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One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste (2003)

Chapter: Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
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Appendix A
Biographical Sketches of Committee Members

Charles McCombie,Chair, is an independent strategic and technical advisor to various national and international waste management programs. Formerly he was the scientific and technical director of NAGRA, the Swiss Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste. He has 25 of years experience in the nuclear field, 20 of which are in radioactive waste management. His responsibilities have covered performance assessment, engineering and geologic investigations, and overall program direction. He has held positions as a research scientist with the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority and with the Swiss Federal Institute for Reactor Research. He has served on a number of committees advising national and international organizations on radioactive waste management issues. He is currently a member of the American Nuclear Society, Swiss Nuclear Energy Society, International Radiation Protection Association, Nuclear Advisory Committee of the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute, and the National Research Council’s Board on Radioactive Waste Management. Dr. McCombie received a B.S. in natural philosophy (physics) from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, and a Ph.D. in physics (materials science) from the University of Bristol, England.

David E.Daniel (NAE),Vice-Chair, is the dean of the College of Engineering and professor of civil engineering at the University of Illinois. Professor Daniel received a Ph.D. in 1980 in civil engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and served on the faculty there until 1996. He has focused his work on the disposal of waste in landfills and on the cleanup of contaminated waste disposal sites with emphasis on clay liners and geosynthetic clay liners. He has written over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and a similar number of conference proceeding papers. He won the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) two highest awards (Croes Medal and Norman Medal) for papers published in its journals, and has won ASCE’s highest award (Thomas A.Middlebrooks Award) for a geotechnical paper published in its journals. Dr. Daniel has taught in more than 100 continuing education courses attended by about 15,000 scientists and engineers. He served on the Energy and Environmental Systems and Geotechnical Board of the National Research Council.

Robert M.Bernero received his B.A. from the University of St. Mary of the Lake (Illinois), a B.S. from the University of Illinois, and an M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He retired in 1995 after 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. Before joining the USNRC he worked for the General Electric Company in nuclear technology for 13 years. He served as a member of the Commission of Inquiry for an international review of Swedish nuclear regulatory activities, and he currently serves on the National Research Council’s Board on Radioactive Waste Management. Currently, he consults

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×

on nuclear safety matters, particularly materials licensing and radioactive waste management.

Radford Byerly, Jr., retired as chief of staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology after a distinguished career in academia and government, specializing in science policy and management. Dr. Byerly is co-author of several recent papers on federal R&D policy, including “Beyond Basic and Applied” (Physics Today, 1998) and “The Changing Ecology of United States Science” (Science, 1995). Among his many positions, Dr. Byerly has worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the environmental measurement and fire research programs, and he was director of the University of Colorado’s Center for Space and Geosciences Policy. He currently serves on the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy and serves on National Science Foundation visiting committees and review panels. Dr. Byerly is a member of the Board of the Associated Universities for Research in Astronomy and previously served on the National Research Council’s Committee on the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and Technology’s Peer Review Program. He received his Ph.D. in physics from Rice University.

Barbara L.Dutrow is the Adolphe G.Gueymard Professor of Geology and Geophysics at the Louisiana State University. Her field of specialization is metamorphic petrology with emphasis on thermal-chemical evolution of the crust, computational modeling of heat and mass transfer in fluid-rock systems, and fluid-rock interactions. Her research and teaching incorporate field, theoretical, experimental and computational methods to decipher Earth processes. She received her Ph.D. from Southern Methodist University in 1985. She was an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at Ruhr-Universität, Germany (1985–1987) and was a distinguished lecturer for Sigma Xi (1998–2000) and for the Mineralogical Society of America (1991–1992). Dr. Dutrow is a fellow of, and served as secretary for, the Mineralogical Society of America and is currently councillor for the society. She served on the Geochemical Society’s Clarke Medal committee and is a member of the Geological Society of America, the American Geophysical Union and several other professional organizations. She served as Associate Editor for Reviews of Geophysics and for The American Mineralogist. She previously served on the National Research Council’s Board on Earth Sciences and Resources.

Jerry M.Harris is a professor and chair of the Department of Geophysics at Stanford University. Dr. Harris received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Mississippi, and both his M.S. and Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology. He worked at the Communications Satellite Corporation, Exxon Production Research Company, and Standard Oil Production Company before joining the Stanford faculty. Dr. Harris is a graduate fellow of the Hughes Aircraft Company; a David and Lucille Packard Fellow; a former member of the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee; and he earned a distinguished lecturer award from the Society of Petroleum Engineers. His research and teaching interests include seismic and electromagnetic wave propagation and imaging in complex geologic media. He is currently affiliated with the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Geophysical Union, and the Acoustical Society of America.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×

Thomas H.Isaacs has an extensive background in science policy and work experience directly relevant to the Yucca Mountain project. He is the director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) Office of Policy, Planning, and Special Studies. Mr. Isaacs is responsible for long-range strategic and institutional planning and conducts policy and technology studies for the laboratory. Before joining LLNL in 1996, he held a variety of positions within the U.S. Department of Energy, including executive director of the Department of Energy’s Advisory Committee on External Regulation of DOE Nuclear Safety, director of Strategic Planning and International Programs, deputy director of the Office of Geologic Repositories for the department’s radioactive waste program. Mr. Isaacs also served on the National Research Council’s Committee on Building a Long-Term Environmental Quality Research and Development Program in the U.S. Department of Energy. Mr. Isaacs received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in engineering and applied physics from Harvard University.

