Digital Commons Network^™

Geostatistical And Stochastic Study Of Flow And Tracer Transport In The Unsaturated Zone At Yucca Mountain, Ming Ye, Feng Pan, Xiaolong Bill Hu, Jianting Zhu, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

Yucca Mountain has been proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy as the nation’s long-term, permanent geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste. The potential repository would be located in Yucca Mountain’s unsaturated zone (UZ), which acts as a critical natural barrier delaying arrival of radionuclides to the water table. Since radionuclide transport in groundwater can pose serious threats to human health and the environment, it is important to understand how much and how fast water and radionuclides travel through the UZ to groundwater. The UZ system consists of multiple hydrogeologic units whose hydraulic and geochemical properties …

Nevada Risk Assessment/Management Program (Nramp) – Phase 2: Quarterly Progress Report April 1, 2007 Through June 30, 2007, Klaus J. Stetzenbach

Nevada Risk Assessment/Management Program

Work conducted this quarter consisted of continuing the detailed data and information acquisition; review of the received document contents, and interpretation of significance in light of previous DOE documents. Much of the effort was devoted to reconciling inconsistencies and contradictions in both the primary data bases and in and among the DOE published documents. These review and reconciliation efforts included regular telephone and e-mail correspondence, as well as in-person discussions with DOE NVO personnel at the April DOE Generator Conference in Las Vegas. Reconciliation efforts continued with frequent (daily) exchanges on the inventory data sets, and the engineering descriptions of …

High Temperature Heat Exchanger Project: Quarterly Progress Report April 1, 2007 Through June 30, 2007, Anthony Hechanova

Publications (NSTD)

• Ceramatec Sulfuric Acid Decomposer. Modeling with different reacting flow channel configurations (ribbed-surface channels, hexagonal channels, and diamond-shaped channels) was performed. The probability of failure for the one channel geometry with different reacting flow channel configurations was calculated to be zero in the three principal directions for all of the cases.

• Bayonet Heat Exchanger. The Matlab code for calculating the probability of failure using a two-dimensional axisymmetric model of the bayonet decomposer was developed. The probability of failure was calculated for the inner and outer SiC walls, and the intermediate quartz wall of the decomposer and found to be …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending July 05, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Don’t Trash Nevada website traffic remains strong despite no separate marketing.

• Project Manager Douglas Joslin attended a by-invitation-only presentation for environmental groups on May 17, 2007 to discuss marketing opportunities with BTDT Enterprises, Inc.

• Mr. Joslin is working with the Clark County School District on elementary educational programs.

• The Anti-Litter Team has started work on a GIS database for littering and dumping data with the GIS Team. The two Teams met twice this quarter to discuss strategy.

• Republic Services’ sponsored Don’t Trash Nevada advertisements, which have begun to run in local newspapers.

• More than …

Southern Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program, Public Lands Institute

Get Outdoors Nevada

Encourage volunteerism to conserve
and protect the diverse natural areas in Southern Nevada

Unlv Magazine, Gian Galassi, Vicki Smith, Erin O'Donnell, Lisa Shawcroft, Angela Sablan, Maria Phelan, Beth English, Eric Leake

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending June 30, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

Project 1. Relict Leopard Frog Monitoring, Management, and Research

• Nocturnal surveys completed at all natural and translocation sites – the most striking finding was the lack of frogs observed at Rogers Springs and lower Blue Point despite repeated survey efforts.
• Relict leopard frog annual translocation effort completed – a total of 1957 tadpoles and juvenile frogs released at six translocation sites.
• Potential translocation sites within Gold Butte assessed during site visits in late March.
• Coordination and assistance provided to UNLV research efforts on habitat improvements at Blue Point and Rogers Springs, and with proposed FWS actions to construct a tadpole …

Afci Quarterly Input – Unlv April 1 Through June 30, 2007, Harry Reid Center For Environmental Studies. Nuclear Science And Technology Division

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

Quarterly report highlighting research projects, activities and objectives of the Transmutation Research Program at the Nuclear Science & Technology Division, Harry Reid Research Center.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas supports the AFCI through research and development of technologies for economic and environmentally sound refinement of spent nuclear fuel. The UNLV program has four components: infrastructure, international collaboration, student-based research, and management and program support.

