In the Community

The commitment to community service is integral to our department’s mission. Faculty, staff and students conduct many service activities at the local, regional, national and international levels. These include assisting schools, hospitals and industries to develop healthier forms of work organization and to use more environmentally-sound and healthy materials and work practices; providing technical support to municipal, state, and federal agencies; participating in national and international professional organizations and scientific committees; and developing and teaching international courses and exchange programs. These activities provide many opportunities for students to learn and gain real-world experience. Some service activities are carried out through class research projects or summer internships.

The department has many international links and collaborative activities. We are a World Health Organization Collaborating Center. Through a Fogarty grant from the U.S. government, we conduct academic exchanges with Brazilian and Mexican universities. We also have exchanges with two Danish universities. Our faculty frequently teach in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Many service activities are carried out through the Department’s centers: the Kerr Ergonomics Institute, the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and the affiliated Toxics Use Reduction Institute.

The department is also home to New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, whose editor is emeritus professor Charles Levenstein. The journal stands at the intersection of health, work, and the environment -- the only journal that attempts to both define the issues and offer perspectives for change.

Other Department of Work Environment service include:

• Scientific advisory committees of domestic and international government agencies and organizations;
• Short courses and symposia throughout the world;
• Consulting to governments, industry, labor and community organizations;
• Editorial boards of scientific and policy journals