Tim Tran (Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences) gave presentations at the Thirteenth International Conference on Methods and Applications of Radioanalytical Chemistry (MARC XIII) titled, “Using Neutron Activation to Study Heavy Metals in Water Samples of Lake Mead” and “Evaluating Cosmic-ray Background in an HPGE Detector System: Experimental Observations and Geant4 Simulations.” Tran is an undergraduate student in the environmental health physics program, and his research is guided by Zaijing Sun in the Group of Health, Environment, and Radiation Detection.

Zaijing Sun (Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences) and collaborators published a study in Applied Radiation and Isotopes titled “Evaluating Cosmic-Ray Backgrounds in HPGe Gamma Spectrometry: Experimental Observations and GEANT4 Simulations.” Using a High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector with an active cosmic veto system, the team analyzed atmospheric cosmic-ray backgrounds at the UNLV main campus. GEANT4 simulations validated the experimental results, demonstrated effective background reduction, and improved gamma spectrometry accuracy. This research was done by the Health, Environment, and Radiation Detection group.

Krishnakumar Nangeelil, Haven Searcy, and Zaijing Sun (all Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences), along with Beverly Parker from the Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) at the Desert Research Institute, published an article titled, “Assessing Radiation Fallout in Public Zones near the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS): A Recent Study,” in Health Physics, the official radiation safety journal of the Health Physics Society. 

The paper conducted a comprehensive radiological study in the surrounding public zones of the Nevada National Security Site to identify traces of resuspended radioactivity and heavy elemental contamination that might have resulted from various activities. The study used passive and active nuclear methods, specifically gamma spectrometry and instrumental neutron activation analysis, respectively. The results demonstrated that there was no measurable radiological impact on the public zones surrounding the site resulting from the spread of radioactive materials or toxic heavy metals associated with previous or ongoing activities at Nevada National Security Site. The significance of this study is further pronounced in the current geopolitical context, as it establishes the baseline elemental composition for various desert plants for future reference.This work was an collaboration research between the groups of Health, Environment, and Radiation Detection (HERD) and Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP) .