Interagency Science And Research: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending June 30, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Interagency Science and Research Strategy

• Updated the SNAP Board on May 18 with a formal presentation.
• Began discussions with the Cultural Resources Team to integrate cultural resource science within in the Science and Research Strategy.
• Refined the science proposal peer-review process and developed a conceptual graphic to communicate the process with Science and Research Team members.
• Facilitated the selection of interagency goals, sub-goals, and related monitoring and science questions by Science and Research Team.
• Began planning of an all-agency resource management workshop intended to validate interagency science goals and sub-goals, and assist in the prioritization of questions.

Session 11 - Radioactive Dispersion Devices (Rdd): What Are The Odds?, Dennis Bechtel

International Symposium on Technology and Society

Since the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 there has been apprehension that the United States may be ill-prepared to prevent future terrorist events. One source of concern is that a Radioactive Dispersion Device (RDD) could be detonated at a vulnerable target anywhere in the nation. A RDD, also known as a “dirty bomb, is a conventional explosive packed with radioactive material. The explosion could disperse radioactive material over a wide area. The target could be an icon associated with American democracy and government, critical systems and infrastructure, a water supply, a nuclear power plant and others. Such an event …

Session 9 - The Century Of Living Dangerously, Part Ii: Confronting Uncertainty, R. J. Bogumil

International Symposium on Technology and Society

Probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodological limitations as well as environmental application-specific features confound much needed objective analysis and hope for equitable remediation of anthropogenic climate change. Issues addressed include: risk subjectivism, the difficulty of mathematical and computer model prediction-validity assessment associated with chaotic system dynamics, as well as standards of scholarship and the obstacle to societal reform posed by commercial, consumer-driven mass-media journalism.

Session 7 - A Comparative Geographic Analysis Of The Impact Of Scale On Hazards And Vulnerability In Industrialized Continental Lands And Small Pacific Islands, William J. Smith Jr.

International Symposium on Technology and Society

Geography, specifically scale, has significant impacts in terms of hazards and vulnerability. Small islands, such as those found in the Pacific, experience the impacts of their relatively unique geography and scale in terms of hazards and vulnerability in at least five ways: 1) Perception and communication; 2) Impact and escape from impact; 3) Technology; 4) Recovery; and 5) Socio-environmental justice. Comparative analysis in these five areas between the Pacific’s small islands and industrialized continental regions illuminates differences regarding the way hazards and vulnerability should be conceptualized in the under-treated small islands of the world. Lessons from this analysis will aid …

Session 7 - Technology And The Creation Of Wilderness: The Making Of Quabbin Reservoir, Timothy J. Farnham

International Symposium on Technology and Society

Large dams in the United States have frequently been the targets of attacks by environmentalists who believe that the dams and the reservoirs they create are violations of wilderness. There are currently numerous proposals to dismantle some dams in order to restore river ecosystems to their pre-dam conditions, including Hetch Hetchy Reservoir’s O’ Shaunnessy Dam. Less attention has been paid to those dams and reservoirs that have arguably created protected areas that otherwise may have been subject to degradation from development. The Quabbin Reservoir, the primary water source for metropolitan Boston, serves as a prime example. Viewed as an engineering …

Session 6 - The National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa): Is It All That It Can Be? The Case For Evaluating Stigma Effects, Dennis Bechtel

International Symposium on Technology and Society

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has long been regarded as the“Magna Carta” of environmental policy legislation. The government in implementing its requirements on NEPA is required to evaluate potential environmental impacts from “significant” projects, to examine alternatives to proposed actions, and to enable the public to provide meaningful input to decision-makers. Despite the significance of NEPA there is evidence to suggest that environmental impact analyses may in fact be understating potential negative effects to citizens and communities. In particular potential impacts associated with stigma have been almost universally ignored in documents prepared under NEPA. The proposed high-level nuclear waste …

Session 2 - Societal-Consciousness In The Computing Curricula: A Time For Serious Introspection, Daniel Moix, Srini Ramaswamy

International Symposium on Technology and Society

This paper addresses the growing need for inculcating appropriate ethics within the computing curriculum by fostering the development of a societally-conscious ethical framework among our students to address the use of information technology vis-à-vis government, business and society. We propose a new integrated model based approach (IDEA) and suggest its adoption to encourage students on reflecting upon the social and ethical ramifications of technology, beyond the narrow, project focused tunnel vision that currently (subliminally) exists in many computing curricula, and in particular, in today’s profit-focused, consulting and contract-based software industry.

