click on the "Leadership Nomination Information" link on the left.

Another option is to run for either trustee or alternate trustee in your district. Your district is determined by the address to which your publications and official ballot are mailed. To be eligible, you must be a national member in good standing for the past five years; have served in branch leadership and/or on a district, regional, or national committee during the past five years; and be willing to make a three-year commitment to leadership. Visit the AALAS website or contact the AALAS office for a copy of the signature petition. Gather signatures from at least 25 current AALAS national members within your district and submit the petitions to the AALAS office before April 15, 2008.

AALAS Seeks Participants for Compensation Survey

In January 2008, AALAS will begin conducting the fourth edition of the Laboratory Animal Facility Compensation Survey. The survey will collect detailed salary and benefit information for 12 different positions; training coordinators will be included for the first time. This survey is used extensively by facility directors, human resources departments, and compensation analysts in institutions and companies all across the United States to review salaries and set fair compensation for these positions.

An email broadcast will be sent in January 2008 to all AALAS member institutional and commercial contact members with a link to the online survey form. Institutions and companies that participate will receive a discount when purchasing the survey; in addition, participants who purchase the survey will also receive a customized individual report comparing their institution’s salaries with the overall report.

Abstract Submissions Open January 1

Plans are already underway for the 2008 National Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. Abstract and topic submissions open on January 1, 2008, so be sure to start planning your submissions. The Call for Abstracts and Topics Suggestions will be available on the National Meeting website, which will instruct visitors to access the submission site at aalas.abstractcentral.com.

All members will also be receiving an email with instuctions on how to submit. Past visitors to the site will not need to create new accounts to log in. Submissions for both topics and abstracts close on March 15, 2008.

2008 Tech Week Items Now Available

Join AALAS in recognizing all technicians as "Heroes Behind the Science" during International Laboratory Animal Technician Week (January 27-February 2, 2008). For more details and ordering information, click here.

AALAS Bookstore Update

The AALAS Bookstore will be closed from December 17 until January 3 for inventory purposes. No online orders will be accepted during this time. Any others faxed in will be held for shipment until after these dates. Please call 901-754-8620 with any questions.

Total Pack for Technician Certification

If you plan to take a technician certification exam at any level, you’ll want to take a look at the new packaging of certification resources from AALAS—the Total Pack. The Total Pack assembles the training manual plus all printed resources to help you prepare for your exam. This includes both the workbook and resource kit corresponding with the manual and the Regulatory Workbook.

The manual workbook helps you digest the content of the training manual, with questions on each chapter that you can use to focus your review of the manual’s content. Unit exams and a final exam in the workbook test your knowledge of each section of the manual. The resource kit contains all the reference materials from which your certification exam will draw questions. Acquiring a knowledge of these materials is important for succeeding in your exam, and so these important study items should not be overlooked. A Regulatory Workbook is included in the Total Pack to help you review these same reference materials through succinct summaries and practice questions.

You can still purchase each of these items separately, but the Total Pack puts all the resources you need at your fingertips and at a discount!

GLAS applications now online

Application forms and related documents for Grants for Laboratory Animal Science (GLAS) are now available. The GLAS program aims to enhance scientific knowledge in laboratory animal science through research and to promote collaborative efforts by the AALAS membership within the broader scientific community. Current AALAS members are invited to apply for one-year research grants of up to $25,000 for projects in the laboratory animal science field. The grant submission deadline is February 1, 2008.