Program Agenda

Schedule at a Glance

*Please note the below schedule is tentative and subject to change. Program and Education Committees are currently finalizing the 2026 agenda and will post once finalized. 

Saturday, July 18

  • 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM: 8-hour Professional Development Sessions (PDS)

  • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM: 4-hour Professional Development Sessions (PDS)

  • 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Leadership Event - Offsite (By Invitation Only) 

Sunday, July 19

  • 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM: 4-hour Professional Development Sessions (PDS)

  • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM: Leadership Workshop 
  • 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: First-Time Attendee Reception

  • 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Opening Reception & Awards Ceremony

Monday, July 20

  • 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM: Breakfast with Exhibitors 

  • 8:30 AM – 10:20 AM: Technical Sessions 

  • 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Refreshments Break with Exhibitors and Silent Auction Begins 

  • 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM: Keynote Session

  • 12:15 PM – 1:50 PM: Lunch with Exhibitors and Poster Presentations 

  • 2:00 PM – 4:50 PM: Technical Sessions 

  • 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Refreshments Break with Exhibitors 

  • 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Vendor Events (By Invitation Only) - Offsite LocationTBD 

Tuesday, July 21

  • 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM: Breakfast with Exhibitors

  • 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM: Panel Discussion

  • 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM: Technical Sessions 

  • 10:35 AM – 11:05 AM: Refreshments Break with Exhibitors

  • 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Lunch with Exhibitors, T-Shirt Exchange and Poster Presentations

  • 2:00 PM – 4:50 PM: Technical Sessions 

  • 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Refreshments Break with Exhibitors 

  • 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM: CoP Meetings

  • 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Mixer & Fundraiser - Silent Auction Closing

Wednesday, July 22

  • 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM: Breakfast

  • 8:40 AM – 9:30 AM: Annual Membership Meeting

  • 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Technical Sessions 

  • 10:50 AM – 11:00 AM: Break

  • 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch

  • 1:30 PM – 3:20 PM: Technical Sessions 


Session Details

Saturday, July 18, 2026 

StartEndSession TypeTitleSpeakers Room
8:00 AM               5:00 PM                 PDS - 8 hr Developing Risk Maturity through an awareness of the Social Psychology of Risk (SPoR)                     Linda Hamilton                           
8:00 AM 5:00 PM PDS - 8 hr Industrial Hygiene 101 Robert Clark  
8:00 AM 5:00 PM PDS - 8 hr Mastering Laboratory Ventilation Safety From Design to Safe Use  Chip Albright  
8:00 AM 5:00 PM PDS - 8 hr Risk Isn't What You Think (It's What You Perceive and Feel) Jonathan Klane       
1:00 PM  5:00 PM  PDS - 4 hr Building the Dream Team - Vital Partnerships and Strategic Planning for EHS Amy Orders  
1:00 PM 5:00 PM  PDS - 4 hr Mitigating Risks: A Practical Guide to High Activity Radioactive Sources & Alternative Technologies                                   Jacob Kamen            

 

Sunday, July 19, 2026 

StartEndSession TypeTitleSpeakers Room
8:00 AM    12:00 PM PDS - 4 hr Hands-On workshop on Interactive Safety Training  Sydney Johnston          
8:00 AM 12:00 PM PDS - 4 hr Beyond Compliance: Designing Engaging and Accessible eLearning Alisha Diego Klatt  
8:00 AM 12:00 PM PDS - 4 hr Creating a Unified Safety Culture in Academic Laboratories Gloria Ruiz  
8:00 AM 12:00 PM PDS - 4 hr Lab Safety 101 and 102: Building a Resilient Academic Lab Safety Program Larry Mendoza  
8:00 AM 12:00 PM PDS - 4 hr Lithium-Ion Battery Safety: What Everyone Needs to Know Eric Huhn  
8:00 AM 12:00 PM PDS - 4 hr Preparing for the worst day of a career; Critical Incident Response and Functional Family Reunification and Assistance Center (FRAC) Mini Dennis Terpin  
8:00 AM 12:00 PM PDS - 4 hr RCRA 101: Introduction to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Ac Courtney Kerr  
8:00 AM              12:00 PM                 PDS - 4 hr Using Real Leading Indicators to Demonstrate the Value of EHS  Kathy Malone  

 

