In order to foster multi-national cooperation, standards must be established and agreed upon by the international community in the areas of hazard definition, accident sequence modeling, data acquisition, risk quantification and consequence assessment. The purpose of the Division is to respond to this need and be the coordinating body of the Center for Technology Risk Studies in its international interactions. Risk analysis techniques and tools are used to assess maritime systems that include offshore, coastal and maritime facilities, and natural systems such as coastlines, waterways, water channels, rivers and streams. For these systems, risk analysis is used for identifying, characterizing, quantifying, and evaluating hazards for decision making purposes in an environment of uncertainty. After risk has been quantified, appropriate risk-management options can be devised and considered.
Risk communication is used to educate and inform policy makers and the public.
Since 1960, the University of Maryland's Laboratory for Radiation and Polymer Science, under the direction of Professor Joseph Silverman, has been a pioneering force in the research and development of the chemistry and materials of the radiation processing industry. The Laboratory's students, as well as the Laboratory's discoveries, have become integral parts of the radiation processing community. The University of Maryland and NASA s GSFC Laboratory for Terrestrial Physics share common goals in the areas of laser, material science, and surface processing research for space-based lasers and instrumentation. In furtherance thereof, the two institutions have developed scientific staff, facilities and capabilities which are involved in the definition, research and publication of scientific information in these areas. The University of Maryland has faculty with expertise in materials, optics and processing.