Session 1 - Cold War Technoscience In Nevada: The Nevada Test Site Oral History Project, Mary Palevsky

International Symposium on Technology and Society

During the Cold War, the United States conducted over 1000 nuclear weapons tests. Of those, 928 took place at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). One hundred tests were in the atmosphere and 921 underground at the 1375 square mile site located 65 north of Las Vegas. Nevada Test Site Oral History Project (NTSOHP) researchers have conducted over 300 hours of interviews with individuals affiliated with and impacted by the NTS, documenting the diversity of experience among many communities of voices including: weapons scientists, test site officials, laborers, contractors and support personnel, the military, American Indians, communities downwind of the NTS, …

Session 1 - Rationalizing The Home Front: The Cold War, The Nevada Test Site, And Radiation Exposure, Leisl A. Carr

International Symposium on Technology and Society

Beginning in 1953, radiation exposure and its effects became a hotly contested issue between the government, members of communities surrounding the Nevada Test Site (NTS), and researchers within the national scientific community. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), concerned about maintaining a continental testing facility and aware that atomic testing would impact communities surrounding the NTS, sent representatives to areas potentially affected by fallout to instruct and reassure the affected public. How government officials perceived neighboring communities and how these communities perceived these representatives of the government often determined public responses to the atomic testing program. The story of radiation monitors …

Influence Of Lithophysal Geometry On The Uniaxial Compression Of Tuff-Like Rock, Douglas B. Rigby, Moses Karakouzian, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The purpose of this report is to summarize the work and present conclusions of Project Activity Task ORD-FY04-013 conducted under Cooperative Agreement No. DEFC28- 04RW12232 between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). This document describes results of laboratory testing on analog lithophysal tuff (Hydro-StoneTB®) conducted in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) from 2004 to 2006.

Education In The Environment: A Hands-On Student Research And Outdoor Learning Experience: Final Project Report, Environmental Education Strategy For Nevada

Reports (PLI Education)

Education in the Environment: A Hands‐on Student Research and Outdoor Learning Experience is a Round 4 Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA)‐funded project implemented by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Public Lands Institute on behalf of and in cooperation with four Federal agencies in Southern Nevada. This project consisted of three components: (1) an Interagency Conservation Education and Interpretation Strategy; (2) Discover Mojave Forever Earth, an environmental laboratory and learning center; and (3) Southern Nevada Discover Mojave Outdoor World program.

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships Interagency Volunteer Program: Final Project Report, May 31 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Was recognized with two consecutive National Take Pride in America Awards (2005 and 2006) in the Federal Program category.
• Created a central clearinghouse created for Southern Nevada public lands volunteers, including:─ an online volunteer data‐management application (Volgistics) adopted and customized for the program and populated with 2,866 active and 974 prospective volunteer records ─ a community outreach Web site that currently averages 57,930 hits per month and has aided in the recruitment of 1,211 volunteers ─ branding development and marketing and outreach tool creation
• Developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all areas of Interagency Volunteer Program Management—recruitment, training, recognition, retention …

Presentation To Senior Leadership The Center For Academic Enrichment And Outreach, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI)

• Strengthen the national fabric in support of public lands.
• Provide people of all ages with opportunities to participate in the enjoyment, protection, and responsible use of our public lands.
• Engage and inspire people to actively participate in the enjoyment, protection and responsible use of our public lands.
• Create high-quality, relevant, up-to-date knowledge to solve problems and make effective decisions about public lands.

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2007, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

Direct Analysis Of Solid Corrosion Products By Laser Ablation Icp-Ms: Method Development And The Interaction Of Aqueous Uranium, Gadolinium And Neodymium With Iron Shot And Iron (Iii) Oxide, James Cizdziel, Klaus J. Stetzenbach, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The purpose of this report is to summarize the work and present conclusions of Project Activity Task ORD-RF-03 conducted under cooperative agreement number DE-FC28-04RW12237 between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). The work was conducted in the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies of the University of Nevada Las Vegas from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2006. The purpose of the study was to develop a method using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for the direct analysis of iron corrosion products, to evaluate its capabilities, advantages, and limitations, and …

