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.

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”:

1. Division volunteer service including holding office in the division, chairing division committees, etc.
2. Organization of symposia, major presentations, or other programming at national/international meetings
3. Contributions to safety in ACS Publications
4. 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)

Robert Alaimo Peter Ashbrook W. Emmett Barkley Janet Baum Ernest I. Becker Leslie Bretherick Brandon Chance Kimi Brown Daniel A. Crowl Debbie Decker Lou DiBerardinis Laurence J. Doemeny Harry J. Elston Howard Fawcett Barbara Foster David Finster Kenneth Fivizzani Bill Galdenzi Lawrence M. Gibbs Marta Gmurczyk Ruth Hathaway Donald Hedberg Dennis C. Hendershot Robert H. Hill Jr. Chris Incarvito Robin Izzo James Kaufmann Kimberly B. Jeskie Jyllian Kemsley Sheila Kennedy Warren Kingsley Mary Beth Koza Ken Kretchman

Daniel Kuespert Neal Langerman Mark Lassiter Po-Yung Lu Kali Miller Sung Moon John Palmer Joe Pickel Lyle H. Phifer Russ Phifer Stanley Pine Pat Redden Malcolm Renfrew Peter Reinhardt Monona Rossol Eileen Segal Stephen Sichek, Sr. Diane G. Schmidt Sammye Sigmann Mary Ann Solstad Ralph Stuart Ellen Sweet Stephen Szabo Erik A. Talley Robert Toreki George Wahl Douglas B. Walters Stefan Wawzyniecki Elizabeth Weisburger Monique Wilhelm Frankie Wood-Black I. J. Wilk Kenyon D. Yoder Jay Young

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:

2024

Brady Bresnahan, University of Minnesota

2023

Monica Nyansa, Michigan Technological University

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
  • Alex Leon Ruiz, University of California, Los Angeles                      
  • Sarah Zinn,University of Chicago
  • Cristan Aviles-Martin, University of Connecticut 

Download the Nomination Application Form for this Award Here: [Click to Download SafetyStratus College and University Nomination Form in Word format]

Statement of Award Purpose

This award is given to recognize the most comprehensive chemical safety programs in higher education (undergraduate study only).

Award Amount and Recognition

• $1,000 Honorarium
• Engraved plaque including name of recipient and sponsor logo to be presented to winner at award symposium

This award is made possible by the generosity of SafetyStratus.

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 may be on any topic related to chemical safety.

Description of Eligible Nominees

The nominee may be a college/university chemistry academic department, an entire campus, or an EH&S office. Joint-nominations including chemistry departments and other offices will also be accepted. Preference will be given to those submissions which include participation from the chemistry department.

Previous recipients of this award will only be considered eligible again 10 years after they receive the award. Their current undergraduate lab safety program must differ significantly from the program as it was when the award was previously received. In this case, supporting documentation must highlight the program improvements since the year that the award was last received.

Detailed award criteria are given below.

One award is given per year.

Award Criteria

1. Chemistry Department’s safety policy statement

2. Chemical Hygiene Plan(s) for instructional laboratories

3. Evidence that safety concepts, such as risk assessment and utilization of chemical-safety information, are included in the teaching curriculum.

Evidence may include the following:

• Safety rules for students
• Course syllabus showing covered safety topics
• Laboratory manuals with safety guidance
• Examinations or exercises used to teach or reinforce safety concepts
• Safety course offerings
• Description(s) of offered seminar(s) on safety topics
• Results of safety research
• Other examples as appropriate

4. Description of, or documentation for, chemical waste collection policies and procedures for instructional courses and prep lab

5. Chemical Storage policies

This may include descriptions of:

• Access control
• Segregation
• Protected storage
• Inventory tracking methods
• Storage quantity limitations, approvals for ordering new chemicals, etc.

6. Policies relating to the prep-lab space (if applicable), as well as written safety requirements for instructors and teaching assistants working during non-class times.

This may include:

• Separate Chemical Hygiene Plan for prep lab (or clear inclusion in the department CHP)
• General policy and procedures, for use of and access to the space (e.g. restricted access, policy for not working alone in the lab, etc.)

7. Evidence of waste-minimization and green-chemistry strategies.

This may include:

• Policies for waste minimization or a list of prohibited materials
• Description of green practices used in the instructional labs
• Incorporation of sustainability concepts into the curriculum

8. Evidence of faculty and teaching-assistant safety training and development.

This may include:

• Description of safety training requirements and policies for individuals overseeing, or directly supervising, laboratory classes
• Learning objectives for the safety training that describe the skills or knowledge that the faculty and teaching assistants will acquire
• Copy of safety training materials for training instructors and T.A.s, if applicable
• Seminars, workshops, production of videotapes, slides, etc.

