Keeping Workers Safe: USU Industrial Hygiene Students Awarded National Scholarships

Three Utah State University undergraduate scholars are recipients of competitive scholarships awarded annually by the American Industrial Hygiene Foundation.

Ashley Castañeda Álvarez, Elizabeth Stanley and Carter White were among 60 honorees, selected from student applicants from throughout the United States and Canada, recognized in a ceremony at the American Industrial Hygiene Association Connect Conference on June 1-3 in New Orleans.

“The Department of Biology is thrilled our students have earned these national awards,” says Department Head Chris Smith. “Our industrial hygiene faculty members have close relationships with each student in the program, including providing assistance with securing high-impact internship placements. This program follows a tried-and-true formula for success: Great students plus great faculty plus industry relationships equals excellent student outcomes.”

John Flores, principal lecturer in USU’s industrial hygiene program, says the Aggie scholarship recipients competed with doctoral and master’s students, as well as undergraduates, from some of the nation’s top universities.

“It is very rewarding to see our undergrads being recognized for their hard work,” Flores says. “We also appreciate that our department supported sending these scholars to the conference to accept their awards and to have the opportunity to experience the conference, to expand their professional networks, to see the many kinds of employment opportunities available to them as they start their careers and to connect with the long list of USU alumni who have chosen health and safety as their careers.”

Castañeda and Stanley are recipients of the Amazon Invent and Simplify Scholarship. White received the Frederick W. Boelter Risk Science Scholarship. All of USU’s honorees are public health majors, pursuing an emphasis in industrial hygiene, along with chemistry minors. Utah State offers one of only four of the nation’s ABET-accredited undergraduate degree programs in industrial hygiene, which is a health science and engineering-based career field aimed at mitigating hazards that cause workplace injury or illness.

“I’m grateful for this scholarship,” says Castañeda, a San Diego native. “The conference was a wonderful way to meet industrial hygiene professionals. I met people who encouraged me to apply for employment with their companies. It helped me feel more prepared for a career, as I got acquainted with people who care deeply about occupational health and safety.”

Stanley says the conference promoted a “cool community of professionals that was fun and empowering to be part of.”

“I learned so much at the conference and it was interesting to find out about the wide variety of careers you can pursue in industrial hygiene,” says the 2022 graduate of Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah. “There’s demand in aerospace, environmental science, manufacturing, health care and so much more.”

White, a native of North Logan, Utah, says the conference was a valuable networking opportunity.

“I learned about different paths in industrial hygiene, and met USU IH alumni during a social event organized by our professors,” says the 2020 graduate of Green Canyon High School, who is currently interning with aerospace and defense contractor L3Harris in Texas.

Stanley and Castañeda are also pursuing summer internships; a requirement of the degree program.

“I’m headed to Reno, Nevada, to work at a lithium-ion battery recycling plant,” Stanley says. “Our faculty members guide us to lots of really neat internships to choose from. I’m super-excited for this learning opportunity.”

Castañeda is interning with SAIF, Oregon’s not-for-profit workers’ compensation insurance company, which is based in Salem.

“I’m working with the safety consulting division, which enables me to visit worksites throughout the state,” she says. “As an early-career professional, I’m learning how industrial hygienists equip employers with the knowledge and tools to keep their workers safe in agriculture, logging, health care and more. I’m also working on a noise management project for K-12 schools to protect teachers’ hearing. How cool is that?”

Castañeda, a first-generation college student and Aggie First Scholars program mentor, also received the exciting news that she’s been selected by NASA for an Industrial Hygiene Pathways internship this fall at Goddard Space Flight Center in the Washington D.C. area.

“I originally wanted to go into medicine, but I fell in love with the proactive nature of public health,” she says. “As a future NASA intern, my dream is to continue working with the agency and to become a Certified Industrial Hygienist.”

Stanley was also attracted to USU’s industrial hygiene program due to its emphasis on health.

“It’s a science degree that also enables you to earn pre-requisites for admission to medical, dental or P.A. schools,” she says. “Plus, I was impressed that graduates of USU’s program have nearly 100 percent career placement.”

White says industrial hygiene is not a well-known profession.

“It’s not a side of business many consider, but the coursework and profession are so interesting,” he says. “Our Department of Biology faculty members, John Flores, Carl Farley and Scott Bernhardt, are all very knowledgeable and personable, and really invested in helping us succeed.”

White says he isn’t sure of the industry in which he’d like to pursue a career, but he’s certain about a future in industrial hygiene.

“At the end of the day, I want to be involved in a role where I am helping people make it home safely to those they love,” he says.