Authors give ACS the copyright to Laboratory Safety for Chemistry Students

Fifteen years ago, a string of high-profile laboratory accidents, including the death of Sheri Sanji, rocked the world of chemistry. The events made Robert H. Hill, one of the authors of Laboratory Safety for Chemistry Students (LSCS-3), see a need for a stronger foundation of safety education across the field. “It sort of lit my fire,” Hill says.Hill’s fervor was also fueled by his experience as a research chemist with a background in occupational health. He met David Finster, an inorganic chemistry professor at Wittenberg University, at a conference, and the two combined their expertise to write the book. After continuing to work on different editions of the book for a decade, Hill and Finster gave the third edition of and copyright for Laboratory Safety for Chemistry Students to the American Chemical Society in 2023 to provide greater access in the form of a free e-textbook. LSCS-3 will be available for students and instructors after its official launch at ACS Spring 2025 in San Diego during a session in the Expo Hall on March 24, 12:30–1:20 p.m. PST. Hill and Gannon University professor Weslene Tallmadge—a former member of the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety who has used all three editions of the textbook—will be speaking at the event. Instructors often struggle to justify requiring students to purchase a supplementary safety textbook. “Students can’t afford that,” Hill says. “I think making it free will make it more likely that people will adopt it and use it.”The culture of safety in academia