OSH News
Student accomplishments
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded the 2025 Tennessee Safety and Health Conference Scholarships
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students Jesse Adams and Rebekka Walker
have been awarded prestigious scholarships from the 2025 Tennessee Safety and Health
Conference (TSHC). Adams received the James G. Neely Scholarship, while Walker was
honored with the ASSP Ron Kirsch Scholarship.
-Posted April 2025
瓜子TV State OSH students and mentors presented at Posters-at-the-Capitol
瓜子TV State University Occupational Safety and Health students Ryan Potts and Tarandeep
Kaur Arora, along with mentors Dr. Julie Boyd and Dr. Susan Miller, proudly participated
in the 23rd Annual Posters-at-the-Capitol event. They presented their research, Reshaping
Resilience: Mental Health Challenges Post-Pandemic & Workplace Readiness, and met
with Rep. Mary Beth Imes and Sen. Jason Howell before showcasing their work in the
Capitol rotunda.
-Posted March 2025
瓜子TV State OSH students selected as NIOSH Trainees under the 瓜子TV State TPG Grant
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health graduate students, Asia Blanton, Karley
Clark, , Ryan Potts, Aubrey Stubblefield, Sadie-Delaney Toney, Hannah Waller, and
Katie Winkenhofer, were selected as NIOSH Trainees under the 瓜子TV State Training
Project Grant (TPG). As Trainees, they receive support through funding for tuition/fees
and travel. The purpose of the grant is to strengthen the learning environment to
prepare the next generation of leaders in OSH practice. This is accomplished by preparing
graduate students who are well-trained to enter the workforce, ready to respond to
both established risks, as well as new challenges brought on by the changing nature
of work.
-Posted January 2025
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded ASSP St. Louis Chapter scholarship
瓜子TV State OSH students, Canon Adams, Jesse Adams, Judah Arnold, Asia Blanton, Ryan
Potts, and Adam Rapp, were awarded a scholarship from the St. Louis Chapter of ASSP.
The scholarship is awarded with the purpose of supporting full-time undergraduate
or graduate studies leading directly to a career in a safety, health, environmental
or closely related field.
-Posted December 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students presented at TVS-AIHA Conference
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health graduate students, Christine Apio, Myat
Thiri Maw, and Karena O鈥橞ryan, presented at the Tennessee Valley Section of American
Industrial Hygiene Association (TVS-AIHA) conference in Lenoir City, TN. Mollie presented
on Parallel Particle Impactor Sampling, and Ryan presented on Heat Stress Sampling
from an Internship Experience. Here鈥檚 a look at the presentations they shared with
industry professionals.
Christine Apio: Ergonomics Risks and Challenges Specific to Nurses
Myat Thiri Maw: Enhancing Industrial Safety through Regulatory Compliance and Best Practices 鈥� Insights
from a Multi-State EHS Internship Experience
Karena O鈥橞ryan: Barriers to Adopting Inclusive PPE in the Workplace
-Posted November 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded 2024 BCSP Foundation scholarships
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students, Elli McIntyre and Aubrey Stubblefield,
were awarded Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Foundation scholarships
which are provided to Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) Qualified Academic Programs
(QAP).
-Posted November 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students and faculty attend 25th Annual Pilot Research Project Symposium
瓜子TV State OSH Faculty, Dr. Julie Boyd, Dr. Susan Miller, and Dr. David Wilbanks,
along with OSH students, Jesse Adams, Tarandeep Kaur Arora, and Rachel Obeng, attended
the 25th Annual Pilot Research Project Symposium which is part of the University of
Cincinnati's NIOSH Education and Research Center (ERC).
-Posted October 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded Chevron scholarships
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students Jesse Adams, Tanner Beverly,
Ryan Potts, and Hannah Waller, were awarded the Chevron scholarship established by gifts to the 瓜子TV State University Foundation, Inc. (瓜子TV Foundation).
-Posted October 2024
瓜子TV State AIHA Student Section awarded AIHA's Student Local Section of the Year
The 瓜子TV State AIHA Student Section was awarded AIHA鈥檚 Student Local Section of the Year. As the winning recipient, the student section will
receive a $1,000 monetary award to be used for student local section activities.