Leonard F.Konikow has worked as a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey since 1972. He received a B.A. in geology from Hofstra University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Konikow has published numerous papers and taught a variety of courses related to hydrogeology and groundwater modeling. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and served as chairman of its Groundwater Committee and as hydrology program chairman. He received the M.King Hubbert Science Award from the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) in 1989 and was a member of the Board of Directors of the NGWA Association of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers. He is a fellow of the Geological Society of America (GSA), has been the society’s Hydrogeology Division’s Birdsall Distinguished Lecturer and recipient of its O.E.Meinzer Award, and served as chairman of the Hydrogeology Division of GSA. He served on the editorial board of Ground Water journal, as associate editor for Water Resources Research, and is currently the chairman of the U.S. National Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists. He was also on the National Research Council’s Committees on groundwater modeling assessment and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

Todd R.La Porte is a professor of political science at the University of California at Berkeley. His fields of specialization are theories of public organization and administration and science, technology, and politics. Dr. La Porte teaches courses on public organization theory, administrative behavior, and technology and politics. His current research focuses on high-reliability organizations and the relationship of large-scale technical systems to political legitimacy. Dr. La Porte chaired the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board’s Task Force on Radioactive Waste Management. He has served on the Board on Radioactive Waste Management and several other National Research Council committees. He was elected to the National Academy of Public Administration in 1985, but is no longer an active member. Dr. La Porte received his B.A. in social sciences and mathematics in 1953 from the University of Dubuque and received his M.A. in 1961 and his Ph.D. in 1963, both in political sciences from Stanford University.

Jane C.S.Long is dean of the Mackay School of Mines at the University of Nevada, Reno. She has also been on the staff of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr. Long is an expert in rock mechanics and fracture hydrology and has worked on several U.S. and international underground repository research projects.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×

She recently served as chair of the Board on Earth Sciences and Resources’ Rock Mechanics Committee. Dr. Long received an Sc.B. in engineering from Brown University, and an M.S. in geotechnical engineering and a Ph.D. in materials science and mineral engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Werner Lutze is a senior scientist at the Vitreous State Laboratory of The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C. In 2001, he retired from the University of New Mexico where he held a position as Professor of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering and as director of the university’s Center for Radioactive Waste Management. He has over 25 years of research experience in materials science and geochemical issues relevant to the management of radioactive wastes, including selective mineral ion-exchange processes, repository near-field chemistry, waste form development, and trace analyses. He has published widely on weapons plutonium immobilization, waste disposal, and the chemistry of nuclear materials. Professor Lutze is a member of several professional organizations, including the Materials Research Society, the German Nuclear Society, and Sigma Xi. Dr. Lutze also served on the National Research Council’s Committee on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

Eugene A.Rosa is the Edward R.Meyer Distinguished Professor of Natural Resource and Environmental Policy in the Thomas S.Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service and chair of the Department of Sociology at Washington State University. Dr. Rosa’s research program has focused on environmental topics (particularly energy, technology, and risk issues) with attention to both theoretical and policy concerns. He has investigated public opinions and attitudes toward nuclear power, policies, and waste. Dr. Rosa has published several books and articles on the public perception of risk. He is a member of a variety of professional organizations, including the Society for Risk Analysis, American Sociological Association, Society for Human Ecology, Society for the Social Studies of Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Rosa received his M.A. and Ph.D. in social science from the Maxwell Graduate School of Syracuse University. He completed his postgraduate work in neuro-biobehavioral sciences and energy studies at Stanford University.

Atsuyuki Suzuki is a professor of nuclear engineering at the Department of Quantum Engineering and Systems Science, and chair of the Security Management Laboratory at the Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo. He has had extensive experience in advising the Japanese government on nuclear issues, and is currently serving as a commissioner of the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan. Dr. Suzuki serves as a board member for a number of nonprofit organizations in Japan, such as the Nuclear Safety Research Association, Nuclear Material Control Center, and the Institute of Applied Energy, and is also an editor for a number of scientific journals, such as Nuclear Technology of the American Nuclear Society and Radioactive Waste Management and Environmental Restoration. Dr. Suzuki is a member of the Japanese Atomic Energy Society, the Society of Chemical Engineers, and the American Nuclear Society. He has published more than 20 books and more than 200 papers. Dr. Suzuki received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Tokyo.

Wendell Weart has had an extensive 25-year history with the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant as the project’s principal science advisor. Recently retired as a Sandia National Laboratories fellow, he has over 40 years of expertise in the fields of

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×

geotechnical and radioactive waste management research. Dr. Weart’s research focused on the physical effects of underground explosions and on nuclear waste disposal in geologic media. He was a geophysicist with the Ballistics Research Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories and manager of nuclear waste systems at Sandia before becoming a Sandia senior scientist and a Sandia fellow concentrating on nuclear waste disposal issues. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Geophysical Union. Dr. Weart earned a B.A. from Cornell College in geology and mathematics and a Ph.D. in geophysics from the University of Wisconsin.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×
Page 145
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×
Page 146
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×
Page 147
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×
Page 148
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members." National Research Council. 2003. One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10611.
×
Page 149
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Compared to other large engineering projects, geologic repositories for high-level waste present distinctive challenges because: 1) they are first-of-a-kind, complex, and long-term projects that must actively manage hazardous materials for many decades: 2) they are expected to hold these hazardous materials passively safe for many millennia after repository closure; and 3) they are widely perceived to pose serious risks. As is the case for other complex projects, repository programs should proceed in stages.

One Step at a Time focuses on a management approach called "adaptive staging" as a promising means to develop geologic repositories for high-level radioactive waste such as the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Adaptive staging is a learn-as-you-go process that enables project managers to continuously reevaluate and adjust the program in response to new knowledge and stakeholder input. Advice is given on how to implement staging during the construction, operation, closure, and post-closure phases of a repository program.

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