You are visiting the web site of the EPSCI Program at the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Ames Laboratory, Ames, IA
Drawing upon longstanding strengths in the areas of analytical chemistry and material sciences, Ames Lab EPSCI scientists are putting their expertise to work to find better technological solutions for the immense cleanup challenges resulting from the legagy of nuclear weapons production now facing the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM). Created in 1989, the EM Office is the largest single program in the DOE. Within the Environmental Management program, the Ames Laboratory's environmental technology development work is supported by EM's Office of Science and Technology (OST).
EPSCI scientists are also employing their expertise to develop new forensic technologies supported by the Office of Research and Development within DOE's Office of Nonproliferation and National Security and the FBI Laboratory.
Seeking to find faster, safer, better and cheaper approaches to cleanup--Ames Lab solutions will help solve not only DOE's problems, but similar problems faced by public and private sector organizations. Laboratory researchers are inventing such things as compact, portable instruments to identify hazardous wastes, rapid techniques for in-the-field analysis of radioactive materials, and laser systems to decontaminate equipment. (See Project List.)
Work done in the Ames Lab EPSCI program also capitalizes on the close connections with numerous Iowa State University departments. EPSCI scientists work alongside ISU faculty and graduate students to leverage their expertise with the nationally-recognized strengths of these departments. Together, they are finding solutions that will help monitor the spread of contaminants through soil, water and air, assess storage tank waste using ultrasonic transducers, and statistically evaluate site characterization methods.
The Ames Lab program has played a key role in assisting DOE Headquarters in its planning, technology transfer, and information management efforts. Ames Lab scientists assist with the coordination of the OST characterization, monitoring and sensor technology crosscutting program, help prioritize projects and help investigators develop industrial connections to transfer and commercialize their technologies.
The combination of these strengths--finding technical solutions, moving these solutions to the marketplace, leveraging the academic expertise at Iowa State University, and managing information and communication--uniquely positions the Ames Lab EPSCI program to respond to present and future challenges posed by environmental contamination and security on a local, regional, national and international scale.
The EPSCI Program at Ames Laboratory is directed by David P. Baldwin.
Phone: (515) 294-2069; e-mail: dbaldwin@ameslab.gov.
Please e-mail comments to: epsciwebkeeper@ameslab.gov.
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Last Modified: 1 April 2002 by dave eckels
overview: overview.html
