By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Past and ongoing efforts to address radium contaminated sites in Pennsylvania, which influenced future protocols and uses for radium around the world, will be discussed as part of a Herbert M. Parker lecture that will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, via YouTube.

The lecture will be presented live on the Washington State University Tri-Cities YouTube channel at . It is free and open to the public.

David J. Allard, director of the Pennsylvania State Bureau of Radiation Protection, will address the historical benefits of radium, as well as its health effects on workers and members of the public. The presentation will also illustrate how the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has led in radium-related research and controls, including the ongoing efforts to monitor and mitigate radon in buildings from natural-occurring radium in soil, as well as a recent extensive evaluation of radium that returns with oil and gas production.

“David will address the question of whether radium has been a miracle or a menace,” said Wayne Glines, president of the board of trustees for the Herbert M. Parker Foundation. “Radium has had many benefits in treating cancer and other areas, but it has also served as a detriment in others. This presentation will provide a great look into the origins of the use of radium and its impact on our world.”

As the Pennsylvania state director for the Bureau of Radiation Protection, Allard is responsible for accelerator, X-ray, environmental surveillance, nuclear safety, radiological emergency response, radioactive materials, decommissioning and site clean-up, low-level radioactive waste and radon programs. He is the governor’s official liaison to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and technical lead on oil and gas radium, as well as industry-generated naturally and technologically-enhanced radioactive material issues.

To learn more about the Parker Foundation and the lectures, visit

 

Media contacts:

Wayne Glines, president of the board of trustees for the Herbert M. Parker Foundation, 509-366-8382 (cell), wglines34@charter.net

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), maegan_murray@wsu.edu

Initial step in launch of future energy institute led by ���سԹ�

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Longtime Tri-Citian Bob Ferguson, who served as the first deputy assistant secretary of nuclear programs for the , made a $500,000 gift to support Washington State University Tri-Cities’ first endowed faculty position in energy and environment.

The position represents the initial step in the development of a future institute at ���سԹ�. The institute will be dedicated to understanding and shaping the region’s diverse energy resources, and will directly leverage WSU’s research strengths in water resources, environment, agriculture, policy and economics.

“The professorship and institute will focus on partnerships for research in the energy industry, fostering community discussions and relationships for policy development at the state and national levels, and developing curriculum to support future workforce needs across various energy sectors,” ���سԹ� Chancellor Sandra Haynes said. “We are incredibly grateful to Bob for his generous gift and its vast potential impacts for the Tri-Cities region and Washington state as a whole.”

Ferguson said the Tri-Cities region is already a leader in the energy sector, contributing de-carbonized power through nuclear, solar, wind, hydropower, and biofuels. To build on this foundational strength, Ferguson wanted to provide a substantial gift to launch ���سԹ�’ first endowed faculty position, and encourages others to join in donating to the effort.

“This institute would solidify the Tri-Cities as a hub, probably the first one, ever, that can link all of these energy sources, from basic research to full demonstration,” he said. “Energy is the source of all economic development. We need a curriculum. We need a workforce for the future. ���سԹ� is uniquely positioned to integrate all these areas. WSU could lead this effort for the state and the nation.”

Established foundation in energy

Ferguson’s storied career in nuclear energy began in 1957 at , where he trained and worked as a reactor physicist and reactor operations supervisor at the B Reactor – the world’s first large-scale nuclear reactor, located in the Tri-Cities. He worked his way up to the position of deputy assistant secretary of nuclear programs for the U.S. Department of Energy before making his way back to the Tri-Cities to serve as CEO for the Washington Public Power Supply System — now called .

Ferguson was actively involved in early discussions for the expansion of the Tri-Cities campus into a fully-fledged WSU campus. The campus began in the 1940s as the General Electric School of Nuclear Engineering, where it offered graduate-level programs for those working out at the Hanford Nuclear Site. In 1989, it became a WSU campus, first serving upper-level undergraduate and graduate programs and now offering full four-year bachelor’s and graduate programs in a range of fields.

“This gift is a culmination of the vision we had when we established ���سԹ� here,” Ferguson said. “This is a way to support research that WSU is doing now, as well as investing in what it could be doing in the future.”

WSU President Kirk Schulz said leveraging what each WSU campus does best — by utilizing local assets, such as the unique location and surrounding community of each campus — is the most effective way to deliver on WSU’s land-grant mission and provide optimal service to the state.

“For Tri-Cities, the clear differentiator is the confluence of nuclear, solar, hydro, biofuels, and wind power,” he said. “Bob’s gift will help transform ���سԹ� into an energy headquarters for our entire state and region.”

Because WSU is a Carnegie Research 1 university and because of its existing relationship with the through its joint nuclear, biofuels, and power grid institutes, the Ferguson gift will be a major boost for energy-related research at WSU, said Christopher Keane, WSU vice president for research.

“Bob’s gift will advance ���سԹ� research capabilities, the university’s capabilities in energy systems and WSU’s collaboration with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,” he said.

Continuing momentum with future investment

Ferguson’s gift launches an effort to raise $2 million in additional funding to fully support the endowed faculty position. The campus plans to conduct a nationwide search for the position in fall 2022.

“The lead commitment for this faculty position is an important milestone,” said Mike Connell, acting vice president and CEO of the . “Through this generous investment, Bob will inspire other individuals and industry partners to get involved and fuel an energy research hub that will have both a regional and national impact.”

Mike Wolcott, WSU associate vice president for research, said Ferguson’s reputation brings a level of prestige to WSU’s mission and will be instrumental in attracting the best talent to the region for the position and the program.

“Expanding on this foundational vision will allow us to have a greater impact on the future of our energy systems and the economic development that will be associated with its build-out,” Wolcott said. “WSU has tremendous breadth and depth to offer in many facets of energy-related topics.”

Regional legislators are also excited about the potential for the professorship and a nationally-recognized energy institute.

“Bob Ferguson’s leadership and generosity is remarkable and makes me proud to be a Tri-Citian,” said Washington state Rep. Matt Boehnke. “I can’t wait to see the research and ingenuity that comes out of the energy systems institute, as well as the leaders that are developed as a result of the new professorship.”

For more information in supporting the professorship and future institute, contact Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� senior director of development, at 509-372-7207 or Jaime.heppler@wsu.edu.

 

Media contacts:

Jaime Heppler, ���سԹ� senior director of development, 509-372-7207, Jaime.heppler@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� director of marketing and communication, 619-403-3617 (cell), Maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities will welcome James Conca, senior scientist for UFA Ventures, Inc., who will discuss the current state and future of the nuclear waste disposal program in the United States as part of a joint engineering and science lecture series on Feb. 28 on campus.

Conca, whose background is in geochemistry and energy, will delve into the underlying issues of the current programming as it pertains to nuclear waste disposal, including cost and policy, and specifically of how it applies to Washington state.

The presentation will take place from noon – 1 p.m. in Floyd 224 at ���سԹ�. It is free and open to the public.

In addition to serving as a senior scientist, Conca is also a trustee of the Herbert M. Parker Foundation, an adjunct professor at WSU in the School of Environment, an affiliate scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a science contributor to Forbes Magazine.

View Conca’s contributing pieces in by visiting .

 

Media contacts:

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations/communication coordinator, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

RICHLAND, Wash. – Radiation effects expert John Boice will present on the past and future of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements as part of a Herbert M. Parker Lecture series at Washington State University Tri-Cities on April 10.

The seeks to formulate and widely disseminate information, guidance and recommendations on radiation protection and measurements, which represent the consensus of leading scientific thinking.

The free public presentation will begin at 5 p.m. in the ���سԹ� East Auditorium. It is part of the Herbert M. Parker Lecture Series and is sponsored by the Herbert M. Parker Foundation, which partners with ���سԹ�.

���سԹ� Boice

Boice serves as the director of science for the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements and professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University. He is an international authority on radiation effects, with more than 520 publications. He also currently directs the Million Person Study of Low Dose Radiation Health Effects, which examines the lifetime risk of cancer following low-dose exposures received gradually over time.

Boice has a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Texas at El Pasco; a master’s in nuclear engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; a master’s in medical physics and a doctoral degree in epidemiology from Harvard University.

