News Archive
Hollie Zimmerman, Chapter Secretary
For its 2021 virtual fall meeting, the Western New York Chapter invited chapter members from around the area to join in welcoming four speakers:
Jama Vanhorne-Sealy, LTC(P) (manager, Army Reactor Program) discussed the health physics and challenges of medical care after a nuclear detonation. The presentation included information about nuclear weapons, prompt weapon effects on humans, flash blindness from a thermal blast, fallout, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, acute radiation syndrome, combined injury, and large-scale events and health physics.
P. Andrew Karam, PhD, CHP (physicist, Department of Homeland Security) talked about natural radiation at the extremes. He covered information and insight on the Oklo reactor, the Ramsar high natural background radiation area, and supernova along with gamma ray bursts.
Patrick McDermott, CHP (university health physicist and radiation safety officer, Rutgers University) gave a great presentation on Rutgers University's removal of a 200 Gbq 60Co pipe source. This was after a recommendation from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It involved an overview and also a video of the removal. The presentation was titled "Handling, Measuring, and Packaging a 200 GBq 60Co Pipe Source: An Operational Overview."
Alex Damiani, MS (director, New York State Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Protection) held an open-forum question-and-answer session with attendees. It was very beneficial for health physics departments for clarification. He also did a short update on some regulations the Department of Health is working on.
The chapter thanks our virtual host, HPS Executive Director Brett Burk. Health physicists in the Western New York area (Buffalo to Rochester to Syracuse) are encouraged to join our chapter and to participate in our health physics activities. Please contact me, Hollie Zimmerman, secretary of the Western NY Health Physics Society Chapter, for a membership application.
