Alexandria, VA, Aug. 8, 2003 - Douglas M. Chapin, Ph.D., NAE, has been named chairman of the National Research Council's Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES).

A principal officer and director at MPR Associates, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, Dr. Chapin has extensive experience in electrical, chemical, and nuclear engineering, with an emphasis on nuclear and conventional power plant problems and functions. His experience spans instrumentation and control systems, nuclear fuels, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, pumps, advanced analysis methods, test facility design, and electrical systems and components.

Dr. Chapin's appointment as chairman became effective with the Board's Spring meeting. He will chair the BEES board for a three-year term.

Previously, Dr. Chapin served as chairman of the National Research Council's Study Committee on Application of Digital Instrumentation and Control Technology to Nuclear Power Plant Operations and Safety. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Electric Power/Energy Systems Engineering Peer Committee, is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society.

Dr. Chapin has held positions of responsibility on numerous international and domestic energy and power plant initiatives, including the Japan/Germany/United States research program on Loss of Coolant Accidents (LOCA), the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI) Utility Review Committee on Advanced Reactor Designs, and the Utility/EPRI Advanced Light Water Reactor Program that defined utility requirements for future nuclear power plants. He also served as project leader for the design, construction, and testing of the Loss of Fluid Test (LOFT) facility.

From 1995 to 1997, Dr. Chapin chaired a study that was carried out by the National Academy of Sciences for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the application of digital instrumentation and control technology to nuclear power plant operations and safety. From 2000 to 2002, he served as a member of the subcommittee of the Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee (NERAC) overseeing the production of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) roadmap for the near-term deployment program for nuclear power plant operations in the United States by 2010. This group also was responsible for the DOE's Generation IV program, which leads to placing advanced nuclear power plants into operation by the year 2030.

Dr. Chapin has a bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering, from Duke University, a master of science degree in Applied Science from George Washington University, and a doctoral degree in Nuclear Studies in Chemical Engineering, from Princeton University.

About The Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES)

The Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES) is a unit of the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences (DEPS) of the National Research Council (NRC). The National Research Council, the principal operating arm of the National Academies is a private, non-profit organization that provides science and technology advice under a congressional charter. Since 1975, the Board (formerly the Energy Engineering Board [EEB]) has conducted a diverse program of studies and related activities, such as workshops and symposia, to produce authoritative, independent recommendations about the science and technology aspects of public policy questions in energy, the environment, national security, and defense.

About MPR Associates, Inc.

MPR Associates, Inc. is a global engineering and consulting firm, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, that specializes in energy technology and regulatory issues confronting electric power industry clients. The company takes a customized, hands-on approach to projects, focusing its technical resources, assets, operational and maintenance expertise to provide added value to its customers. The MPR approach includes supplying independent assessment and third-party objectivity to challenges and opportunities, employing solid technical understanding and proven processes, and soliciting customer involvement and feedback to optimize the final solution. For more information on MPR Associates, Inc., visit the company's web site at www.mpr.com.