The Agenda Book for the Executive Committee meeting is now available as a Google file. The meeting will take place on Sunday, March 27, 2023 1:30AM-11:30PM EST in the Michigan/Texas meeting rooms of the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. The Zoom Virtual Link is available in the agenda book.
Category Archives: Reference material
History of the Peer-Led Workshops
The 1st Peer-Led Workshop
In 2018, Dr. Kali A. Miller, at the time a graduate researcher at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign and involved in the laboratory safety team there, developed a workshop called “Developing Graduate Student Leadership Skills in Laboratory Safety.” Initially supported by the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety, ACS Safety Programs, and the ACS Office of Graduate Education, the workshop was first held at the ACS National Meeting in Spring 2018. A paper was published describing this pilot workshop and initial survey analysis that can be found here. The workshop continued to be held at ACS National Meetings with different graduate researcher facilitators.
Jessica A. Martin began working closely with Dr. Miller to coordinate, and eventually take over general management of the workshop. They also interviewed graduate researcher leaders of LST teams as a means of learning more about the movement and improving the offerings of the workshop. This resulted in a publication about LSTs that can be found here.
As 2020 approached, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to a virtual world. Starting with the Spring 2020 ACS National Meeting, Jessica worked with the Facilitators for that workshop to rapidly convert the workshop to a virtual format. Additionally, graduate researchers representing 12 different LSTs came together to write another peer-reviewed publication that can be found here discussing how the teams have survived the stress test introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As interest in the workshop continued to blossom in the academic community, it was recognized that the virtual version could reach a wider audience and be held independent of conferences. Jessica recruited known and active advocates in the ACS safety community to constitute a Mentorship Team to continue to improve the workshop. Graduate researchers involved in the LST leadership at their own institutions were also regularly recruited to serve as Facilitators and Moderators to share their experiences and improve their own professional skills. The workshop was renamed “Empowering Academic Researchers to Strengthen Safety Culture” in recognition of the changes made to it.
The 2nd Peer-Led Workshop
In 2021, Taysir Bader, Catherine Wilhelm, Kerry Betz, Whitney Hess, Haim Weizman, and Ralph Stuartdeveloped a second workshop called “RAMP Risk Management in the Research Lab”. with funding from an ACS Innovative Project Grant. The goal of the grant was to identify how to use the RAMP paradigm as both an educational and operational tool for chemists in higher education.
The workshop used the same peer-led structure developed in the first workshop, recruiting graduate researchers to help run the workshops as Workshop Leaders, Facilitators, and Moderators. This workshop is also supported by the Mentorship Team. This workshop has been successfully delivered virtually and in-person to both general audiences and specific universities.
2023 Peer-Led Workshops
For 2022 and 2023, Monica Nyansa of the Michigan Technological University is serving as the Workshop Leader for “Empowering Academic Researchers to Strengthen Safety Culture”. She has described her experience with the workshop as part of her professional development in a posting for the ACS Chemistry Grad and Postdoc blog.
For 2022 and 2023, Brady Bresnahan of the University of Minnesota is serving as the Workshop Leader for “RAMP Risk Management in the Research Lab”.
Listed below are all of the individuals who have helped run the workshops as Workshop Leaders, Facilitators, and Moderators. Below that is a list of the fantastic Mentorship Team members!
Please check our workshop schedule for information and registration for the latest workshops!
