James Tapped for CBS Nuke-Detector Story

Ralph James, associate laboratory director for Energy, Environment National Security at the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, was interviewed by correspondent Armen Keteyian on the CBS Evening News Tuesday about the detection of nuclear materials. The story, "Nukes For Sale? Some Experts Sound Alarms About Dangers Of 'Loose Nukes' Going To Terrorists," was aired in response to concerns raised as North Korea announced it had completed a nuclear test, including the possibility that nuclear materials or weapons may be funneled to terrorist groups. "We're looking at instruments that can help us detect the movement of nuclear materials," said James, who oversees a wide range of basic and applied research, including the development of counter-terrorist technologies. He has developed small, portable semiconductor-based radiation detectors that can detect both x-rays and gamma rays very efficiently and that can identify specific isotopes responsible for the radiation. "These detector technologies are plenty capable of detecting radiation," he said during the CBS interview. "But I don't want to diminish the fact we're still trying to increase their sensitivity." James is a fellow of the IEEE, the American Physical Society, SPIE and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. For more information, visit: www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/10/cbsnews_investigates/main2079190.shtml