Jennifer Schneider
Eugene Fram Chair
Jennifer Schneider
Eugene Fram Chair
Education
BA, Roberts Wesleyan College; MS, University of Rochester; Sc.D., University of Massachusetts; CIH
Bio
Dr. Jennifer Schneider, CIH is the Senior Director, Curriculum Integration and the Eugene H. Fram Chair of Applied Critical Thinking in the Provost Office. She is professor in the Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management & Safety and also leads the Collaboratory for Resiliency & Recovery @ RIT, a multidisciplinary research group that specializes in the data to decision pipeline for community resilience. She earned her Sc.D. from UMASS Lowell, College of Engineering, her MS in Industrial Hygiene from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and her BA in Comprehensive Science from Roberts Wesleyan. Prior to coming to RIT, Dr. Schneider worked her way up corporate EHS for Kodak, Mobil and ITT/Goulds, She also has served on the local HAZMAT team, and comes from a first responder background.
Her research interests include hazardous material control, critical infrastructure emergency planning and disaster management and application of risk analysis and decision systems for community level critical infrastructure, impact on emergency management systems and target capabilities. She also studies exposure assessment, modeling of exposure scenarios, particularly hazardous material emergencies and response planning. Multidimensional sustainability and analysis of sector based corporate sustainability related activities and management systems are also an area of interest. She was a ‘2014 Board of Trustees Scholar’ award winner, an RIT ‘million dollar PI’ and has been a Co PI or senior personnel on many more interdisciplinary research projects, spanning RIT colleges and external partnerships.
Dr. Schneider has developed and taught 12 courses and has chaired over ninety graduate thesis/ projects and dozens of senior projects. She continues her own education through various industrial hygiene and emergency management (FEMA) related coursework, tabletops and conferences to update professional certifications including risk analysis, PCII, A/CAMS, border security, incident command & operations, HAZWOPER, influenza, combustible & explosive dust, process safety & radiological monitoring.
Dr. Schneider is recognized by both RIT and external organizations. The RIT Provost appointed her Eugene S. Fram Endowed Chair in Critical Thinking Advisory Board (2012), RIT Institute Review Board for Human Subjects Safety (2009-) and McNair Scholars Advisory Board & Scholar Mentor (2009-2013). She was also on the NSF/Science Masters Program (SMP for Disaster Science) advisory (2010- 2013).
Dr. Schneider serves on US TAG committee for ISO 37101- Community Sustainability (Resilience) and on ASTM F23 (PPE). the National Academy of Sciences- standing Committee on PPE, Offshore Windfarm Health and Safety Standards Committee (2012-2013); She has been appointed by Honorable NY Governor Andrew Cuomo to NY Respond Commission (2012-2014), created in response to Hurricane Sandy; OSHA Regional 2 Technical PI for Regional Education Center, Voluntary Protection Program Mentor (1999-); Genesee Valley Safety Conference Elected Board Member (1997-) Treasurer (2009-); USEPA Environmental Education grant reviewer (5 years); NYS Pollution Prevention grant proposal reviewer (3 years), and is a regular NIH peer review panelist. Dr. Schneider is also an active member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Board of Industrial Hygiene- Diplomate Level (30 years, continuous), American Society of Safety Engineers, Air and Waste Management Association, Military Operations Research Society- Decision Systems (MORS), and the Great Lakes Hazard Coalition.
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Currently Teaching
In the News
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September 25, 2023
Upcoming lecture explores how social and political factors impact scientific and medical innovation
Natali Valdez, assistant professor at Purdue University and Presidential Fellow at Yale University, will visit RIT to share her research on social and political factors surrounding maternal medical policy as the featured speaker for the 2023 Eugene H. Fram Signature Lecture in Critical Thinking.
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July 19, 2023
Faculty-researcher joins national organizations to help improve personal protective equipment
Jennifer Schneider, a faculty-researcher at RIT and expert in hazardous materials and community resilience, recently joined two national organizations to investigate and guide improved standards for use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and technologies.
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February 23, 2023
News10NBC Investigates: Train trouble. What happens if a train derails locally?
WHEC-TV talks to Jennifer Schneider, professor in the Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management & Safety, about how a hazmat team responds to a train derailment.