He serves currently on the board of directors of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, the steering committee for the Image Gently Alliance and NASA’s research and clinical advisor panel on space radiation.

He also previously served 27 years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, on the main commission of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the Veterans’ Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction and was the first chief of the radiation epidemiology branch at the National Cancer Institute.

 

Media contact:

Maegan Murray, ���سԹ� public relations specialist, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray@wsu.edu

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – The authors of a new book focusing on the beginnings of the Hanford Site will hold a public presentation from 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the East Auditorium at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Authors Robert Bauman, Robert Franklin, David W. Harvey and Laura Arata recently released the book, “Nowhere to Remember: Hanford, White Bluffs and Richland to 1943,” which chronicles the early days of pre- and post-Hanford towns and the people that were removed to make way for the Hanford Site.

“The Hanford Site has a very interesting and sometimes even unsettling history, but it is important to tell all aspects of that story,” Franklin said. “This book focuses on the origin of that story and the people who were involved in those early towns. It’s a fascinating look into an early story that many people may not know.”

The Hanford Site is home to the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor, which was built over the span of a one-year period during World War II in secret. Plutonium produced at the site was used in the first nuclear bomb, which was tested at the Trinity Site in New Mexico, as well as in the Fat Man bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. During the Cold War, the site expanded to include nine nuclear reactors and five large plutonium processing facilities, which produced plutonium for the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The facility is now being decommissioned and resides as one of the largest nuclear clean-up projects in the world. It is also the home of a commercial nuclear power plant known as the Columbia Generating Station.

In the early stages of the Hanford Site, families were relocated or were required to leave their place of residence in the Hanford area.

“All residents of the towns of White Bluffs and Hanford, and many of the residents of Richland, were required to move,” Bauman said.

The book is the first in a series known as the Hanford Histories that will be published by WSU Press, in association with ���سԹ�’ Hanford History Project. Other volumes are currently in the works, of which some of the topics will focus on science and the environment, race and diversity, constructing Hanford, the Manhattan Project and its legacies and an illustrated history of Hanford.

Copies of “Nowhere to Remember: Hanford, White Bluffs and Richland to 1943” may be purchased at the event with cash or check for $25. Or, they may be purchased online at the website. Authors will also be available both before and after the presentation to sign copies.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities launched its first book for a new series known as the Hanford Histories during a launch event at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Interim Visitors’ Center, located at 2000 Logston Blvd in Richland.

During the launch, ���سԹ� history professor Bob Bauman and Robert Franklin, ���سԹ� Hanford History Project archivist and oral historian, talked about their book, “Nowhere to Remember: Hanford, White Bluffs and Richland to 1943.” The event also featured representatives of the Hanford History Project and Hanford Histories series partner and publisher WSU Press.

“The first volume in the Hanford Histories series uses oral history interviews conducted as part of the Hanford Oral History Project to tell the story of the towns of Hanford, White Bluffs and Richland in the years before World War II,” Bauman said. “Many people in the region know about the Hanford Site, but not many know about the towns and people that were removed to make way for Hanford. In many ways, those people and towns have been erased from history. This volume hopes to remedy that.”

Copies of the book are now available for purchase for $24.95 on the WSU Press website at .

Detailing the early days of pre- and post-Hanford

Franklin said the purpose of the book, as well as the series in general, is to examine different subjects and themes surrounding Hanford history through the voices of those who have lived it.

“Little could the residents of these communities imagine …. how radically their fates would diverge from their fellow frontiersmen with the arrival of government troops in 1943,” said Michael Mays, director of the Hanford History Project, in the preface for the book. “’Nowhere to Remember’ leans heavily on the oral histories that Hanford History Project and others have recovered over the years to recount a history that would otherwise very likely have vanished along with those displaced communities.”

Bauman said people represented in the first book tell fascinating stories of hardship, perseverance, community and displacement.

Hanford Histories as a book series

While the book is the first in the Hanford Histories series, other books will follow on Hanford, featuring subjects including science and the environment, race and diversity, constructing Hanford, the Manhattan Project and its legacies and an illustrated history of Hanford.

