FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 5, 2004
FY04-46
Dr. Bob Ricks Speaks About 60 Years of Radiation Emergenices Tuesday Evening at Pollard
OAK RIDGE, Tenn.—The Summer Science Series continues on Tuesday, August 10, at 6 p.m. with Dr. Bob Ricks of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. Dr. Ricks is the director of the Radiation Emergency Assistance Center/Training Site (REAC/TS) and will present “The History of Radiation Emergencies: 1944 - 2004” at Pollard Technology Conference Center (www.pollardcenter.org), located at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge.
The lecture will focus on some of the more serious radiation accidents listed in the REAC/TS Radiation Accident Registry, which contains information about 427 events that have occurred within and outside the United States. Some overviews of selected case histories will be shared, as well as an overview of emergency response to nuclear and radiological terrorism.
Dr. Ricks has nearly 30 years of experience in the REAC/TS program and also serves as director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Radiation Emergency Medical Preparedness and Assistance Network (REMPAN) for the United States. REMPAN provides emergency medical assistance to people overexposed to radiation and facilitates long-term care and follow-up to accident victims (www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/program/collaboration
/en/).
For more information about REAC/TS or the U.S. Radiation Accident Registry, visit www.orau.gov/reacts.
The Oak Ridge Associated Universities Summer Science Series will continue on Tuesday, August 24, with lecturer Dr. Lannett Edwards from the University of Tennessee Cloning Project (http://animalscience.ag.utk.edu/utcloneproject/
default.html).
Programs in the Summer Science Series are free of charge and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is a university consortium leveraging the scientific strength of 91 major research institutions to advance science and education by partnering with national laboratories, government agencies, and private industry (www.orau.org). ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education for the U.S. Department of Energy (www.orau.gov/orise.htm).