Workshop date (year, month) | Role | Name | Institution | Team name |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Monica Nyansa | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Adelina Oronova | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Christy Dyer | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Jamiu Oyetoro | University of Ibadan | |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Srijana Pandey | Ohio University | |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Babatunde Samuel Obadawo | The University of Toledo | |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Popoola Olamilekan Emmanuel | University of Ibadan | |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Prosenjit Ray | Auburn University | |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Caroline Donaughy | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2023. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Qaisar Maqbool | University of South Florida | |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Leader | Brady Bresnahan | University of Minnesota | Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Facilitator | Hossain Shadman | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Facilitator | Kris Elbein | University of Minnesota | Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Moderator | Murphi Williams | University of Minnesota | Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Moderator | Rain Talosig | University of California, Irvine | Graduate Safety Team |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Moderator | Calla McCulley | Mentorship Team Member | |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Moderator | Amanda Chung | Mentorship Team Member | |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Moderator | Ralph Stuart | Mentorship Team Member | |
2022. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Moderator | Samuella Sigmann | Mentorship Team Member | |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Monica Nyansa | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Omar Leon Ruiz | University of California, Los Angeles | Joint Research Safety Initiative (JRSI) |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Adelina Oronova | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Saghar Gomrok | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Jamiu Oyetoro | University of Ibadan | |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Popoola Olamilekan Emmanuel | University of Ibadan | |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Christy Dyer | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Srijana Pandey | Ohio University | |
2022. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Babatunde Obadawo | The University of Toledo | ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND RADIATION SAFETY |
2022. 07 (In Person) RAMP | Facilitator | Taysir Bader | University of Minnesota | Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team |
2022. 07 (In Person) RAMP | Facilitator | Brady Bresnahan | University of Minnesota | Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Monica Nyansa | Michigan Technological University | |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Hossain Shadman | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Amanda Chung | University of California, Irvine | Graduate Safety Team |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Dinesh Gautam | Ohio University | |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Christy Dyer | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Brady Bresnahan | University of Minnesota | Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Ashan Wettasinghe | University of Texas at Dallas | |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Melissa Alfonso | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Adelina Oronova | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Monica Nyansa | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Rachel Wiley | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Omar Leon Ruiz | University of California, Los Angeles | Joint Research Safety Initiative (JRSI) |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Hossain Shadman | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Amanda Chung | University of California, Irvine | Graduate Safety Team |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Abhijeet Patil | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Saghar Gomrok | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Hemanta Timsina | University of Arkansas | Engineering Safety Club |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Farouq Busari | University of Ibadan (Nigeria) | |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Jessica Martin | Mentorship Team Member | |
2022. 03 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Tammy Lutz-Rechtin | Mentorship Team Member | |
2022. 01 (In Person) RAMP | Facilitator | Taysir Bader | University of Minnesota | Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team |
2022. 01 (In Person) RAMP | Facilitator | Catherine Wilhelm | University of Michigan | |
2021. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Facilitator | Taysir Bader | University of Minnesota | Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team |
2021. 11 (Virtual) RAMP | Facilitator | Catherine Wilhelm | University of Michigan | |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Jessica Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Monica Nyansa | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Calla McCulley | University of Texas at Austin | Chemistry Student Safety Organization (CSSO) |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Austin Moyle | Washington University in St. Louis | Chemistry Peer Review Safety Group (CPRSG) |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Abhijeet Patil | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Rachel Wiley | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Maggi Braasch-Turi | Colorado State University | |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Melissa Alfonso | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Hemanta Timsina | University of Arkansas | Engineering Safety Club |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Adelina Oronova | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2021. 10 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Farouq Busari | University of Ibadan (Nigeria) | |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Jessica Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Lindsey Applegate | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Jessica DeYoung | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Taysir Bader | University of Minnesota | Joint Safety Team |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Abhijeet Patil | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Monica Nyansa | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Calla McCulley | University of Texas at Austin | Chemistry Student Safety Organization (CSSO) |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Rachel Wiley | The University of Memphis | University of Memphis Graduate Safety Team |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Austin Moyle | Washington University in St. Louis | Chemistry Peer Review Safety Group (CPRSG) |