Southern Nevada Agency Partnership Conservation Education And Interpretation Strategy, Allison Brody

Education about the Environment

Four federal agencies manage seven million acres of federal lands in Southern Nevada. Increasing demands for use of these public lands has created the need for those agencies to form a unique interagency partnership and to work cooperatively in support of agency missions, protection of natural resources, and public service.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Vegas Field Office, National Park Service (NPS) Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Spring Mountains National Recreation Area formed the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP) in 1997 …

Standards Of Best Practices Environmental Education & Interpretation Professionals, Dan Allison, Katharine August, Allison Brody, Margie Klein, Amy Page, Michelle Riter, Athena Sparks, Dan Wegner

Education about the Environment

This document provides guidelines about the knowledge and skills needed to provide effective Environmental Education and Interpretation (EE&I) experiences in the state of Nevada. Effective experiences not only further the mission of the organization but also inspire understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of Southern Nevada’s environment.

Standards of Best Practices for Nevada Environmental Education & Interpretation (NEE&I) Professionals is a guide for providers working at public lands, nature centers, museums, zoos, aquaria, schools, and all nature and heritage-rich places. It is designed to help NEE&I providers develop and implement the highest quality experiences for all possible audiences. It is a tool …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, David Ashley, Mamie Peers, Grace Russell, Lisa Shawcroft

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Geochemical Modeling Of Solubility And Speciation Of Uranium, Neptunium, And Plutonium, Zhongbo Yu, Yuyu Lin, Karen Johannesson, Amy J. Smiecinski, Klaus J. Stetzenbach

Publications (YM)

The purpose of this study is to model the solubility, speciation, and transport of three actinides: uranium (U), neptunium (Np), and plutonium (Pu) by a geochemical modeling tool under possible repository environmental conditions upon waste package failure. The dissolution concentration of three actinides in the waste package, their aqueous speciation after dissolving in the unsaturated zone (UZ), and transport processes in the saturated zone (SZ) along the groundwater flow path at Yucca Mountain (YM) are simulated by geochemical modeling calculations using PHREEQC. This model report was prepared in fulfillment of Groundwater Characterization at Yucca Mountain, Task II: Surface Complexation and …

Groundwater Characterization At Yucca Mountain Task 2: Surface Complexation And Solid Phase Sorption, Kenneth Czerwinski, Anthony Hechanova, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The purpose and scope of this report is to present an overview of the experiments, methods, results, and conclusions from research performed for the project “Groundwater Characterization at Yucca Mountain Task 2: Surface Complexation and Solid Phase Dissolution”. The impact of surface complexation, alteration phase formation, and solution competition with metal ions on the solubility and speciation of actinide elements (U, Pu, Np) will be examined. In particular the role of iron (as Fe2+ and Fe3+) and silicate (as SO3 2-) concentrations on speciation, solubility, sorption, and secondary phase formation of actinides will be investigated. While a large body of …

Nevada Risk Assessment/Management Program (Nramp) – Phase 2: Quarterly Progress Report January 1, 2007 Through March 31, 2007, Klaus J. Stetzenbach

Nevada Risk Assessment/Management Program

Work conducted in this second quarter consisted of continuing the detailed data and information acquisition; review of the received document contents, and interpretation of significance in light of previous DOE documents. This included telephone and in-person discussions with DOE NVO personnel at the March Waste Management Symposia in Tucson. As a result of these discussions and review of the supporting data and methodologies, a more specific listing of activities was developed, and DOE provided a confirmatory note to HRC in March.

Much of the review of the received information does indicate significant changes in data, methodologies, and baseline assumptions over …

High Temperature Heat Exchanger Project: Quarterly Progress Report January 1, 2007 Through March 31, 2007, Anthony Hechanova

Publications (NSTD)

• The variation of sulfur dioxide production (throughput) of the baseline design of the Ceramatec sulfuric acid decomposer with total mass flow rate of reacting flow has been calculated. According to the calculations, the sulfur dioxide production increases as the total mass flow rate of reacting flow increases regardless of the fact that decomposition percentage of sulfuric trioxide decreases. A parametric study of the baseline design of the Ceramatec sulfuric acid decomposer was performed.

• The thermal performance using various channel geometries for the decomposer was studied. The baseline design (straight channels) has 89.5% thermal efficiency while the thermal efficiency …