Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. When I select a video, it will not play and the screen remains black. What's wrong?

Our videos stream from a multimedia server and not from the www.flinnsci.com domain. Your school or district may have an internet filter that could be blocking this content. Contact your IT administrator and ask that content from the site cp6056.edgefcs.net be allowed to pass through your filter.

If your system does not support Adobe Flash Player 9.0.115.0, you will not be able to access the videos on the site. Please use a computer that allows this version of Flash to operate.

The Flinn Scientific School Laboratory Safety Courses have been developed to provide an optimal viewing experience over the internet. For best performance, detailed system requirements are listed below. Please confirm that your operating system meets the minimum requirements and you have the proper version of Adobe Flash Player to ensure best performance.

Processors	Pentium PC, 500 MHz or better
RAM	512 MB+
Screen Resolution	1024 x 768 or higher
Color Depth	High Color, 16 Bit millions
Bandwidth	128 Kbps download, dedicated broadband or faster
Video Player	Adobe Flash Player 9.0 115.0 or above required for movie player visit http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ to download.

2. When I select a video, it will only play for a few seconds or will stay frozen on the title screen.

Our videos stream direct from our media server to a custom-made video player on our site. In most cases, if you have a dedicated broadband connection, this type of video streaming allows for a better quality picture and sound to come through without having to pause for buffering. If you are using a wireless cellular connection, a shared public location, or if you are accessing the videos during peak hours you may notice the videos freezing or not starting. The only solution to this issue is to try and connect at a different time or from a different location.

3. What does it mean to be "Flinn Certified" in safety?

For more than 30 years Flinn Scientific has been considered the leader in laboratory safety for high schools and middle schools. We developed the Flinn Scientific Chemical Storage Pattern that is used by a majority of schools across the country. Flinn Scientific annually publishes the world-renowned Catalog/Reference Manual, which provides teachers with over 50 pages of laboratory safety articles and chemical disposal information.

Flinn Scientific has trained more than 100,000 teachers on classroom and laboratory safety through workshops, seminars, and monthly emails with Department Safety Training Notes. Our reputation has been built upon being the teacher’s "Safer Source for Science Supplies." To be "Flinn Certified" means that you have received training from a company that is recognized nationwide by both teachers and administrators as the "go to" source for school laboratory safety information.

4. Which of your courses can I get "Flinn Certified" in?

We offer certification for both our High School Laboratory Safety Course and our Middle School Laboratory Safety Course.

5. Why do I have to view video chapters in a specific sequence while completing my certification?

Our certification courses were created to offer a comprehensive review of the safety topics you may encounter in your laboratory. The course builds upon itself as many examples that we share throughout the course refer to material presented in earlier chapters.

6. I watched an entire video chapter in the certification track but the system will not let me proceed?

You can see your up-to-date progress for all courses, units, and chapters in the "My Progress" portion of your "My Account" page and also on the pages that list the video chapters for the High School and Middle School Laboratory Safety Courses. Any time spent watching a video while you are logged in will be recorded and applied to the total viewing time that is required for that specific video chapter. If you manually pause or stop the video player, the amount of time you have watched will be recorded and you will only be required to watch the remaining allotment or required time. If you close out your internet browser, click the back button, or if your browser quits while in the middle of a video, the portion that you have already viewed will not be applied toward the total requirement.

7. Why do I have to take an assessment at the end of every unit?

The assessment questions allow you to review the content that was covered and provide a record of your training. We have organized our courses into ten units. The first and last units are an introduction and a wrap-up, respectively, and do not have assessments. Units II–IX contain, on average, three to six chapters each and the total viewing or training time per unit is 40-50 minutes. Each of these units has an assessment consisting of 12 multiple choice questions. The assessment helps to confirm your understanding of the content so you can proceed to the next unit.

