1999 Recent Activities
December, 1999
Participation in Scientific Meeting
Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist - Environmental Chemistry) participated in the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union, in San Francisco. He presented a poster "Aerosol sulfate and other aerosol constitutents at the South Pole", and co-authored two other posters/presentations "Sources and source variations for aerosol at Mace Head, Ireland" and "A comparison of model results with observations recorded during project ISCAT".
November, 1999
Visit by Program Review Board
The second annual visit and review by the Center's Program Review Board (PRB) was completed. The PRB produced a report presenting observations and recommendations for actions to strengthen the Center's long term viability. PRB members are Dr. Michael Smith (Director Emeritus, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory), Dr. Stanley Auerbach (Director Emeritus, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory), and Dr. Doyle Markham (Director, Environmental Science & Research Foundation, Idaho). An action plan is in development by the Center and NMSU administrators.
Intercomparison Results
Results were received for analyses conducted by the Center's Radiochemistry on mixed radionuclides in water, under the NIST Radiochemistry Intercomparison Program. Out of four analytes, the Center reported measurements for three (241Am, 238Pu, and 238U), with <1.1% bias, meeting traceability limits at <2.0% as defined in ANSI 42.22.
Visiting Scientist
Dr. Randall Morris (Environmental Science & Research Foundation, Idaho) visited the Center and presented a colloquium "The inventory and distribution of 129I in sagebrush steppe at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory".
New Employee
Mr. James Monk began work as a Technician IV in internal dosimetry. James completed a B.S. in animal science at the University of Rhode Island, which included research assistant work in studies of Lyme disease and other projects.
Public Outreach/Education
Center staff provided presentations and tours for a local chapter of the American Association of University Women and approximately 100 6th grade students from P.R. Leyva Middle School (Carlsbad). An exhibit on the Center was presented at the 1999 Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP) Technical Conference, in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
October, 1999
LIMS Customization for Aerosol Sampling
Development and implementation were completed that customize the Center Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for use in sample tracking, data archival and report generation for aerosol sampling being conducted in the exhaust air shaft at the WIPP. The results are also posted electronically to the Center web site each week.
Visit by Science Advisory Board Member
Science Advisory Board member Dr. Ward Whicker (Colorado State University) conducted a site visit and review of the Center field operations program. Dr. Whicker also presented a colloquium "Environmental radioactivity: the interface between science and models" .
Visiting Scientists
Dr. Bernhard Kienzler (Institute for Nuclear Waste Management, Germany) visited the Center and presented a colloquium "Geochemical performance of German low level waste disposal facilities" . Dr. Mark Walthall (Louisiana State University) visited the Center and presented a colloquium "The role of colloid dispersion in the remediation of abandoned oil field brine pits" . Dr. Kurt Maier (University of Memphis) visited the Center and presented a colloquium "Selected approaches to evaluating the fate and effects of contaminants in freshwater systems" .
New Employees
Mr. Andy Cooper began work as a Technician II, working in field operations. Andy has previously worked in several positions with the New Mexico state parks system. Dr. Lidia Litinskey began work as Quality Assurance Manager. Dr. Litinskey holds a Ph.D. in physics and mathematics and a M.S. in engineering from Moscow State Institute of Engineering Physics, and was previously a laboratory manager with Growth Resources, Inc., in Lafayette, Louisiana. Prior to coming to the U.S., Dr. Litinskey was a senior research scientist at Moscow State Institute of Engineering Physics.
Public Outreach/Education
Center staff provided presentations and tours for a Chihuahuan Desert Laboratory class and two Biology 111 classes at NMSU-Carlsbad. Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist-Environmental Chemistry) presented a seminar "Dust and climate: relationship to sources, transport and deposition" , and Dr. Marsha Conley (Director) presented a seminar "Where environmental science and public information meet - an experiment in progress" , both at the Department of Geosciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas.
September, 1999
Web Site Featured
A description of the CEMRC Web site was featured in the Online/In Print section of the September issue of Environmental Science & Technology (133(17):382A). The web site is used to provide public access to results from the WIPP Environmental Monitoring project, including both data and interpretive summaries.
Visit by Science Advisory Board Member
Science Advisory Board member Dr. Milan Gadd (Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site) conducted a site visit and review of the Center internal dosimetry program. Dr. Gadd also presented a colloquium "Assessment of plutonium and americium in wounds".
Visiting Scientist
Dr. Richard Boyd (Professor of Physics, Ohio State University) visited the Center and presented a colloquium "Detecting neutrinos from supernovae: why and how?"
Public Outreach/Education
Center staff provided presentations for the local Artists' Association and a local economic development meeting.
