February Innovation Destination

When:  Feb 22, 2018 from 14:00 to 15:00 (ET)
Every day, CSHEMA members are creating new and innovative ways to keep their institutions safe and healthy, and this new monthly webinar will showcase those processes and programs. In 2017, Northern Illinois University launched a new graduate, one-credit hour course on safety in academic research with 16 registered students from four science programs. Lectures were mostly replaced with engaged and experiential learning opportunities focused on behaviors that support a culture of safety, and included speakers from industries and a site visit to a national laboratory. These, in turn, provided students with references to reflect on their academic experiences. To personalize the course across disciplines, students were engaged in a guided inquiry project that applied the bowtie method to hazards they routinely encountered in their laboratory or field settings. Students then evaluated the bowtie strategy in four potentially sustainable areas. Their bowties and evaluative outcomes were showcased in a formal, catered poster symposium at the end of the course, attended by faculty research advisors, staff, students, and the vice president of research. Impact of the course on sustainable behaviors, and the value of the bowtie method, from a graduate student perspective, will be presented. Presented by Gary Baker, Ph.D., Northern Illinois University; and Michele Crase, Northern Illinois University