Physical Metallurgy and E.M. Lab Safety and Respect and Diversity

Thursday’s MME (Metallurgy and Materials Engineering) Research Seminar saw Dr. John Chandler, Dr. Gerald Bourne and Dr. C.J. Van Tyne educate students on proper safety procedures in the lab and on the laws and campus policies regarding discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Dr. Chandler began with a presentation on the MME department’s Electron Microscopy Lab. He reminded students of the locations of the labs and advised them that if they required training for the instrumentation in the lab, the training needs to actually be done in the lab. He told students that they need to be sure to remember to use their log sheets and user accounts, to be respectful of and help maintain the lab, and to report any problems right away. In terms of safety, Dr. Chandler informed students that the rules differ between labs, but in the Physical Metallurgy and E.M. lab; students needed to be sure and have the proper personal protection equipment (PPE), particularly in the wet chem. areas. He concluded the presentation with a quick summary of the capabilities of the EM lab and then handed it off to Dr. Bourne for a similar presentation on the Physical Metallurgy Lab.

Dr. Bourne began with an overview of the lab’s capabilities and status, including the fact that the Physical Metallurgy lab only charges a supply cost.. As such, it is largely a user-maintained lab. He told students to make sure they had gotten the approval of both himself and their advisers along with the necessary training and to make sure that they had the minimum PPE of safety glasses and closed toed shoes before using the lab. He advised students to label everything that belongs to them with names and contact information and to dispose of chemicals and materials properly. He warned them to be sure to sign in and out and to be sure to follow all safety procedures and reminded them that if they bring in a tour group or other students, they are partially responsible for the safety of those guests. The final speaker of the evening, Dr. Van Tyne, described how grad school is a type of workplace and that, while students might have to spend a lot of time with people they may or may not particularly like, it is still important to respect others. He then gave a brief description of the laws and of Colorado School of Mines policies regarding diversity and workplace harassment. According to those rules, discrimination and harassment in the workplace will not be tolerated. Students are advised not to participate in such behavior and to contact their supervisors, advisers, and/or human resources if they believe they are victims of such actions.