University of Wisconsin-Madison hydrogeologist and professor of geology Jean Bahr was recently appointed to the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board by President Obama.
Bahr was sworn in Sept. 27 along with seven other new members of the board. She will serve a four-year term with the possibility of a single-term renewal. Bahr was nominated by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and was approved by the president.
The board's main purpose is to provide an independent oversight of the U.S. Department of Energy's radioactive waste disposal programs. These programs handle waste ranging from spent nuclear fuel to medical waste.
One area the board is likely to involved in is the identification of potential sites for a nuclear waste repository. Since the elimination of the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada as a possible repository, the issue of finding a new site is high on the list of priorities.
"It's an exciting time to be getting involved in this, since the science I do is an integral part of that question," Bahr said in a recent press release.
