It is hard to believe it has already been a month since the Fall Technical Conference – hopefully you have all been enjoying the wonderful fall weather! Thanks to all of the amazing sponsors and exhibitors that made the FTC possible, and thanks to all of our attendees for their willingness to try a new venue. The 2023 FTC was a huge success and we are already looking forward to our 2024 FTC. We are always looking for volunteers, feedback, and new ideas for technical presentations, so please reach out to us at webmaster@aiha-rms.org.
Fall is the time of year when we begin filling board positions that will be open next year. There are several positions open for 2024, including: President Elect, Education and Programs Vice Chair, Outreach Chair, Newsletter Chair, and Board Member at Large. If you are interested in joining our board in any of those positions, please fill out this form.
Finally, it is time to nominate our RMS IH of the Year. If you have an RMS member in mind that you’d like to nominate, please contact me at president@aiha-rms.org for information on criteria, nomination process, etc.
We will be finalizing plans for our holiday party, in January 2024, so stay tuned for more details on that event as well as upcoming RMS events. Thank you for being part of our local section and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Alison McGrath
AIHA- RMS President
Save the Date
Seeking Volunteers for Denver Public Schools Career Fair
AIHA RMS will have a booth at the Denver Public Schools 8th Grade Career Fair Tuesday, November 14th, Wednesday the 15th, and Thursday the 16th. The career fair is from 8:30am-3pm at the Denver Police Protective Association and PPA Event Center (2105 Decatur St, Denver, CO 80211). We are seeking volunteers to staff our booth – there are two shifts each day and breakfast/lunch are included. If you are interested, sign up here.
Recent Events
This year's FTC at the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center was a great success! Thank you to all of our great sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and attendees who came out.
IH Spotlight- Melissa Blevens
This quarter we are profiling one of the speakers from this year's Fall Technical Conference, Melissa Blevins. Melissa is an industrial hygienist at Syncom Space Services, LLC, at NASA Stennis Space Center. She is a Ph.D. candidate at Colorado State University (degree anticipated May 2024).
How were you introduced to the field of Industrial Hygiene?
When looking for a master's degree program in environmental health, I came across the term "industrial hygiene." I was intrigued and went through a rabbit hole reading everything I could about the subject. I decided the best way into the field was a master's degree and came across the list of ABET accredited IH master's programs by AIHA. Colorado sounded like a nice place to live, so I applied to Colorado State University and was accepted! Once there, I worked with Dr. Candace Tsai, now an associate professor at UCLA, on engineered nanoparticles and aerosols. With her guidance, I published my master's project “Cloth Face Masks Containing Silver: Evaluating the Status” in the journal ACS Chemical Health and Safety, which has been cited 30 times in the past two years. I also worked on other projects, one on coal dust toxicity and another on engineered nanoparticle release re-exposure on different PPE fabrics.
What are your main areas of expertise and what do you spend most of your time doing?
My main area of expertise is occupational noise exposure and hearing status in the oil and gas extraction sector, specifically hydraulic fracturing, as this is the research topic for my Ph.D. dissertation. This research involved lots of noise sampling (personal dosimetry and equipment) and hearing testing.
Currently, I work at NASA’s Stennis Space Center as an industrial hygienist. I spend my time performing noise dosimetry, evaluating/approving safety data sheets, inspecting/sampling for asbestos, performing ergonomic evaluations, air monitoring, and other duties. My favorite part of the job is watching engine tests, especially if I need to collect noise data for it!
Tell us about a time you made a significant impact to improve workplace health and safety conditions? What was the most gratifying moment/ time in your career so far?
The most gratifying moment in my doctoral project so far has been presenting my results on occupational noise exposure and hearing status of hydraulic fracturing workers in a personal meeting with members of NIOSH and the CDC. Speaking with these industry experts, who recognized the intricacies and challenges of securing cooperation from a company for my research, was both validating and invigorating.
What is one piece of advice you would give to young/ fresh IH professionals?
Don't give up, stay curious, treat everyone with respect, and trust but verify information!
Thanks Melissa!
Member's Corner
Welcome New Members
Matthew Roberts
Other New Members (Not Pictured):
Clayton DesJardin
Christopher Foeller
Alex Johnsen
Steven Merritt
Caoimhin Connell