Monday, July 20, 2026 

 Start  End   Session Type   Title   Speakers   Room 
 8:30 AM              9:20 AM                    Technical Session           Addressing Reproductive Health Concerns in Research Laboratories Mita Juristyarini        
 8:30 AM    9:20 AM  Technical Session Building Beyond Compliance: Safety Training that Works Sydney Johnston  
 8:30 AM    9:20 AM  Technical Session Changing Image: Creating a New Culture of Safety Jacob Broderick  
 8:30 AM    9:20 AM  Technical Session Creative Strategies for Scenario-Based Lab Safety Training Peggy Lei  
 8:30 AM    9:20 AM  Technical Session Developing Industrial Hygiene & Safety Elements at a University to Incorporate an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)   Mold/Water Damage Response Program Mark Hlebichuk  
 8:30 AM    9:20 AM  Technical Session OSUs Approach to Fire and Life Safety Issues Attributed to Human Behavior Gerald Petre  
 8:30 AM    9:20 AM  Technical Session Safety & Compliance for a Dynamic Campus Utility Department Sean Speed  
8:30 AM   9:20 AM  Technical Session The Unknown Risks of Having A Rail Line Adjacent to Your Campus Andrew Lawson  
9:30 AM  10:20 AM  Technical Session  CSI Isnt Just on TV: Environmental Forensics and Uncharted Challenges in University EHS

Cheri Hildreth
Tamece Knowles

 
9:30 AM  10:20 AM  Technical Session  Developing a University Policy for Service Animals in Research and Teaching Laboratories: Process, Challenges, and Implementation Strategies Erica Gonzaga  
9:30 AM  10:20 AM  Technical Session  From Compliance to Curriculum: How Becoming Faculty Changed My View of Safety Gloria Ruiz  
9:30 AM  10:20 AM  Technical Session  Safety Culture- Research Hazard Assessment Patricia Delaney  
9:30 AM  10:20 AM  Technical Session  Safety is for Everyone, Not Just Students and Staff Angie Vreugdenhil  
9:30 AM  10:20 AM  Technical Session  Safety Signs: Make Them Suck Less Eric Huhn  
9:30 AM  10:20 AM  Technical Session  The Most Dangerous Place on Campus John DeLaHunt  
9:30 AM  10:20 AM  Technical Session  Working Safely with Ammonia and Hydrogen On-Scale: Challenges and Solutions of Modern Fuel Research in Academic Laboratories Christopher Motter  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session An Interdisciplinary Approach to Lithium-Ion Battery Safety

David Kalafut
Nicole Sanders 
Vinay Premnath 

 
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Building a Statewide Higher Education Safety Council: A Model for System-Level Impact Jacqueline Roquemore
Teresa Belback
 
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Enhancing Engineering Safety via Support and Project Safety Analysis (PSA) Synergy Abdulhaqq Ibrahim
Mario Gomez Hernandez                   
 
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session From Compliance to Confidence: Visualizing Fume Hood Containment on a University Budget Tricia Hahn  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session From Franken - Systems to Streamlined Solutions Michelle Thompson  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Leading the Way: Building a Proactive Safety Culture in Higher Education Otu Inyang  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Providing Labs a Voice: How Safety Benefits from Creating a Lab Manager's Forum Ryan Lisk
Bruce Brown
 
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Sneezing and Wheezing: Evaluating and Controlling Laboratory Animal Allergens Brent Cooley  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session After the Fact Permitting: Old Problems, New Headaches Jennifer Laine  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session An Innovative Safety Training - Game Based Learning Method Margaret Smallbrock
Patrick Ceas
Kevin Dolge
Joe Udelhofen 
 
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Applying Safety Science Concepts to Your Programs Sara Souza  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Beyond the Matrix: Rethinking PPE for Modern Academic Labs Mary Lindstrom  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session From Data to Decisions: Using AI to Evaluate and Strengthen Injury Prevention Programs in Higher Education Diana Cox
Veronica Nelson
 
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Recognizing Everyday Excellence in Safety Lakshmi Attigala  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Stay Calm, Act Fast: Five Steps to Handle Cardiac and Bleeding Emergencies Barbara Kinter
Sarah Gillen
 
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Toxic Wind Blowback in Fume Hood Buildings Victor Neuman  

 

