RISK newsletter:
Abbott, Boykin Receive SRA's Outstanding Service Award
Source: The Society for Risk
Analysis' RISK newsletter,
Second Quarter 1995
Abbott became the editor-writer of the SRA newsletter with
the publication of its second issue in 1981. At the time, she was
a technical writer and editor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory,
where she had been employed since receiving her degree in
chemistry from Maryville College in Tennessee in 1948. Her
publications include reviews of radiation shielding design
methods for fast reactors and nuclear weapons and, as co-editor,
the shielding volume of the Reactor Handbook published in
1962 by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. From 1979 to 1989, she
was also the editor-writer of the newsletter of the American
Nuclear Society's Oak Ridge/Knoxville chapter.
Retiring from the Laboratory in 1986, Abbott formed her own
technical communications company, Tec-Com Inc., and
assembled a five-person staff to produce RISK newsletter and
several other publications. Through the efforts of the
staff, which include regular contacts with chapters, sections,
and specialty groups, SRA's newsletter has grown from a four-page
biannual publication to the present quarterly newsletter that
fully informs the membership of current events and provides a
historical record of the Society's major activities.
Boykin was elected to a two-year term as the Society's
treasurer in 1989 and was re-elected in 199l. His second term was
extended to three years by action of the SRA Council so that the
secretary and treasurer would be elected in alternate years.
During his tenure, he instituted several financial review
procedures, was instrumental in obtaining a new journal
publishing contract more favorable to the Society, and took the
lead in modifying the budgeting process to require more financial
responsibility in all SRA activities. He is a charter member of
SRA and served as general program chairman and general
co-chairman of the 1984 and 1989 annual meetings, respectively.
Boykin is currently at California State University, Chico,
where he is a professor of operations management, the director of
the Center for Risk Management, and the technical director of the
Center for Manufacturing Excellence. He is also a senior
associate consultant with PLG Inc.
With a Ph.D. in management science from St. Louis University,
Boykin spent over 15 years as a management scientist and senior
research scientist in industry, mostly in the chemical and
nuclear industries. His work included early applications of
probabilistic risk assessment in chemical plant operations,
methodology development for hazardous material transportation,
and numerous other risk projects that included high-level
radioactive waste disposal, ammonia and chlorine storage,
plutonium transportation, and glove box operations. He has served
on several industry and government risk assessment and risk
management committees at both the national and state levels and
has published numerous papers on risk analysis topics.
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