At Bradley, students obtain hands-on experience applying scientific concepts while professors and faculty pass down passion for laboratory safety through repetition.
In the biology and chemistry departments, students take laboratory classes as part of the curriculum, and if a student is a science major, a research project is eventually tackled. While students get the opportunity to participate in active experiments, the biology and chemistry departments stress safety above all else according to department chair of biology Sherri Morris.
“[When] students are exposed to chemical and safety issues, there must be a high level of safety understanding as they go in,” Morris said. “I’ve been working at Bradley for 15 years and have not witnessed or heard of a serious accident. In our department we hardly have accidents.”
Students and faculty alike deal with an array of expensive, high-quality materials, high-purity compounds and state-of-the-art research.
“I like how it’s very hands-on and how you’re responsible for your own work,” freshman biology major Javon Orange said. “I feel pretty safe because [the professors] tell us all the safety precautions, like where all the chemical showers are. It’s common sense, too, like ‘don’t put your hand on the Bunsen Burner’ and ‘don’t drink the chemicals.’”
According to department chair of chemistry and biochemistry Kurt Field, students generally don’t make the decision on whether or not they go to the health center after an accident, as they may feel embarrassed or may not understand the long-term consequences of a lab accident.
In the case of an accident, certain procedures are performed depending on the severity of the incident. First, advisers make certain that the individual or individuals involved are safe.
Then, the supervisor takes the individual to Bradley University’s health center in Markin Recreational Center. If the accident is more severe, the faculty supervisor calls 911 to get them necessary help.
Field said for their first lab, students undergo a safety talk with a detailed safety sheet. The instructor goes down the list point-by-point, explaining the importance and related incidents about the topic. Even after the first lab, every lab in the freshman level or sophomore level is preceded by a safety talk.
“We do so much of it that often we see students reminding their peers,” Field said. “We instill in them the commitment to safety. [It] is important and we want to keep working on that commitment and eventually hope that students share our passion for safety.”
Laboratory work for class or research is important for developing skills that make a student more appealing to companies and occupational opportunities in the future, according to Field. These safety skills are integral to those developing skills.
“Being able to participate in labs help students understand scientific viewpoints, participating in research because it shows students how science is an active process and to understand how knowledge is generated,” Morris said.
