Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Earns UC Davis Safety Awards
Safety Star
Victor Duraj, the co-safety coordinator in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, earned a Safety Star in October 2026 for going beyond his daily responsibilities to keep facilities, research and teaching activities safe.
Duraj helps student engineers turn ambitious ideas into projects they can build and operate safely. Through practical guidance, technical expertise and countless hours of support, he makes safety central to student success.
The lab of Bruno Carciofi, an assistant professor of biological and agricultural engineering, has won the 2026 UC Davis Lab Safety Award in the College of Engineering.
One of the things that sets the Carciofi Lab apart is the use of high voltage in what might otherwise seem like a typical wet lab for a food science team in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
His research includes using technologies such as cold plasma or pulsed electric fields for food processing. These non-thermal tools use high voltage to potentially make food safer, increase its quality, make use of upcycled byproducts, or improve energy efficiency.
Their team shares a laboratory area in Bainer Hall with other groups, which requires coordinating their spaces and awareness of hazards in neighboring labs.
“We do training together and make sure that our hazards are communicated — and then learn their hazards too,” Carciofi said.
Because of the high electromagnetic fields in the immediate environment, people with pacemakers should not be in their lab.
“We put signs everywhere, and we remind students even if you’re just inviting a friend to pick up a notebook — tell them,” he said. “This is serious.”
Flavia Almeida, the lab’s manager and a postdoctoral researcher, explained they go beyond standard protocols even in basic safety training. Other labs make sure you know where the first aid kit is, but she prefers to ask, “Have you ever opened a first aid kit?” and then go through the items inside together.
“They need to understand what’s available inside of that kit beforehand, not just in an emergency when they need something,” Almeida said.
The group was honored at the UC Davis Lab Safety Awards ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 22, along with other labs and safety practitioners. During the ceremony, Dean Richard L. Corsi praised the lab for setting an example of consideration and solicitousness, particularly in inviting students to be active participants in lab care and safety.
“That’s a thoughtful approach to teaching, as well as safety,” he said in his remarks. “We want our students to ask questions, understand the equipment they use and feel responsible for the people working beside them. Those habits will serve them throughout their careers.”
