Senkbeil Presents Program for Teaching Laboratory Safety at  Chemical Education Conference 

SALISBURY, MD---Dr. Edward Senkbeil, professor of chemistry in the Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology at Salisbury State University, recently attended the 16th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education held at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Senkbeil, one of three keynote chemical demonstrators for the conference, presented the program "Demonstrations for Teaching Laboratory Safety." The presentation included several demonstrations, related chemical accidents and their significance relative to teaching laboratory safety. Information presented was related to safety topics such as storage and handling of chemicals, combustion process, flashback, flammability limits, strong oxidizers and properties of a flame. Senkbeil’s daughter, Erin, assisted him in performing several of the demonstrations.

Senkbeil noted, "The use of chemical demonstrations and discussions of real-life accidents has proven to be a successful method of teaching laboratory safety at Salisbury State University." As part of the required chemistry curriculum at SSU, Senkbeil teaches a one-credit laboratory safety course. Considered an important component of undergraduate chemistry training, a required laboratory safety course for chemistry majors is offered at less than 5 percent of U.S. colleges and universities.

At the conference Senkbeil attended courses on teaching undergraduate biochemistry laboratories and development of chemical demonstrations.

The conference, sponsored by the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education, allows chemical educators at all levels of instruction to come together in a collegial fashion to learn from each other.

Senkbeil’s attendance was supported by the Salisbury State University Foundation Inc. and the SSU Department of Chemistry.