FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Contact: Susan Tams, Director of Editorial Services, (304) 746-2038
 

CITE students honored for academic excellence in Safety Technology

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Two students in Marshall University’s College of Information Technology (CITE) at Marshall University have received safety technology awards for the academic year 2007-2008.

Gary Forman, a senior, received the Outstanding Safety Technology Student Award, and James Hockenberry, a sophomore, received the Honorable Mention Safety Technology Student Award.

Awardees were selected by faculty based on academic excellence in the field of Safety Technology. Dr. Allan Stern, chair of CITE’s Division of Applied Science and Technology, presented the awards.

“These students represent the vast interest we receive in our program,” Stern said. “Their education and commitment to the profession will mean safer workplaces for their future employers and colleagues.”

Forman received the award for achieving the highest GPA and demonstrating exceptional leadership among his fellow students. A retired sergeant first class, Forman served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army before attending Marshall University to study safety technology. Upon graduating with a B.S. in Safety Technology, Forman plans to work in the area of hospital safety or within the federal government.

“Safety has always been an important part of my career,” Forman said. “When you can take 30 soldiers into the desert with temperatures at 150 degrees and not have any heat injuries or any other type of injuries, then you know you are safety minded.  I felt the safety profession would be a good fit for me.”

Hockenberry, who graduated from Wheeling Park High School, received the honorable mention award for high academic performance and determination to perform well.

"Entering college I had trouble picking my major, and the associate dean of CITE, Elizabeth Hanrahan, mentioned the B.S. in Safety Technology program,” Hockenberry said. “I took a look at the curriculum and never looked back. The Safety program was a perfect fit, because it is such a rewarding job in which you get to help people every day.”

The B.S. in Safety Technology degree program is one of about eight in the country accredited by ABET (Applied Science Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). Students take a variety of science courses and apply that knowledge to safety and environmental concerns found in such areas as the mining, hospital, and construction industries, as well as in industrial hygiene.  

For more information contact the College of Information Technology and Engineering at (304) 696-5453, or online at http://www.marshall.edu/cite.

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