The forum discussion centers on the implications of student protests on university research safety, specifically referencing an incident at Stanford where protestors vandalized an engineering building. Concerns were raised about the accessibility of sensitive research labs containing hazardous materials such as arsine and hydrofluoric acid, which pose risks not only to researchers but also to bystanders. The discussion emphasizes the need for enhanced security measures, including card access systems and surveillance, to protect both research integrity and student safety. Participants argue that universities must balance the right to protest with the responsibility to ensure a safe environment for all students.
PREREQUISITESThis discussion is beneficial for university administrators, safety officers, researchers, and students involved in campus safety and security planning, as well as those interested in the intersection of academic freedom and public safety.
Is there CCTV? Can the student protestors be identified reliably?Vanadium 50 said:
That is an interesting question. The students were masked, but they managed to identify at least some of them, including from materials they left behind. The statement has been made that disciplinary actions have begun, and I am told other students are protesting that too.strangerep said:
They might have had a cyclotron building, but the last cyclotron on campus, the 60 inch, was shut down in 1962.Hornbein said:
Where do you draw the line? Dimethyl mercury used to be relatively common as an NMR standard until a drop of it killed Karen Wettermann at Dartmouth. "Dangerous, sure, but we use only a little of it and take precautions" was the prevailing attitude. Now add some students intending to "send a message" or "raise awareness" by smashing the place up.Mayhem said:
It would probably be cheaper to move the non-technical departments offsite.Vanadium 50 said:
Move what all off campus? The research labs' infrastructure and physical plant support? Yikes.Vanadium 50 said:
Hard to say. But if a teaspoon in someone's coffee could certainly kill them, I think the compound should be stored in a locked cabinet where only approved laboratory workers have access.Vanadium 50 said:
The fundamental problem is students who think that they will not be held accountable for their actions. If it is the universities responsibilty to keep everyone safe, they should not be admitting these students.Vanadium 50 said:
Mayhem said:
How does that solve your (invented) problem? The 'off-site' buildings/facilities/infrastructures are still owned and operated by the university, so all you are doing is moving the (invented) destruction to a different locale.Vanadium 50 said:
What is the value of a research university if all of the research is performed away from the university?Vanadium 50 said:
It's all part of the same institution. I think some of V50's points have merit.Frabjous said:
Or someone with a set of bolt cutters. $47.97 at Home Depot. Free deliver too!Mayhem said:
At JHU, protestors are calling for the University to lose APL.berkeman said:
Berekely Lab has that exact NFPA sign on the way to the cafeteria. I think it's just coincidence. I think.berkeman said:
I wonder what it was then. It was pretty big, in containment, and experiments were set up. It was so long ago I don't recall details.Vanadium 50 said:
So 20th century.Vanadium 50 said:
In the old days there was a lot more interaction between the various fields. Isaac Newton was a mystic. But that's way out of style. I guess the idea is that there's already no crossover, we want the business, uh, university to expand, we can't expand the central campus, so we have to start a new campus. The University of Tokyo has six campi.Frabjous said:
With those same numbers for Health, Flammability, Reactivity/Instability and Special/Cautions? Hopefully it's a joke, but even if it's a joke, the Fire Marshall should not allow it. That would stop me in my tracks if I were responding to an emergency call from whatever is behind that sign...Vanadium 50 said:
Yup. 4-4-3-no water. To get from Building 70 (or maybe it's 70A) to the cafeteria, you go past the labs, through a loading dock, past the sign (which I think leads to a gas shed) and outside and up the stairs.berkeman said: