Q&A with Future Leader in EHS Runner-Up Mary Ellen L. Hicks

EHS Today: Tell us a bit about yourself – how did you get involved with EHS, and why did you choose to study at the University of Michigan?

Mary Ellen L. Hicks: I became involved with the field of EHS during my undergraduate studies at Purdue University. I had a wonderful mentor who told me about the field of environmental and occupational health sciences, and I decided to change my major from pre-medicine and completed a double major in Occupational Health Sciences and Environmental Health Sciences. I chose to pursue my Master of Public Health degree in Industrial Hygiene at the University of Michigan because of their excellent Industrial Hygiene program. I felt that continuing my education and receiving an MPH degree would expand my knowledge of workplace hazards to better protect people in the workplace, and would give me more opportunities for growth in my future. The faculty and students at the University of Michigan are wonderful to work with, and I have loved my time here at Michigan.

Mary Ellen L. Hicks

EHS Today: You hold leadership positions in several organizations, the American Industrial Hygiene Association Student Local Section Council, the University of Michigan Industrial Hygiene Student Association and the University of Michigan Public Health Student Assembly. How have these leadership experiences informed your EHS studies, and what lessons have you taken from them?

Hicks: My leadership experiences throughout my education have all been such great experiences. My positions have helped me in EHS by allowing me to network with many influential people in our field, and gain experience being a part of and leading a team. Each position I have held in these various organizations has introduced me to such wonderful people that I will stay in contact with throughout my professional career. My leadership experiences have also taught me how important it is to delegate responsibilities based on individuals' strengths in order to accomplish greater goals.

EHS Today: You've worked and held internships at Alcoa. Can you describe some of your work there? What did you gain from this experience, and how has it influenced your future career trajectory or goals?

Hicks: I've been fortunate to have two internships with Alcoa at their plants in Lafayette, Ind., and at their plant in Cleveland. From working for Alcoa I was able to gain experience doing a wide variety of EHS activities. I conducted daily industrial hygiene sampling to monitor employees chemical and noise exposures, worked to eliminate ergonomic risks in both office and manufacturing settings, audited plant operations on heat stress and personal protective equipment, lead a custom ear plug trial, revised and reviewed safety and health programs to identify gaps and implement control methods, and administered respirator fit tests, along with many other activities. The experiences that I had at my internships with Alcoa confirmed that a career in EHS was truly the right fit for me. I loved the fast-paced nature of the work I got to do, and enjoyed all the workers I got to interact with on a daily basis through my industrial hygiene sampling and other activities. My internships with Alcoa also led me to a full-time job offer with the company. I will be the industrial hygienist at Alcoa's plant in Chandler, Ariz., starting in May 2012! My future professional goals include becoming an EHS manager, becoming a Certified Industrial Hygienist and a Certified Safety Professional, as well as being active in EHS professional associations as a leader and as a mentor to younger professionals.