2021. 06 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Maggi Braasch-Turi | Colorado State University | |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Jessica Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Omar Leon Ruiz | UCLA | Joint Research Safety Initiative |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Dagen Hughes | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Lindsey Applegate | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Jessica DeYoung | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Cristian Aviles-Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Taysir Bader | University of Minnesota | Joint Safety Team |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Melissa Alfonso | University of Memphis | University of Memphis Joint Safety Team |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Abhijeet Patil | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Monica Nyansa | Michigan Technological University | MTU Chemistry Graduate Safety Committee (MTU CGSC) |
2021. 02 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Calla McCulley | University of Texas at Austin | Chemistry Student Safety Organization (CSSO) |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Jessica Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Sarah Zinn | University of Chicago | The Joint Research Safety Initiative |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Jessica DeYoung | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Marta Gmurczyk | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Mary Beth Koza | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Lindsey Applegate | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Dagen Hughes | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Kali Miller | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | David Finster | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Cristian Aviles-Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2020. 11 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Omar Leon Ruiz | UCLA | Joint Research Safety Initiative |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Jessica Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Cristian Aviles-Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Omar Leon Ruiz | UCLA | Joint Research Safety Initiative |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Sarah Zinn | University of Chicago | The Joint Research Safety Initiative |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Jessica DeYoung | University of Iowa | Chemical Safety and Responsibility Stewards (CSARS) |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Kali Miller | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Marta Gmurczyk | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Sammye Sigmann | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | David Finster | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 08 (Virtual) LST | Moderator | Ralph Stuart | Mentorship Team Member | |
2020. 03 (Virtual) LST | Leader | Jessica Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2020. 03 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Victor Beaumont | Yale University | Chemistry Joint Safety Team |
2020. 03 (Virtual) LST | Facilitator | Veronica Hayes | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2019. 08 (In Person) LST | Leader | Kali Miller | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Chemistry Joint Safety Team |
2019. 08 (In Person) LST | Facilitator | Jessica Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2019. 08 (In Person) LST | Facilitator | Chandra Karki | The University of South Dakota | |
2019. 06 (In Person) LST | Leader | Kali Miller | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Chemistry Joint Safety Team |
2019. 06 (In Person) LST | Facilitator | Jessica Martin | University of Connecticut | Joint Safety Team |
2019. 06 (In Person) LST | Facilitator | David Finster | Mentorship Team Member | |
2019. 03 (In Person) LST | Leader | Kali Miller | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Chemistry Joint Safety Team |
2019. 03 (In Person) LST | Facilitator | Kendra Denlinger | Xavier University | |
2018. 08 (In Person) LST | Leader | Kali Miller | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Chemistry Joint Safety Team |
2018. 08 (In Person) LST | Facilitator | Kaitlin Tyler | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Chemistry Joint Safety Team |
2018. 03 (In Person) LST | Leader | Kali Miller | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Chemistry Joint Safety Team |
2018. 03 (In Person) LST | Facilitator | Michail Vlysidis | University of Minnesota | Joint Safety Team |
Description of Roles:
Leader: Recruits and trains Facilitators and Moderators; manages updates to workshop content; organizes logistics; communicates with participants before and after workshop as needed; manages technology during the workshop; leads pre-workshop practice and post-workshop review sessions for Facilitators with the Mentorship Team
Facilitator: Student researchers who have previously attended the workshop and served as Moderators, participate in updates to workshop content through pre-workshop practice and post-workshop review sessions with the Leader and Mentorship Team; delivers workshop content to live audience; facilitates small group and large group activities and discussion during the workshop.
Moderator (Position created for virtual workshops): Student researchers who have previously attended the workshop who now serve in the practice audience for pre-workshop practice sessions and participate in post-workshop review sessions; contribute to updates to workshop content; monitor Breakout Room activities during the workshop.
Mentorship Team: This team is a group of senior CHAS members and other safety professionals who support the workshop leaders with content review and advice and who also serve as back-up moderators for virtual workshops.
2021 Mentorship Team
- Kali A. Miller
- David Finster
- Marta Gmurczyk
- Mary Beth Koza
- Ralph Stuart
- Samuella Sigmann
2023 Mentorship Team
- Amanda Chung
- Calla McCulley
- Catherine Wilhelm
- Dwayne Henry
- Jessica Martin
- Kali Miller
- Marta Gmurczyk
- Mary Beth Koza
- Sammye Sigmann
- Sara Johnson
- Sarah Zinn
- Tammy Lutz-Rechtin
- Taysir Bader
- Tilak Chandra
- Ken Kretchman
Please check our workshop schedule for information and registration for the latest workshop!
ACS Webinar: Navigating Questions About Reproductive Health When in the Lab
October 6, 2022 @ 2:00 PM EDT
A recent analysis of the current guidance from more than 100 academic institutions’ Chemical Hygiene Plans (CHPs) indicates that the burden to implement laboratory reproductive health and safety practices is often placed on those already pregnant or planning conception. This report also found inconsistencies in the classification of potential reproductive toxins by resources generally considered to be authoritative, adding further confusion.
The publication can be found in JACS at
A Call for Increased Focus on Reproductive Health within Lab Safety Culture
Catherine P. McGeough,† Sarah Jane Mear,† and Timothy F. Jamison*
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.1c03725?ref=PDF
Other recent peer reviewed publications on the topic are
What to Expect When Expecting in Lab: A Review of Unique Risks and Resources for Pregnant Researchers in the Chemical Laboratory
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00380?ref=PDF
Nature Comment on Pregnancy in the lab Feb 2022.pdf
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41570-022-00362-0
Presenters were Robin M. Izzo, Assistant Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety at Princeton University, Dr. Rich Wittman, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford Health Care, and Dr. Katie McGeough, a Graduate Student at Boston College School of Social Work, as they discuss the findings reported in the Journal of American Chemical Society and provide both environmental health and safety and medical perspectives on risks to fertility, pregnancy, and other reproductive health concerns to all people working in the laboratory.
What You Will Learn
- Understand the current state of knowledge relative to the potential reproductive health impacts of laboratory work, including chemical, biological and physical concerns
- Identify questions that people considering pregnancy or currently pregnant should ask about their work in the laboratory
- How to find and evaluate literature resources related to reproductive health issues in the lab
Webinar Presentation
- The recording of this webinar is available to ACS members at http://www.acs.org/webinars
- You can download the presentation file here:
The audience poll responses were:




Indicators of Success in Laboratory Safety Cultures and General Papers
Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in improving the safety culture of laboratory settings. How do we identify and implement indicators of success of these efforts? When are quantitative cultural measurements available and when do we need to rely on qualitative indicators of movement forward? Both theoretical ideas and concrete examples of the use of this approach are welcome in this symposium.
3745133 – Indicators of success in a safety culture, Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO, Presenter
3733703 – What’s in a name? Mapping the variability in lab safety representative positions, Sarah Zinn, Presenter; Imke Schroeder; Dr. Craig Merlic
3755577 – Factors for improving a laboratory safety coordinator (LSC) program, Kali Miller, Presenter
3754791 – Empowering student-led organizations to create effective safety policies, Angie Tse, Presenter
3738023 – Quantitative and qualitative indicators of safety culture evolution by the joint safety team, Demetra Adrahtas, Presenter; Polly Lynch; Sofia Ramirez; Brady Bresnahan; Taysir Bader
Division of Chemical Health & Safety General Papers
3752873 – Case studies and chemical safety improvements, Sandra Keyser, Presenter
3737640 – Storytelling is an art in building a “safety first” culture, Irene Cesa, Presenter; Dr. Kenneth P Fivizzani; Michael Koehler
3728705 – Vertical safety engagement through new community connections committee of the UMN joint safety team, Vilma Brandao, Presenter; Zoe Maxwell, Presenter; Jeffrey Buenaflor, Presenter; Gretchen Burke, Presenter; Steven Butler, Presenter; Xin Dong, Presenter; Nyema Harmon, Presenter; Erin Maines, Presenter; Taysir Bader; Brady Bresnahan
3752771 – Health and safety information integration: GHS 2021 version 9 in PubChem, Jian Zhang, Presenter; Evan Bolton
3754174 – Laboratory databases: Applications in safety programming, Magdalena Andrzejewska, Presenter
3748086 – Boundary Conditions- designing and operating laboratory access controls for safety, Joseph Pickel, Presenter
Safety Across the Chemical Disciplines and CHAS Awards Symposium
3741150 – Safety in the catalysis research lab, Mark Bachrach, Presenter
3754630 – Risk, safety, and troublesome territoriality: Bridging interdisciplinary divides, John G Palmer, PhD, Presenter; Brenda Palmer
3751492 – Risk-based safety education fosters sustainable chemistry education, Georgia Arbuckle-Keil, Presenter; David Finster; Ms. Samuella Sigmann, MS, CCHO; Weslene Tallmadge; Rachel Bocwinski; Marta Gmurczyk
02:00pm – 04:05pm CDT
Division of Chemical Health & Safety Awards Symposium
Brandon Chance, Organizer, Presider
3754798 – Interdepartmental initiatives to improving campus chemical safety, Luis Barthel Rosa, Presenter
3738511 – Building and sustaining a culture of safety via ground-up approaches, Quinton Bruch, Presenter
3750224 – Safety net: Lessons in sharing safe laboratory practices, Alexander Miller, Presenter
3740645 – Governing green labs: Assembling safety at the lab bench, Susan Silbey, Presenter.
