Ph.D. Program Rankings Lack Safety Considerations

By Jyllian Kemsley • Posted in Academia, Education, In the News, Safety Culture

September 28th, 2010

The National Research Council’s assessment of graduate programs is out today. To quote from my colleague Carmen Drahl’s story, “The rankings cover doctoral programs in disciplines ranging from aerospace engineering to theater. Those for chemistry alone evaluate over 150 departments on each of 20 criteria, which fall under the broader categories of research activity, student support and outcomes, and diversity.” The goal is to provide data that can be used to evaluate the quality of programs. But it seems to me that the survey is woefully lacking on the occupational health and safety front.

On the student support front, here are some of the related questions on

Science Lab Incident Sickens Students

By Shawn Raymundo

Salt River Fire Paramedics rushed on to campus after two students in the Natural Science building suffered from breathing complications while working with pure Ethanol on Tuesday Sept. 21.

The three-hour lab, taught by Professor Anne Healy, had been using pure Ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or drinking alcohol, when the two girls began to feel nauseous. Classmate, Diane Hannan, said, "they turned red and blush and couldn't breathe."

Early speculation, from administration, over the cause of the incident was

Mercury Brought into Classroom by Student

By Linda Bock TELEGRAM; GAZETTE STAFF
lbock@telegram.com

WORCESTER — Federal environmental officials told school and health officials this morning that the clean-up of the Grafton Elementary Street School is going smoothly, addressing the potentially hazardous mercury that was brought into a classroom by a student on Tuesday.

“That's really good news,” said Worcester schools Chief Academic Officer Jeffrey J. Mulqueen, who was at the school throughout the morning.  A specialized top-to-bottom cleaning of the building is ongoing.

A sixth-grade student brought nearly a pint of mercury to Grafton Street School to show a teacher on Tuesday, and that prompted an environmental investigation.

Despite the optimistic news

University Student Hurt in Explosion

Waltham, MA
Wicked Local Waltham

WALTHAM — A Brandeis University graduate student sustained first- and second-degree burns and lacerations to his face in a chemical explosion at the school’s science building Thursday morning, said Fire Chief Richard Cardillo.

The student, a male who has not yet been identified, was rushed to Mass. General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following the explosion at 10:49 a.m., Cardillo said.

He was released at 5 p.m., said Brandeis spokesman Andrew Gully.

The student is a candidate for a Ph.D. in chemistry, said Gully, who declined to name him due to privacy issues.

“He was doing work for his graduate degree, and something obviously went wrong, because the chemicals he was using don’t normally cause

Students Sickened by Odor

The Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne, IN

A mysterious bleach-like odor caused the evacuation of DeKalb High School on Friday as well as the hospitalization of more than a dozen students.

The Waterloo Fire Department was called to the school at 2:44 p.m. after people began to notice a strange odor and some students had trouble breathing.

A school official said the odor was coming from the art room and an adjoining hallway, according to the fire department.

The Auburn Fire Department’s Hazmat Team was called to check the building, but the unit could not find the source of the odor.

Some students complained not only of trouble breathing but also of dizziness.

For original posting click HERE.

Mequon School Closes For Mold

Mequon School Latest to Close Due to Mold

Posted Tuesday September 7, 2010 

MEQUON, Wis. (WTAQ) - Another Wisconsin school has been hit with mold.

The Oriole Lane Elementary School in Mequon is closed Tuesday, after officials found mold in the building.

An air quality expert tells WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee that at least 30 Wisconsin schools have had some kind of mold problem – and he blames it on the hot and damp summer. He says it takes a thorough cleaning to get rid of it.

At the Stone Bank school near Oconomowoc, crews worked around the clock for 4 days to remove the mold they had. Schools in Middleton and Crivitz were also among those losing class time early in this school year.

Mequon school officials could not say how long Oriole Lane would be closed due to the latest mold discovery. 

For original posting visit:  www.whbl.com/news/articles/201