Appendix B
Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
Robert A.Beaudet, chair, received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Harvard University in 1962. From 1961 to 1962, he was a U.S. Army officer and served at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a research scientist. He joined the faculty of the University of Southern California in 1962 as an assistant professor and was chair of the Chemistry Department from 1976 to 1979. He has also served on Department of Defense committees addressing chemical warfare agents in both offensive and defensive scenarios. He was chair of an Army Science Board committee that addressed chemical detection and trace-gas analysis and chair of an Air Force technical conference on chemical warfare decontamination and protection. He has served on two National Research Council (NRC) studies: chemical and biological sensor technologies and energetic materials and technologies. Most of his career has been devoted to research in molecular structure and molecular spectroscopy. Dr. Beaudet previously served as a member of the Board on Army Science and Technology (BAST) and as a BAST liaison to the Committee on Review and Evaluation of the Army Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program (Stockpile Committee), a standing NRC committee. He is currently a member of the NRC Committee on Review of the Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Disposal Program. Dr. Beaudet is the author or coauthor of more than 100 technical reports and papers.
Richard J.Ayen received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois. Dr. Ayen is a former vice president of technology for Waste Management, Inc., and is now an independent consultant. He has extensive experience in the evaluation and development of new technologies for the treatment of hazardous waste. Dr. Ayen managed all aspects of the Waste Management Clemson Technical Center, including treatability studies and technology demonstrations for hazardous and radioactive waste. He has published extensively in his fields of interest and is a member of the NRC Committee on Review of the Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Disposal Program.
Joan B.Berkowitz, who graduated from the University of Illinois with a Ph.D. in physical chemistry, is currently managing director of Farkas Berkowitz and Company. Her areas of expertise include environmental and hazardous waste management, available technologies for the cleanup of contaminated soils and groundwater, and physical and electrochemistry. She has contributed to several studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), been a consultant on remediation techniques, and assessed various destruction technologies. Dr. Berkowitz has written numerous publications on hazardous waste treatment and environmental subjects. She is currently a member of the NRC Committee on Review of the Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Disposal Program.
Ruth M.Doherty received a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Maryland. She is currently technical advisor for the Energetic Materials Research and Technology Department, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head, Maryland. Since 1983, she has coauthored about 60 publications on physical chemistry. In the past 6 years, Dr. Doherty has given 20 presentations on various aspects of the science and technology of explosives. In 1998–1999, she delivered a series of lectures on explosives technology for members of the Office of Naval Intelligence. For more than 15 years, she has been involved in research and development of energetics materials and explosives at the Naval Surface Warfare Center.
Willard C.Gekler graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in petroleum refining engineering and pursued graduate study in nuclear engineering at the University of California in Los Angeles. Mr. Gekler is currently an independent consultant working for his previous employer, EQE International, Inc. His extensive experience includes membership on the NRC ACWA committee and on the expert panel reviewing the quantitative risk assessments and safety analyses of hazardous materials handling, storage, and
waste treatment systems for the Anniston and Umatilla chemical disposal facilities. His expertise is in hazard evaluation, quantitative risk analyses, reliability assessment, and database development for risk and reliability. Mr. Gekler is a certified reliability engineer and a member of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) and the American Nuclear Society. He is the author or coauthor of numerous publications.
Sheldon E.Isakoff, who received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Columbia University, is the retired director of the Engineering R&D Division of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. His experience includes the management of technology, the direction of research and development, market assessment and development, process scale-up, commercial introduction, and leadership of personnel. His areas of expertise also include materials science and engineering and the development and application of new materials for industrial and consumer markets. Dr. Isakoff is a fellow and past president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering and a former director of its materials engineering and sciences division. Dr. Isakoff was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1980 and has served on several NRC committees.
Hank C.Jenkins-Smith is a professor of Public Policy at the George H.W.Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He holds the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Chair of Business and Government at the Bush School. He was previously a professor of political science and director of the Institute for Public Policy at the University of New Mexico. Professor Jenkins-Smith’s areas of research include science and technology policy, environmental policy, public perceptions of environmental and technical risks, and national security policy. Professor Jenkins-Smith has written books on the public policy process and policy analysis and has served on a number of committees for the National Research Council.