August, 1999
Proposals for New Projects
Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist-Environmental Chemistry) submitted a Science and Implementation Plan to the National Science Foundation, for a new research initiative, the Asian-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia) Network. The plan proposes to establish a study of aerosol properties, sources/sinks, and regional/temporal variabiliy, by standardizing and coordinating sampling at existing ground stations throughout the Asian Pacific region. The project would potentially involve sites in Russia, China, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Korea and Hawaii.
Proposals for New Projects
Joel Webb (Manager, Program Development) submitted a proposal to MJW Corporation (Williamsville, New York) to provide "Internal dose assessments from historical radiation worker records". The proposed services would employ standard computer models for calculation of radiation doses.
New Employees
Mr. Rick Castillo began work as a Technician III in environmental chemistry. Rick has completed three years of coursework toward a degree in biology and chemistry, and has previously worked as an occupational therapist technician.
Visit by Science Advisory Board Member
Science Advisory Board member Dr. Kenneth Inn (National Institute of Standards of Technology) conducted a site visit and review of the Center radioanalytical program. Dr. Inn also presented a colloquium "NIST Traceability - How Good is Good Enough?".
July 1999
Radioanalytical Laboratory Operations Curtailed
Investigation of the perchloric acid fume hood in the radioanalytical laboratory revealed that the exhaust system does not meet industry standards, resulting from inadequate construction design specifications. A project has been initiated to decontaminate, dismantle and reconstruct the hood exhaust system, which is expected to require a minimum of three months to complete. A portion of the current radiochemical work backlog will be further delayed until this project is completed.
Proposal for New Project
Joel Webb (Manager, Program Development) submitted a proposal to Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (Albuquerque, New Mexico) to participate in a study " 210Pb - A biomarker for exposure of people to radon" . The project has been proposed for funding to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, under the program for Mechanistic-Based Cancer Risk Assessment Methods. The Center's participation would include use of the mobile bioassay laboratory in studies of residents in several communities in other states, where elevated levels of radon have been documented in homes.
Intercomparison Results
Results were received for analyses conducted by the Center's Radiochemistry on mixed radionuclides in glass fiber filters, under the 1999 NIST Radiochemistry Intercomparison Program. Out of four analytes, the Center reported measurements for two, with results within <1.6% of the known values and <6.4% bias, meeting traceability limits as defined in ANSI 42.22 (Traceability of Radioactive Sources to the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Associated Instrument Quality Control).
New Employees
Mr. Aaron Curbello began work as a Technician III in field programs and Mr. Jeremy George-Day began work as a Technician III in environmental chemistry. Aaron is a part-time student majoring in biology at College of the Southwest, and has previously worked in several positions with the New Mexico state parks system. Jeremy is a senior biotechnology major at California Polytechnic University.
Public Outreach/Education
Dr. Marsha Conley (Director) presented an overview and examples of results from the WIPP Environmental Monitoring project at a meeting of the Committee on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Board of Radioactive Waste Management of the National Research Council, the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Center staff hosted a tour for representatives from the chemistry department at Dade County Community College (Miami, Florida).
June
1999
New Research Project
Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist-Environmental Chemistry) has received approximately $16,000 in funding to participate in the Paso del Norte Air Research Program, a project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Southwest Center for Environmental Research & Policy. The project involves characterizing the presumptive sources for aerosols in the El Paso-Juarez border region.
Visiting Scientist
Dr. Richard Jepsen (Senior Technical Staff Member, Sandia National Laboratories) visited the Center and presented a colloquium"Transport of hydrophobic organic chemicals in aquatic systems" . The presentation summarized results of recent studies on the association of contaminants with sediments in lakes and rivers.
Proposals for New Project
Dr. Richard Arimoto submitted a proposal"Environmental analytical laboratory services for brine inorganics" to Westinghouse Government Environmental Services Company. Dr. Arimoto also submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation for supplemental funding to an existing project"Mineral dust and radionuclides over the North Atlantic" . The requested supplemental funding is to support publication costs for several papers produced from the research, and to extend sampling and analyses to allow comparisons with new satellite-generated data that have recently become available.
New Employees
Mr. Thaddeus Stevens began work as a Programmer/Analyst, working with Dr. Thomas Kirchner (Senior Scientist-Informatics & Modeling). Mr. Stevens holds B.S. degrees in engineering and in university studies; he was previously employed as facility operator/engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory and as station engineer and station manager for KRUX FM in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Mr. Jacob Elkins began work as a Project Aide in field programs and Mr. Jimmy Boswell began work as a Technician II in environmental chemistry and radioanalytical chemistry. Jimmy is a senior chemical engineering student at the University of New Mexico, and Jacob is enrolled to begin his chemical engineering degree at the University of Nevada-Reno in September.
