UL Research Institutes Promotes Lab Safety Through Partnership With Northwestern Student Group

UL Research Institutes (ULRI) is proud to strengthen an ongoing partnership with Northwestern University’s Research Safety Student Initiative, a graduate student group that promotes safety in research labs on its Evanston, Ill., campus.

“ULRI’s mission is to make the world a safer place through researching everything from battery fire suppression to toxicology,” said Michael Blayney, senior director of health, safety, and environment at ULRI. “It only makes sense that we also prioritize safety in the labs where we do this research and support others — particularly future researchers — who are doing the same.”

Because the student group’s mission to promote safe research in labs is so well aligned with ULRI’s mission to make the world a safer place — while prioritizing its researchers’ safety — the safety science organization donated $10,000 to RSSI. The donation will help fund the education, resources, and training the group offers to increase awareness of laboratory safety hazards and a more positive mindset toward safety practices.

“Safety starts with students,” said Haley Wellman, Ph.D. candidate and RSSI president, noting that graduate researchers likely spend more time in the lab than their professors and should be aware of the day-to-day risks.

In addition to its financial contribution, ULRI also offers its expertise to the group. In addition to his role at ULRI, Blayney advises RSSI as an adjunct assistant professor at the university. He’s supported the students’ vision since the group’s founding in 2017, when he served as Northwestern’s executive director of research safety.

Stuart Miller, Ph.D., vice president and executive director of ULRI’s Materials Discovery Research Institute, recently offered his insight at a student lecture during RSSI’s annual Research Safety Awareness Week in April.

Miller walked the students through his academic and professional career, noting how his interests and motivations have changed throughout the years. He described late nights in the lab and lost sleep over deadlines as a young researcher.

Today, Miller leads a team of over 30 scientists and engineers who are working to address challenges in eco-remediation and renewable energy. With the support of ULRI’s HSE team, he is dedicated to fostering a safe work environment.

Now, he said, “the only thing that keeps me awake at night is whether everyone goes home safe.”

ULRI’s ongoing collaboration with RSSI is a testament to the organization’s commitment to safety at all levels of the research process. Blayney said he’s happy to offer resources to the next generation of researchers: “It is inspiring that these students see the value that safety will add to their future careers.”

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