David S.Kosson has a B.S. in chemical engineering, an M.S. in chemical and biochemical engineering, and a Ph.D. in chemical and biochemical engineering from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He is chairman and professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and professor of chemical engineering at Vanderbilt University and a former professor of chemical and biochemical engineering at Rutgers. Dr. Kosson has carried out research and published extensively on subsurface contaminant transport phenomena; leaching phenomena; physical, chemical, and microbial treatment processes for hazardous waste; and waste management policy. Dr. Kosson served on the NRC Committee on Review and Evaluation of the Army Stockpile Disposal Program for 7 years, the final 2 years as chair. As a member of the NRC Committee on Alternative Chemical Demilitarization Technologies and the Panel on Review and Evaluation of Alternative Chemical Disposal Technologies, he contributed to the Army’s decision to use alternative methods of destruction at both the Aberdeen and Newport facilities. Dr. Kosson is well known for his expertise in bioremediation.
Frederick J.Krambeck received his Ph.D in chemical engineering from the City University of New York. He is a senior consultant for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company. His expertise includes research and development (R&D) in petroleum refining, including process and reactor design and development, chemical reaction engineering, on-line and off-line optimization, modeling, and R&D project management. He is also experienced in technology strategy considerations for greenhouse gas stabilization. Dr. Krambeck was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1999 and is a fellow and member of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He has authored or coauthored over 25 patents and 40 publications.
John A.Merson received a B.S. and M.S. in chemical engineering from the University of New Mexico and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Arizona State University. His areas of expertise include research, development, and application of energetic materials and components in the nuclear weapons stockpile. Dr. Merson is the department manager of the Explosive Subsystems and Materials Department at Sandia National Laboratories, which designs, develops, and characterizes explosive, propellant, and pyrotechnic components and subsystems to meet specific needs. Dr. Merson is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
William R.Rhyne received a B.S. in nuclear engineering from the University of Tennessee and an M.S. and D.Sc. in nuclear engineering from the University of Virginia and is cofounder and director of H&R Technical Associates, Inc. Dr. Rhyne has extensive experience in risk and safety analysis associated with nuclear and chemical processes and with the transport of hazardous nuclear materials and chemicals. From 1984 to 1987, he was the project manager and principal investigator for a probabilistic accident analysis of transporting obsolete chemical munitions. Dr. Rhyne is the author or coauthor of more than 40 publications and reports on nuclear and chemical safety and risk analysis, including Hazardous Materials Transportation Risk Analysis: Quantitative Approaches for Truck and Train. He is a member of the NRC Transportation Research Board Hazardous Materials Committee, the Society for Risk Assessment, the American Nuclear Society, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Stanley I.Sandler, who received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota, is currently the Henry Belin du Pont Chair and director of the Center for
Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics at the University of Delaware. His extensive research interests include applied thermodynamics and phase equilibrium, environmental engineering, and separations and purification. Dr. Sandler is a recipient of the Warren K.Lewis Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Inaugural E.A.Mason Memorial Lecturer Award from Brown University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and has published more than 250 technical articles in recognized journals and conference proceedings.
William R.Seeker received his Ph.D. in engineering (nuclear and chemical) from Kansas State University. He is senior vice president and member of the Board of Directors of Energy and Environmental Research Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric Company. He has extensive experience in the use of thermal treatment technologies, environmental control systems for managing hazardous waste, and air pollution control. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board and the author of more than 150 technical papers on various aspects of technology and the environment.
Leo Weitzman received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Purdue University. He is a consultant with 28 years of experience in the development, design, permitting, and operation of equipment and facilities for the treatment of hazardous wastes and remediation debris. Dr. Weitzman has extensive experience in the disposal of hazardous waste and contaminated materials by thermal treatment, chemical reaction, solvent extraction, biological treatment, and stabilization. He has published more than 40 technical papers.
