USU lecturer named American Industrial Hygiene Association Fellow

LOGAN – Utah State University principal lecturer David Wallace joins the elite ranks of the nation’s top professionals in his field as a 2013 American Industrial Hygiene Association Fellow.

Election as a fellow is bestowed on AIHA members by their peers in recognition of outstanding contributions to the association and the profession. Less than 360 individuals nationwide currently hold the prestigious title.

“I’m surprised and humbled by this honor,” says Wallace, who joined USU’s Department of Biology in 1999. “It’s personally very gratifying to learn my efforts have had a positive impact on my profession.”

Alan Savitzky, head of USU’s biology department, says Wallace has played a critical role in the success of the university’s highly respected public health program. The program includes Industrial Hygiene, one of only four such undergraduate programs in the nation accredited by the Applied Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology.

“Dave’s election as an AIHA fellow provides further recognition of his contributions and the esteem in which he is held by his colleagues at the international level,” Savitzky says. “In addition to his accomplishments as an industrial hygienist, he’s an exemplary teacher, advisor and mentor and his students have been the primary beneficiaries of his expertise.”

USU alum Nick Rice’00, a graduate of USU’s industrial hygiene program, says Wallace is loved and admired by his students.

“Much of the success of Utah State University’s industrial hygiene program, their outstanding students and the program’s continuing recognition by ABET can be attributed to Dave’s tireless work,” says Rice, manager of Corporate Industrial Hygiene Services for Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City.

Wallace, who was named ‘2012 Safety Professional of the Year’ by the Utah Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers, says industrial hygiene is a component of workplace safety that deals specifically with protecting workers from health hazards.

“Industrial safety is a critical contributor to public health,” he says. “Healthy workers equal healthy business. Every workplace, no matter what kind of work is involved, has characteristics that can affect employee health”.

Wallace will be formally recognized as an AIHA fellow during the annual American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition slated for May 18-23, 2013, in Montréal, Canada.

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