United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20555

Phone 301-415-8200 Fax 301-415-2234

Internet:opa@nrc.gov

No. 99-33 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Tuesday, February 23, 1999)

NRC NAMES DR. MARIO V. BONACA TO ADVISORY COMMITTEE

ON REACTOR SAFEGUARDS

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has appointed Dr. Mario V. Bonaca of

Glastonbury, Connecticut -- a consultant whose career spans 30 years -- to the

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS).

Dr. Bonaca received his doctorate in physics from the University of Florence,

Italy, in 1964. He has worked with nuclear steam supply system designers and

engaged in reactor analysis and plant design for both American and German projects.

He also held management positions dealing with nuclear fuel, safety analysis,

probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), emergency planning, nuclear waste, and nuclear

safety and oversight.

From 1986 to 1990, Dr. Bonaca was a U.S. industry PRA representative at the

Nuclear Energy Agency, a component of the Paris-based Organization of Economic

Cooperation and Development. He served from 1989 to 1995 as a member of the

Senior Experts on Severe Accident Management, an international group. From 1996 to

1997 he was a member of the supervisory committee for a program which involved

PRA and safety improvements at the Novovoronez nuclear power plant in Russia under

the sponsorship of the Swiss Nuclear Safety Inspectorate. He has also been a

consultant to the ACRS.

The Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, established in 1957, advises

the Commission on the safety aspects of nuclear facilities and the adequacy of safety

standards. Members serve for four-year terms, and may serve no more than three

consecutive terms.

Other members of the Committee are:

CHAIRMAN: Dr. Dana A. Powers, Manager, Nuclear Facilities Safety Department,

Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM.

VICE-CHAIRMAN: Dr. George Apostolakis, Professor, Nuclear Engineering

Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Dr. Thomas S. Kress, retired Head of Applied Systems

Technology Section, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN.

Mr. John B. Barton, retired Vice-President, GPU Nuclear Corporation, Parsippany, NJ.

Dr. Mario H. Fontana, Adjunct Professor, Nuclear Engineering Department, University

of Tennessee, and retired from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN.

Dr. Don W. Miller, Professor and Chair, Nuclear Engineering, Department of

Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.

Dr. William J. Shack, Associate Director, Energy Technology Division, Argonne National

Laboratory, Argonne, IL.

Dr. Robert L. Seale, Professor Emeritus of Nuclear and Energy Engineering,

Department of Nuclear and Energy Engineering, College of Engineering and Mines,

University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

Dr. Robert E. Uhrig, Distinguished Professor, Nuclear Engineering Department,

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, and Distinguished Scientist,

Instrumentation and Control Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN.

Dr. Graham B. Wallis, Professor, Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College,

Hanover, NH.

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