“Combining archival research and the narratives the Hanford Oral History Project has gathered since 2013, the books in the series balance the regional, national and international impacts of the Hanford Site,” Franklin said.

He said Hanford is often examined from the point of its environmental legacy, or as part of the much larger Manhattan Project or Cold War defense complex.

“These narratives often sacrifice detail and first-hand accounts for a wide scope,” he said. “It is our hope that by examining the history of Hanford through the words of former workers, residents of Richland and those affected by Hanford, that we can introduce the reader in a thoughtful and approachable way to this complex history.”

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Epidemiology expert Roy E. Shore will discuss what scientists and medical professionals currently know about the human health effects of radiation exposure as part of a Herbert M. Parker Lecture that will begin 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, in the ���سԹ� East Auditorium.

Shore was a professor and chief of the epidemiology division at New York University School of Medicine before serving at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima-Nagasaki as vice chairman and chief of research. He is an author of approximately 100 radiation-related publications and is currently working with other investigators on studies of radiation and various diseases.

Shore’s interests include the effects of radiation on both cancer and noncancer disease incidence and understanding the epidemiologic and biological modification of radiation effects by various environmental, genetic and age factors.

This free public presentation is part of the Herbert M. Parker Lecture Series and is sponsored by the Herbert M. Parker Foundation, which partners with ���سԹ�.

The Herbert M. Parker Foundation was created in 1987 to memorialize Parker and his many significant contributions to radiation protection, radiation biology, the environment and radiotherapy, and to support academic and public education in radiological and related sciences.

To learn more, visit the ���سԹ� Parker Foundation website, .

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – It was the proximity that brought Louis Theriault to Washington State University Tri-Cities, but it has been the valuable opportunities that have made him successful as a student and so far in his goal of becoming a civil engineer.

Theriault was homeschooled for most of his life, taking courses through the Mid-Columbia Partnership offered by the Kennewick School District. So when he had the opportunity to take running start classes at the university level at ���سԹ�, he thought he would give it a go.

The option turned out to be a perfect fit. Theriault completed his entire general education requirements for his university degree in two years at no cost to him through running start, all before entering as a full-time student at ���سԹ�. Before entering as a junior standing, he applied for and was awarded the STEM Scholars scholarship, which would pay for $8,400 per year for up to four academics years in tuition. And in his remaining few years at ���سԹ�, he could dive right into his engineering classes.

As a result of connections he had built at ���سԹ�, Theriault landed an internship at the Bechtel National campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this summer, which paired perfectly with what he had learned and is continuing to learn in his engineering classes.

The combination of the experiences, he said, has provided him with the foundation to be successful both in his career and as a young professional.

“I’ve had an amazing experience here at ���سԹ�,” he said. “The combination of what I’ve learned through my classes, my internship at Bechtel, and even opportunities for student life activities on campus, has allowed me to stretch myself as an individual and learn lots about my path as an engineer and as a professional.”

Small classes, large potential

In his courses, Theriault said he continues to learn essential engineering fundamentals and theory that applies directly to his future work as an engineer. And in conjunction with his work, his small class sizes have allowed him to really get to know his classmates, which he formed study groups with and therefore, a tight-knit peer group that he could count on.

Combining those things with getting to know his professors and their teaching styles, he has been able to excel in his engineering classes and thrive on campus.

“The personalization of the courses here and all of the individualized attention through the small classes has been really nice,” he said. “It’s easy to ask our professors questions because we get to know them. And I’m in a lot of the same classes as my peers throughout my time here at ���سԹ�.”

From course work to dream work

Through his internship this summer, he was able to apply what he’s learned and experienced in his classes to his job.

His work this summer focused on designing a support structure for a tank pertaining to the nuclear industry. He was responsible for the design, calculations to ensure that it would support the structure and for getting it reviewed and approved by his peers. By the end of the experience, he had an approximately 30-page report detailing the design. The support structure will be implemented to support a tank in the next several years.

Theriault said not only did the experience provide him with real-world, on-the-job skills in engineering, but it was an opportunity that allowed him to directly put to use all the things he had learned in his classes and more.