8. How do I become "Flinn Certified" in laboratory safety?

The steps are easy. Simply create an account and select either the High School or Middle School Laboratory Safety Course. The high school course contains just over seven hours of video content and the middle school course contains just over six hours. Video chapters must be watched to completion and you may not move ahead to the next video until the current time requirement is met. Each High School and Middle School Laboratory Safety Course includes an assessment at the end of units two through nine. These assessments must be passed in order to proceed to the next unit. After successful completion of all assessments and meeting the viewing time requirement for each video chapter you will receive your Flinn Scientific High School or Middle School Laboratory Safety Course Certification.

9. Can I just watch the videos without taking a course or becoming certified?

Yes, you may choose to view individual videos at any time. This option allows you to choose à la carte from our full listing of videos that are included in the two certification courses. If you are not currently taking one of our certification courses all you need to do is select either the High School or Middle School Safety Course tab at the top of the page and click the "View Individual Videos" button on the right side of the page. If you are in the process of completing a certification course you can always switch to viewing individual videos by accessing the "My Account" link at the top of the page and clicking on the "My Progress" tab. There will be an option to switch from taking the certification course to viewing individual videos. You also have the option to switch back to completing the certification course where you left off at any time.

10. Can the time that I have spent viewing individual video chapters in the High School or Middle School Laboratory Safety Courses be applied to a current or future certification?

Yes, the time spent viewing any videos while logged in will be tracked and can be applied to a current or future certification. You will still be required to view the video chapters and pass all assessments that precede any of the individual chapters you have watched. If you would like to watch any individual video chapters that you have previously viewed but not yet reached in the certification track, you may always go to "My Account" and click on the "My Progress" tab to switch from taking the certification course to viewing individual videos. You will always have the opportunity to switch back to the certification course and continue where you left off.

11. Can I receive professional development credit for any of the Flinn Scientific School Laboratory Safety Courses?

Yes, in most states you can receive seven clock hours of professional development credit for completing the High School Laboratory Certification Course and six clock hours for completing the Middle School Laboratory Certification Course. For more details and information about credit availability in your state please visit our Professional Development Credit page.

12. How much does it cost to view these videos?

Nothing! All the videos in our seven safety courses are free. It is also free to complete our High School or Middle School Laboratory Safety Certification courses.

13. How much time do I have to complete a certification course once I start viewing the first video?

You may take as much time as you need to complete the High School or Middle School Laboratory Safety Courses. The courses are self paced so you can complete all your viewing and assessments at your convenience.

14. How long is my certification valid for?

Your certification is valid for three years from the date that you complete your course.

15. Can I complete a certification course from both school and home?

Yes, all of your viewing information and assessment records are stored and accessed from our servers. You can access all the same content from home or school when you log in.

16. Who are the presenters in the videos?

Larry Flinn

Larry Flinn is the chairman and founder of Flinn Scientific, Inc., a leading supplier of science supplies and equipment to elementary and secondary schools. Flinn Scientific, Inc. carries over 8,000 products and is considered by science teachers to be the number-one preferred science supplier to schools across the United States. Larry is the author of the Flinn Scientific Catalog/Reference Manual, which most high school science teachers consider their “safety bible.” Over the past 33 years he has personally trained over 100,000 science teachers in laboratory safety. He has directed and produced 550 video episodes on how to teach and motivate students to successfully learn high school chemistry, and he has designed hundreds of new science-related products and written numerous articles on laboratory safety. Larry has been honored with awards and certificates from many state and national science teacher organizations for his work in laboratory safety. He was named by Chem13 News, an international newsletter for chemistry teachers, as one of the seven most influential people in high school chemistry education during the last century.

Irene Cesa

Irene Cesa is the Director of Technical Services at Flinn Scientific, Inc. in Batavia, IL, where she directs a team of dedicated scientific and support staff and is Senior Editor of the Flinn ChemTopic™ Labs series of laboratory manuals for high school chemistry. Irene received her B.S. in Chemistry from Oakland University and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Minnesota, and has ten years of teaching experience. Prior to joining Flinn Scientific, Irene taught general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, and allied health chemistry at Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, OH. She has also worked as a technical editor and translations consultant, and has industrial chemistry experience in polymer chemistry. Irene has presented numerous workshops relating to chemical safety and chemistry lab activities at national, regional, and local science teacher association conferences, including NSTA, CHEMED, and the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education. She has served as director and alternate councilor for the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society, and also chairs their Community Affairs committee for National Chemistry Week. Irene received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship and the Anna Louise Hoffman Award from Iota Sigma Pi.

