Photo Caption: New Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board members and student representatives (left to right): Amy DeMint, David Johnson, Jenna Carignan, Dick Berry and George Rimel.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the appointment of five area residents and two high school students to the Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board.

The new members were appointed to fill vacancies on the Board. The Oak Ridge Site Specific Advisory Board (ORSSAB) is a federally-chartered citizens’ panel that provides recommendations to the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge Environmental Management (EM) Program.

"We’re very pleased to welcome these new members," said Gerald Boyd, DOE Oak Ridge Assistant Manager for EM. "The SSAB plays an important role in providing public input on EM program activities at the Oak Ridge Reservation, and we appreciate the fact that they’re willing to volunteer to serve on the Board."

Ben Adams is an engineer, landscape architect, and land surveyor with 41 years of practice in design sciences. He is a member of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and is on the board of the East Tennessee Economic Council. Adams lives in Oak Ridge and is employed by ACHW Inc.

Richard (Dick) Berry is the former chairman and CEO of Rembco Geotechnical Contractors Inc., based in Knoxville.  He now consults in the geotechnical field. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Berry is a resident of Lenoir City.

Amy DeMint has lived in Kingston for the past 18 years and works as a metallurgical engineer at BWXT Y-12 in Oak Ridge. DeMint holds a bachelor and a master of science degree in metallurgical engineering.

Colin Loring is a natural resource conservationist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. For the past year, he has worked with the National Resources Inventory Program inventorying resource base changes in East Tennessee. He received his bachelor of arts degree in geology from The University of Tennessee and has completed two years of graduate work at East Tennessee State University in environmental health. Loring lives in Oak Ridge.

George Rimel works as a steam plant operator/stationary engineer with BWXT Y-12 in Oak Ridge. He is a member of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council and has lived in Clinton for the past 26 years.

Jenna Carignan and David Johnson are the new ORSSAB student representatives. Each year, two high school students are seated on the Board to represent the views and interests of area youth. One student (Carignan) is selected from Oak Ridge High School. The other (Johnson) is chosen on a rotating basis from schools in surrounding areas.

Carignan is a senior at Oak Ridge High School. She is interested in pursuing a major in environmental law in college. Last year, Carignan was involved in an ORSSAB student project to summarize an environmental document for high school student audiences.

David Johnson is a senior at Karns High School, where he maintains a 4.17 GPA and is currently ranked first in his class. He has won several science awards and is captain of the Karns Scholar School and Vice President of the math honor society.

ORSSAB meetings are usually held on the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the DOE Information Center in Oak Ridge. Meetings of the Board and its committees are open to the public, and notices are posted on the Board’s Web site (http://www.oakridge.doe.gov/em/ssab) and through the Board’s 24-hour information line, (865) 576-4750.

-DOE-

R-02-042