Public Outreach/Education
The Center issued a first edition newsletter "The Monitor" , summarizing recent projects and other activities, and highlighting progress achieved in the Lie Down and Be Counted project for public volunteers. Over 2000 copies of the newsletter are being distributed locally and to routine recipients of Center reports. Center staff hosted tours and provided presentations for representatives from the Atomic Energy Authority of Egypt, the National Park Service, NMSU-Carlsbad (HVAC/Blueprint Reading class) and a Project Uplift student group from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Center staff also provided presentations for local chapters of the Ham Radio Club and the International Good Neighbor Council.
May 1999
Participation in Scientific Meeting and IAEA Visit
Mr. Joel Webb (Manager, Program Development), participated in the In Vivo 99 Conference in Mol, Belgium, the leading international meeting for scientists in this discipline. He made two presentation"An evaluation of recent technology, including broad energy germanium detectors (BEGe), employed by Canberra Industries to improve measurement sensitivities of radionuclides deposited in lungs" and"In Vivo measurement sensitivity and occurrence of radionuclides in residents of Carlsbad, New Mexico area" . He also visited the Seibersdorf Laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Seibersdorf, Austria, to discuss collaborative projects under the laboratory's Research Programme.
In vivo Radiobioassay Assessment
The in vivo radiobioassay program successfully completed the on-site assessment phase of the DOE Laboratory Accreditation Program (LAP) for Radiobioassay Systems. No deficiencies were noted in the assessment report. This certification allows Westinghouse Waste Isolation Division (and other DOE contractors) to seek DOELAP accreditation for their radiation worker monitoring programs. The Center's program is the only university operated program in the nation to complete requirements for this accreditation. In addition, only three other in vivo programs have completed the DOELAP requirements.
Visiting Scientist
Mr. Jeff Whicker (Health Physics Measurement Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory) visited the Center and presented a colloquium"Resuspension studies at the WIPP site" . The presentation provided preliminary findings from experiments on soil erosion and aerosol sampling in the region of the WIPP conducted under a grant from DOE-EM.
Proposal for New Project
Dr. Thomas Kirchner (Senior Scientist-Informatics & Modeling) submitted a proposal"A component oriented system for building structurally adaptive ecological models" to the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Public Outreach/Education
Center staff provided presentations for the Carlsbad Board of Realtors and the Carlsbad Lions Club. Center staff hosted tours for representatives from Iowa State University, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and New Mexico Enviornment Department.
April 1999
Participation in Scientific Meeting
Mr. Joel Webb (Manager, Program Development), participated in the WERC 1999 Conference on the Environment, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he made two presentations -"The cow counter: technology for the measure of radio-contaminants and fat-free lean content livestock" and"Overview of the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center" . He also chaired a presentation session"Status of Research/Sustainability" .
In Vivo Radiobioassay Intercomparison Performance
An annual report of performance evaluation in intercomparison studies for in vivo radiobioassay was released by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. For all tests for five radioanalytes over the period January 1996 - December 1998, the Center's analyses had the smallest relative bias among the ten laboratories participating nationwide.
Public Outreach/Education
Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist-Environmental Chemistry) presented a lecture"Aerosols, air pollution and climate change" for the Chihuahuan Desert Conservation Alliance. Dr. Thomas Kirchner (Senior Scientist - Informatics & Modeling) presented a lecture"Uncertainty Analysis" for a course"Calculating and Understanding Risk from Chemicals Released to the Environment" , sponsored by Risk Assessment Corporation in San Antonio, Texas. Center staff provided presentations for 6th grade classes at P.R. Leyva Middle School (Carlsbad) and an exhibit on the Center program for the WIPP Opening ceremonies.
March 1999
Visiting Scientists
Dr. Xiaoye Zhang (Director, Dust & Geochemistry Laboratory, State Laboratory of Loess & Quaternary Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, China) arrived at the Center for an approximate 2-month stay as a collaborating scientist, sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr. Michael Draney (Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, NMSU) visited the Center and presented a colloquium"Diversity and life history variation among ground-dwelling sheet-web spiders" .
Visits by Scientific Advisory Board Members
Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) member Dr. Thomas Cahill (Professor Emeritus, Atmospheric Sciences/Physics, University of California, Davis) conducted a review of the Center environmental chemistry program. Dr. Cahill presented a colloquium"Aerosols, optics, and aesthetics: the battle to save Lake Tahoe" . SAB member Dr. William Michener (Associate Scientist, Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Newton, Georgia) conducted a review of the Center informatics & modeling program. Dr. Michener presented a colloquium "Altering coastal plain landscapes for fun (quail hunting) and profit (agriculture): some ecological implications" .
