UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN OUR COMMUNITY:

1
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN OUR COMMUNITY Developme
nt of a Low Cost Program to Measure Radon
Concentrations in the Palos Verdes Peninsula
Unified School District, Palos Verdes Estates,
California
Lauren E. Fukumoto Joseph S. Duval Joseph M.
Fukumoto 2003 GSA Annual Meeting
Exposition November 2-5, 2003 Seattle, Washington
2
Presentation Layout
Laboratory Location
Generate Project Plan
Assessment of Resources
Cost Labor Estimates
PLAN
Background Literature Work
Measurements Required
Initial Concept
Clearances, Approval, Legal Considerations
Measurement Execution Data Analysis
Presentations, Publications
Develop Expert Contacts
ACTUAL
Generate Project Plan
Laboratory Location
Cost Labor Estimates
Assessment of Resources
Background Literature Work
Measurements Required
Initial Concept
Measurement Execution Data Analysis
Presentations, Publications
Clearances, Approval, Legal Considerations
Develop Expert Contacts
3
Initial Concept

• General area of problem choice Usually wiser
  to consider
• a problem that can be understood and defined
  with a focused
• literature effort as opposed to one that would
  require years
• of study to master fundamental physical
  concepts.
• Major theme in low cost undergraduate research
  Exchange
• labor and good ideas for lab facilities,
  instrument access, and
• analysis costs.
• A carefully crafted, detailed research proposal
  addressing an
• important problem has real value and can be
  leveraged for
• services, support, and instrument use.

4
Background Literature Work

• This is the single most important step saves
  months of work.
• Essential for
• 1. Defining the problem in detail.
• 2. Learning what others have done and how
  they did it.
• 3. Determining what hasnt been done and what
  should be
• done.
• 4. Generating evidence that your approach is
  viable and
• will result in new, noteworthy data.
• 5. Identifying key individuals for opinions
  and suggestions.
• 6. Establishing what approaches are sound,
  what are ques-
• tionable, and why.

5
Assessment of Resources

• Your project and its success will be largely
  determined by the
• resources available to you. At the outset you
  should consider
• 1. What instruments can you access, what is
  their availability?
• 2. Consider trading your labor for learning
  to operate specialized
• instruments.
• 3. Key contacts willing to donate
  instruments, labor, analysis?
• Whats in it for them?
• 4. Government grant funding turn-around time
  is usually greater
• than 9 months more rapid funding may be
  available through
• local clubs, agencies, professional
  societies.
• 5. Securing funding after a successful
  preliminary study is easier
• than prior to results.

6
Developing Expert Contacts

• Expert contact development is critical, but
  time-consuming. You
• should first become well read in the field.
  Experts can
• 1. Critique your approach and assess
  importance of possible
• outcomes.
• 2. Suggest key papers/literature sources for
  approach modifica-
• tion or refinement.
• 3. Guide you to avoid non-obvious pitfalls.
• 4. Give real-time feedback during data
  collection.
• 5. Recommend conferences and/or journals for
  presentations.
• 6. Help promote your work through
  professional networks,
• committees, conferences.

7
Laboratory Location Considerations

• Work at distant laboratory very costly due to
  travel time and
• travel costs.
• Coordination of schedules with laboratory
  personnel is added
• complication.
• Should consider access to lab during off-hours,
  liability issues,
• clearances.

8
Measurement Considerations

• Carefully executed measurements are typically
  your most
• valuable contribution and the most costly
  program element.
• Think carefully about
• 1. Type of measurements required, amount of
  measurements
• needed, access to critical instruments.
• 2. Cost of instruments and training vs.
  contract laboratory use.
• 3. Sample preparation costs and logistics
  turn-around time.
• 4. Packaging and shipping costs.
• How do you know if your measurements are
  trustworthy?
• Be aware of relevant protocols, references and
  standards,
• laboratory certifications and standards.

9
Cost and Labor Estimates

• Costs to consider
• 1. Contract lab use, instruments, sample
  preparation.
• 2. Packaging shipping, literature
  searches, Xeroxing,
• reference materials.
• 3. Travel, conference fees, phone, fax,
  internet.
• 4. Meetings with regulatory and local
  agencies, meeting
• presentations.
• 5. Consultant, support personnel labor.
• Travel only when absolutely necessary.
• Trade your labor for use of instruments and/or
  supplies
• whenever possible to minimize costs.

10
Clearances, Approvals, Legal Issues

• Identify agencies needed to approve and/or
  support project
• Districts, commissions
• City, county, state agency approvals
• Societies, associations, unions
• Agencies that might offer grants or service
  support
• Identify individuals within key agencies whose
  approvals are
• required for project commencement.
• Filling out and filing approval forms Lead
  times can be signi-
• ficant, must plan and submit in advance if
  necessary.
• Thorough knowledge of legal and political
  issues can be used
• to your advantage.

11
Generate Project Plan

• A project plan is useful for
• 1. Keeping focused on the right task at the
  right time.
• 2. Controlling costs and budgeting time.
• 3. Organizing and coordinating efforts of
  team members.
• 4. Communicating your intentions and
  execution strategy
• to key individuals, agencies, and
  organizations.
• Milestone timeline will help track progress and
  alert you
• for deadlines that must be met.
• Cost projections for various project tasks will
  help you
• control costs and keep on budget during the
  course of
• the program.