Kelly Ryan

Kelly F. Ryan graduated from Southwestern University Law School in 1997, where he finished in the top 5% of his class and was a member of the Southwestern University Law Review. Mr. Ryan also attended the University of British Columbia, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology in 1983, and United States International University, where he obtained a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology in 1990.

Mr. Ryan taught Chemistry, Physiology, Biology, and Math at San Gabriel High School in San Gabriel California for 15 years prior to becoming an attorney.

Mr. Ryan was admitted to the State Bar of California in June 1998, and he has served as an appointed Trustee and is a current member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Bar Association. He is the past chairperson of the Small Firm and Solo Practitioner Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Following law school, Mr. Ryan was a sole practitioner before forming Russakow, Ryan and Johnson, PC in 2001 where he was a founding partner. At Russakow, Ryan and Johnson, Mr. Ryan handled a broad range of litigation and transactional matters, including business and commercial litigation, personal injury, real estate and construction litigation, eminent domain, employment, trade secret and unfair competition, and represented both plaintiff and defense clients. He has successfully litigated cases outside of California representing clients in Utah, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, and Missouri.

In January 2007, Mr. Ryan formed the Ryan Law Firm to concentrate on a more personalized practice handling the litigation of a growing number of business and consumer clients in the areas of business, personal injury, real estate, civil rights, employment, and entertainment.

Mr. Ryan is the author of Science Classroom Safety and the Law: A Handbook for Teachers (Flinn Scientific: 2001) and has lectured to teachers, school district administrators, and board members on the duties of teachers to students and others in the science classroom and the legal implications of those duties. He has served on the Liability Committee of the National Science Teachers Association and is a co-author of the current NSTA official position statement on Liability of Science Educators for Laboratory Safety (adopted September 2007).

Kelly Ryan is licensed to practice law in all California State courts and the United States District Courts in Central and Northern California.

Ken Runkle

Ken Runkle is an environmental toxicologist and registered environmental health specialist. A Woodrow Wilson Scholar and former chemistry instructor, Mr. Runkle is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS) where he teaches in the Masters of Public Health program. He has participated in the training of more than 1,000 science teachers across the country on the topics of chemical safety and water chemistry. He holds a B.S. in chemistry and biology from MacMurray College, an M.A. in environmental science and risk assessment from UIS, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in public health at UIS.

Janet Hoekenga

Janet Hoekenga is a staff scientist and the middle school science specialist at Flinn Scientific, Inc. in Batavia, IL. Janet received her B.S. in Junior High Education from Illinois State University, with an emphasis in science and health, and her M.Ed in Educational Leadership from National-Louis University in Illinois. She has twenty-one years of teaching experience. Prior to joining Flinn Scientific, Janet taught sixth, seventh, and eighth grade science at Wood Dale Jr. High in Wood Dale, IL and seventh and eighth grade science at Wheaton Christian Grammar School in Wheaton, IL, where she was also the Jr. High Coordinator for five years. Janet has presented workshops for middle school science and physical science teachers at national and regional NSTA conferences and several state science teacher association conferences.

Greg Chyson

Greg Chyson is the Laboratory Design and Safety Specialist at Flinn Scientific, Inc. in Batavia, IL. Greg received his two B.A. degrees from Northern Illinois University and was a classroom teacher for three years. In addition to teaching, he also has experience in handling hazardous materials and is a trained chemical spill responder. Greg has assisted hundreds of schools in the United States and around the world in designing laboratory spaces and has presented workshops on the topic at national NSTA conferences and several state science teacher association conferences.