Dr. Silbey’s presentation covered laboratory safety management ideas from her recent publications:
- Rank Has Its Privileges: Explaining Why Laboratory Safety Is a Persistent Challenge; Gokce Basbug, Ayn Cavicchi, Susan S. Silbey from Journal of Business Ethics 19 June 2022 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05169-z
- Joelle Evans, Susan S. Silbey (2021) Co-Opting Regulation: Professional Control Through Discretionary Mobilization of Legal Prescriptions and Expert Knowledge. Organization Science in Articles in Advance 10 Dec 2021 . https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1525
- To protect from lab leaks, we need ‘banal’ safety rules, not anti-terrorism measures; Ruthanne Huising and Susan S. Silbey Aug. 13, 2021 https://www.statnews.com/2021/08/13/banal-lab-safety-rules-keep-us-safe/
The Nomination Process for CHAS Awards
The Division of Chemical Health and Safety, Inc. of the American Chemical Society (CHAS), is currently soliciting nominations for several awards recognizing outstanding leadership and service in the area of chemical health and safety. The deadline for all 2023 award nominations is December 1, 2022. You can download the complete guidelines for CHAS Award Nominations here.

Information about each of the CHAS awards including nomination applications and a list of past recipients can be found at the links below:
The CHAS Graduate Student Safety Leadership Award is given to recognize a graduate student researcher or recent graduate (within 3 years of latest degree) who demonstrates outstanding leadership in the area of chemical health and safety in their laboratory, research group, or department. Each year the award is dedicated to a different historical figure in chemical safety. The award consists of $2000 as an honorarium and to support travel to the fall national meeting. An optional, additional $500 will be provided to support a new or ongoing project that promotes graduate student safety at the home school.
The Howard Fawcett Chemical Health and Safety Award recognizes outstanding individual contributions to the field of Chemical Health and Safety. The award consists of a commemorative plaque and a $500 prize for expenses so that the recipient can present at an award symposium at the fall ACS national meeting.
The Tillmanns-Skolnik Award was established in 1984 to recognize and honor outstanding, long-term service to the Division of Chemical Health and Safety. The award consists of a commemorative plaque and a $500 prize for expenses so that the recipient can present at an award symposium at the fall ACS national meeting.
The Laboratory Safety Institute Graduate Research Faculty Safety Award recognizes graduate-level academic research faculty who demonstrate outstanding commitment to chemical health and safety in their laboratories. The award consists of an engraved plaque and a $1,000 prize for expenses so that the recipient can present at an award symposium at the fall ACS national meeting.
The SafetyStratus College and University Health and Safety Award is given to recognize the most comprehensive laboratory safety program in higher education (undergraduate study only). The College and University award consists of a commemorative plaque and a $1000 prize for expenses so that the recipient can present at an award symposium at the fall ACS national meeting.
The CHAS Student Registration Award is given to encourage student participation in CHAS programming at ACS national meetings. The award provides reimbursement in the amount of full-conference registration fee (undergraduate, graduate, or pre-college teacher student rate, as applicable). Two student registration awards are given for each ACS national meeting.
Nominations are also solicited for special service and fellow awards:
The CHAS Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a lifetime of dedication and service to the American Chemical Society, the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety, and the field of chemical health and safety. The awardee gives a 20 – 30 minute keynote presentation at the Awards Symposium at the fall ACS national meeting.
The Fellows Awards recognize CHAS members in good standing who have provided continuous service. Nominees who meet the criteria will receive a certificate.
A Service Award is given to the immediate past division Chair at the end of their term. The chair receives an ACS past chair’s pin and plaque.
Please contact the CHAS Awards Committee Chair, Brandon Chance for more information. Mr. Chance can be reached at 214-768-2430 or awards@dchas.org
EHS Leadership and Diversity
Remember: No matter where you go, there you are. Samuella Sigmann
9:10am-9:35am What is your safety role? An introduction to structured safety programs. Mary Heuges
9:35am-10:00am Safety leadership and organizational design Mary Koza
10:35am-11:00am Workplace safety needs diversity to endure that everyone is safe Frankie Wood-Black
11:00am-11:25am Improving researcher safety: Activities of the University of California center for laboratory safety Imke Schroeder
11:25am-11:50am Circadian rhythms based safety for managing the risks of human factor manifestation. Amir Kuat
Service Awards
Statement of Award Purpose
Service Awards are given to the immediate past Division Chair at the end of their term. The chair receives an ACS past chair’s pin and plaque.
Award Amount and Recognition
An ACS Past Chair’s pin and an appropriate plaque of appreciation to be presented at an Awards Symposium during the fall ACS national meeting following the chair’s term.
