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Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report (2006)

Chapter: B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

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Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
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B
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS

LOUIS J. LANZEROTTI, Chair, is an expert in geophysics and electromagnetic waves and a veteran of over 40 National Research Council (NRC) studies. He currently consults for Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, and is a distinguished professor for solar-terrestrial research at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Previously, he was a distinguished member of the technical staff at Bell Labs. His research interests include space plasmas and engineering problems related to the impacts of atmospheric and space processes on telecommunications on commercial satellites and transoceanic cables. He has been associated with numerous National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space missions as well, including Voyager, Ulysses, Galileo, and Cassini, and with commercial space satellite missions to research design and operational problems associated with spacecraft and cable operations. In 1988, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his work on energetic particles and electromagnetic waves in the earth’s magnetosphere, including their impact on space and terrestrial communication systems. He has twice received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and has a geographic feature in Antarctica named in his honor He was appointed to the National Science Board by President George W. Bush in 2004. Dr. Lanzerotti holds a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University.


CARL A.ALEXANDER is an expert in the behavior of nuclear material at high temperatures and also in biological and chemical weapons. He is chief scientist and senior research leader at the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio. Dr. Alexander worked on fuel design and behavior for the aircraft nuclear propulsion program and several space nuclear power projects, including the Viking, Voyager, and Cassini missions. He helped analyze the evolution of the Three Mile Island accident and is involved in the French Phebus fission product experiments, which are to reproduce all of the phenomena involved during a nuclear power reactor core meltdown accident He has served as a consultant to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and, in the 1970s, worked on the first experiments on the effects of an attack on spent fuel shipping containers using shaped charges. He currently leads research projects on agent neutralization and collateral effects for weapons of mass destruction for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Navy, and on lethality of missile defense technologies for the Missile Defense Agency. Dr. Alexander has taught materials science and engineering at the Ohio State University and has served as graduate advisor and adjunct professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, and the University of Maryland. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and technical reports, many of which are classified. He holds a Ph.D. in materials science from Ohio State University.


ROBERT M.BERNERO is a nuclear engineering and regulatory expert. He is now an independent consultant after retiring from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) in 1995. In 23 years of service for the USNRC Mr. Bernero held numerous positions in reactor licensing, fuel cycle facility licensing, engineering standards development, risk assessment research, and waste management. His final position at USNRC was as director of the Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Safeguards, Prior to joining the USNRC he worked for the General Electric Company in nuclear technology for 13 years. He has served as a member of the Commission of Inquiry for an International

Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
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Review of Swedish Nuclear Regulatory Activities, and he currently consults on nuclear safety-related matters, particularly regarding nuclear materials licensing and radioactive waste management. Mr, Bernero received his B.A. degree from St. Mary of the Lake (Illinois), a B.S. degree from the University of Illinois, and an M.S, degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.


M.QUINN BREWSTER is an expert in energetic solids and heat transfer. He is currently the Hermia G. Soo Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is involved in the Academic Strategic Alliance Program, whose objective is to develop integrated software simulation capability for coupled, system simulation of solid rocket motors including internal ballistics (multi-phase, reacting flow) and structural response (propellant grain and motor case). Dr. Brewster has authored one book on thermal radiative transfer and chapters in four other books as well as several publications on combustion science. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Dr. Brewster holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.


GREGORY R.CHOPPIN is an actinide elements and radiochemistry expert. He is currently the R.O.Lawton Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Florida State University. His research interests involve the chemistry and separation of the f-elements and the physical chemistry of 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 and educational activities have been recognized by the American Chemical Society’s Award in Nuclear Chemistry, the Southern Chemist Award of the American Chemical Society, the Manufacturing Chemist Award in Chemical Education, the Chemical Pioneer Award of the American Institute of Chemistry, a Presidential Citation Award of the American Nuclear Society, the Becquerel Medal, British Royal Society, and honorary D.Sc. degrees from Loyola University and the Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden). Dr. Choppin previously served on the NRC’s Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology and Board on Radioactive Waste Management He holds a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Texas, Austin.


NANCY J.COOKE is an expert in the development, application, and evaluation of methodologies to elicit and assess individual and team knowledge. She is currently a professor in the applied psychology program at Arizona State University East. She also holds a National Research Council Associateship position with Air Force Research Laboratory and serves on the board of directors of the Cognitive Engineering Research Institute in Mesa, Arizona. Her current research areas are the following: cognitive engineering, knowledge elicitation, cognitive task analysis, team cognition, team situation awareness, mental models, expertise, and human-computer interaction. Her most recent work includes the development and validation of methods to measure shared knowledge and team situation awareness and research on the impact of cross- training, distributed mission environments, and workload on team knowledge, process, and performance. This work has been applied to team cognition in unmanned aerial vehicle and emergency operation center command-and-control. She contributed to the creation of the Cognitive Engineering Research on Team Tasks Laboratory to develop, apply, and evaluate measures of team cognition. She has authored or co-authored over 70 articles, chapters, and technical reports on measuring team cognition, knowledge elicitation, and human-computer interaction. Dr. Cooke holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces.

Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
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GORDON R.JOHNSON is an expert in penetration mechanics and computational mechanics. He is currently a senior scientist and manager of the solid mechanics group at Network Computing Services. His recent work has included the development of computational mechanics codes that include finite elements and meshless particles. He has also developed computational material models to determine the strength and failure characteristics of a variety of materials subjected to large strains, strain rates, temperatures, and pressures. His work for the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense has included a wide range of intense impulsive loading computations for high-velocity impact and explosive detonation. He was a chief engineering fellow during his 35 years at Alliant Techsystems (formerly Honeywell). He has served as a technical advisor for university contracts with the Army Research Office, and an industry representative for its strategic planning, and was a member of the founding board of directors for the Hypervelocity Impact Society. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in structures from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.


ROBERT P.KENNEDY has expertise in structural dynamics and earthquake engineering. He is currency an independent consultant in structural mechanics and engineering. Dr. Kennedy has worked on static and dynamic analysis and the design of special-purpose civil and mechanical-type structures, particularly for the nuclear, petroleum, and defense industries. He has designed structures to resist extreme loadings, including seismic loadings, missile impacts, extreme winds, impulsive loads, and nuclear environmental effects, and he has developed computerized structural analysis methods. He also served as a peer reviewer for an EPRI study on aircraft impacts on nuclear power plants. In 1991, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for developing design procedures for civil and mechanical structures to resist seismic and other extreme loading conditions. Dr. Kennedy holds a Ph.D. in structural engineering from Stanford University.


KENNETH K.KUO is an expert in combustion, rocket propulsion, ballistics, and fluid mechanics. He is a Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. He is also the leader and director of the university’s High Pressure Combustion Laboratory, a laboratory with advanced instrumentation and data acquisition devices. Dr. Kuo has directed team research projects in propulsion and combustion studies for 32 years. He has edited eight books and authored one book on combustion, published over 300 technical articles, and served as principal investigator for more than 70 projects, including a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) grant from the U.S. Army on “Ignition and Combustion of High Energy Materials,” He is now serving as principal investigator and co-principal investigator for two MURI programs on rocket and energetic materials. In 1991, he was elected fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and has received several awards for his work on solid propellants combustion processes. Dr. Kuo holds a Ph.D. in aerospace and mechanical sciences from Princeton University.


RICHARD T.LAHEY, JR., is an expert in multiphase flow and heat transfer technology, nuclear reactor safety, and the use of advanced technology for industrial applications. He is currently the Edward E.Hood Professor of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and was previously chair of the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Science, director of the Center for Multiphase Research, and the dean of engineering at RPI. Previously, Dr. Lahey held several technical and managerial positions with the General Electric Company, including overall responsibility for all domestic and foreign R&D programs associated with boiling water nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulic and safety technology. He has chaired several committees for the American Society of Mechanical Engineering, American Nuclear Society, American Institute for Chemical Engineering, American Society

Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
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for Engineering Education, and NASA. His current research is funded by the Department of Energy’s Naval Reactors Program, the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. He currently consults on nuclear reactor safety problems and the chemical processing of non-nuclear materials and is a member of the Board of Managers of PJM Interconnection, LLC. In 1994, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to the fields of multiphase flow and heat transfer and nuclear reactor safety technology. In 1995, he became a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences-Baskortostan and he is a fellow of the American Nuclear Society and of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He has authored or co-authored over 300 technical publications, including 10 books or handbooks and 160 journal articles. Dr. Lahey holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.


KATHLEEN R.MEYER has expertise in health physics and radio logic risk assessment. She is a principal of Keystone Scientific, Inc., and is currently involved in risk assessments for public health and the environment from radionuclides and chemicals at several U.S. Department of Energy sites. Other work includes an assessment of the interim radionuclide soil action levels adopted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment for cleanup at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site. She has been a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Historical Dose Evaluation Committee. Dr. Meyer has authored or co-authored several peer-reviewed articles, including papers on cancer research, historical evaluation of past radionuclide and chemical releases, and risk assessment of radionuclides and chemicals. She holds a Ph.D. in radiological health sciences from Colorado State University.


