The Award
The Richard S. Hodes Honor Lecture Award—established in March, 2003—is awarded to an individual, company, or organization that contributed in a significant way to improving the technology, policy, or practices of low-level radioactive waste management in the United States. The award recipient will be recognized with a special plaque and an invitation to present a lecture about the innovation during the annual international Waste Management Symposium. The 2009 symposium is sponsored by the University of Arizona and will be held in Phoenix, Arizona in late February 2009. A special time is reserved during the Symposium for the lecture and the award presentation. The Southeast Compact Commission will provide the award recipient a $5,000 honorarium and will pay travel expenses and per diem (in accordance with Commission Travel Policies) for an individual to present the lecture.
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Criteria
The Richard S. Hodes Honor Lecture Award recognizes innovation industry-wide. The award is not limited to any specific endeavor—contributions may be from any type of work with radioactive materials (nuclear energy, biomedical, research, etc.), or in any facet of that work, such as planning, production, maintenance, administration, or research. The types of innovations to be considered include, but are not limited to:
• Conception and development of new approaches or practices in the prevention, management, and regulation of radioactive waste;
• New technologies or practices in the art and science of waste management; and
• New educational approaches in the field of waste management.
The criteria for selection include:
1. Innovation. Is the improvement unique? Is it a fresh approach to a standard problem? Is it a visionary approach to an anticipated problem?
2. Safety. Does the practice enhance radiation protection?
3. Economics. Does the approach produce significant cost savings to government, industry or the public?
4. Transferability. Is this new practice applicable in other settings and can it be replicated? Does it increase the body of technical knowledge across the industry?
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Eligibility
To be eligible for the award, the individual/group must consent to being nominated and must be willing to prepare and present a lecture about the innovation being recognized at the Waste Management Symposium. Individuals or organizations can nominate themselves or another individual, company, institution, or organization.
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2008 Recipient
Michael T. Ryan serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the
Health Physics Journal, the official journal of the Health Physics Society, and as Chair of the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and Materials for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Commission recognized Dr. Ryan as the fifth recipient of the Hodes Honor Lecture Award for his contributions to the nuclear industry in the application of a risk-based approach to the disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) in the United States.
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2007 Recipient
Larry McNamara is the Chief Operating Officer of Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. and previously served as the Chief of the Department of Defense LLRW Office.
The Commission recognized Mr. McNamara as the fourth recipient of the Hodes Honor Lecture Award for his contributions to low-level radioactive waste management in the U.S. through his leadership in the commercialization of mixed waste treatment processes for the nuclear industry. The innovative tech-nologies championed by Mr. McNamara and Perma-Fix have reduced long-term storage costs, as well as risks to the health and safety of workers, the public, and the environment.
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2006 Recipient
The California Radioactive Materials Management Forum (CalRad) was created by users of radioactive materials in the Southwestern Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact in1983 to assist the State of California, the host state for the compact region, in developing a regional LLRW disposal facility under the federal Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act. CalRad was the nation's first such group and is one of the few remaining active LLRW generators groups.
The Commission recognizes CalRad as the third recipient of the Hodes Honor Lecture Award for the organization’s contributions toward solving waste management problems in the Southwestern Compact region and the United States through legislative and regulatory development; innovative legislative and regulatory concepts; public involvement and education; and the creation of a unique partnership among LLRW generators, regulatory agencies, and the private sector.
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2005 Recipient
William P. Dornsife, currently Vice President for Nuclear Affairs and Corporate Radiation Safety Officer of Waste Control Specialists, LLC., served as the Director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Radiation Protection, and was an instructor at Penn State University’s Nuclear Science and Technology course for Chemistry and Physics educators. Mr. Dornsife was an active participant in the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors where he authored many technical documents and served as a member and Chairperson of the organization’s committee on LLRW Management.
The Commission recognized Mr. Dornsife as the second recipient of the Hodes Honor Lecture Award for the role he played in solving low-level radioactive waste management problems in the United States through the development of innovative regulatory and technical concepts and his leadership in radiation safety and education.
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2004 Recipients
H. W. “Bud” Arrowsmith, founder of the Scientific Ecology Group (SEG), was the first recipient of the Hodes Honor Lecture Award. He and SEG developed and implemented numerous technical innovations in the field of radioactive waste management, including compaction, incineration, recycling, decontamination, and vitrification.
The Texas A&M University Student Chapter of Advocates for Responsible Disposal in Texas (ARDT) was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2004 Hodes Award program for its innovation in educational activities related to LLRW management. In 2003, the student group actively lobbied the Texas state legislature to promote the passage of legislation to site a disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste.
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