PNNL scientists elected to academy

Two Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists have been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences.

In addition, Alan Waltar, the scientific committee chairman of Advanced Medical Isotope Corp. in Kennewick, has been elected to the academy.

The academy includes over 100 members recognized for outstanding scientific achievement.

Members review and assess initiatives and provide state policymakers with scientific counsel.

New members from the Department of Energy national laboratory in Richland are Jim Fredrickson and Moe Khaleel.

Fredrickson is a laboratory fellow who works in PNNL's Biological Sciences Division. His research focuses on below-ground microbes and their role in moving metals and radioactive contaminants in the subsurface.

Khaleel is a laboratory fellow who serves as director of PNNL's Computational Sciences and Mathematics Division. His research focuses on computational engineering and fuel cell technology.

Waltar was the director of nuclear energy at PNNL before taking a job as head of the nuclear engineering program at Texas A&M University and more recently returning to Washington. He is the author of Radiation and Modern Life.

This story was originally published July 28, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "PNNL scientists elected to academy ."