The UC Davis Chemistry Department, in conjunction with ACS Fellow Debbie Decker, will present the ACS webinar, “Tales of Lab Safety: How to Avoid Rookie Accidents” at 4:00 pm. The webinar will be followed by a reception with food, games, prizes and the chance to meet local ACS members.
“Tales of Lab Safety: How to Avoid Rookie Accidents”
October 20, 4:00PM
Chemistry Building Room 172
All are invited!
There is a learning curve with everything, but mistakes made in the lab can ruin your research and cause dangerous accidents. A lab fire at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2008 led to the death of researcher Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangji, shocking the chemistry and laboratory safety communities. Details of the incident and its cultural and legal aftermath will be discussed, along with other recent notable chemistry lab incidents and their common themes.
What You Will Learn:
What lab incidents have happened recently
What common factors underlie those incidents
What are some of the resources available to help people work safely
Presenters:
Dr. Mary Beth Mulcahy is a Chemical Incident Investigator who joined the Chemical Safety Board in April 2009 and is currently supporting the CSB’s Deepwater Horizon investigation. Previous CSB investigations she has been involved with include a fatal fireworks disassembly accident in Hawaii, a university laboratory accident at Texas Tech University that severely injured a graduate student, and fatal natural gas explosions at a ConAgra food plant and at the Kleen Energy construction site of a new power plant. Dr. Mulcahy began her working career as a high school science teacher, but returned to school to earn her PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Colorado in Boulder. After graduate school, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the National Science Foundation at the Instituto Balseiro in Bariloche, Argentina and then spent time doing research for a biotechnology company.
Jyllian Kemsley received a B.A. in chemistry from Amherst College, a Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford University, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She now works at Chemical & Engineering News, where she covers a variety of basic and applied science topics, as well as laboratory safety.
Dr. David Harwell is the Assistant Director of Industry Member Programs at ACS. In this role, he works within ACS to improve offerings for members working in the business of chemistry. He also serves as the lead for the ACS Entrepreneurial Initiative, which provides resources to ACS members pursuing entrepreneurial careers and endeavors. Additionally, Dr. Harwell serves as an expert in the chemical industry and its effects on employment and the economy. Before joining the staff of ACS, Dr. Harwell was a faculty member at the University of Hawaii focusing on silicon nanoparticles and supramolecular structures.
For more information or to R.S.V.P., contact Cindy Castronovo.
