51视频

02/16/2017
By Karen Angelo

Alicia McCarthy needed to dig up dirt for a project.听

The public health master鈥檚 student, who works as a graduate assistant in the laboratory, found what she needed from the university鈥檚聽bike shop.听

The TURI Lab, which tests the performance of safer cleaners for companies, received a request from Troy Corporation to evaluate its bike cleaning product line.听

鈥淲e realized that we had a great opportunity to reach out to the campus bike shop to see if they would be willing to let us test some of the Troy cleaners on dirty bike parts,鈥� says McCarthy.听

Kevin Soleil, assistant director of the outdoor and bike program, welcomed McCarthy and other students on the team into the shop to do the testing.听

鈥淭he students were very professional and helpful,鈥� says Soleil. 鈥淎fter they tested the Troy products, they helped us examine our own cleaners and processes. As a result, the bike shop has adopted cleaning products that are safer for the environment and workers. What鈥檚 more, we have cut back on the amount of cleansers we use while still thoroughly cleaning the bikes.鈥澛�

51视频 10 students participated in the project, testing cleaning products on bike parts such as chains, gears and brakes.听

Public Health student Zachary Davis, who has worked in the bike shop for four years, appreciated that the students evaluated the health and safety of his workplace.听

鈥淭he students got us thinking about the products that we use and how we use them,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ecause I took a chemicals and health class last semester, I could understand their thought process. With their help, we took a hard look at everything in the shop. It really opened our eyes to different options.鈥澛�

While in the shop, McCarthy did what she鈥檚 been trained to do as an occupational and environmental hygiene major: She took note of the personal protective equipment, the room design and other factors that could pose a potential occupational hazard.听

鈥淭he staff was interested in us helping them choose products that could be safer, more cost effective and have equal or greater performance,鈥� says McCarthy.听

She gave the staff safer cleaners to try as well as materials safety data sheets that listed the ingredients in each product.听

鈥淓veryone in the shop was really excited and engaged in this positive collaboration,鈥� says McCarthy. 鈥淪ince they are looking to expand their workshop and open a new bike shop, they asked me for recommendations on what they should have in their new space to make it safer and greener.鈥澛�

Applying Academics to the Real World聽

Working with the staff in the bike shop opened McCarthy鈥檚 eyes to something important: translating what she鈥檚 learned in her course work to a shop setting can be challenging.听

鈥淚 put together a multiple-page report on testing and a spreadsheet for each employee, but I learned quickly, as Kevin flipped through the testing evaluation spreadsheet, how exhaustive and unrealistic my spreadsheet was in practice,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t gave me a chance to reflect and listen to what the client wanted. I created a one-page spreadsheet for in-field testing with visual scores that was simple and to the point.鈥澛�

By working for Jason Marshall, the director of the TURI Lab, McCarthy has gained experience writing case studies, presenting information in public forums and working on safer cleaning projects for industry.听

鈥淎licia has applied what she鈥檚 learned in the occupation and environmental hygiene master鈥檚 program as well as the skills she鈥檚 acquired working in the lab to real-world projects. The end result has helped the university and companies become more sustainable,鈥� says Marshall. 鈥淚t has been great to watch her flourish in this role.鈥澛�

Her accomplishments have been recognized by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable. The organization honored McCarthy and TURI Lab Assistant and chemistry major Abigail Giarrosso with the 2016 Most Valuable Pollution Prevention award. They will receive the award in June at the Massachusetts State House.听

When McCarthy graduates in May 2017, she鈥檒l take on a new role as higher education program manager for Beyond Benign, a nonprofit that promotes green chemistry for K-12 and higher education.