January - March 1997 Issue


News Items, January - March 1997

On January 28, the Electric Utility Program (EUP) held a one-day workshop entitled "The 'State of the Debate' on Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)." An opening session considered how recent reports, scientific studies, siting efforts, and legal actions have influenced the current debate about EMF exposure and its perceived health implications. James C. Weaver, senior research scientist in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST), and Timothy E. Vaughan, postdoctoral associate in HST, then discussed their current research on biophysical mechanisms and described their future plans. A final discussion focused on how to pursue research in this area so that results can contribute to a more rational debate regarding the potential impacts of EMF. The workshop served as a kickoff event for a new consortium-funded project. This project focuses on identifying which types of field exposures and biophysical mechanisms can or cannot cause molecular change. If certain mechanisms can be ruled out as avenues for possible health effects, then future EMF research efforts can be better directed, and uncertainties and controversy regarding the rancorous EMF debate can be reduced. Current sponsors are Allegheny Power System, Electricite de France, Ontario Hydro Technologies, and Southern California Edison Company.

On January 29 and 30, the EUP held its annual planning meeting, entitled "The Role of Knowledge-Based Research in a Competitive Electric Industry." The general focus was on how to facilitate basic, or "knowledge-based," research given the new competitive and global nature of the electric utility industry. Individual sessions considered four topics: power systems and equipment, the implications of the climate-change debate for the electric industry, combustion and emissions research, and corporate and industry research. A poster session allowed EUP members to learn more about specific research activities under way at MIT. Attendees included 20 representatives from the electric utilities, industry, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the US Department of Energy plus more than 30 MIT researchers. A recurring theme of the meeting was how to promote dialogue among the EUP's members and MIT researchers. Discussion is continuing on how to modify the structure of the EUP so it will better serve the utility industry's changing needs. One option is to enable companies to concentrate their interactions with MIT in areas relevant to their redefined corporate functions and responsibilities.

The Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change held its eleventh Global Change Forum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on January 29-31. The theme of the forum was "The Berlin Mandate: Progress, Prospects, and Aftermath." The Berlin Mandate represents a significant step toward defining international agreements addressing carbon dioxide emissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The forum opened with an evening keynote address by Dr. Jerry Melillo, White House Associate Director for the Environment. Sessions on the following day were devoted to interpreting the results of the Berlin Mandate process as of January 1997; the likely effects of proposals under consideration by the Ad Hoc Group on the Berlin Mandate; greenhouse policy architecture and institutions; and lessons learned from sulfur trading that can be applied to carbon policy. The final day began with a panel discussion in which invited presenters commented on the process by which competing interests might be reconciled on the road to the Third Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP-3). Dr. Robert Watson, director of the World Bank and chair-elect of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, presented a talk in the closing session on the broader, long-term significance of COP-3. About 110 representatives from industry, government, and academia participated in the forum. The twelfth Global Change Forum will be held in Boston on September 29-October 1. The Joint Program's first Special Regional Forum on Global Change will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 24-25. The theme will be "The Role of Developing Countries in the Climate Issue."

On September 11-12, the MIT Japan Program in collaboration with MIT's Industrial Liaison Program will present a symposium entitled "Securing Asian Energy Investments: Geopolitics and Implications for Business Strategy." The development and growth of Asian countries spur their need for energy sources. Meeting that need demands a critical interrelation of finance, ecology, territory, technology, and trade. In the process of creating electric power, these forces also create opportunity. The symposium at MIT will address questions about the increasing Asian energy demand, the manner in which that demand will be met, the environmental and geopolitical impact, and the opportunities for and roles of foreign corporations. Speakers will include John Deutch, former head of the US Central Intelligence Agency; David Jhirad, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Energy Policy Trade and Investment; Katsuhiko Suetsugu, Director-General, Asia-Pacific Energy Forum; and Richard Samuels, head of MIT's Department of Political Science and director of the MIT Japan Program. To receive a brochure describing the symposium call 617-258-9419 or write to Conferences, MIT Industrial Liaison Program, E38-568, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. To access information via the World Wide Web, go to http://ilp.mit.edu/ and click on "Conferences." The cost of the seminar is $650 ($375 for nonprofit/government attendees, free for ILP members).

The 1997 Merit Award of the Society of Toxicology has been presented to Dr. Mary Amdur in recognition of her distinguished career in toxicology. Dr. Amdur was a leader of Energy Laboratory research from 1975 until 1986, when she retired from MIT. In conferring its most prestigious award, the society states: "Dr. Amdur is a distinguished toxicologist who has had a profound effect on the development of the field of toxicology for more than four decades. Her impact on toxicology is perhaps most evident when one considers her contributions to the scientific foundation of our knowledge of air pollution in the workplace and environment." She is particularly cited for her contributions to our understanding of the adverse effects of sulfuric acid mists and mixtures of gases and particles in the lung--the focus of her research at the Energy Laboratory. Her work has played a major role in the establishment of air pollution standards.

A team of faculty and staff from the Energy Laboratory, the Technology and Policy Program, and the Department of Nuclear Engineering is now presenting a new interdepartmental graduate course on sustainable energy to a class of 35 students from various technology and policy backgrounds. Many of the students provide international perspectives that lead to cross-cultural interactions and stimulating debates on various topics. During the next year the course developers plan to refine the course and develop a textbook and other educational materials. This and other environment-related courses have resulted from an MIT initiative to develop new educational materials and programs that will change the knowledge base and attitudes of students regarding energy technology and policy issues.