Yale University students held a candlelight vigil last night in memory of senior Michele Dufault, who was killed during a freak accident at a chemistry lab on Tuesday night. Dufault had been working on her senior project about dark matter and, according to the Yale Daily News, "As she was working with a wood lathe — a large piece of equipment with parts that spin rapidly to mold wood products — Dufault’s hair became caught in the machine, University President Richard Levin confirmed in an email Wednesday night." The medical examiner said her death was an accident caused by "asphyxia due to neck compression."
The Massachusetts was active in the Physics Department, a member in the Yale Drop Team ("The Undergraduate Microgravity Research Group"), volunteered in a program to encourage middle school girls to get involved with science and played the saxophone in the Yale Precision Marching Band. The band played "Smells Like Teen Spirit," one of Dufault's favorite songs, at the vigil. Yale College Dean Mary Miller said, "Yale has lost a shining star," and said of Dufault's presentation of her senior project earlier this year, “While she was speaking, I suspended disbelief and thought I understood the strange behavior of invisible things. She was vibrant and compelling that evening, as Michele was in all things."
Yale President Richard Levin, who called Dufault's death a "true tragedy," said the school would conduct a "review of the safety policies and practices of laboratories, machine shops, and other facilities with power equipment that is accessed and operated by undergraduates." The Occupational Health and Safety Administration is also investigating. In the meantime, Yale has limited students' access to power equipment.
