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UPDATE: NNSA chief fired for Los Alamos security lapses
Linton Brooks gets the axe after a series of breaches expose the weakness of lab cyber-security; failure to do away with removable storage devices in weapons-related computers cited; Energy Department starts the hunt for a replacement
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SAIC wins $53 million deal to move WMD models on-line
Integrated Weapons of Mass Destruction Toolset has been in development since 2004; moving on-line critical to dispersing data to first responders; physics-based models assess terrain, wind patterns, and other factors
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Michigan professor offers polymerase assay for fifty pathogens
Portable, polymerase-based, hand-held device relies on a DNA biochip; flexibility a major selling point; field testing to be done by university spin-off AquaBioChip
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SRI wins 9.5 million NIH contract to counteract chemical attacks
Contract awarded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as part of the CounterACT program; SRI to focus on preclinical development that can lead to potential therapeutic candidates
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JMAR delisted from NASDAQ; will soon be quoted on OTC BB
Down but not out: JMAR has been delisted from NASDAQ, having failed to satisfy the $1 bid price requirement and the $2.5 million shareholders’ equity requirementbut; it will soon be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Boardw; company says move alleviated the need to pursue a reverse stock split
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Berkeley study shows humans as natural scent trackers
Student test subjects put their nose to the ground to find chocolate; after training, results dramatically improved; new discovery holds insight for the explosives detection business
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BWX fined for improperly disassembling nuclear warheads
Employees three times applied too much pressure to a W56 warhead; detonation a real possibility after safety mechanism fails; watchdog group says company forced workers to stay on the job 72 hours each week; BWX to pay $110,000, partly for not properly reporting the incidents
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DHS solicits bids for long-range radiation detectors
$25 million at stake for a lucky company; system must distinguish between naturally occurring radioactive material and medical isotopes; prototype must be compatible with an existing vehicle-sized detector; bids due at the end of January
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Dayton positions itself as a sensor center
Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission awards $28 million for the development of a sensor technology research center; business partners include Woolpert, General Dynamics, UES, YSI, and L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics
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RAE Systems in coal-mine safety China venture
Chinca holds the unenviable world record in coal-mine accidents; RAE Systems has formed a joint venture in China, aiming to translate its expertise in developing multi-sensor chemical and radiation detection monitors into coal-mine safety solutions and products
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Berkeley Nucleonics radiation portal handles moving vehicles with ease
Unlike its competitors, the Flexible Illicit Nuclear Detection system can detect dirty bombs in moving traffic; system adaptable for mail parcel facilities, bulk cargo, and small water-borne vessels
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Nuctech to install liquid bomb detectors ahead of China Olympics
Not coincidentally, contract goes to company headed by the son of China’s president; terms are undisclosed, but 147 airports will receive scanners normally priced at $200,000 per unit; company already controls 90 percent of the domestic scanner market
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Frost and Sullivan offers report on WMD detection market
Business is booming, particularly in the federal sector; some end users, however, are shying away from the sometimes unreliable technology; research firm suggests industry needs better PR
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DHS names six ports to kick-start the Secure Freight Initiative
Port Qasim, Puerto Cortes, and Port Salalah among the first to install radiation detection equipment; DHS allocates $60 million to buy the equipment; Dubai Ports once again in the news, but nobody has yet to complain; only 7 percent of outgoing cargo to be inspected
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Russian poisoning deaths shed light on radioactive dangers
Many radioactive materials are easily bought from scientific supply companies; one retailer posts an on-line note defending polonium sales; americium from smoke detectors remains a slight risk
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The long view
Keeping the Lights on with Nuclear Waste: Radiochemistry Transforms Nuclear Waste into Strategic Materials
How UNLV radiochemistry is pioneering the future of energy in the Southwest by salvaging strategic materials from nuclear dumps –and making it safe.
Model Predicts Long-Term Effects of Nuclear Waste on Underground Disposal Systems
The simulations matched results from an underground lab experiment in Switzerland, suggesting modeling could be used to validate the safety of nuclear disposal sites.