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Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites (2000)

Chapter: Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants." National Research Council. 2000. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9949.
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APPENDIX H

Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants

THOMAS M. LESCHINE, Chair, is associate professor in the School of Marine Affairs at the University of Washington. He is a former fellow in marine policy and a policy associate at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He is the chair of the National Research Council Committee on Remediation of Buried and Tank Wastes and also has served on the National Research Council Committee on Risk Assessment and Management of Marine Systems. His major research interest is in the area of environmental decision-making as it relates to marine environmental protection and the use of scientific and technical information in environmental decision-making. He is also interested in the use of mathematical modeling and systems analysis in environmental management. Dr. Leschine received his PhD in mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh.

MARY R. ENGLISH, Vice Chair, is a research leader for the Energy, Environment and Resources Center at the University of Tennessee, and a member of its Waste Management Research and Education Institute. She previously worked in environmental planning for state government and as a consultant. She was a member of the National Research Council Board on Radioactive Waste Management from 1995 through 1999. Dr. English received a BA in American Literature from Brown University, an MS in regional planning from the University of Massachusetts, and a PhD in sociology from the University of Tennessee.

DENISE BIERLEY is an independent environmental consultant specializing in environmental management, education, and policy issues. She has over 25 years of diverse experience including program management, natural resource management, radioactive and hazardous waste management, and regulatory compliance. She is currently working on salmon management issues in the Pacific Northwest. She holds BS degrees in biology and geology from Wright State University.

GREGORY R. CHOPPIN is the R.O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Florida State University. Dr. Choppin's research includes nuclear chemistry, physical chemistry of the actinides and lanthanides, environmental behavior of actinides, chemistry of the f-Elements, separation science of the f-Elements, and concentrated electrolyte solutions. During a postdoctoral period at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, he participated in the discovery of mendelevium, element 101. His research activities have been recognized by the American Chemical Society's Award in Nuclear Chemistry and Southern Chemist Award, the Manufacturing Chemists award in Chemical Education, a Presidential Citation Award of the American Nuclear

Suggested Citation:"Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants." National Research Council. 2000. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9949.
×

Society, and the Chemical Pioneer Award of the American Institute of Chemistry. He has served on numerous National Research Council committees and currently is a member of the Board on Radioactive Waste Management. He received a BS degree in chemistry from Loyola University, New Orleans, a PhD in chemistry from the University of Texas, Austin, an honorary DTc from Chalmers University, Goteborg, Sweden, and an honorary DSc from Loyola University.

JAMES H. CLARKE is professor of the practice of civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt University. He has over 25 years of experience in environmental chemistry and chemical risk assessment. His primary areas of interest include environmental forensic science, the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment, the design of data acquisition programs for evaluation of the risks associated with chemical releases, and emerging technologies for hazardous waste site remediation. Dr. Clarke is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Tennessee Academy of Science, and the American Chemical Society. He received a BA in chemistry from Rockford College, Rockford, Illinois, and a PhD in theoretical physical chemistry from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.

ALLEN G. CROFF is associate director of the Chemical Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). His areas of focus include initiation and technical management of research and development involving waste management, national security, nuclear fuel cycles, transportation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Since joining ORNL in 1974, he has been involved in numerous technical studies that have focused on waste management and nuclear fuel cycles, including: (1) updating and implementing the ORIGEN-2 computer code; (2) developing a risk-based, generally applicable radioactive waste classification system; (3) multidisciplinary development and assessment of actinide partitioning and transmutation; and (4) leading and participating on multidisciplinary national and international technical committees. He has a BS in chemical engineering from Michigan State University, a nuclear engineer degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an MBA from the University of Tennessee.

WILLIAM R. FREUDENBURG is a professor of rural sociology and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a specialist on the human aspects of risk assessment and risk management, and has done extensive research on nuclear and other energy technologies. He has served as chair of Section K (Social, Economic and Political Sciences) of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has served on several NRC committees and federal advisory committees relating to energy and waste management issues. He was the first congressional fellow from the American Sociological Association to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Freudenburg received his PhD in sociology from Yale University in 1979.