New Employee
Dr. Scott Webb began work as an Associate Scientist-Radiochemistry, responsible for project management, QA development, and methods development. Dr. Webb holds a B.S. in physics (Mesa College), an M.S. in radiochemistry, and a Ph.D. in radioecology (Colorado State University). He has previously held positions as radioecology program coordinator at Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (Aiken, South Carolina) and radiation safety officer at Colorado State University. Dr. Webb has authored research publications on interpreting environmental measurements of plutonium, radionuclide distributions in soils, and radionuclide uptake by vegetation near Chernobyl.
Proposal for New Project
Dr. Thomas Kirchner (Senior Scientist - Informatics & Modeling) submitted a proposal"Tools and methodologies for managing uncertainties and improving accuracy in risk assessment models" to an environmental statistics program jointly supported by the National Science Foundation and EPA.
Public Outreach/Education
Center staff provided two lectures on the Center program and specific research related to the WIPP Enviornmental Monitoring project, for an Environmental Management Seminar (CE 330) at NMSU. Center staff provided presntations and tours for two visiting scientists from Russia and representatives from Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque.
February 1999
New Research Project
Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist - Environmental Chemistry) has received approximately $5,600 in funding to participate in a project funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that focuses on evaluation of the possible effects on aquatic organisms from exposure to beryllium, depleted uranium, and other trace metals in sediments or surface water. The principal investigator for the project is Dr. Colleen Caldwell (Adjunct Assistant Professor, Fishery and Wildlife Sciences, NMSU). Work at the Center will consist of experiments to quantify contaminants in soil samples and to evaluate contaminant leachability in sediments.
Intercomparison Results
Results were received from 1998 in-vivo radiobioassay performance testing under the DOE Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP). Passing performance was achieved for all tested categories (241Am and 235U in lungs, 134Cs and 137Cs in whole body). Relative biases ranged from -0.001 for 241Am to 0.063 for 137Cs, and relative precisions ranged from 0.004 for 137Cs to 0.038 for 241Am. DOELAP passing criteria are 0.25 to 0.50 for relative bias and <0.4 for precision.
Public Outreach
Center staff provided an exhibit"What Can You Tell About the Weather?" for the annual Carlsbad Municipal Schools Science Showcase. The exhibit presented large-scale color graphs of weather data from the Carlsbad area. Students participated in a contest requiring interpretation of the graphs, with prizes awarded for correct answers. A presentation about the Center and water quality data generated by Center studies was provided for a Project WET workshop sponsored by WERC for local public school teachers. The Center hosted a science demonstration event for local 7th grade students, sponsored by the American Association of University Women.
January, 1999
Proposal for New Project
Dr. Richard Arimoto (Senior Scientist - Environmental Chemistry), in conjunction with Dr.
James Botsford (Biology, NMSU), and colleagues at Texas A&M University and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Amarillo submitted a proposal"Ambient air quality issues related to confined animal operations" to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program.
Visiting Scientists
Dr. Walter G. Whitford (Senior Research Ecologist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) visited the Center and presented a colloquium"Assessing and monitoring rangeland health" . Dr. Penelope Boston (Director of Research, Complex Systems Research, Inc.), Mrs. Diana Northup (Assoc. Proessor, University of New Mexico), and Mr. Michael Spilde (Manager, Scanning Electroscope Laboratory, University of New Mexico) visited the Center and presented a colloquium"Corrosion residues and punk rock from Lechuguilla Cave" . Dr. Ross Williams (former Manger of Radiological Services, American Environmental Network, Inc.) visited the Center and presented a colloquium"Actinide analyses by thermal ionization mass spectrometry" .
New Employee
Mr. Jeffrey Vollmer began work as a Science Specialist - Internal Dosimetry, working with Mr. Joel Webb (Manager, Program Development) in instrument operation, maintenance, quality assurance and data validation for in vivo radiobioassays. Mr. Vollmer holds a B.S. in physics from Eastern Illinois University, and has held positions as environmental health & safety coordinator with Quanterra Environmental Services (Earth City, Missouri), health physicist with Jacobs Engineering Group (St. Charles, Missouri), and radiation safety officer/project manager with Environmental Operations, Inc. (St. Louis, Missouri).
Public Outreach
Center staff provided a presentation and tour for consultants for the New Mexico Business Journal.
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