AALAS Journals and Ingenta Complete Integration

AALAS has completed the integration of the Ingenta journal services to www.aalas.org. Readers of Comparative Medicine and JAALAS online will access the content from www.aalas.org the same way as before and will find better search functionality and PDF articles with linked references.

In addition, article abstracts are now accessible to the more than 19 million users and 25,000 registered libraries and institutions that log on directly to Ingenta each month at www.ingentaconnect.com.

To access JAALAS and Comparative Medicine, the same rules apply—Gold members have access to both publications, and Silver members have access only to JAALAS. After an issue is six months old, it becomes available to all members and the general public. Also, be advised that only content back to 2006 is available from the Ingenta system. To access older content, users must search the old article database.

Please send email to journals@aalas.org if you have any questions or comments.

Technician Certification Exam Content Outline Revised

The Certification and Registry Board Committee has been hard at work updating the content outlines for the certification exams. Rather than the three previous domains (Animal Husbandry, Health and Welfare; Facility Administration and Management; and General Knowledge), the new content outlines now combine this information into two domains: Animal Husbandry, Health and Welfare, and Facility Administration and Management.

Approximately 80% of the ALAT and LAT exams will cover Animal Husbandry, Health and Welfare, and approximately 20% will cover Facility Administration and Management. The LATG content outline is comprised of the same two domains: Animal Husbandry, Health and Welfare, and Facility Administration and Management. However, unlike the ALAT and LAT exams, the questions are divided evenly between the two domains.

Although the exam content outline has been revised, please be aware that the exam questions for the ALAT, LAT, and LATG certification levels have not changed. The study materials that have been available to order through our Bookstore and through the AALAS Learning Library are still current.

AALAS at ANZLAA

Malcolm France (second from left), President of the Australian and New Zealand Laboratory Animal Association (ANZLAA) presented thank-you mementos to AALAS President Chris Newcomer, Bob Livingston of the University of Missouri, and AALAS Executive Director Ann Turner, who were keynote speakers at the 2008 Annual Conference in Sydney, Australia.

Nominate an AALAS Registered Technician

Call for nominations is now open for the 2008 AAALAC International "Technician Fellowship Award"

The AAALAC International Technician Fellowship recognizes two outstanding technicians each year--one IAT Registered (RAnTech) technologist and one AALAS Registered (RALAT, RLAT, RLATG, or CMAR) technician--who have made (or have the potential to make) significant contributions to the field of laboratory animal care and use. The award is intended to promote and reward the efforts of technicians who have demonstrated a commitment to a career in laboratory animal science and have shown a strong interest in attaining additional education and training to become more proficient in their vocation.

In the spring, the AALAS Registered recipient will participate in a week-long educational internship in an animal care and use program within an institution in the United Kingdom. This will be followed by attendance at the IAT Congress, the U.K.'s largest laboratory animal science and technology meeting. All registration, travel and lodging expenses are included, along with a daily allowance for meals and out-of-pocket expenses.

Nomination packages must include:

1. Nominating letter (candidates may self-nominate)
2. Current Curriculum Vitae (CV)
3. Up to three letters of support
4. Written statement (no more than 500 words) by the candidate describing why s/he should be selected for this award and how s/he will use the experience to benefit the greater laboratory animal science community

The Nomination Package should be sent by October 1, 2008 to:

AAALAC International
c/o The International Technician Fellowship Selection Committee
5283 Corporate Drive, Suite 203
Frederick, MD 21703
FAX: +301.696.9627
EMAIL: accredit@aaalac.org

For complete details and a list of criteria, please visit:
http://www.aaalac.org/about/fellowship.cfm

This award is presented by AAALAC International through a grant by Priority One Services, Inc. (POS) and in cooperation with the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS), the Institute of Animal Technology (IAT), the Medical Research Counsel (MRC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Housing Now Open for AALAS National Meeting

Housing for the 2008 National Meeting in Indianapolis is now available online. Please note that on-line bookings can only be made one at a time.You may book multiple rooms but they must be submitted one at a time. The general comment note field cannot be used to indicate number of rooms requested.

Election Results

Robert Dysko, DVM, DACLAM has been elected vice president-elect by the AALAS membership. Dysko, who is associate professor and associate director in the unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine at the University of Michigan, will take office at the close of the 2010 National Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. In other results, voters chose nine individuals to fill open trustee and alternate trustee positions in the eight AALAS districts.

Trustee

• District 1--Scott A. Mischler, DVM, PhD, DACLAM
• District 2--Raymond Butler, RLATG
• District 4--Christopher S. King, DVM, DACLAM
• District 6--Maria T. C. Lang, RLATG
• District 7--Brian E. Gillman, MS, RLATG

Alternate Trustee

• District 2--Deyanira I. Santiago, BS, RLATG
• District 4--Steven D. Blevins, RLATG
• District 5--Theodore W. Sanders, Jr., DVM, DACLAM
• District 6--Terri L. Grove

Next AALAS Board Meeting Nov. 7

The AALAS Board of Trustees next Business Session will be held November 7 in Indianapolis. Members are encouraged to contact their district trustees if they have any issues they want addressed. Board meetings, except for closed sessions, are open to AALAS members. AALAS does not reimburse expenses for attending the meeting.