Tuesday, July 21, 2026 

 Start  End  Session Type   Title   Speakers   Room 
9:45 AM               10:35 AM                         Technical Session                  Approved Storage of Hazardous Materials Megan Hall  
9:45 AM 10:35 AM Technical Session  Diversifying Surveys Across Campus at Oklahoma State University Workplace Surveys Val Freeman  
9:45 AM 10:35 AM Technical Session  Leveraging the Power of AI for Lab Safety  Andrew Pemberton  
9:45 AM 10:35 AM Technical Session  Ototoxic Chemical Exposures, Toxicology, and Workplace Applications Mike Albert
Eric Littlefield
 
9:45 AM 10:35 AM Technical Session  Science, Safety and Scuba: A Comparison of Scientific Diving with Maximum Containment (BSL-4) Research and   How Training and Operational Standards Apply, or Should Apply, to Both. Lizzie McNamee  
9:45 AM 10:35 AM Technical Session  Stop Managing Safety & Start Leading It: How Bold EHS Leaders Drive Influence, Alignment, and Real Change Denise Pappas  
9:45 AM 10:35 AM Technical Session  Visual Chemical Safety Revisited - How Does AI Change the Picture? Kathy Malone  
9:45 AM 10:35 AM Technical Session  What Scientists Wish Biosafety Officers Knew and What Biosafety Officers Wish Scientists Knew Glen Alberts  
11:05 AM 11:55 AM Technical Session Data-driven Decision Making: What the LionSafe Risk Assessment Reveals About Research Safety Diann Stedman
Peter Muldoon
James Crandall
 
11:05 AM 11:55 AM Technical Session Double Agents: Safety Professionals Embedded at the Intersection of EH&S and Research Communities Devin Leonard
Anna Gioseffi
 
11:05 AM 11:55 AM Technical Session Not Your Usual EHS training - Role Playing for the Win! Amy Orders
Hans Neilson
 
11:05 AM 11:55 AM Technical Session Occupational Health as Strategy: Protecting People, Powering Performance Matthew Hamm  
11:05 AM 11:55 AM Technical Session Optimizing Lab Safety: Risk-Based Chemical Hazard Classification Johanna Andryszewicz
Janina Willkomm                           
 
11:05 AM 11:55 AM Technical Session Proactive PFC Management, Lessons Learned in Campus Wide Inventory/Disposal of PFCs Tom Syfert
Adam Roberge
 
11:05 AM 11:55 AM Technical Session Verify Then Trust: Accepting a New Fire Panel as an Embedded EHS Professional Anthony Murph  
11:05 AM 11:55 AM Technical Session With Love, Your Friendly Neighborhood Industrial Hygienist Kelsey Griffith  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Assessment of Inhalation Risks Associated with Off Gassing from 3D Printing Dental Resins Qian Zhang  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Evaluating the Effectiveness of Targeted Sharps Safety Interventions at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute Sumit Ghosh  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Excel Tool development for Laboratory Chemical Management Karen Jackson  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session From Audit to Action: Driving Safety Transformation Elizabeth Henry  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Implementation of Agriculture Field Safety Sam Stoxen  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Innovative Environmental Compliance Strategies at UC Berkeley: Integrating Stormwater Management and Remediation with Institutional Priorities Alicia Bihler  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Lab Check-ins: Strengthening EHS & Research Relationships Kaleela Kadir  
2:00 PM 2:50 PM Technical Session Two Buildings, Two Pathways: Operationalizing EHS in New Construction and Institutional Merger Environments Connor Cordray
Shalaka Avinash                                             
 
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session A Multi-Disciplinary Team Approach is Best at Solving the Actual Problem Jonathan Klane  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Behind the Curtain: AI and the Dangerous Illusion of Compliance Robert Day  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Beyond the Threshold: Managing Biological Toxins in Academic Labs Allyssa Baptista  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Controlled Substances and Drug Contraband: A Deep Dive into Regulatory Requirements to Establish Institutional Compliance Carrie Colbert  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session Fume Hood MythBusters: Why Face Velocity Isnt Enough for Safety Chip Albright  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session How Fayetteville State University Built a Campus-Wide Culture of Cardiac Preparedness Gina Rodriguez  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session How to Make Friends and Influence People: Building Partnerships that Advance Campus Safety Robin Izzo  
3:00 PM 3:50 PM Technical Session The Dirt on Campus Edible Gardens Leanne Wright
Lei Angela IIan-Garcia
 