9. Lab Safety Event (incidents and near miss) reporting.

Documentation may include:

• Policy for reporting incidents
• Summary reports and analysis of incidents, injuries, and near misses from the previous 3 years
• Summary of lessons learned from events and corrective actions taken
• Example reports with root cause analysis and corrective actions

10. Policy, procedure, and frequency for routine assessments of laboratory’s physical condition (i.e. audits/inspections). Assessments may be internal (self-inspection) or external (e.g. EH&S department inspections)

Supporting documentation may include:

• Description of inspection process, frequency, and responsible parties
• Copy of inspection checklist
• Metrics or data demonstrating program effectiveness. This could include data regarding frequency of inspections, average number of findings, median time for corrective action, etc.

Required support for nomination

The nomination must include a cover letter from the nominator describing why the nominee is deserving of this award. The letter shall describe the nominee’s work and how it is aligned with the purpose, eligibility, and/or criteria of the award.

Other supporting materials are suggested in the details of the award criteria. The supporting information may be provided as links to applicable webpages on the organization’s website or as attached files. The documents and/or links must be labeled/named using the numbering and descriptions provided in the details of the award criteria. The name of the institution must be included in all file names.

The nomination may also include a letter of support from the institution’s Environmental Health and Safety office, as well as, a letter of support from a senior administrator such as the head of the academic department, the vice provost for research, or the dean of the school; although this is not a requirement for this award.

Site visit criteria (if applicable)

If a nominee is eligible based on supporting documentation, a committee member or other ACS delegate will perform a site visit to verify.

As part of the site visit, the following laboratory and chemical-use area conditions of the undergraduate laboratory facility may be assessed:

1. General ventilation
2. Engineering controls in working order
3. Housekeeping and general facility condition including chemical storage areas
4. Adequate student supervision
5. Security of chemical storage areas and general lab spaces
6. Emergency irrigation tested and working
7. Emergency response equipment and supplies stocked and inspected (spill kits, fire extinguishers, etc.)
8. Personal protective equipment available and in good condition
9. Posted emergency procedures and contact numbers

Eligible Sources of Nominations

• Self-nomination
• Subordinate (Student)
• Department chair
• EH&S Department
• Vice Provost for Research or another Senior Administrator
• Peer or another ACS member who is familiar with the nominee’s undergraduate program

Previous Winners

2022: University of Nevada, Reno, Environmental Health and Safety Department & Department of Chemistry

2021: C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University

2020: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory and Environment, Health & Safety Office

2019: University of Pittsburgh, Department of Chemistry and Department of EH&S

2018:  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Chemistry and Department of Environment, Health and Safety

2017: Department of Chemistry and the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, Stanford University

2016: Duke University

2015: University of Pennsylvania

2014: University of California Davis

2013: North Carolina State University

2012: Wittenburg University, Springfield, Ohio

2011: University of California, San Diego

2010: Princeton University

2009: Wellesley College

2008: Franklin and Marshall

2007: University of Connecticut

2006: none awarded

2005: Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Nevada-Reno

2004: University of Massachusetts-Boston

2003: none awarded

2002: none awarded

2001: West Virginia University

2000: none awarded

1999: Francis Marion University

1996: Williams College

1995: University of Wisconsin-Madison

1993: College of St. Benedict, jointly with St. John’s University of St. Joseph, MN

1991:Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Download the Nomination Application Form for this Award Here: [Click to Download LSI Grad Research Faculty Safety Nomination Form]

Statement of Award Purpose

This award is given to recognize graduate-level academic research faculty who demonstrate outstanding commitment to chemical health and safety in their laboratories.

Award Amount and Recognition

• Up to $1,000 to support travel expenses to attend the ACS national meeting and deliver a 15 – 20 min presentation at the CHAS Awards Symposium, and/or a grant to be used for safety enhancements in the faculty member’s research group
• Engraved plaque including name of recipient and sponsor logo to be presented to winner at award symposium
• Award certificate mailed to the university president.

This award is made possible by the generosity of The Laboratory Safety Institute.

Description of Eligible Nominees

Eligible nominees are faculty members who have responsibility for a graduate-level research laboratory, and who demonstrate values and behaviors consistent with the criteria of this award. The faculty member’s laboratory may be part of any academic department at the institution, provided that chemical use is a significant part of the laboratory’s research. Detailed criteria provided below.

One award is given per year.

Award Criteria

Sets Safety-Compliance Expectations:

Enforces all institutional health and safety practices, protocols, and rules within his or her laboratory space.

• Participates in formal laboratory inspections and group safety committee meetings.
• Maintains safety in the laboratory by conducting unannounced walk-throughs.
• Ensures all members of the research group and visitors (including vendors and contractors) read, understand, agree to follow, and realize the consequences of not following the safety rules.
• Actively demonstrates his/her commitment to laboratory health and safety.
• Personally provides a “new employee/student safety orientation” for each new member of the research group.

Monitors and Provides Safety Information and Training:

Insists that everyone who works in the lab receives comprehensive, lab-specific safety information and training.