CHAS Fellows Award
Download the Nomination Application Form for this Award Here: [Click to Download CHAS Fellows Nomination Form]
Statement of Award Purpose
Fellows Awards recognize CHAS members in good standing who have provided continuous, active service to CHAS and who have made significant contributions to the Division during their active service.
Award Recognition
Certificate and lapel pin presented at the Awards Symposium during the Fall ACS national meeting.
Description of Eligible Nominees
An eligible nominee must be current members of the division who has been a member for at least fifteen years or has been a member for at least seven years (continuous membership) and has been active in CHAS activities for at least three years. Active membership is defined below.
CHAS Fellows have shown support for the goals and activities of CHAS, and has through personal effort, helped CHAS achieve those goals. The following activities designate a member as “active”:
- Division volunteer service including holding office in the division, chairing division committees, etc.
- Organization of symposia, major presentations, or other programming at national/international meetings
- Contributions to safety in ACS Publications
- Leadership of or other contributions to Division outreach activities
There is no limit to the number of CHAS Fellows named each year.
Eligible Sources of Nominations
- Self-nomination
- Any CHAS division member
Roster of CHAS Fellows
(Those listed in bold are also ACS Fellows)
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CHAS Graduate Student Safety Leadership Award
Download the Nomination Application Form for this Award Here: [Click to Download GRADUATE STUDENT SAFETY LEADERSHIP AWARD in Word format]
Statement of Award Purpose
This award is given to recognize a graduate student researcher or recent graduate (within 3 years of latest degree) who demonstrates outstanding leadership in the area of chemical health and safety in their laboratory, research group, or department.
Each year the award is dedicated to a different historical figure in chemical safety.
Award Amount and Recognition
Award Amount and Recognition
This award is made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor.
The award consists of:
- A $500 honorarium will be payable directly to the award recipient
- A certificate that includes information about that year’s dedicatee
- An invitation to deliver a 15 – 20-minute presentation at the CHAS Awards Symposium. The presentation should describe the work recognized by the award.
- An optional additional $2,000 will be made available to support a project that promotes graduate student safety at the home school and/or for travel expenses to the CHAS Awards Symposium at an ACS national meeting, as applicable
This award is made possible by the generosity of an anonymous donor.
The recipient of this award is expected to deliver a 15 – 20-minute presentation at the CHAS Awards Symposium at the ACS Fall national meeting in the year that they receive the award. The presentation should describe the work recognized by the award.
Description of Eligible Nominees
Eligible nominees are current master’s or Ph.D. candidates in research fields or those who have graduated within the past three years who demonstrate values and behaviors consistent with the criteria of this award. The researcher may be a member of any academic department at their institution provided that chemical use is a significant part of their research. Non-ACS and CHAS members are eligible for this award.
Award Criteria
The primary criterion for this award is demonstrated leadership of specific project(s) that support a proactive safety culture in the laboratory, research group, and/or department where the student’s research or teaching responsibilities take place. Such projects empower their peers and students to address technical and cultural safety concerns related to chemical usage, in either the teaching or research environment.
Examples of work that calls on other safety leadership skills (e.g. participation in extramural safety conferences and organizations, publication of safety related information in research papers, development of new approaches to safety education in the lab) will support the award application, but not replace the need for a specific example of project-based leadership.
Required support for nomination
- Cover letter from the nominator describing why the nominee is deserving of this award.
- Two letter(s) of support from institution’s Environmental Health and Safety Office, Senior Administration or Departmental leadership.
- Descriptions of or samples of research safety projects or initiatives lead by nominee
Eligible Sources of Nominations
- Self-nomination
- Teammate (fellow student or lab member)
- Department chair
- EH&S Department
- Vice Provost for Research or another Senior Administrator
- Peer
Additional Information about this Award
This award was proposed in 2020 by an anonymous donor and was developed by the CHAS Awards committee in collaboration with the donor. The award was first given in 2021.
Previous Awardees:
2022, given in honor of the Radium Girls
Quinton Bruch, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2021, given in honor of Sheharbano “Sheri” Sangji
- Graduate Student Team Leaders:
- Jessica De Young, University of Iowa
- Omar Leon Ruiz, University of California, Los Angeles
- Sarah Zinn,University of Chicago
- Cristan Aviles-Martin, University of Connecticut