12
Measurement Execution, Data Analysis

• Preparation is the key to a successful
  measurement run
• 1. Mentally project the detailed steps you
  need to take.
• 2. Do as many tasks ahead of time as possible
  to minimize
• the number of steps during measurements.
• 3. Have detailed contingency plans and
  supplies ready.
• 4. You may have limited access to critical
  instruments and/or
• facilities, so make your usage time count.
• The quality of the data is paramount and your
  primary
• responsibility it must be of the highest
  quality possible.
• If your findings are significant, your approach
  and data will
• be very carefully scrutinized.

13
Presentations, Publications

• Ask expert contacts, search web for relevant
  conferences,
• journals to present results.
• Contact conference chairs, session chairs to
  discuss results
• and suitability of data for presentation/public
  ation.
• Prepare presentation/manuscript for specific
  target audience
• review by expert contacts prior to submission.
• Review of rough draft by session chairs can
  help refine
• presentation/manuscript.
• Watch travel costs, conference registration
  fees, manuscript
• fees.

14
Initial Concept

• Radon concepts were mastered in a few months
  with thorough
• background literature reading and the help of
  radon experts.
• California Department of Health Services (CDHS)
  provided
• free radon detectors and analysis in exchange
  for organizing
• radon measurements in the Palos Verdes
  Peninsula Unified
• School District (PVPUSD).
• A two-page proposal was sent to the PVPUSD
  outlining
• information about radon, why the school
  district should be
• tested, and our measurement plan.

Cost 200 Labor 2 m-w
15
Background Literature Work

• Background literature review took about 8 man
  weeks, and
• most literature was found online.
• We estimated that there was a high probability
  of elevated
• indoor radon concentrations in the PVPUSD
  classrooms,
• based on a small number of residential
  measurements.
• We identified and contacted key individual such
  as Dr. Joe
• Duval from the United States Geological Survey
  (USGS),
• Dr. Ron Churchill from the California
  Geological Survey
• (CGS), and Mr. Richard Blood from the CDHS.
  All were
• instrumental in the success of the project.

Cost 380 Labor 8 m-w
16
Assessment of Resources

• Mr. Richard Blood provided detectors and
  analysis the
• PVPUSD provided us with manpower and access to
  their
• classrooms.
• We did not need any instrument or lab access.
• We are currently pursuing government funding to
  expand
• the project, based on our current results.

Cost 0 Labor 2 m-w
17
Developing Expert Contacts

• Mr. Richard Blood, Head of the California Radon
  Project,
• CDHS
• Dr. Ron Churchill, Senior Geologist, CSG
• Dr. Joe Duval, Senior Geologist, USGS
• Mr. Bruce Auld, Deputy Superintendent, PVPUSD
• Dr. Stuart Salot, Radon Consultant for the
  PVPUSD

Cost 500 Labor 5 m-w
18
Laboratory Location Considerations

• CDHS contracted Alpha Energy Laboratories for
  radon
• detector analysis.
• No direct laboratory usage was necessary.

Cost 0 Labor 0.5 m-w
19
Measurement Considerations

• 500 measurements taken.
• Used short-term activated charcoal detectors
  (typically cost
• 10 per detector).
• Closely followed US EPA Indoor Radon
  Measurement
• Protocol.
• Total shipping costs 1000 - more than
  anticipated.
• Alpha Energy Laboratories calibrates detectors
  every 6
• months in insure accuracy.

Cost 0 Labor 3 m-w
20
Cost and Labor Estimates

• Total project cost to date 6,080
• Total project labor to date 46 man-weeks.
• Background reading, expert contacts, actual
  measurements,
• and publications/presentations took longer
  than expected.
• District approval of project and turn around
  time for analysis
• of radon detectors was faster than expected.
• Conference/travel costs exceeded initial
  estimates due to the
• success of the project.

Cost 0 Labor 0.5 m-w
21
Clearances, Approvals, Legal Issues

• We needed support from the CDHS (to provide
  detectors)
• and PVPUSD approval for school site access.
  Support from
• CDHS took about 2 months, and approval from
  PVPUSD
• took about 3 weeks.
• We were also supported by the USGS, especially
  Dr. Joe
• Duval, and Dr. Ron Churchill from the CGS.

Cost 0 Labor 1 m-w
22
Measurement Execution, Data Analysis

• We carefully planned out each measurement run
  by bringing
• extra supplies, preparing detectors
  beforehand, and
• confirming support personal.
• To ensure accurate measurements, we checked
  with Alpha
• Energy Labs for calibration frequency and
  dates.
• Directly followed US EPA Indoor Radon
  Measurement
• Protocol, which requires 5 of the
  measurements to be
• blanks, and 10 to be doubles.
• For any significantly high readings, we
  retested to insure we
• could repeat the data.

Cost 1,000 Labor 18 m-w
23
Presentations, Publications

• We contacted Mr. John Mallon (2003 American
  Association
• of Radon Scientists and Technicians conference
  chair), and
• presented a paper at the 2003 AARST Conference
  in
• Nashville, Tennessee.
• Dr. Joe Duval is working on a USGS web
  publication.
• We are presenting two posters at the current
  2003 GSA
• Conference.
• We are looking into submitting a paper for the
  2004 Health
• Physics Society Annual Meeting in Washington
  D.C., and
• have contacted Dr. Andrew Karam, a Director of
  the Health
• Physics Society.

Cost 4,000 Labor 6 m-w