Two of the great founders and illustrious leaders of forensic toxicology passed away this year: Dr. Fredric Rieders and Dr. Irving Sunshine. In honor of these very beloved individuals, Bunnie Gallagher of Shamrock Glass initiated a benefit, and with the help of Lisa O’Dell and many others, the Sunshine/Rieders Silent Auction was held at this year’s SOFT meeting. Our ever generous exhibitors donated a wide variety of spectacular items which included custom made jewelry, iPods, a car GPS unit, DVD players, a SONY Playstation, an Xbox 360, wine, chocolate, SOFT merchandise, kitchen items, kid’s toys, gift cards and many other items. The hugely successful event was very emotional and well received. In fact, $5110 was raised!

Fifty percent of the proceeds allocated on behalf of Dr. Sunshine have been placed into SOFT's Educational Research Award (ERA) fund specifically in Dr. Sunshine’s name. They will be used along with existing funds for recognition of worthy students and researchers involved in academic training and research in areas related to forensic toxicology. T hese annual awards are used to assist awardees with travel and expenses to attend the annual SOFT meeting for the purpose of making a platform presentation of their research findings.

The other half of the proceeds allocated on behalf of Dr. Fredric Rieders will go to Fredric Rieders Family Renaissance Foundation. The Foundation was established by Dr. Rieders in 1994 as a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the love for science and art in students young and old. The Foundation focuses on teaching through research, academic instruction and supporting scientific and humanistic endeavors. The operational facility provides an academic milieu and an experimental laboratory that is overseen by experts in various fields. Extramural activities supported by the Foundation include: grants for research projects at local universities, funding the publication of books, sponsoring colloquia and monthly seminars, development of scientific software and participation in a program which provides high school students with an opportunity to work in a laboratory setting on a research project. Michael Rieders has indicated that he hopes to see the Silent Auction funds utilized to fund Foundation students at SOFT meetings. To learn more about the important missions and goals of the Fredric Rieders Family Renaissance Foundation, go to www.frfoundation.org.

In addition, SOFT would like to recognize the generous contributions to the Silent Auction by:

Acro Biotech
Agilent Technologies
American Solutions for Business
Andwin Scientific
Axiom Diagnostics
Biochemical Diagnostics
Branan Medical Corporation
Capitol Vial
Cerilliant Corporation
ChemWare, Inc.
Common Cents System
Full Spectrum Analytics
GRACE Davison Discovery Sciences
International Diagnostic Systems
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
Lisa O’Dell & Bart Stites
Microgenics Corporation
Neogen Corporation
NMS Labs
Orochem Technologies
Orasure Technologies
Ray & Kay O’Dell
Restek Corporation
Roche Diagnostics Corporation
SGE, Inc.
Shamrock Glass Company
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments
Thermo Electron
United Chemical Technologies, Inc.
UTAK Labs, Inc.
Varian, Inc.
Venture Labs, Inc.
Waters Corporation