1998 Activities
December, 1998
New Research Grant
A grant from the WERC, for a study entitled"The cow counter: technology for the measure of radio-contaminants and fat-free lean content in livestock", was awarded to Mr. Joel Webb (Manager, Program Development) and Dr. Glenn Duff (Assistant Professor, Animal & Range Sciences, NMSU). The study involves development, experimental testing, and demonstration of an instrument for determination of internally deposited radionuclides in livestock. The instrument would initially be developed for use in routine fat-free lean carcass grading, and additional refinements could allow analyses of radioactive contaminant uptake by livestock. The grant will provide approximately $91,000 for work during 1999, with an additional $78,000 for work during 2000, contingent on approval for continuation. Funding for the WERC competitive grant program is provided by DOE.
Public Outreach
Center staff provided a presentation and tour for representatives of Sandia National Laboratory in Albuquerque.
Participation in Scientific Meeting
Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist-Environmental Chemistry) participated in the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, in San Francisco where he presented a paper"Factors controlling the activities of 7Be and 210Pb in Aerosols from Bermuda: Examination of the Data for a Day-of-the-Week Effect."
November 1998
Visiting Scientist
The Center hosted a visit by Dr. Boris Golubov, Science Secretary for the Scientific Council on Biosphere Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia. Dr. Golubov visited the WIPP and the Gnome site, and presented a colloquium"Environmental Effects of Underground Nuclear Testing for Peaceful Applications."
Participation in Scientific Meetings
Nine Center staff attended the 44th Annual Conference on Bioassay, Analytical & Environmental Radiochemistry (BAER) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Joel Webb (Manager, Program Development) presented a paper"In Vivo Measurement Sensitivity/Occurrence of Radionuclides in Residents of the Carlsbad, New Mexico Area" . Dr. Thomas Kirchner (Senior Scientist - Informatics & Modeling) presented a poster"Variability, Confidence, and Uncertainty: Sorting Out the Confusion" . Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist - Environmental Chemistry) presented a paper"The Use of Naturally Occurring Radionuclides (Be-7 and Pb-210) as Atmospheric Tracers" . An exhibit on Center research and analytical capabilities was also presented during the conference. The Center served as co-sponsor for the meeting, in conjunction with U.S. Department of Energy - Carlsbad Area Office; U.S. Department of Energy - Albuquerque Operations Office; Westinghouse Waste Isolation Division; Sandia National Laboratories; and the Environmental Evaluation Group. Four Center staff also attended the Radiological Performance Testing Materials Workshop, sponsored by the DOE National Analytical Management Program and held in Albuquerque following the BAER conference.
Dr. Richard Arimoto participated in a meeting in Cheju, Korea, for the Aerosol Characterization Experiment-Asia, in which he is responsible for developing a science and implementation plan for a network-based time-series study of aerosol optical and radiative properties. This study will be coordinated with the China Metro-Agro Plex experiment and the Transport and Chemistry Experiment-Pacific experiment. The activities and station operations also will be coordinated with the Asia/Pacific Regional Experiment executive committee.
Professional Appointment
Dr. Richard Arimoto was appointed by the American Geophysical Union to a two-year term as Associate Editor of the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.
Public Outreach
Center staff provided a presentation and tour as part of in-service training for the fourth-grade teachers from the Carlsbad Municipal School District. Tours were also provided for sixth-grade students in gifted classes from P.R. Leyva Middle School in Carlsbad, and approximately 65 participants in the BAER conference.
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