The 2025 College and University Hazardous Materials Management Conference, hosted on the Blacksburg campus July 27-30, brought together environmental, health, and safety leaders in higher education from around the country.

The conference focused on the challenges faced in an academic environment as well as discussions of solutions and best practices implemented at other institutions. The two-day conference was followed by a day of professional development courses.

Environmental Health and Safety employees Kenny Osborne, hazardous materials manager, and Autumn Timpano, university chemical hygiene officer, organized the event. It is the second time Virginia Tech has been chosen as a host site.

Osborne said the conference is "the best opportunity to network with environmental professionals within higher education around the country. Working in this field at colleges and universities comes with its own unique challenges. This event allows us to learn how other programs have found solutions to many challenges their peer institutions face. The technical sessions are always interesting and relevant."

Continuing and Professional Education, part of Outreach and International Affairs, supported the conference, handling everything from logistics and registration to on-site support so Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) could focus on the content.

“While hosting a national conference is never an easy task, we were fortunate to have assistance and support from everyone within EHS, as well as from Continuing and Professional Education, which enabled us to host a tremendously successful event," Timpano said. "The end result of bringing together hazardous materials experts and learning from them while they learn from each other was enlightening.”

The College and University Hazardous Materials Management Conference's board also maintains a listserv called the Hazardous Waste Forum. Individuals who subscribe to this forum can ask questions of their peers regarding hazardous materials issues they are facing and receive feedback from other industry professionals.

Written by Caroline Wood, a graduate student in public health