Objectives:
  The objectives of the Chapter are to aid in the work of health physics, to improve dissemination of information between individuals in this field and related fields, to improve public understanding of the problems and needs in radiation protection, to promote and improve health physics as a profession, and to promote within the Chapter's jurisdiction the activities of the Health Physics Society.

Notice: The NJCHPS is now on FaceBook. Go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/njhps/ to find some interesting current events, history and pictures. Thanks to Council Member Tom Dobbs for bringing us into the current media forum.
 

Looking Forward to Upcoming Events:

The NJCHPS Council did have a short meeting on June 20, 2023, and considered what needs to be accomplished. It appears no summer picnic or “outing” will be done. The focus is on getting a slate of candidates established for Officers for the next 1.5 hrs. MORE TO COME ASAP.
 
Prior Events & Announcements:

  • On June 20, 2023, Elizabeth Brackett, HPS President-Elect met with 31 members of the GNY and NJ HPS Chapters. Elizabeth is an Internal Dosimetrist with MJW Corporation and is currently involved with a dose reconstruction project called “The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000.” Don Pepe’s provided a superb venue in a large room with a buffet style food. A very lively presentation from Liz did invoke lots of discussion. Both chapter’s Board Members present said “we’ll be back!”. Please see the accompanying pictures.

  • The 2023 DOT/Shipping Training took place on Tuesday, April 25th. Once again, the esteemed DOT/IATA subject-matter-expert, Sean Austin of Plexus was our instructor. This was a one-day online event with a start time of 8 am EST. Cost discounted to NJCHPS is $175 per attendee, and about 39 participants received their certificates. Well done Sean.

  • Six members of the Executive Council (EC) met on 1-6-2023 and discussed the plans to keep our Chapter active. We are still struggling with lingering COVID-19 issues. We planned member dues collection, timely election of EC officers, and meetings such as our USDOT refresher training, meeting with the national HPS "President Elect", and an annual meeting with vendors. More to come! PLEASE stay tuned here, on the Chapter´s Facebook page, and emails from Executive Secretary Tom Dobbs.


  • The Executive Council met on 6-21-2022 and discussed the remainder of the year. Recovering from the stress associated with COVID-19, issues such as dues collection, election of officers, and a "annual meeting" with vendors was on the agenda.

  • NJHPS Meeting June 21, 2022 (PDF Announcement) The Chapter had a successful technical meeting at the Sunken Silo in Lebanon, NJ. with 17 attendees. Ruben Papraniku from the NJDEP described the Purpose and Operation of the DEP's four 4x4 Sample and Monitor "conversion" Vans. Lot's of engaging questions from the attendees. Food was excellent, as expected. Thank you to Vince Williams for coordination of this event. Here are some images of the meeting.

  • Happy New Year! This from Tom Dobbs: I am happy to announce we will be having our first (virtual) meeting of 2022! Please save the date of Wednesday, January 26th 2022 at 2pm on Zoom!
    Chad A. Smith, Ph.D, CHP will be presenting "Emerging Technologies Using Unsealed Radioactivity in Veterinary Medicine".
    His talk will cover the use, licensing and public dose assessment of 117mSn used for veterinary osteoarthritis, primarily in canines. As well as 90Y microspheres in hydrogel for solid tumors, primarily in cats and dogs. Chad holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Cedarville University, master’s degrees in Radiological Science from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and a Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology: Medical Physics also from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Chad’s doctoral research is related to CT bowtie filtration. While at UMass Lowell, Chad was the recipient of the Kenneth W. Skrable Award for Technical Excellence in Radiological Sciences. Chad is a medical physicist for general radiography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and FDA approved in mammography. Chad is certified by the American Board of Health Physics in the practice of Health Physics and has extensive experience in the licensing and regulating of radioactive materials. He is an active member of both the American Association of Physicists in Medicine and the Health Physics Society. I hope you all can join us for this interesting talk! Another email with a link to the meeting will be sent out closer to the 26th. I will send out the link to all members but I would appreciate a reply if you plan to attend so we know how many to expect!

