What are the major health risks?

There are health risks associated with lab and field research. Students working in the lab may be exposed to caustic chemicals and other toxic substances. Students working in the field often travel over uneven ground, and through areas with biting insects, falling trees, and thorny plants.

The most common health problems result from reactions to biting insects, including mosquitoes, wasps and bees, and ticks. The most common cause for medical treatment is when students exhibit symptoms of Lyme disease following a tick bite. We monitor such situations very closely to ensure that anyone showing symptoms of Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics as soon as possible. For more information about Lyme disease, please see Centers for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/ and National Science Foundation (NSF) Discoveries - Lyme Disease: Ten things you always wanted to know about ticks: http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=131439&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1.

Please know that we work hard to ensure the health and safety off all our staff and students. We spend a substantial portion of the program orientation in safety training. Finally, students are not allowed to do work with hazardous chemicals in the labs during off hours and solo field work is discouraged.