Theriault said he has been invited back for another summer experience next year. He hopes it will throttle him into a full-time job after graduating in the spring of 2020.

“I think that practical experience is crucial,” he said. “I am going into week three in some of my courses, and I know exactly what they’re talking about before we get to that material. I’ve been able to already apply some of those ideas. It’s been a big learning curve, but it’s definitely increased my knowledge, for sure.”

Feeling at home through student life

In addition to his academic experiences, Theriault also formerly served as a student ambassador with the ���سԹ� Office of Admissions. He gave campus tours and presented to students a genuine feel for what he had experienced through ���سԹ�.

He also participates in many of the campus activities. Whether it be resource fairs and networking events held by the Office of Student Life and the Career Development Office, or fun activities between classes in the Student Union Building or in the Floyd Atrium as hosted by the Student Entertainment Board, he said he tries to participate in as much as he can.

“It’s these types of activities that really help students get involved and have fun on campus,” he said. “I try to go to as many of the campus events as I can. I really appreciate that they have so many options for students, in addition to the academic-based activities and events.”

For more information on the ���سԹ� engineering programs, visit .

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities’ Hanford History Project will celebrate Black History Month on Saturday, Feb. 3, through a kick-off event for a project that will document African American History at the Hanford Site.

The event, which runs 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the , will feature a 45-minute presentation by speakers from the National Park Service, the African American Community Cultural and Education Society, the Hanford History Project and more.

Speakers will discuss the goals of the WSU and National Parks Service civil rights oral history project, the work being done in the community regarding the documentation of African American history in the area, as well as make an announcement of a new survey project taking place in East Pasco regarding African American History. Individuals will also be invited to participate in the oral history project documenting African American life at the Hanford Site.

Individuals will then be invited to mingle, enjoy refreshments and learn more about the civil rights oral history project, as well as set up interviews for the project. Posters displaying life for African American workers at the Hanford Site will also be on display.

The Hanford History Project received a grant from the National Park Service recently to analyze the experience of African Americans at Hanford, as well as research and document African American migration, immigration and settlement before and after coming to Hanford. Hanford History Project staff are looking to interview African American individuals who had some experience of the Hanford Site at the time of the Manhattan Project or in the years after.

“We hope to talk to anyone who worked at Hanford or resided in the Tri-Cities from 1943 up through the late 1960s,” said Michael Mays, director of the Hanford History Project. “We want to understand, in better detail and scope, what the experiences were of these individuals from a personal angle.”

Appointment times will be available for those who wish to schedule oral history interviews and information will be provided regarding scheduling interviews with friends or families not able to attend.

For more information on the event, and to participate in the oral history project, contact Jillian Gardner-Andrews at j.gardner-andrews@wsu.edu, or visit /hanfordhistory/.

By Maegan Murray, ���سԹ�

RICHLAND, Wash. – Hanford Site groundwater monitoring and remediation will be the focus of a presentation by the U.S. Department of Energy and Washington State University Tri-Cities, 3-4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the East Auditorium at ���سԹ�.

The lecture is the fifth presentation in a series on the Hanford Site, presented by ���سԹ� and DOE. Attendance at former lectures is not necessary to appreciate information in the upcoming lecture. The presentation is open to the public.

Mike Cline, director of the Soil and Groundwater Division at DOE in Richland, will deliver the lecture focusing on the current sampling and monitoring program on the Hanford Site and the groundwater remediation that is being performed. Additionally, he will discuss the process for selecting current and future remedies at the site.

The Hanford Site, part of the DOE nuclear weapons complex, encompasses approximately 580 square miles along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington state. During World War II and the Cold War period, the government built and operated nine nuclear reactors for the production of plutonium and other nuclear materials.

During reactor operations, chemical and radioactive wastes were released into the environment and contaminated the soil and groundwater beneath portions of the Hanford Site. Since 1989, DOE has worked to remediate the contamination.

A live AMS broadcast has been scheduled on the WSU Pullman, Vancouver, Everett and Spokane campuses. To find the locations, visit the WSU AMS calendar at: ams.wsu.edu/RequestForm/EventsCalendar.aspx.

For more information, contact Tish Christman at tish.christman@wsu.edu.