• Ensures students and others who work in his or her research lab are educated, informed, and trained in the safety skills they need to conduct research safely and to work independently.
• Establishes coaching and mentoring relationships to enable new researchers to receive hands-on training in safety practices from more experienced researchers.
• Requires a structured lab-orientation, including emergency information and safety rules, for new lab workers.
• Annually and as needed, reviews and revises the lab safety manual and chemical hygiene plan (if separate from the lab safety manual).

Models Safe Behaviors:

Serves as a role model by personally exhibiting good safety behavior.

• Wears proper lab attire and PPE when entering laboratories or handling research materials.
• Completes, at a minimum, the same institutional safety training requirements as lab workers and signs the group’s rules agreement.
• Personally proposes new safety initiatives and/or shares safety best practices with the department and/or Health and Safety department.
• Actively participates in research group or department safety committees and Joint Safety Teams.
• Includes safety information in published research and requires it in their students’ thesis proposals and thesis defenses.

Assesses Hazards and Evaluates Risks:

Ensures that lab members complete hazard analyses prior to conducting experimental procedures.

• Identifies the hazards, types of emergencies that could occur, and what needs to be done to be prepared for them.
• Implements prudent practices, protective facilities, and PPE needed to minimize risk
• Reviews new laboratory procedures for potential risks.
• Requires hazard analyses to be incorporated into lab notebooks prior to an experiment.
• Expects hazard analysis to be included in thesis proposals, dissertation proposals, and published research.
• Requires hazard analysis to be revisited if an experimental procedure yields unexpected results or if the procedure requires changes before conducting the experiment.

Creates Safety Leaders:

Empowers researchers to assume leadership roles in establishing safety practices within research groups and for entire departments.

• Encourages lab members to participate in department safety committees or Joint Safety Teams.
• Encourages lab members to propose new safety initiatives and/or share safety best practices with the department and/or Health and Safety department.
• Rewards good safety performance.

Promotes Positive Safety Culture:

Takes actions to encourage safety and promote a strong, positive safety culture in the research lab.

• Provides instruction and encouragement to lab members for reporting any incident no matter how minor and injuries.
• Fosters a nonthreatening atmosphere for free expression of safety concerns or questions.
• Provides ample budgetary support for safety supplies such as PPE and engineering controls.
• Recognizes that psychological stress can undermine safety culture and performance.
• Provides and encourages lab members to take advantage of resources for stress management.
• Encourages open and ongoing dialog about safety.
• Requires “safety moments” at laboratory group meetings or otherwise incorporate safety into research discussions.
• Encourages and acknowledges lab members for working safely.
• Accepts responsibility for safety.
• Takes initiative to reduce waste and promote greener, more sustainable research practices in his or her lab.

Required support for nomination

The nomination must include a cover letter from the nominator describing why the nominee is deserving of this award. The letter shall describe the nominees work and how it is aligned with the purpose, eligibility, and criteria of the award.

The nomination must also include a letter of support from the institution’s Environmental Health and Safety Officer, as well as, a letter of support from a senior administrator such as the head of the academic department, the vice provost for research, or the dean of the school or college. In cases when the nominator (author of the cover letter) is a member of the Environment Health and Safety office or a senior administrator, an additional letter of support from that party is not required.

Individuals writing letters of support are not required to be members of the American Chemical Society or the Division of Chemical Health and Safety. The supporter’s contact information must be included in the letter. The support letter should clearly describe the impact of the nominee’s work and how the individual has met the purpose and criteria of the award.

Site visit criteria (if applicable)

A site visit will not be required for this award.

What, if any, involvement will the sponsor have in evaluating nominees?

The sponsor will serve as a reviewer of the nominations for this award. The sponsor’s evaluation will be given no more or less weight than the evaluations of the other members of the Awards Selection Subcommittee.

Eligible Sources of Nominations

• Self-nomination
• Subordinate (Student/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 2018 by James Kaufmann, Ph.D. (Founder, Laboratory Safety Institute), and was developed in collaboration with Dr. Kaufmann by the CHAS Awards Committee in 2019. The award was first given in 2020. Criteria for the award were derived primarily from the following sources of academic laboratory safety guidelines:

1. National Research Council. 2014. Safe Science: Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Chemical Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/18706.
2. ACS Joint Board/Council Committee on Chemical Safety. 2012. Creating Safety Cultures in Academic Institutions: A Report of the Safety Culture Task Force of the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society. https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/about/governance/committees/chemicalsafety/academic-safety-culture-report.pdf
3. Laboratory Safety Guidelines: 40 Suggestions for a Safer Lab, James A. Kaufman, Laboratory Safety Institute, https://www.labsafety.org/resource

Previous Winners

2022: Alexander J. M. Miller, Ph.D., University of North Carolina
2021: Ian Albert Tonks, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
2020: Mahesh K. Mahanthappa, Ph.D., University of Minnesota