DONALD R. GIBSON, JR. is the program manager for TRW's consolidated research and development contract at the Joint National Test Facility, which provides missile defense related analysis, system level engineering, integration, and test and evaluation support for the development, acquisition, and deployment of missile defense systems and architectures. Prior to this position he was deputy program manager and technical director for TRW's Joint Training, Analysis, and Simulation Center Support Team, manager of TRW's Systems Analysis and Integration Department supporting the Department of Energy's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, manager of the Survivability and Engineering Laboratory for TRW's Ballistic Missiles Division, and a design physicist for Los Alamos National Laboratory. Dr. Gibson holds a MS and PhD in nuclear engineering from the University of Illinois.

NAOMI H. HARLEY received a PhD in radiological physics in 1971, and a ME in nuclear engineering in 1967 from New York University. She also holds a BE in electrical engineering from the Cooper Union and an A.P.C. in management from the New York University Graduate Business School. Dr. Harley is currently a research professor of environmental medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, where she also serves on the Medical Isotopes Committee. She is a member in the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, and an advisor to the U.S. Delegation of the United Nations Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Dr. Harley is

Suggested Citation:"Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants." National Research Council. 2000. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9949.
×

a member of the Editorial Board of the journal Environment International and a fellow of the Health Physics Society. She has published over 100 journal articles, six book chapters, and she holds three patents at New York University for radiation detection devices. Her expertise is in radiation carcinogenesis, and her major research interests include measurement of inhaled or ingested radionuclides, the modeling of their fate within the human body, and the calculation of the detailed radiation dose to the cells specific to carcinogenesis.

JAMES H. JOHNSON, JR. is professor of civil engineering and dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Computer Sciences at Howard University. Dr. Johnson 's research interests have focused mainly on the reuse of wastewater treatment sludges and the treatment of hazardous substances. His recent research has included the refinement of composting technology for the treatment of contaminated soils, chemical oxidation and cometabolic transformation of explosive contaminated wastes, biodegradation of fuel-contaminated groundwater, the evaluation of environmental policy issues in relation to minorities and development of environmental curricula. Currently, he also serves as associate director of the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic Hazardous Substance Research Center, member of the Environmental Engineering Committee of U.S. EPA's Science Advisory Board, the National Research Council (NRC) Board on Radioactive Waste Management, and the NRC Committee on Remediation of Buried and Tank Wastes. Dr. Johnson received his BS from Howard University, MS from University of Illinois, and PhD from the University of Delaware. He is a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, a registered professional engineer, and a diplomate of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

SHLOMO P. NEUMAN received a BS in geology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and MS and PhD in engineering science from the University of California at Berkeley. Since 1975 he has served as professor, and since 1988 as Regents' Professor, of hydrology and water resources at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Prior to arriving in Tucson he was visiting associate professor of civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and senior scientist at the Agricultural Research Organization at Bet-Dagan, Israel. He is fellow of the American Geophysical Union and the Geological Society of America, and member of the National Academy of Engineering, Sigma Xi, Society of Petroleum Engineers, American Association of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers, the International Association of Hydrogeologists, the American Institute of Hydrology, and the Arizona Hydrological Society. He holds numerous awards and has published over 200 articles, books, and reports.

W. HUGH O'RIORDAN is an attorney with Givens Pursley, LLP, in Boise, Idaho. He received a BA and JD from the University of Arizona and a LLM from George Washington University in environmental law. Since entering private practice in 1980, he has specialized in environmental, natural resources, and energy and administrative law on a state and federal level. He represents corporate and individual clients in matters involving environmental statutes. He is a member of the American Bar Association and a member of the Arizona, District of Columbia, and Idaho Bar Associations.

EDWIN WOODS ROEDDER received his BA from Lehigh University in 1941, his AM from Columbia University in 1947, and his PhD in geology in 1950. He also holds an honorary DSc, from Lehigh University (1976). Since 1987 Dr. Roedder has been an associate in the Department of Earth Planetary Sciences at Harvard University. From 1955 until 1987 he was employed by the U.S. Geological Survey as a geologist. Dr. Roedder served a member of the Committee on Geochemical Research at the National Science Foundation from 1954 until 1955. His honors and awards include an Exceptional Achievement Medal from NASA in 1973; the Werner Medal of the German Mineralogical Association, 1985; the Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America, 1986; and the Penrose medal of the Society of Economic Geologists, 1988. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences; the Mineralogical Society of America (vice president from 1981-1982, president, 1982-1983); the American Geophysical Union; and Geochemical Society (president). His research interests are in the fields of ore deposition, fluid inclusions in minerals, studies of lunar materials, nuclear waste storage problems, and volcanology.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants." National Research Council. 2000. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9949.
×

