Cell Podium presented the Virtual Exercise for the first time in a HAZWOPER refresher class. The class was held at the Institute for Environmental Education (INEDA) and Atlantic OSHA Training Center (AOTC) – Puerto Rico, at Universidad Ana G. Méndez (UAGM). The session, conducted by Rafael Roman, was delivered in Spanish. The instructor displayed the exercise on a large monitor, while each of the 12 attending students interacted with the module individually via their own laptops.

The virtual environment was highly immersive, featuring a 3D interactive space where students could navigate and perform various tasks, including:

• Simulating accident responses, such as using stretchers to rescue teammates.
• Experimenting with different personal protective equipment (PPE) configurations.
• Engaging with dynamic elements like wind direction and environmental monitoring devices.

Cell Podium has a longstanding tradition of participating in the regular WTP Grantees Meeting. This year, the meeting took place in Crystal City, Virginia and was attended by numerous grantees of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP).

One focal point of the conference was the ongoing matchmaking initiative between SBIR companies and Schools of Public Health, an area in which Cell Podium actively participates.

Cell Podium took part in the IBSMART Spill Response Train the Trainer Program at Barton College in Kansas. The training encompassed tourniquet application to mitigate blood loss, respiratory donning techniques, and rapid analysis of hazardous unknown substances to determine appropriate transportation containers. Participants also acquired practical skills in establishing decontamination zones, containing chemical leaks, and decontaminating entry and response teams.

Cell Podium's sensor simulator was one component of the training exercises and proved to be an valuable asset.

On March 15, 2024, the Institute for Environmental Education (INEDA) and Atlantic OSHA Training Center (AOTC) – Puerto Rico at the Universidad Ana G. Méndez (UAGM) completed its HAZWOPER-40 (Operaciones de Respuesta a Incidentes con Materiales Peligrosos) course using Cell Podium’s SensorSim exposure and sensor simulator.

INEDA/AOTC and Cell Podium personnel also discussed Cell Podium’s new Virtual Tabletop Exercise being developed under National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Worker Training Program grant 1R43ES035276-01. With the Virtual Tabletop Exercise, HAZMAT instructors engage multiple remote and in-person trainees in an immersive and interactive multi-user simulated HAZMAT incident.

From left to right: Rafael Caballero, Director INEDA and AOTC; Efraín Mercado, Instructor; Peter Schmitt and Cesar Bandera, Founding Partners, Cell Podium; Francisco Lozada, Instructor.

Cell Podium trained trainers of the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) on the use of its SensorSim App. The NVFC is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services.

The NVFC delivers Hazmat training throughout the United States. The training is funded in part through a grant from FEMA.

https://www.nvfc.org/

At its Fall 2023 conference in its North Carolina Research Triangle Park facility, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program (WTP)featured a new collaboration between Cell Podium and Detroit's Green Door Initiative (GDI) in which participants in the GDI workforce training program learn 3D modeling and animation skills, and develop videogame assets to be used in the WTP HAZMAT training SBIR project. Presenting this initiative were Domiana Carter, GDI Chief Operating Officer, Daniel Simmons, GDI Manager of Information Technology, and Peter Schmitt and Cesar Bandera, Founding Partners of Cell Podium.

https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/events.cfm?id=2629

The semi-annual WTP Awardee Meeting brought awardees together to provide program updates, exchange information regarding training, and discover new areas of interest to awardees.

Cell Podium presented their SensorSim App at the WTP Trainer's Exchange in Indianapolis, introducing a new solution for simulating chemical and radiological exposures. The app utilizes smartphones to accurately measure these simulated exposures, providing a realistic and immersive experience.

At the WTP Trainer's Exchange, trainers had the opportunity to experience simulated spills using their smartphones running the SensorSim App developed by Cell Podium. The workshops received positive feedback, highlighting the app's potential in enhancing safety training programs.

Cell Podium's SensorSim App merges technology with safety training, offering a cost-effective and easily accessible solution.