Smyth Awardee to Discuss Setting OELs for Engineered Nanomaterials at Fall Conference M​ichael Ellenbecker, ScD, CIH, professor emeritus of occupational and environmental hygiene in the Department of Work Environment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, will receive the Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Award at the 2015 AIHA Fall Conference in Orlando, Fla. This honor is bestowed annually on an industrial hygienist who has recognized the needs of the IH profession and contributed to the improvement of the public’s welfare. “I am honored and grateful to have been chosen for [this award],” Ellenbecker said. “Dr. Smyth is a pioneering figure in our field, and the previous Smyth Award winners constitute an impressive cross-section of industrial hygienists who have made important contributions to worker health and safety.” For the past 11 years, Ellenbecker has also served as director of the Toxics Use Reducti​​on Institute (TURI) at UMass Lowell, where, during his tenure, he has trained hundreds of industrial hygienists at the master’s and doctoral levels. In 2008, along with co-author Su-Jung Tsai, Ellenbecker received the Best Paper Award from the AIHA Lab Health and Safety Committee. He also co-authored a widely used textbook, Ventilation for Control of the Work Environment, which focuses on the control of occupational exposures. During the last decade, Ellenbecker has helped pioneer the development of innovative exposure assessment methods for evaluating worker exposures to engineered nanoparticles and the evaluation of engineering controls to limit exposure. This work led him to co-author a book titled Exposure Assessment and Safety Considerations for Working with Engineered Nanoparticles, which was published in July. Ellenbecker will present the Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Award lecture at the Fall Conference on Tuesday, Oct. 27. His presentation will focus on carbon nanotubes as an example to illustrate the need to work safely with new materials and the challenge of setting occupational exposure limits for engineered nanomaterials. The Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Award was dedicated by the Academy of Industrial Hygiene in 1981. Visit the AIHA website for more information.
 
 
AIHce PDC Instructors Donate More Than $11,000 to AIHF Each year, many instructors of AIHce professional development courses (PDCs) donate their earned honorarium to the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation (AIHF). This year, 42 instructors donated more than $11,000. AIHF is grateful for the instructors’ generosity and continued support. Since the endowment was funded, AIHF has awarded more than $1.7 million in scholarships to 591 students. These scholarships have enabled talented students to complete their education and have encouraged the most promising scholars to enter or remain in the industrial hygiene profession. For more information about AIHF, visit the AIHA website.
 
 
Industry Survey Finds Certification May Result in Higher Annual Salary Results of an expansive EHS industry salary survey indicate a growing recognition of the value of licenses and credentials in the industrial hygiene and safety fields. The survey results show that the median annual base salary of individuals holding the Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) or the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification is $105,000, nearly $22,000 greater than the median annual base salary of respondents who held no license or certification. The results also show that individuals with both a CIH and CSP and no other licenses or credentials are compensated nearly $18,000 more than the total median annual base salary of all full-time employees surveyed. Individuals holding these two certifications see a higher impact on their salaries than those who have only a CIH or a CSP and one other license or credential. The survey was conducted in collaboration with BCSP, ABIH, ASSE, AHMP, and IHMM. The results are available on the AIHA website. ​ Winner of H. Kenneth Dillon Award Honored at AIHce​ The AIHA Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology Committee honored Laura Krause with the 2015 H. Kenneth Dillon Award at AIHce 2015. This annual award honors the memory of Dr. H. Kenneth Dillon, former committee member and AIHA Fellow, and recognizes the best student poster at AIHce based on either a biosafety or an environmental microbiology project. Krause, a master’s student majoring in environmental health with an IH specialization at Colorado State University, received the award for her poster, “Evaluation of Collection Effectiveness during Air Sampling of Culturable Bioaerosols.” Visit the AIHA website for more information on the H. Kenneth Dillon Award and the Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology Committee. ​ AIHA Members Receive Discount on BOHS Worker Health Protection Conference The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) is offering AIHA members a 15-percent discount on registration for the 2nd Annual BOHS Worker Health Protection Conference (WHPC 2015) in the Middle East. WHPC 2015, which is supported by AIHA, will be held Oct. 25–29, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. WHPC 2015 comprises a two-day scientific program, a series of professional development courses, and an exhibition to showcase the latest innovations in occupational health and hygiene. WHPC 2015 includes high-profile international speakers and a lineup of panel discussions, presentations, and question-and-answer sessions. BOHS intends the conference to provide a multidisciplinary perspective: in addition to occupational hygiene, the event will cover aspects of occupational medicine and nursing, wellbeing, and environmental health. For more information or to register, visit the conference website. AIHA m​embers should mention the code AIHA15 to receive a 15-percent discount on event registration. News & Notes
Accolades
AIHA member Shawn Gibbs, CIH, PhD, was selected by Indiana University-Bloomington to serve as a fellow for the Academic Leadership Program, which helps develop leadership skills of professors who may pursue careers in academic administration. Gibbs is a professor of environmental health and executive associate dean of the School of Public Health-Bloomington. California Gov. Jerry Brown recently named AIHA member John Sacco, CIH, PE, CSP, as a new member of the Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board, the standards-setting agency within Cal/OSHA. AIHA member Barbara Smisko, a management representative on the board, was reappointed.
 
2016 Board of Directors Nominations
AIHA is seeking nominations for four Board of Directors positions that will be vacated in May 2016: vice president, secretary-elect, and two director positions. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 1, 2015. Electronic submission forms are available online.
 
Present at AIHce 2016
Contribute to AIHce 2016 by submitting a presentation in your area of expertise that will give your colleagues the information, solutions, and best practices they need to excel. The pre-conference professional development course (PDC) submission deadline is Sept. 9, and Sept. 21 is the deadline to submit proposals for technical sessions, which make up the main conference program. To ​submit your proposal, visit the conference website. Presenting at AIHce will increase your credibility and visibility with fellow professionals, allow you to contribute to your profession, and give you the opportunity to earn certification maintenance points. AIHce 2016 will be held May 21–26, in Baltimore, Md. ​For more information, visit www.aihce2016.org.
 
JOEH in the News
In a commentary published in the August issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH), Deborah Gold, MPH, CIH, former deputy chief of health for Cal/OSHA, highlights the potential dan​gers faced by actors in the adult film industry and reviews possible enforcement actions and regulatory developments concerning the industry. For more information, read AIHA's press release. Dates and Deadlines September 9​​ PDC submissions deadline for AIHce 2016. September 15-16 The first China-U.S. Occupational Health Symposia in Shanghai, China. September 21 Technical presentation submissions deadline for AIHce 2016. October 26–27 AIHA Fall Conference in Orlando, Fla. For a complete list of events, visit the AIHA calendar.
 

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