On Sept. 23, the C5 conference hall was crowded with Postechians who came to join the first POSTECH “Safety Goldenbell.” POSTECH’s “Safety Goldenbell” event was inspired by the famous TV program, “Challenge! Goldenbell”, which is a quiz program for high school students around the country. “Challenge! Goldenbell” follows the typical form of a quiz program; participants answer the given questions on their whiteboard, and the contestants with right answers remain, wrong answers drop out. In a total of 50 questions, a student who solves them all gets to ring the golden bell and is awarded various rewards including a chance to study abroad.
The first POSTECH “Safety Goldenbell” proceeded like its original, “Challenge! Goldenbell”, but with a different topic: laboratory safety. As the event aimed to raise the awareness of safety in laboratory and high-tech facilities, most of its questions were related to laboratory restrictions and safety measures. The questions were given from the seven sections in the online laboratory safety education program: Lab accidents I, Gas, Fire Safety, Radiation and Lasers, Living Modified Organism Safety, Basic Safety Management and Practical Training. Online laboratory safety education course regarding these seven sections and other themes is provided by Posafety, POSTECH’s Safety Management Integrated System online page.
The event drew a lot of attention and was very successful as Postechians were not only interested and passionate about laboratory safety but also about the prizes. The winner was awarded an iPad and an Apple Pencil, second place AirPods, and a dining out gift card to the third. Not only that, all the participants were given a gift certificates that can be used within POSTECH and is considered to be lectured of two hours of laboratory safety education. The honor of being the first winner of the POSTECH “Safety Goldenbell” went to Seo Dong-hae (PHYS 17). Seo became the last standing participant by answering the Cherenkov effect, which relates to radiation. Seo mentioned that he was both bewildered and delighted for his unexpected victory and added that the event was a great opportunity to learn more about safety and regulations in laboratory.
As the law requires anyone who works in a research facility to finish at least two hours of laboratory safety education, research-oriented universities as POSTECH deal with these matters seriously. The first POSTECH “Safety Goldenbell” served as a venue for both Postechians and POSTECH safety team to signify their interest and sincerity in laboratory safety.