BENJAMIN ROSS is president of Disposal Safety, Incorporated, a consulting firm in Washington, D.C., which specializes in analysis of groundwater and soil contamination by hazardous radioactive and chemical waste. Dr. Ross also heads European Analytical Services, Inc., which represents Russian institutes selling technical services and products in the United States. Before starting Disposal Safety, Dr. Ross was a senior research scientist at GeoTrans, Inc., and a risk analyst with the Analytic Sciences Corporation. Dr. Ross received his AB in physics from Harvard University and his PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

RAYMOND G. WYMER is a retired director of the Chemical Technology Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is a specialist in radiochemical separations technology for radioactive waste management and nuclear fuel reprocessing. He is a member of the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He is a consultant for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and for the U.S. Department of Energy in the area of chemical separations technology. He consults for the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Energy on matters of nuclear nonproliferation. He is a fellow of the American Nuclear Society and the American Institute of Chemists, and has received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' Robert E. Wilson Award in Nuclear Chemical Engineering and the American Nuclear Society 's Special Award for Outstanding Work on the Nuclear Fuel Cycle. He received a BA from Memphis State University and an MA and PhD from Vanderbilt University.

CONSULTANTS

ROBERT M. BERNERO received his BA degree from St. Mary of the Lake (Illinois), a BS degree from the University of Illinois, and his MS degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has recently retired from 23 years of service with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC), where he held numerous positions up to director of the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. Prior to joining the USNRC, he worked for the General Electric Company in nuclear technology for 13 years. He currently consults on nuclear safety-related matters, and served as a member of the Commission of Inquiry for an International Review of Swedish Nuclear Regulatory Activities in 1995 and 1996. His areas of interest include licensing, inspection, and environmental review of uses of nuclear technology and radioactive waste management.

ELIZABETH K. HOCKING received her JD from the Washington College of Law of the American University. Since 1989 Ms. Hocking has been a policy analyst with the Environmental Assessment Division of Argonne National Laboratory and is manager of its Environmental Policy Analysis section. Her research interests include federal property transfer, institutional controls, and statutory and policy changes to environmental remediation programs. She served as a note and comment editor on the American University Administrative Law Journal from 1990 to 1991.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants." National Research Council. 2000. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9949.
×
Page 159
Suggested Citation:"Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants." National Research Council. 2000. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9949.
×
Page 160
Suggested Citation:"Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants." National Research Council. 2000. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9949.
×
Page 161
Suggested Citation:"Appendix H Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Consultants." National Research Council. 2000. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9949.
×
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It is now becoming clear that relatively few U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) waste sites will be cleaned up to the point where they can be released for unrestricted use. "Long-term stewardship" (activities to protect human health and the environment from hazards that may remain at its sites after cessation of remediation) will be required for over 100 of the 144 waste sites under DOE control (U.S. Department of Energy, 1999). After stabilizing wastes that remain on site and containing them as well as is feasible, DOE intends to rely on stewardship for as long as hazards persist—in many cases, indefinitely. Physical containment barriers, the management systems upon which their long-term reliability depends, and institutional controls intended to prevent exposure of people and the environment to the remaining site hazards, will have to be maintained at some DOE sites for an indefinite period of time.

The Committee on Remediation of Buried and Tank Wastes finds that much regarding DOE's intended reliance on long-term stewardship is at this point problematic. The details of long-term stewardship planning are yet to be specified, the adequacy of funding is not assured, and there is no convincing evidence that institutional controls and other stewardship measures are reliable over the long term. Scientific understanding of the factors that govern the long-term behavior of residual contaminants in the environment is not adequate. Yet, the likelihood that institutional management measures will fail at some point is relatively high, underscoring the need to assure that decisions made in the near term are based on the best available science. Improving institutional capabilities can be expected to be every bit as difficult as improving scientific and technical ones, but without improved understanding of why and how institutions succeed and fail, the follow-through necessary to assure that long-term stewardship remains effective cannot reliably be counted on to occur.

Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites examines the capabilities and limitations of the scientific, technical, and human and institutional systems that compose the measures that DOE expects to put into place at potentially hazardous, residually contaminated sites.

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