The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has announced that Michael Ellenbecker, ScD, CIH, is the recipient of the 2015 Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Award. This prestigious award is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond in contributing to the industrial hygiene profession. Professor Ellenbecker will be the Guest of Honor at the Smyth Award Dinner, which will take place on Oct. 26, during AIHA’s Fall Conference 2015 in Orlando, Fla. 

“I am honored and grateful to have been chosen for the 2015 Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Award,” said Professor Ellenbecker. “Dr. Smyth is a pioneering figure in our field, and the previous Smyth Award winners constitute an impressive cross section of industrial hygienists who have made important contributions to worker health and safety.”

Professor, author

Currently, Ellenbecker is the Professor Emeritus of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene in the Department of Work Environment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. For the past 11 years, he has also served as Director of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at the university. During his tenure, Professor Ellenbecker has trained hundreds of industrial hygienists at the masters and doctoral levels. His expertise in the industrial hygiene field has led to his authorship of various publications. In 2008, along with Su-Jung Tsai, Professor Ellenbecker received the Best Paper Award from the AIHA Lab Health and Safety Committee. He also co-authored a widely used textbook, Ventilation for Control of the Work Environment, which focuses on the control of occupational exposures. For the past ten years, Professor Ellenbecker has helped pioneer the development of innovative exposure assessment methods for evaluating worker exposures to engineered nanoparticles, and the evaluation of engineering controls to limit exposure. This work led him to co-author a book titled Exposure Assessment and Safety Considerations for Working with Engineered Nanoparticles, with a publication date of early 2015.

“I want to thank the AIHA Nanotechnology Working Group for nominating me, and my colleagues and students at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Institute for all of their collaborative work and support, which brought me to this point in my career,” said Professor Ellenbecker. “I look forward to participating in the Fall Conference and presenting my award lecture.”

Above and beyond

The Henry F. Smyth, Jr. Award is presented to an individual who has recognized the needs of the industrial hygiene profession and has made major contributions to fulfill those needs, thereby contributing to the improvement of the public welfare. It honors an industrial hygienist who has gone above and beyond in contributing to the industrial hygiene profession; developed a program, idea, or solution that has provided, or has the potential to provide, a benefit to the profession or to AIHA; and has developed or coordinated collaborative partnerships or projects with other individuals or organizations.

Professor Ellenbecker is one of eight professionals to receive one of AIHA’s prestigious awards in 2015. As the recipient of the Smyth Award, Professor Ellenbecker will present a lecture during the General Session at Fall Conference 2015 on Oct. 27.