Nora Fredstrom, an Illinois State University dual major in chemistry and safety, has been selected to serve on the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) national Committee on Chemical Safety. She is the first undergraduate ever to be appointed to the committee.
Nora Fredstrom
The ACS Committee on Chemical Safety is composed of 31 members from private industry and public sector employees. Fredstrom will be involved in promoting and facilitating safe practices in chemical activities for industry and academia. She will assist with providing advice and counsel to ensure safety by calling attention to potential hazards and stimulating education in safe chemical practices.
Fredstrom is a student member of the national ACS as well as the ISU Chemistry Club, which is associated with the Illinois Heartland Local Section of the ACS. A junior at Illinois State and in the Honors Program, she is employed as a student safety officer in the Environmental Health and Safety Office. In her job, Fredstrom is responsible for duties such as assisting with the management of hazardous waste generated on campus, collecting environmental samples and readings for analysis and regulatory compliance, and preparing periodic inspection reports.
Her future interests are in the domain of occupational safety, and include graduate work leading to a Ph.D. She serves as the American Society of Safety Engineers Student Section Secretary. She was nominated for the ACS committee by Professor of Chemistry Gregory Ferrence based on her outstanding academic achievements, and approved by the national board of directors. Nordstrom attended her first meeting of the committee in mid-March, at the spring meeting of the ACS in San Diego.
According to Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Frank Shaw, who is also the Climate Science Team Leader for the local section, “Nora is an exceptional young woman with a solid goal for her future career. She will graduate with two majors that closely overlap, chemistry and occupational safety, and is already well respected for her accomplishments in her junior year at ISU. Her interests are wide and progressive. It has been a pleasure working with her on climate science activities.”
