Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center

C.E.M.R.C. Staff

Administrative Staff

Jim Conca - Director; Jim serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Center, handling administrative planning, day-to-day operations, and supervision of staff. Also serves as liaison with government agencies, industry and the public and is responsible for overall management of scientific/technical program, facilities, operation and budget. See also attached PDF File

Becky Brown - Assistant to the Director; Becky manages the Business Office and all operational activities, including accounting and reporting, procurement, contracting, supervision of administrative staff, proposal submittal support and processing of grant/contract awards. Ms. Brown is also responsible for verifying that outside contracts with various organizations are in compliance with Center and University policies.

Bill Brown - Facilities Manager; Bill oversees the facility maintenance and up keep including new construction, climate control, electrical, and lab maintenance. He is also in control of security for the interior and exterior of the building.

Fran Garrett - Secretary/Buyer; Fran processes all purchase orders and maintains the procurement paperwork as well as all shipping - receiving documentation/distribution, inventory records/reporting, and the back up documentation.

Angela Najera - Quality Assurance Manager; Angela...

Karl Pennock - Assistant Quality Assurance Manager;

Scientific Staff

Betsy Stone, Phd - Senior Scientist; Environmental Chemistry.

See also....

Kim Ui Cearnaigh - Assistant Scientist;

Kaitlan Warren - Technician I;

James Monk - Physical Scientist V; Field Programs. Jim makes routine radiation measurements following defined procedures; performs sample and data collection; communicates with the public for scheduling and interpreting results; performs instrument operation and calibration; does data entry and data manipulation; maintains equipment and the laboratory; and provides technical assistance in specialized experiments and developmental projects in internal dosimetry, conducts environmental monitoring.

Megan McDonald - Assistant Scientist; Megan is responsible for performing routine quality control checks of the radiation measurement facility; helping prepare samples for analyses; assisting in the inventory of laboratory supplies, reagents and hazardous substances; assisting in the maintenance of the radiochemistry laboratory facilities and equipment; and assisting in the implementation and documentation of the quality control/quality assurance program.

Tana Saul - Technician I;

Yair Grof, PhD - Research Project Manager; Internal Dosimetry.

Chris Greene - Physical Scientist; Chris schedules, conducts, and explains results of site-specific and whole body, routine and emergency, in vivo radiobioassay examinations of internally deposited radionuclides in the general public and radiation workers; performs daily QC measurements for lung and whole body radiation detection instruments; conducts calibration measurements using Lawrence Livermore torso and Bottle Mannequin Adsorption Phantoms (BOMAB); maintains daily fill of liquid nitrogen to germanium detector systems; creates and updates quality control charts; updates radiobioassay procedures; performs quarterly laboratory surveys for radiological contamination at the CEMRC facility.

Adrienne Perry - Technician I;

Tom Kirchner, Phd - Senior Scientist; - Informatics & Modeling Tom oversees the computer and network operations of the Center, develops the scientific databases used by the Center, and is involved with risk assessment and modeling for the Center. He has a B.A. in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Virginia, and a M.A. in Wildlife Biology and a Ph.D. in Zoology and Entomology from Colorado State University. Dr. Kirchner has been with the CEMRC for 10 years where he has worked on environmental monitoring associated with the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a deep geological repository for transuranic waste, and a variety of risk assessment problems. Prior to joining CEMRC, Dr. Kirchner helped develop the Pathway model to simulate radionuclide transport through human foodchains as part of DOE's dose reconstruction program for the Nevada Test Site. He is currently under contract to Sandia National Laboratories where he contributes to the Performance Assessment program for WIPP and assists with statistical analyses. He is also a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Scientific Committee 6-1 on "Uncertainties in Radiation Measurement and Dosimetry of External Sources."