William D. Atchison, PhD, professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and associate dean for research and graduate studies at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, has been selected to receive the 2014 Society of Toxicology Undergraduate Educator Award. The award, established in 2011, recognizes outstanding contributions to the teaching of undergraduate students in toxicology and toxicology-related areas, whose efforts support SOT's strategic efforts to “Build for the Future of Toxicology.”

In his more than 30 years at MSU, Atchison has trained and mentored numerous undergraduate and graduate students in pharmacology and toxicology, genetics, and neuroscience. A longstanding advocate of diversity in the sciences, Atchison created a program to promote student diversity in the biomedical sciences and increase the number of Hispanic PhDs trained in the neurosciences at MSU. He began working with undergraduate students from the University of Puerto Rico in Cayéy (UPR-C) more than 15 years ago. Now, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the Bridges to PhD in Neuroscience Program at Michigan State University supports students into their graduate school years. The grant, “Increased Training of Hispanic Neuroscientists at Michigan State University,” has been funded by the NINDS since 2009.

Undergraduate students participating in Atchison’s grant also participate in the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program and the Summer Research Opportunity Program. The McNair program, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education, encourages first-generation, low-income college juniors and seniors to enter doctoral study. The goal of the Summer Research Opportunity Program is to provide domestic students from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to acquire research skills necessary to be successful in graduate school.

Atchison’s own research focuses on the toxic effects of heavy metals on the functioning of nerve cells and on the cellular basis for diseases of the neuromuscular junction. His research program has been consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health. He presents his research at conferences and meetings around the world, and has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

The 2014 Society of Toxicology Undergraduate Educator Award will be presented at the SOT 53rd Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, March 23, 2014.