Shane Morrison, a Ph.D. candidate with the zoology department at Oklahoma State University, was the first recipient of the department's Paracelsus Award. The annual award recognizes academic excellence in the Graduate Certificate program for Interdisciplinary Toxicology.

The OSU Interdisciplinary Toxicology program is in its second year. Morrison was one of four students to receive the program’s Graduate Certificate this year. To receive the certificate, students must complete 12 credit hours in specified courses that explore basic concepts and principles in toxicology that will prepare them for environmental and public health issues surrounding chemical toxicity.

The co-directors of the program are Drs. Carey Pope, Regents professor and Sitlington Chair in Toxicology in the department of physiological sciences at OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Services, Loren Smith, Regents professor and head of the OSU zoology department, and David Wallace, professor and assistant dean of research for OSU’s Center for Health Sciences.

Morrison graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry with an environmental emphasis from Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU). During his time at SVSU, he worked for The Dow Chemical Company as a co-op laboratory technician gaining experience with ion-exchange resin technologies.

At OSU, Morrison earned a Master of Science degree in Zoology. In 2013, his master’s research was published in the journal of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and served as the inspiration for his doctoral research at OSU – investigating methods and technologies to measure pulse doses in aquatic systems.

For more information on OSU’s Interdisciplinary Toxicology program, visit http://toxicology.okstate.edu.