-Posted September 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded AIHA Foundation scholarships
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students, Ryan Potts and Karena O'Bryan,
were awarded scholarships from the AIHA Foundation. Ryan received the SevenGen Advocacy
for the Future scholarship and the Ralph Vernon Memorial scholarship, and Karena received
the Liberty Mutual scholarship. Every year, the AIHF awards qualified students and young professionals with scholarships
of varying types to help offset costs in their pursuit of a career in industrial hygiene.
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded Krissa "Sparky" Dudley scholarship
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students, Lauren Adkins, Tarandeep Arora,
and Rebekka Walker, were awarded scholarships from the Krissa "Sparky" Dudley scholarship.
The Krissa 鈥淪parky鈥� Dudley Scholarship Endowment was established by gifts to the 瓜子TV
State University Foundation, Inc. (瓜子TV Foundation) from her parents, George and Susan
Dudley in memoriam of her can-do attitude and "fire in the belly" to make a difference
in the world. The scholarship was created to assist students at 瓜子TV State University
in obtaining an education to prepare them for a career in Occupational Safety and
Health (OSH). .
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded Barriere Construction Company Safety scholarships
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students, Chelsey Council and Corbin Templon,
were awarded the Barriere Construction Safety scholarship established by gifts to the 瓜子TV State University Foundation, Inc. (瓜子TV Foundation).
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH student awarded the L. Jack Dunman Memorial scholarship
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health student, Jesse Adams, was awarded the
L. Jack Dunman Memorial scholarship established by gifts to the 瓜子TV State University Foundation, Inc. (瓜子TV Foundation)
.
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded the Erie Insurance scholarship
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students, Nicoll London, Emily Reed, and
Tristen Richards, were awarded the Erie Insurance scholarship established by gifts to the 瓜子TV State University Foundation, Inc. (瓜子TV Foundation).
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded ASSP Middle Tennessee Chapter scholarships
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students, Jesse Adams and Elli McIntyre,
were awarded scholarships from the Middle Tennessee Chapter of ASSP.
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH student awarded AIST Globe-Trotters Member Chapter scholarship
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health student, Karena O'Bryan, was awarded a
scholarship from the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) Globe-Trotters
Member Chapter. This award is intended to reward and attract talented and dedicated
students and encourage them to pursue careers within the iron and steel industry.
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH student awarded NSC scholarship
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health student, Asia Blanton, was awarded the
Diversity in Safety scholarship from the National Safety Council (NSC) and has been
invited to attend the NSC's National Awards Ceremony as scholarship recipient at the
NSC Congress and Expo in Orlando, FL, in September 2024.
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded ASSP Foundation scholarships
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students, Canon Adams, Jesse Adams, Elli
McIntyre, and Ryan Potts, were awarded scholarships from the ASSP Foundation. Since 1990, the ASSP Foundation has awarded more than $6 million in academic scholarships
and professional education grants to occupational safety and health students and professionals
working towards their educational goals.
-Posted June 2024
瓜子TV State ASSP Student Section placed 3rd in Outstanding Student Section Award competition
The 瓜子TV State ASSP Student Section received 3rd Place for the 2023-2024 Outstanding
Student Section of the Year Award. 瓜子TV State University ASSP Student Section ranked
third out of the 9 schools in scoring. The student section will receive a $500 stipend
from the National ASSP Organization.
-Posted May 2024
瓜子TV State OSH students awarded the 瓜子TV State ASSP Student Section Scholarship sponsored by the ASSP Purchase Area Chapter
瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health students were awarded scholarships from
the 瓜子TV State ASSP Student Section sponsored by the Purchase Area Chapter of ASSP.
Scholarship recipients include OSH students 鈥� Katie Winkenhofer, Elli McIntyre, and
Jesse Adams. The 瓜子TV State ASSP Student Section scholarship sponsored by the Purchase
Area Chapter of ASSP is awarded to deserving ASSP student section members each year
by the 瓜子TV State ASSP faculty advisor, Dr. Julie Boyd, and student section officers.