  • Greeting HPs, family, and friends. It has been a while since any new info has been posted. I am happy to report that the NJCHPS had a successful social gathering on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021 at the Sunken Silo Craft Brewery in Lebanon, NJ (on US Rt 22W). Vince Williams led the organization, queried the membership and was able to select a date and venue that attracted 20 attendees. It was so good to see every one catching-up after two years of NO events. Three courses of fresh food were catered from the Metropolitan Seafood and Gourmet next door. The outside enclosed facility was comfortable. I did not tote my Nikon along, nevertheless did capture some images with the cell phone. Thanks to Patrick, I am in one of the images! Some talk of what the Chapter should do next occurred, but nothing yet decided. Stay well and hope to see you all soon.
    Mike D.

  • The Executive Council (EC) met on June 5, 2020 using on-line ZOOM session. The agenda was full, and a number of important issues were resolved – some of them directly related to the on-going COVID19 pandemic, and its impact on everyone. First, as with so many other active organizations, the EC will forego the normal officer annual election process and the existing members of the EC will hold office until 2021. Second, due to the elimination of so many Chapter activities supported by the Affiliate Members, the Affiliate Members will have their annual dues forgiven. Third, the Chapter By-laws will be reviewed and modified to add language to address the situation we are facing. The EC will continue to monitor the situation, and will be proactive in planning for activities as we open-up from our lock-down.

  • USDOT refresher training was a big success. Sean Austin did an excellent job with the on-line Webinar on April 9, 2020. Thirty attendees completed an 8 hr session. There was ample time to ask questions and provide comments. The cost was reduced to $150 per person since Sean’s travel expenses were eliminated. A twenty question test was administered, and Certificates were mailed to participants. Thank you to all who help us achieve this in the mist of all the uncertainties surrounding the COVID19 pandemic, and the social distancing we endure in order to stay well.

  • On Thursday 2/13/20 a joint meeting hosted by the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) was help in Newark, NJ in the evening. Here is the flyer with all the details

  • On Oct. 30, 2019, a foggy rainy evening in NJ, Kendall Berry warmed up the Rutgers’ venue with two interesting talks. Kendall is the RSO at Fox Chase, and is a Board member in the HPS. About 26 participants enjoyed pizza/beer/wine/soda while Kendal presented an update on the National HPS activities, and then her interesting three-year experience with Lu-177 Lutathera. President Ira Garelick opened with some NJCHPS updates. He said that the Council made a policy decision to hold members accountable for costs: those who reserve a spot at a meeting that the Chapter must prepay a head-count, and the member is a no-show. Here is a link to the meeting announcement and images provided by Mike Drzyzga.

  • On Sunday Sept. 15, 2019, the NJCHPS enjoyed another successful picnic at the Monmouth County Race Track. It was a warm and beautiful Sunday in NJ. Forty-five members and guests had a fun filled day. Sorry, no images to share.

  • On May 1, 2019, a meeting that was "postponed" on Nov. 27, 2018, due to a messy early snow event in NJ was successfully completed.  Rutgers hosted 14 attendees to learn:
    Karen Colucci, MS.Radiation Safety Officer for the Lehigh Valley Health Network
    Topic: "Assessment of a Conversion Factor for Estimating Extremity Dose in Interventional Fluoroscopy"
    View meeting announcement with all details (PDF)
    See images here.

  • Thursday evening, Feb. 21,2019, was a good time for the NJCHPS. A joint meeting with the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) was very successful. Thirty-seven attended -- 19 HPs and 18 SPs. Caitlin Root provided a spot-on presentation regarding "managing radioactive devices for the non-RSO" . A lot of valuable discussion was hear at the end. The "new" Rutgers's Club on the Livingston Campus provided a well-liked venue, with excellent food and service. Here are some images of the evening.
    - View meeting announcement (PDF)

    The Executive Committee met prior to the meeting, and will be working on the following: 1) reengaging Karen Colucci for an April presentation (the one postponed from last Nov.), 2) our Chapter's annual meeting in June, and 3) a summer picnic in August. Keep a lookout for information here, on the Chapter's Facebook Page, and in your "InBox."

    Also, the current EC will soon be seeking nominations for members interested in helping keep the NJCHPS moving forward. Open positions will be President Elect, Secretary Elect, and Treasurer Elect.

  • Annual National HPS President Elect Meeting with Eric Goldin was held jointly with the GNYCHPS on Tuesday, October 16th (10/16/18) at Sol-Mar Restaurant on Ferry St. ("iron bound section") in Newark, NJ, at 5 pm, http://www.solmar-restaurant.com/dinner.html.
    Visit the photo section for some images captured by Patrick McDermott. NJCHPS President Thomas Dobbs presided.

