Online course on lab safety

FAIC Online: Laboratory Safety for Conservation
July 21-August 18, 2011
Instructor: Elizabeth S. Goins
Registration Fee: AIC Members $200; Non-members $300

This on-line course covers important topics that are essential to
your safety, the safety of your co-workers, and preventing damage
from environmental hazards. The course leads you through development
of a chemical hygiene plan for your laboratory, based on readings,
videos, and other materials that illustrate general principles as
well as specific guidelines for safety in the laboratory. Follow-up
quizzes and online discussions ensure that you understand the
material and know how it applies to conservation practices.

This material in this course is essential for anyone working in a
laboratory or supervising students, interns, or others in a
laboratory setting.

The course contents include:

    Chemical storage
    Handling of corrosives
    Waste handling
    Eye and face protection
    Working with flammable and toxic materials
    Carcinogens and long-range hazards
    Spill prevention and clean-up
    Combustibles and flammables
    Proper ventilation

Online discussion forums allow you to draw on the combined
experience of other participants and the course facilitators. Best
of all, "Laboratory Safety for Conservation" comes to you. All you
need is a computer with Internet access and you are ready to learn.

"Laboratory Safety for Conservation" is a four-week course. The
course will begin on Thursday, July 21, 2011 and continue, with new
activities and discussions each week, through August 18, 2011. The
instructor, Elizabeth S. Goins, will guide discussions and offer
tips and resources beyond what you find on the course site. You may
work on the course at any time within each week.

Required Text: You will need a copy of Artist Beware by Michael
McCann (1992 edition or later). This book can be purchased through
amazon.com or other book retailers.

Time Requirements: Expect to spend at least six hours per week on
the course - roughly the equivalent of attending a full-day workshop
each week. You will use this time to view videos, read supplemental
materials, and to read and respond to the work of others in the
course. You choose when, according to your own schedule--at noon
during your lunch break, in the evening with a cup of coffee by your
side, or at six in the morning in your favorite jammies. (Although
the timing of your participation is flexible, we have found that
participants have difficulty keeping up with the course during
extended trips.)

Is Distance Learning Right for You? We're glad you asked! We all
learn in different ways. Take the interactive quiz (found on the
main "Take a Course" page) to see if this type of course is a good
match for your learning style.

Technical Requirements: No special hardware or software is needed
for this course. An internet connection and a reasonably up-to-date
browser (Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari)
are all that is required. The course videos are best viewed with a
high-speed connection.

Registration: The fee for this course is $200 for AIC members, $300
for non-members. To register, complete and return the registration
form, which is available on the AIC website or from the AIC office.
The registration deadline is July 24, 2011. Participants will be
accepted in order of receipt of paid registration. Enrollment is
limited, so early registration is advised.

About the Facilitator:

    Elizabeth S. Goins has a background in art conservation,
    preservation and material science. She obtained a Bachelor of
    Arts in the Technology of Artistic and Historic Objects and Art
    History from the University of Delaware. Before pursuing
    graduate school, Elizabeth worked for Gold Leaf Studio and
    Mario's Conservation in Washington DC where she studied gilding
    and objects conservation. She received her doctorate in 1995
    from the University of London where she focused on alkoxysilanes
    and stone conservation. Elizabeth spent two years completing the
    Frohlich Fellowship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She began
    work as a research scientist at the Image Permanence Institute
    funded by the U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities on the
    development of software for the preservation of collections,
    "Climate Notebook." Most recently she has been teaching at the
    Rochester Institute of Technology where she is working to
    develop Cultural Resource Management, a program of study which
    includes tracks in both art conservation and museum studies at
    the undergraduate level. At RIT, her research has been on: 19th
    century hydraulic mortars and concrete, artist's materials and
    techniques, the deterioration of magnetic tape, online and
    blended learning.

About the Series:

   "Laboratory Safety for Conservation" is part of FAIC's online
    education series, "Business and Management Practices for
    Conservators." Funded by The Getty Foundation, the series covers
    basic business skills with a focus on the requirements of the
    conservation community.

Credits: This course was created with funding from the Getty
Foundation. It is presented with funding from the FAIC Endowment for
Professional Development, which is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation and by gifts from members and friends of the American
Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

Special thanks to the AIC Health and Safety Committee, James Martin,
Elizabeth S. Goins, the American Chemical Society, and Cyrelle
Gerson.

For more information, contact:

    Abigail Choudhury
    Development and Education Associate
    Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of
        Historic ad Artistic Works
    1156 15th Street NW, Suite 320
    Washington, DC 20005
    202-661-8070
    Fax: 202-452-9328
    achoudhury<-a t->conservation-us< . >org


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 24:46
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