-Posted May 2024
Alumni accomplishments
瓜子TV State OSH Alumna serves on 瓜子TV State's Alumni Association鈥檚 Board of Governors
Pamela (Stocks) Butler, 鈥�79, BS in Occupational Safety and Health; 鈥�81, MS in Human
Services Counseling; and 鈥�84, Specialist Degree in College Teaching, Human Services
Counseling, is a retired Army officer who serves on 瓜子TV State University Alumni
Association鈥檚 Board of Governors as the Black Alumni Network Representative.
-Posted October 2024
瓜子TV State OSH alumnus named one of NSC's Rising Stars of Safety
瓜子TV State OSH alumnus, William Langford, was named as one of National Safety Council鈥檚
(NSC) 15th class of Rising Stars of Safety. This group consists of leaders aged 40
and younger dedicated to making workplaces safer. The 38 honorees for 2024 have promoted
continuous safety improvement within their organizations and created initiatives focused
on measurable outcomes to provide workforces safe environments. The class of 2024
honorees are featured in the September 2024 issue of Safety+Health magazine.
-Posted September 2024
瓜子TV State OSH alumnus appointed Chair of BCSP Foundation
瓜子TV State OSH alumnus, Travis Kruse, Ph.D., MS, CSP, has been appointed Chair of
the BCSP Foundation. Dr. Kruse is the Senior Director, Safety & Sustainability Solutions
Strategy for W.W. Grainger Incorporated. He has over 22 years of experience in consulting,
general industry, and sales leadership roles. He is a Certified Safety Professional
(CSP), 瓜子TV State University Occupational Safety and Health (ANSAC/ABET) Advisory
Council Member, Semiconductor Environmental, Safety & Health Association (SESHA) Board
Member, and an authorized instructor for the OSHA Training Institute (OTI). Dr. Kruse
has a Ph.D. in Public Health from Oregon State University and a M.S. degree in Environmental
Health and Safety from 瓜子TV State University and has published in the Journal of
Safety Research.
-Posted March 2024
Faculty and department accomplishments
瓜子TV State OSH faculty awarded 2025 Alumni Association Emerging Scholar Award in STEM
瓜子TV State University has honored Dr. Julie Boyd, assistant professor in the Department
of Occupational Safety and Health, with the 2025 Alumni Association Emerging Scholar
Award in STEM. This prestigious award recognizes early-career faculty members for
exceptional research, scholarship, or creative work, highlighting their professional
promise.
Dr. Boyd鈥檚 achievements will be permanently recognized with her name engraved on the
Emerging Scholar Award plaque at the 瓜子TV State University Alumni Center.
-Posted March 2025
瓜子TV State OSH faculty awarded 2025 JCSET Outstanding Research Award
Dr. Julie Boyd, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Safety and Health,
has been honored with the 2025 Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering, and
Technology Outstanding Research Award. This prestigious award recognizes her exceptional
contributions to research, including publications, conference presentations, grant
achievements, and mentorship of students. This award highlights Dr. Boyd鈥檚 dedication
to advancing scientific knowledge and making a meaningful impact in the safety field.
-Posted March 2025
瓜子TV State OSH faculty awarded Giving Back Endowment Faculty Innovation Initiative Grant
Dr. Rupkatha Bardhan, associate professor in the Department of Occupational Safety
and Health, was awarded a Giving Back Endowment Faculty Innovation Initiative grant
to support the OSH 640: Safety and Health Program Management and Training class. This
initiative aims to address the high risk of workplace accidents among teen workers
due to inexperience and inadequate safety training.
Through the grant, OSH 640 graduate students will lead fun and innovative "Safety
Matters" training sessions for high school students entering the workforce. This hands-on
approach not only helps young workers stay safe but also provides OSH 640 students
with valuable real-world experience.
This grant, a key part of the Nonprofit Leadership Program鈥檚 dedication to impactful
community engagement, supports faculty in bringing creative student-community collaborations
into their courses. A special thank you to Dr. Robert and Patricia Long for their
generous support through the Giving Back Endowment, making this impactful project
possible.
