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MEETING NEWS Britt Erickson reports from the Washington, D.C.
20th Annual National Environmental Monitoring Conference—
Analytical methods for homeland security In the event of a chemical, biological, or radiological (CBR) terrorist attack, analytical chemists will be called on to help identify the agents of concern. Although there are a limited number of standardized methods and procedures in place, emergency responders may soon have a pair of new tools to help them decide what actions to take. Under development by scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Geological Survey, with cooperation from scientists at other public and private organizations, and support from Tetra Tech and Instant Reference Sources, the new software-based tools are aimed at providing first responders with a database of analytical methods for homeland security purposes and an expert system to help them decide which method to use for a particular situation. The database, called NEMI-CBR, is an extended version of the original National Environmental Methods Index (NEMI; www.nemi.gov). NEMI is a
free, searchable, online compendium of analytical methods made publicly available in October 2002, which was developed by a partnership of water-quality experts from federal and state laboratories, tribes, municipalities, industry, and private organizations, under the auspices of the Methods and Data Comparability Board. Larry Keith, an analytical chemist and environmental consultant with Instant Reference Sources, and colleagues used the framework and algorithms that were already in place with NEMI and simply added components to it from EPA’s Water Security Division. NEMI already contains about 650 chemical and biological methods, and it has all the information needed to compare methods and the data quality, says Keith. The second tool, a new expert system called the CBR Methods Advisor, is software designed to aid emergency responders in selecting the best method for a given situation. For example, a different method is selected for responding to an incident than for performing a confirmatory analysis. The CBR Methods Advisor is based on EPA’s Response Protocol Toolbox, a set of guidelines for
responding to an environmental security threat, and provides advice when specific analytes are not known. The system “lets you know the best methods to use for your situation as well as what methods are not suitable,” emphasizes Keith. The software was developed to support homeland security and the safety of drinking water and therefore contains primarily water methods. However, other methods, such as those for air, could be added later, says Keith. In addition to method selection, the expert system provides advice on pre-entry activities for a given contaminant, to ensure the safety of the responder. Both tools will be Internet-based, but it is unclear whether they will be freely accessible to everyone. EPA is currently deciding whether a password will be required. In addition, the tools are expected to be available on CDROM, so that they can be used on a battery-operated laptop in the event that an Internet connection and electricity are unavailable. The tools are still undergoing beta testing, which is expected to be complete by the end of February, says Keith.
Awardees will travel to the spring ACS national meeting where they will present the results of their research at the DAC Poster Session. Travel awards up to $750 will be made on the basis of both scientific merit and financial need. The deadline for applications for the spring 2005 ACS national meeting in San Diego is October 15, 2004. Application and submission information can be obtained on the DAC website: www. acs-analytical.duq.edu/kolthoffaward. html. For further information, contact Cynthia Larive of the University of Kansas at
[email protected].
2004 DAC Undergraduate Awardees
PEOPLE Applications for Kolthoff award Undergraduate students engaged in analytical chemistry research are encouraged to apply for the I. M. Kolthoff Enrichment Award sponsored by the Division of Analytical Chemistry (DAC) of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award honors the late I. M. Kolthoff, professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Minnesota, major researcher in electroanalytical chemistry, and author of numerous influential textbooks. 308 A
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Analytical Chemistry would like to congratulate all 360 recipients of the 2004 Division of Analytical Chemistry (DAC) Undergraduate Award. The award is intended to encourage student interest in analytical chemistry and to recognize students who display an aptitude for a career in the field. Recognition is based upon nomination by the faculty of the student’s chemistry program. To view the list of awardees, go to http://pubs.acs.org/journals/ancham/ announcements/DAC_2004.html.
