As we kickoff a new year, we want to recognize our 2024 Lab Safety Culture Award winners. These recipients and their hard work will continue to grow and expand the safety culture across our campus.
The winners were recognized by the Laboratory Safety Culture Awards Subcommittee during their 2024 Lab Safety Culture Award winners during their 2nd annual dinner.
A dozen students were celebrated for their work in several categories, including the following quarterly awards: “Make a meme comparing safety vs. safety culture”, Spring Cleaning, Teamwork, and Stress Management Strategies.
Nominees as well as those that nominated them were invited to attend the dinner to receive recognition for their achievements and supporting lab safety culture throughout the year.
Members of the Lab Safety Culture Award Subcommittee also selected winners for several other awards, Impact Award, Influencer Award, and the Foundations Award. A Departmental Award was also introduced this year.
Impact Award
Grace Loy, Chris Morris, and Susan Kenny
The person or persons who work to integrate a positive safety culture into their work in ways that impact risk and safety among students, staff, and faculty within an organization.
Influencer Award
Larry McKay
The person or persons who use their influence to bring attention to the need for improvements that influence the development of a strong safety culture.
Foundations Award
Adrian Gonzalez
The person or persons who demonstrate excellence in developing and sustaining systems and processes that control risk in the physical workspace.
Departmental Award
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
The Department that demonstrates a high level of leadership, integration, and communication that is indicative of a strong safety culture.
“The lab safety culture awards initiative has been so valuable in building a positive safety narrative and strengthening our (EHS) rapport with research community,” said Environmental Health and Safety Director, Brian Ranger.
Award winners individually described their thought process and how they arrived at their final product.
“It is great to see the goals of the initiative showcased during the annual awards dinner through a variety of ways. From the winners highlighting the creative and innovative approaches being used to improve safety practices and strengthen safety culture, as well as the support and encouragement from university leadership at all levels (faculty, department heads, associate deans, deans, and associate vice chancellors), which sends a powerful message that safety is an important and shared value at UTK,” said Ranger.
Winners are listed below
1st quarter: Topic-Make a meme comparing safety vs safety culture
First place- Ryan Simmons (BCMB)
Second place- Kaylee Maret (Physics)
Third place – Sarah Binion (BCMB)
2nd quarter Topic- Spring Cleaning
First place – Chathuddasie Amarasinghe (Physics)
Second place – Adrian Gonzalez (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Third place – Brigid Ogden (Anthropology)
3rd quarter Topic-Teamwork
First place – Kriza Calumba (Food Science)
Second place – Susan Kenny (Chemistry)
Third place – Trina Chou (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology)
4th quarter Topic-Stress Management Strategies
Tie for first place- Tamanna Jafar (Microbiology) and Sarah Schwing (Anthropology)
Third place – Jennifer Rybak (Genome Science & Technology)
“I congratulate the award winners and thank all of those who have made this initiative so successful: the Division of Public Safety, Office of Research Innovation & Economic Development, Lab Safety Committee, and particularly the Lab Safety Culture Awards subcommittee for their dedication and hard work,” said Ranger. “We are excited to carry the initiative forward in 2025 and will be looking for opportunities to extend it and work with all our campus partners.”
A gallery of images can be found here: 20241205-LabSafetyCultureDinner