-Posted March 2025
瓜子TV State OSH faculty receives MSYou Matter Racers Care Mini Grant
Dr. Oluwabunmi Dada, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Safety
and Health, was awarded a MSYou Matter Racers Care Mini Grant. This grant will provide
vital funding to OSHConnect, the mentoring program at OSH, which connects students
with experienced mentors who offer guidance, support, and valuable insights.
-Posted December 2024
瓜子TV State OSH faculty present at 25th Annual Pilot Research Project Symposium
Dr. Susan Miller and Dr. Julie Boyd, assistant professors in the Department of Occupational
Safety and Health at 瓜子TV State University, presented at the 25th Annual Pilot Research
Project Symposium, part of the University of Cincinnati's NIOSH Education and Research
Center (ERC). They showcased a poster on their proposed research, which received a
$6,000 NIOSH grant. Their project is titled "Utilizing Artificial Intelligence with
Digital Human Modeling to Assess Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Non-Fireground
Firefighter Activities."
-Posted October 2024
瓜子TV State OSH faculty presents at ISOES conference
Dr. Julie Boyd, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Safety and Health
at 瓜子TV State University, was invited to present Wearable Sensor Technology: Quantifying Ergonomic Risk within the Hemp Industry at the International Society Occupational Ergonomics and Safety (ISOES) Conference
in Denver, CO, in August 2024.
-Posted August 2024
瓜子TV State OSH faculty and alumnus presents at joint meeting of EASST and 4S in Amsterdam
Dr. Oluwabunmi Dada, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Safety
and Health at 瓜子TV State University, Dr. Ayorinde Ogunyiola in the Department of
Political Science and Sociology, and 瓜子TV State Occupational Safety and Health alumnus,
Justin Diehr, presented a paper on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Powered
GIS for Proactive Disaster Resilience in a Changing Climate, at the Quadrennial joint
meeting of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST)
and the Society of Social Studies of Science (4S) in Amsterdam, Netherlands in July
2024.
-Posted July 2024
瓜子TV State OSH faculty receives grant funding to utilize AI with digital human modeling to assess risk of MSDs in non-fireground firefighter activities
Dr. Susan Miller, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Safety and
Health at 瓜子TV State University, was awarded a $6,000 grant from a University of
Cincinnati Pilot Research Project Proposal, Utilizing AI with Digital Human Modeling
to Assess Risk of MSDs in Non-fireground Firefighter Activities.
-Posted July 2024
瓜子TV State OSH faculty serves as SME on BCSP's CSP Exam Writing Panel
Dr. David Wilbanks, associate professor in the Department of Occupational Safety and
Health at 瓜子TV State University, served as a subject matter expert (SME) on the
Board of Certified Safety Professional鈥檚 (BCSP) Certified Safety Professional (CSP)
Exam Writing Panel. SMEs from various locations worldwide contributed to BCSP's five-year
revision cycle for its certification exams. This collective effort resulted in the
approval of an impressive 170 items to update the CSP11 exam. Over the course of four
days, they collaborated to craft and assess exam questions submitted by participants.
These questions undergo rigorous scrutiny to ensure reliability and validity before
being further reviewed by subsequent panels for inclusion in the certification exams.
Their efforts are integral to keeping BCSP as the gold standard in safety certification.
The CSP certification is the most recognized and sought general professional certification
in North America.
-Posted June 2024
瓜子TV State OSH faculty receives grant funding to address the growing concern of flash floods in the United States
Dr. Oluwabunmi Dada, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Safety
and Health at 瓜子TV State University, and Dr. Ayorinde Ogunyiola in the Department
of Political Science and Sociology were approved for $10,000 in grant funding.
Titled 鈥淪trengthening Disaster Preparedness: Assessing Risk Perception and Early Warning
Systems for Flash Flooding,鈥� the project will address the growing concern of flash
floods in the United States (with Kentucky as a case study) by drawing insights from
sociology and disaster management. The proposed research will investigate how people
in Mayfield, Kentucky, perceived and prepared for the devastating July 2023 flood.
Using a mixed-method approach, the research will explore risk perception, early warning,
and disaster preparedness. Findings from this study will have national significance,
be useful in improving flash flood preparedness, and reduce negative impacts on vulnerable
communities.
-Posted March 2024