Kirkwood Community College and partner institutions, St Louis University, the University of Tennessee, and the NSF AgKnowledge Center are developing a program that applies principals of physics, biology and chemistry to control biological, chemical and nuclear agents that threaten the security of the workplace and the working environment of technicians in Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) in the United States. With this program, the EH&S technicians gain the skills and knowledge to recognize agents, understand how they are dispersed through vulnerable pathways, assess threats, detect contaminants, contain agents, decontaminate the workplace, and dispose of contaminants in an environmentally sound way. Further, they learn how to plan for contingencies and recommend engineering controls that prevent infiltration. The objectives of the Terrorist Agent Control Technology (TACT) project are to:
1) Develop new curriculum and educational materials for national dissemination. Three new courses are being developed by Kirkwood with advice and review by an Advisory Council, the AgKnowledge University Council and two prominent environmental research universities: the University of Tennessee and St. Louis University. The three courses are (I) Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Agents, (II) Threat Assessment and Detection, and (III) Contingency Planning and Engineering Controls;
2) Improve efficiency and effectiveness of learning by developing blended web-based courses with required hands-on laboratories;
3) Offer professional development activities that prepare 130 instructors annually to offer the courses, hands-on applications, and certifications;
4) To improve EH&S programs by adding student certifications in Terrorist Agent Control Technology.
The TACT project is led by capable faculty, practicing scientists and engineers with recent and relevant experience and it is supported by a National Advisory Council comprised of leaders in risk assessment, risk management, exposure assessment, industrial hygiene, toxicology, air and water pollution, environmental epidemiology, performance engineering, distance learning, and academic research. Dissemination of this project includes a minimum of 50 project partners offering TACT courses and certifications across the nation. Our goal is certifying five hundred technicians by the end of the three years to work in industry, agriculture and municipal services nationwide.