 

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 

 Start  End  Session Type   Title   Speakers   Room 
10:00 AM             10:50 AM                Technical Session                               Biosafety Made Simple  Ekaterina Semenyuk                         
10:00 AM 10:50 AM Technical Session  Celebrate Good Times, Come On!  Zoe Harris  
10:00 AM 10:50 AM Technical Session  EHS beyond the Labs: Making Chemical Safety, Management, and Disposal Accessible for Commonly Overlooked Departments  Sarah Wannemuehler  
10:00 AM 10:50 AM Technical Session  Enhancing Laboratory Safety Through a Comprehensive and Collaborative Inspection Program  Ying Liu  
10:00 AM 10:50 AM Technical Session  Fume Hood Commissioning Challenges and How the Laboratory Ventilation Management Plan Assures Proper Performance  Thomas Smith  
10:00 AM 10:50 AM Technical Session  Navigating Environmental Compliance: Progress and Challenges on a Large University Campus  Amit Nair  
10:00 AM 10:50 AM Technical Session  Revisting Our Old Friend HAZWOPER, a Deeper Look at University Requirements  Dennis Terpin  
10:00 AM 10:50 AM Technical Session  Safety Without Barriers: Designing Digital Content for Real-World Accessibility Hannah Ramsey
Kirsten Guan
 
11:30 AM 12:20 PM Technical Session  Defining the Value of the EHS Professional in Higher Education Stephen Larson   
11:30 AM 12:20 PM Technical Session  Educational Institutions as Special Event Venues Caterina Tabor  
11:30 AM 12:20 PM Technical Session  Evolution of a -80°C Freezer Program Courtney Kerr  
11:30 AM 12:20 PM Technical Session  From Paper to Electrons Moving Into the Future, Whether We Like It or Not Alicia Duprey-Gatrell  
11:30 AM 12:20 PM Technical Session  Integrating Laser Safety Oversight into the Procurement Process Harvey Richey  
11:30 AM 12:20 PM Technical Session  Nitrous Oxide Safety: Hazard Recognition, Assessment and Mitigation Strategies in Dental Spaces Charisma Lattao
Spencer Chichester
 
11:30 AM 12:20 PM Technical Session  Using EHS Contractors and Peer Reviews for Program Development Amy Orders
Janet Eggum
 
1:30 PM 2:20 PM Technical Session  Chemical Hygiene Plan in Daily Practice Ivet Hernandez
Beth Welmaker
 
1:30 PM 2:20 PM Technical Session  Compressed Gas Cylinder s Safety Guidelines Scott Nelson  
1:30 PM 2:20 PM Technical Session  From Data to Decisions: Leveraging Information Systems to Strengthen Safety Operations at UNLV Robert Deaver
Paul Garcia
 
1:30 PM 2:20 PM Technical Session  How To Win Friends & Influence Safety Jeremy Fanning  
1:30 PM 2:20 PM Technical Session  Real-Time Particle Monitoring as a Quality Improvement Tool for Construction Projects Milton Griggs  
1:30 PM 2:20 PM Technical Session  The Hunt for Picric Acid Jennifer Laine  
1:30 PM 2:20 PM Technical Session  The Most Dangerous Tasks on Campus (Both Usually EHS Operations) John DeLaHunt  
2:30 PM 3:20 PM Technical Session Experience How Group Story Sharing Helps Fix Fume Hood Challenges Jonathan Klane  
2:30 PM 3:20 PM Technical Session Open-Source, On-Premises Laboratory Telemetry: Enhancing Safety and Operational Resilience Richard Blair  
2:30 PM 3:20 PM Technical Session Performance and Security Assessment of X-ray Irradiators as a Replacement for Cesium-137 Sources in Industrial Sterilization: A Brazilian Case Study Informed by the Goinia Legacy Joao Claudio Batista Fiel  
2:30 PM 3:20 PM Technical Session Six Years of Progress: Designing, Implementing, and Evolving a High‑Reliability Lab Closeout Program at UF Mike Silanskis  
2:30 PM 3:20 PM Technical Session Strengthening Safety Culture Through Purdue's Integrated Safety Plan Mita Juristyarini