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