  • The Annual "picnic" at Monmouth Park Horse Races on Sunday Aug. 26 was great success - excluding results at the betting window, UGH!. 15 members attended with a total of 48 including family and guests. The weather cooperated (actually bearable for a late NJ August day), and the food and drink were most enjoyable. It was special to see NEW attendees, along with "old timers". Here is a link to images for your viewing pleasure.
    (Announcement, PDF)

  • On June 27, 2018, The Annual Meeting was held at a new venue - The Sheraton Edison Raritan Center. Beautiful facility, easy access, great food!The Technical Presentation was provided by Jerry Bonanno, Esq., Nuclear Energy Institute, topic - "Nuclear Power Regulations - How Safe is Safe Enough?". About 24 attendees enjoyed a detailed history of the AEC/NRC's regulations. Jerry knows the USNRC Commissioners, and shared a lot of insight into how the Commission works. He is inside the beltway!.Lot's of great questions sparked his presentation. We also enjoyed "hot stuff" raffles and vendor supported drawings.
    Here's a link to the images.

  • On March 6, 2018, the Rutgers REHS office hosted a great pizza and salad meeting. Tim Koeth, Ph.D. from the University of Maryland presented "Building a Homemade Cyclotron" and his related work at UMD's reactor and pool irradiator. Click here for the announcement.
    And here are three images courtesy of Pres Elect Tom Dobbs.

  • On Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2017, the NJCHPS help a joint meeting with the GNYCHPS in NYC. This was our annual Pres. Elect meeting, located at the Alpha Fusion restaurant near 9th Ave and 34th St. It was a beautiful evening, and well attended by both Chapters. Dr. Nolan Hertel spoke on the current re-evaluation of public dose from patients released with I-131. The Asian and Middle Eastern food was enjoyed by all. The only blooper was the facility's laptop severely crashed in the middle of the presentation. Next year (2018) back to Don Pepe's. You will find the presentation here (PDF). And pictures taken by both Mike Drzyzga and GNYCHPS Pres. Bae Chu here on our photopage.

  • On Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017, the NJCHPS provided another annual picnic to over 55 attendees, and with no cost to members or immediate family. We watched the NJ Patriots baseball team at the TD Bank Stadium in Somerset, NJ. The weather was perfect, the picnic area well-placed, and the buffet BBQ was excellent. Patriot's did not play well, losing to the Yanks. Thank you to our supporting Affiliates: Atlantic Nuclear, Chase, DDES, Radiac and Veolia. Here are the announcement, AND some pictures.

  • On Thurs, June 29, 2017, the NJCHPS held its Annual (year-end) meeting at the Holiday Inn, Somerset, NJ. The well-attended meeting was supported again by the Chapter's affiliate vendors (Ecology Services, Mirion, Atlantic Nuclear, Laurus Systems, and Landauer). The food and drink was great as expected, we did a "hot stuff" raffle and the two winners received a pair of Vaseline glass "creamers" or a 10 inch' Fiesta Ware orange plate. The meeting's focus was an engaging presentation by Dr. Miao Zhang, Rutgers University Hospital, on "Introduction to proton therapy." See pictures .

  • On Wed. May 17, 2017, Mr. Duncan White, Senior HP with the USNRC provided an enlightening presentation regarding the Commission's current activity evaluating the risks from Category III nuclear Sources. Pizza/Salads and a variety of liquid refreshments were enjoyed by about 20 attendees at the Rutgers University REHS facility, New Brunswick, NJ. Click here for a few photos. Also, Duncan White's presentation is available here. (PDF)

  • On Sunday, Sept. 16, 2016, the NJCHPS had over 25 members and family attend the FREE annual picnic at the Monmouth Park, NJ Race Track. The weather was perfect, and a fun time was enjoyed by all.

  • On December 12, 2016, at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, Patrick McDermott, CHP, presented "An Independent Safety Assessment for Millburn, NJ. Does the Proposed Advanced Accelerator Applications Facility Pose a Risk to Our Residents" AND Robert Tokarz, NJCHPS President, presented "I-131 Therapy for the Patient on Dialysis." Here are a few photos.

  • On October 27, 2016. The GNYCHPS hosted a joint meeting with the NJCHPS in NYC for our annual President Elect visit. Eric Abelquist provided and interesting presentation and great time was had in the Big Apple.