FREDRICK J. MOODY is an expert thermal hydraulics and two-phase flow in nuclear power reactors. In 1999, he retired after 41 years of service at General Electric Company and 28 years as an adjunct professor of mechanical engineering at San Jose State University. Dr. Moody was the recipient of several prestigious career awards, including the General Electric Power Sector Award for Contributions to the State-of-the-Art for Two-Phase Flow and Reactor Accident Analysis. He has served as a consultant to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, teaches thermal hydraulics for General Electric’s Nuclear Energy Division, and continues to review thermal analyses for General Electric. Dr. Moody is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, which awarded him the George Westinghouse Gold Medal in 1980, and the Pressure Vessels and Piping Medal in 1999. He has also received prestigious career awards from General Electric and was elected to the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame. Dr. Moody was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2001 for pioneering and vital contributions to the safety design of boiling water reactors and for his role as educator. He has published three books and more than 50 papers. Dr. Moody holds a Ph.D in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.


TIMOTHY R.NEAL is an expert in weapons technology and explosives. He began his career at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1967 and has led programs addressing weapon hydrodynamics, explosions inside structures and above ground, image analysts, and dynamic testing. He also has held several management positions within the Laboratory’s nuclear weapons arena, including leadership of the Explosives Technology and Applications Division and of the Advanced Design and Production Technologies Initiative. He spearheaded Los Alamos’ Stockpile Stewardship and Management Programmatic

Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
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Environmental impact Statement and helped establish the U.S. Department of Energy’s new Stockpile Stewardship Program. More recently, he has served as a senior technical advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy on nuclear explosive safety, and he has worked closely with the Pantex Plant for nuclear weapons production in Amarillo, Texas, in establishing a new formal basis for operational safety. Dr. Neal has received four DOE excellence awards, including one for hydrodynamics, and authored various technical papers and reports as well as one book on explosive phenomena. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from Camegie-Mellon University.


LORlNG A.WYLLIE, JR. is an expert in structural engineering and senior principal of Degenkolb Engineers. His work has included seismic evaluations, analysis, and design of strengthening measures to improve seismic performance. He has performed seismic assessments and proposed strengthening solutions for several buildings within the U.S. Department of Energy weapons complex and for civilian buildings, some of which have historical significance. Mr. Wyllie’s expertise is also recognized in several countries, including the former Soviet Union where he worked on an Exxon facility. Mr. Wyllie is a past president of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. His contributions to the profession of structural engineering were recognized by his election to the National Academy of Engineering in 1990 and his honorary membership in the Structural Engineers Association of Northern California. In recognition of Mr. Wyllie’s expertise in concrete design and performance, the American Concrete Institute named him an honorary member in 2000. Mr. Wyllie also was elected an honorary member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2001. He holds a M.S. degree from the University of California, Berkeley.


PETER D.ZIMMERMAN is an expert in nuclear physics and terrorism. He is currently the chair of science and security and director of the Centre for Science & Security Studies at King’s College in London. He previously served as the chief scientist of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where his responsibilities included nuclear testing, nuclear arms control, cooperative threat reduction, and bioterrorism. Previously, he served as science advisor for arms control in the U.S. State Department, where he provided advice directly to Assistant Secretary for Arms Control and the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security. His responsibilities included technical aspects of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, biological arms control, missile defense, and strategic arms control. Dr. Zimmerman spent many years in academia as professor of physics at Louisiana State University. He is the author of more than 100 articles on basic physics as well as arms control and national security. His most recent publication is the monograph “Dirty Bombs: The Threat Revisited,” which was published by the National Defense University in the Defense Horizons series. Dr. Zimmerman holds a Ph.D. in experimental nuclear and elementary particle physics from Stanford University and a Fil. Lic. degree from the University of Lund, Sweden. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of its governing council. He is a recipient of the 2004 Joseph A, Burton/Forum award for physics in the public interest.

Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
×
Page 87
Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
×
Page 88
Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
×
Page 89
Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
×
Page 90
Suggested Citation:"B BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF COMMITTEE MEMBERS ." National Research Council. 2006. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11263.
×
Page 91
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Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage: Public Report Get This Book
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In response to a request from Congress, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Homeland Security sponsored a National Academies study to assess the safety and security risks of spent nuclear fuel stored in cooling pools and dry casks at commercial nuclear power plants. The information provided in this book examines the risks of terrorist attacks using these materials for a radiological dispersal device. Safety and Security of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel is an unclassified public summary of a more detailed classified book. The book finds that successful terrorist attacks on spent fuel pools, though difficult, are possible. A propagating fire in a pool could release large amounts of radioactive material, but rearranging spent fuel in the pool during storage and providing emergency water spray systems would reduce the likelihood of a propagating fire even under severe damage conditions. The book suggests that additional studies are needed to better understand these risks. Although dry casks have advantages over cooling pools, pools are necessary at all operating nuclear power plants to store at least the recently discharged fuel. The book explains it would be difficult for terrorists to steal enough spent fuel to construct a significant radiological dispersal device.

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