Five to be nominated for review board

Tuesday, June 18, 2002 | 10 a.m.

Five scientists with track records in the study of safe handling of hazardous materials or in the study of how materials corrode are in line to be appointed to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board.

President Bush announced Monday that he intends to nominate the five to the board that independently evaluates the research on a proposed high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain.

Michael Corradini, a professor of nuclear engineering and engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin, is being tabbed by Bush to chair the committee.

Corradini, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has extensive background in nuclear reactor safety. He once served on an advisory committee on reactor safeguards.

Other intended presidential selections for the review board are Mark Abkowitz of Tennessee, Thure Cerling on Utah, David Duquette of New York and Ronald Latanision of Massachusetts.

Abkowitz, an MIT graduate and professor of civil engineering at the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, is a developer of Intelligent Transportation Systems, which will help states make traffic flow smoother and safer. His interests include environmental risk management, transportation of hazardous materials and emergency management training.

Cerling, a professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah and a University of California at Berkeley graduate, has served as a reviewer of the Department of Energy's technical basic report for Yucca Mountain. His interests include environmental geochemistry and contamination of water and soil. He has served on the Board of Radioactive Waste Management.

Duquette, the head professor of materials engineering for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an MIT graduate, is the author or co-author of more than 160 scientific publications, primarily in the area of environmental degradation of materials. He is a member of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers.

Latanision, a professor of materials science and engineering at MIT and a Penn State graduate, has studied the process of corrosion of metals and other materials in aqueous environments. He has been appointed to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Nuclear Engineering.