The training was endorsed by the Office of the Provost and the Campus Safety Committee. Though not mandatory, some departments, as well as individual faculty members, made it clear to their students that participation was indeed required if they wanted to continue working in a lab.
The three departments with the largest number of students working in hazardous materials labs are Biology and Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Chemical Engineering. These departments had the following attendance rates :
BBT - 70%
CBC - 77%
CM - 83%
Other departments participating in the training included Fire Protection Engineering and Material Science.
The effort this year yielded a much better attendance rate than last year's effort. This can be attributed to the support which Lance Schachterle, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and Jack Hanlon, Chair, Campus Safety Committee put forth in communicating the importance of undergraduate lab safety training to WPI's academic departments. The department heads and faculty members in these departments also contributed to the improved yield this year.
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