Attend AIHce 2015, Surrounded by Mountains Registration is now open for AIHce, the conference that helps industrial hygiene and occupational and environmental health and safety professionals address workplace challenges, work more effectively, drive revenue, and, most importantly, protect worker health. AIHce 2015 will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, June 1–4, with preconference education taking place May 30–31. Join nearly 5,000 colleagues at the Salt Palace Convention Center for world-class education and networking opportunities. For more information or to register, visit the AIHce 2015 website. Meet the Opening Session Speaker. On Monday, June 1, Alison Levine, team captain of the first American women’s Mt. Everest expedition, will present the AIHce 2015 Opening General Session, “On the Edge: The Art of High-Impact Leadership.” Drawing from her experience leading a team to the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Levine will discuss how leadership principles in the world of extreme adventure apply to today’s business and workplace environments. PAL Program. The Personal AIHce Liaison (PAL) Program made its debut at AIHce 2014 with the goal of helping first-time attendees get the most out of the conference. Back by popular demand, the PAL Program matches “first timers”—new professional attendees and students—with seasoned AIHce attendees, or “PALs.” Interested attendees can sign up to participate when they register for the conference. Learn more. AIHce 2015 On Demand. Concerned about missing an important session at AIHce because you can’t be two places at once? AIHce On Demand allows you to take advantage of all the conference has to offer. Browse the expo, attend committee meetings, and network with colleagues at social events without worrying about missing out on education sessions. After the conference is over, you will receive online access to recorded presentations that can be viewed on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. AIHce On Demand is available for purchase with conference registration. Learn more. Virtual conference. Can’t make it to Salt Lake City? The AIHce Virtual Conference provides valuable education and inspiring keynotes without the need to travel. Gather a team and learn together, or access the virtual conference individually. Virtual AIHce 2015 registration includes a multitrack session broadcast; opportunities to submit questions for presenters and interact with other virtual participants via chat; and post-conference access to session recordings. Learn more.

Synergist Weekly to Replace E-ssential Connection Newsletter

The Synergist team is excited to announce that the weekly e-newsletter AIHA E-ssential Connection will re-launch as The Synergist Weekly later  this month. The Synergist Weekly will be delivered to AIHA members every Wednesday, and will feature timely news from around the industry and AIHA news of interest. It will also showcase content from the latest digital edition of The Synergist, including exclusive online-only content. The new Synergist Weekly has been designed to more closely integrate with the Synergist magazine, and readers can look forward to streamlined, high-quality information that comes with The Synergist brand.

The Synergist Weekly will be delivered from a new e-mail address: email@aiha.org. To ensure that you receive The Synergist Weekly and other e-mail communication from AIHA, please add the e-mail address email@aiha.org to your “safe senders” list. 

Please send feedback or questions about the weekly e-newsletter to the AIHA editorial staff.

ABIH Celebrates 55th Year in 2015 AIHA congratulates the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH) as it celebrates its 55th anniversary of service to the industrial hygiene profession this year. ABIH administers the internationally recognized Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) credential, which is a means to objectively assess and measure the professional knowledge and understanding of practitioners engaged in industrial hygiene. According to a January press release, more than 6,700 individuals are certified to use the CIH designation.
“We are proud to celebrate 55 years of service to those in the industrial hygiene profession and all of the government agencies, institutions, and companies that rely on CIHs worldwide,” said Tracy Parsons, CIH, administrative program manager at ABIH. “Our work continues to improve the health and safety of millions of workers and local communities by supporting the industrial hygiene community in our role of administering the CIH program.”
Visit the ABIH website for more information.
Call for AIHce “Ignite” Presenters AIHce is once again offering its own version of “Ignite.” Ignite sessions—five-minute presentations where speakers share their professional and personal passions using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds—originated in the high-technology profession and have​ spread worldwide. 
AIHA is now accepting applications for this year’s Ignite presentations. The submission deadline is Monday, March 30. Don’t delay: based on the past success of this format, AIHA is expecting a great deal of entries. For more information, visit the AIHce website.
Need ideas? View past AIHce Ignite sessions on YouTube.
NEWS & NOTES

JOEH’s New Look
Subscribers to the print edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene are finding a new-look version of the journal in their mailboxes this year. The 2015 issues feature a new cover design that combines the colors of AIHA and ACGIH. The new cover is the first element of JOEH to be redesigned since its launch in 2004.

JOEH is a joint publication of AIHA and ACGIH. Digital access to JOEH and its predecessors, including the AIHA Journal and Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, is a benefit of AIHA membership. Members can purchase print subscriptions for $66 by contacting AIHA Customer Service at (703) 849-8888 or infonet@aiha.org

In Memoriam​
Elden C. Cheatham, CIH, CSP, passed away at his home in Del City, Okla., on Dec. 23, 2014, at the age of 65. Cheatham was the safety officer for the OK-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team, a federal asset under the National Disaster Medical System. He served as an officer or volunteer for the Oklahoma section of AIHA beginning in 2006, and was the South-Central Regional Representative for AIHA since 2010. R​ead more on the AIHA website.
Longtime AIHA member Stephen C. Davis, CIH, CSP, passed away in January. Davis was co-founder and managing member of the building and environmental forensics and consulting firm LaCroix Davis LLC, and was president-elect of the Yuma Pacific Southwest section of AIHA. He is survived by his children and wife of 37 years, Chris Laszcz-Davis, MS, CIH, current AIHA Board member. AIHA Accolades The University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health honored Barb Epstien, MPH, CIH, with an Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Alumni Achievement Award for outstanding professional achievement and contributions to the public health field. Epstien, an AIHA Fellow, recently joined Forensic Analytical Consulting Services, Inc. in Portland, Ore., as a senior project manager. AIHA Board Approves Report on VOCs for LEED IAQ Sampling In January, the AIHA Board of Directors approved a draft report by the AIHA USGBC Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Team that focuses on VOCs for U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) version 4 post-construction indoor air quality (IAQ) sampling. A group of AIHA members participated on the project team, with Donald Weekes, CIH, CSP, as chair. Corrections Due to an editing error, the professional designations for Deborah Nelson, PhD, CIH, and Lindsay Cook, CIH, CSP, were omitted from the AIHA Candidates’ Forum in the print edition of the February issue. The digital edition ha​s b​een corrected. Dates and Deadlines March 10 AIHA webinar: Developing Respirator Cartridge Change Schedules. March 23–26 Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene in Columbus, Ohio. March 28 Deadline for 2015 Golden Seed Award nominations. For more information, contact Thursa La.
April 20–24 Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Review in Ann Arbor, Mich. May 30–June 4 AIHce 2015 (co-located with Stewardship 2015) in Salt Lake City, Utah. October 24–28 AIHA Fall Conference in Orlando, Fla.
For a complete list of events, visit the AIHA website.

thesynergist​ | COMMUNITY