  • On March 28, 2016, the NJCHPS provided USDOT refresher Training. We were fortunate to have Sean Austin, Senior HP with Plexus Scientific Corp, return to the Rutgers Newark, NJ campus (formerly UMDNJ) for the 8-hour training. The $160 fee provided an electronic study guide, lunch and a certificate (if you passed the quiz).

  • On Thurs. evening, June 9, 2016, about 30 members and guests attended the NJCHPS Annual Meeting. The fun filled evening included a great buffet at the Holiday Inn, Somerset, NJ, radioactive raffles, vendor raffles, and an outstanding presentation by Mary J. Dorman, RSO from U. Maryland: "Suspicious Behavior - What the NRC Really Wants to Know" (a very intriguing actual Part 37 event). The Executive Committee election results were announced, and the new EC members introduced. A BIG Thank You to Art Green, Radiac; Paul Marshall, Ecology Services; and Mike Rook, Atlantic Nuclear for their support. Here's a link to the Photo section...

  • Thursday, April 14, 2016: Dr. Joe Shonka from Atlanta, GA presented "Concerns for Aircrew Radiation Exposure" at an evening meeting at Princeton University. Dr. Shonka's extended presentation provided details of recently discovered natural sources of radiation, such as Solar Neutrons and Gamma radiation from lightning, that is not yet being accounted for in estimates of aircrew radiation exposure. There is clearly a HP need to further evaluate this situation. Thank you to Sue Dupre, Princeton's RSO, for arranging an outstanding venue. Please also visit the photo section.

  • January 14, 2016: Rutgers University hosted an extended meeting regarding "Implementation of Part 37" with speakers: Randolph C. Ragland, Jr.,CHP, Senior Health Physicist, NRC Region 1, and Richard Peros, Supervisor, State of New Jersey, DEP, Bureau of Environmental Radiation. The presentation is available here. The meal was catered by Famous Dave's" featuring BBQ Chicken and Beef Brisket. Randy's PowerPoint presentation is available on the NJ Chapter FaceBook page!! (Thank you USNRC). There were had 34 attendees. Also check out the photo section.

  • January 2016, Obituary: Dr. Allan Appleby, former Rutgers University professor and HP, provided an Obituary for another former teacher and researcher from Rutgers: Dr. Ed Christman. Click here to read.

  • Nov. 10, 2015 presentation by Mr. Matt Norton from DDES, Topic: "High Chemical Hazard and DU, D&D project in MA". Photographs in the photo section.

  • Wed. Oct. 7, 2015: Autumn meeting at Don Pepe Restaurant in Newark, NJ, with national Pres. Elect Robert Cherry. Photographs in the photo section.

  • August 16, 2015: The NJCHPS held it's Annual Picnic at the Monmouth Park Horse Race Track. WE THANK Chase Environmental for helping support this event. Sue Dupre did a wonderful job coordinating this for the Chapter. Mike Drzyzga took some great photographs, see the photo section.

  • July 2015: Friends, colleagues and former co-workers in the NJ Chapter HPS congratulate Glenn Sturchio for successfully receiving his "Fellow" award from the HPS. When you see Glenn, or otherwise contact him, please offer recognition.
  • June 10, 2015, Chapter's fun-filled Annual Meeting, to include raffles/auction, and guest presenter. Location: Holiday Inn, Davidson Road, Somerset, NJ. For details click here.

    Mike Drzyzga and Pat McDermott's "Mug Shot"
    Mikes receives the Chapter's glass "coffee" mug for being the presenter on June 10, 2015.

  • April 15, 2015, Frazier Bronson, CHP, presents "Babies, Spiders, and Persimmons: Adventures in post-Fukushima Japan", Hosted by Princeton, University, Joseph Henry Room, Jadwin Hall (see the photo section)
  • September 16, 2014 Dr. Mohan Doss presents "Low-Dose Radiation is Beneficial, Not Harmful".

  • June 26, 2013, DNA to D&D: A Molecular Biologist's Foray Into Am-241 Health Physics
    Dr. Walt Lilly, Southeast Missouri State University

  • June 14, 2012, Annual Meeting (click here for info)

  • April 26, 2012, Meeting (click here for info)
    Presentation Topic: Decommissioning of a 1920s-Era Chemistry Lab Building and Assorted Surprises or What Exactly Were They Doing with That Radium?