Be Open to Learning and Develop Strong Relationships
Wyatt Bradbury, MEng, CSP, CHST, CIT; Adjunct Professor, Advanced Safety Engineering and Management, School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham
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Health, Safety, and Environmental Students,
Welcome to a new year of learning and growth. With the start of the academic year, there is an opportunity for us to seek the experiences that drew us to pursue higher education and to engage face-to-face with our faculty and peers. No matter the stage in your academic or professional career, now is an excellent time to develop as Health, Safety, and Environmental professionals.
This year I want to challenge our higher learning community across two areas. First, be open to learning no matter the form it takes. This means more than memorizing something out of a textbook for the test you are cramming for that begins in an hour. It means to learn through experience, to learn through failure, and to learn through observation. In my career I have found that these are some of the greatest teachers. Though some may be awkward, uncomfortable, or difficult, they all supplement and enrich that which I glean from a book or lecture.
Frankly, these teachers are how we hone our skills in crafting and communicating the messages we seek to deliver from texts and professors. Pursuing continual learning across all these other growth opportunities will prepare you for a career where the results are not delivered by letter grade and where gained knowledge is not constrained by course objectives listed in a syllabus. Enjoy the experience and allow it to collectively inform you as a budding professional.
Second, develop strong relationships. There may never be another time where you are surrounded by like-minded peers of such caliber and number as right now in professional education. I hear this time and time again from my students who are mid to late career professionals returning to school and are thankful for the opportunity to be surrounded by others who want to grow as individuals and scholars.
Take this opportunity to forge lifelong connections with peers and mentors alike whom you can call for support, guidance, and insight. This network of relationships will open the door to opportunity, listen when you need support, encourage you to keep going, and provide awareness where you have weakness. This network is what makes our profession so strong. Take the time to develop and foster those relationships now so that they can last a lifetime. I am thankful I have!
Enjoy the experience, learn from failure, and build lifelong friendships. Our profession is unlike any other, and we are excited you have chosen to pursue the path of a Health, Safety, and Environmental professional.
Welcome to a new school year.
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BCSP Looks to the Future by Establishing Emerging Professionals Committee | | |
BCSP created the Emerging Professionals Committee this year, aiming to engage new safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) professionals in meaningful conversations. The committee provides valuable insight into the unique needs, perspectives, and interests of emerging professionals, trends facing the industry, and the role of professionals in the community.
The Emerging Professionals Committee will further lead in safeguarding the future of the profession and in advancing BCSP's mission to inspire and develop leaders in SH&E practice.
BCSP Emerging Professionals Committee
- Anthony Dohmann, CSP, ASP, CHST (Chair)
- Rayna Brown, CSP
- Jordan Geibig, GSP, STSC
- Nadia Hasan, GSP
- Jairus Moore, GSP
- Mike Sutton (Public Committee Member)
- Joshua Yates, GSP
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Collaborating for the Continued Improvement of Qualified Academic Programs | | |
Mark Friend, PhD, CSP, Professor, Embry-Riddle University (ERAU);
& Paul Specht, PhD, CSP - Retired, Professor Emeritus, Millersville University
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I don’t know everything that you know…And you don’t know everything that I know!
With over 100 Qualified Academic Programs (QAPs) and many more faculty involved with those programs, the methodologies for teaching the basic core of knowledge that makes a QAP curriculum varies. That is evident when talking with faculty from different institutions or evaluating safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) programs going through an accreditation process.
There are many classroom and laboratory “gems,” “secrets,” and unique approaches to teaching SH&E programs worth sharing. Safety has never been a proprietary profession. SH&E professionals, both in industry and in academia, have been willing to share policies, programs, and methodologies with fellow practitioners. The goal has always been promoting ways to protect workers and the environment. In the case of faculty, the goal is to better prepare our students for the challenges they will face in industry. One way to contribute to this, at least to a limited extent, would be through contributing to this Collegiate eNewsletter.
Perhaps you have a case study to share?
Or, perhaps, you would like to share your knowledge of one of the topics suggested below?
- A summary of current research in SH&E
- Identification of effective methodologies for online courses
- An explanation of teaching ethics in the SH&E curriculum - How should this subject be approached?
- A list and discussion of unique topics covered in your introductory class
- A discussion of what is adequate coverage of environmental topics in a safety curriculum
- Information regarding the enhancement of topics with laboratory activities
- Insights into faculty leadership for student American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) sections
- An explanation of what the ASP Exam Blueprint means to QAPs
- Information on how transportation safety has a place in an SH&E curriculum
- A textbook review
We can all benefit from sharing these and other ideas.
Collegiate eNewsletter
Article ideas for the Collegiate eNewsletter can be submitted by contacting BCSP. There is a set of guidelines for the format, and review time is necessary. Lengthy manuscripts are not what would fit into this type of publication. Communication short and to-the-point works best.
SHIFT Journal
Should you have original research, the BCSP Foundation offers the opportunity to publish that in SHIFT, BCSP’s own peer-reviewed journal. Further details on the SHIFT Journal can be found elsewhere in this eNewsletter.
Discussion Groups and Meetings
There are other ways to share our expertise. We could develop a seminar or webinar for faculty, addressing critical issues. In addition to expanding our own expertise, for those holding BCSP certifications, we may earn recertification points. We could meet online or in person. BCSP looks forward to facilitating our collaboration and asks that you complete the questionnaire below to meet our needs as QAP faculty.
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"With the support of this scholarship, I am able to pursue a degree that matters to me."
I am in my third year, double majoring in Environmental Health Science and Occupational Health Science.
This scholarship allows me to make more time for schoolwork and being in the community with those that matter to me – developing deeper relationships with those around me allows me to foster connections that last long after the cap and gown get packed up in a box and stored away.
My family and I cannot thank you enough for this generous investment to further my education.
Abbi Williams
2021 QAP Scholarship Recipient
Purdue University
Occupational & Environmental Health Science
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