The U.S. Department of Energy manages several sites that have been contaminated by radioactive and hazardous materials over decades of nuclear weapons production and other activities. Safely and effectively cleaning up these sites is estimated to cost billions of dollars, and take decades. DOE is looking for scientific breakthroughs to help lower costs and speed up cleanup. As part of that ongoing effort, the Department is joining with the American Chemical Society to host the first annual Environmental Management Science Program Workshop in Chicago July 27-30.
Scheduled speakers include Martha Krebs, DOE Energy Research Director; James Owendoff, Acting Assistant DOE Secretary for Environmental Management; and Robert Galvin, chairman of the Executive Committee of Motorola and leader of the Commission on Alternative Futures for the Department of Energy's National Laboratories.
The workshop is designed to bring together researchers and their customers: those who are managing cleanup in the field. Researchers will hear presentations from senior-level DOE technical and scientific managers, as well as high-profile science advisors.
The Environmental Management Science Program was established in 1996 to build a strong scientific basis for DOE's cleanup effort. In fiscal years 1996 and 1997, the program competitively awarded over $160 million in research money, funding 202 basis science research projects. Funding went to 70 universities, 13 DOE national laboratories and 12 other federal and private laboratories focusing on chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, geology and health projects. Researchers from these projects, program managers from DOE headquarters and field offices, and scientists from DOE laboratories will participate in the workshop.
The workshop will be held in Rosemont, Illinois at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, beginning with registration at 3 p.m. July 27, and concluding at 12:30 p.m. July 30. Further information on speakers, technical program, and logistics can be found at http://www.acs.org/meetings/emsp.htm.