The North Central Chapter held its Spring Meeting on April 5, 2002 at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Forty-one members attend the daylong meeting hosted by Marcum Martz and Kimberly Knight from the Medical College of Milwaukee.

Brian Vetter, President-elect of the North Central Chapter, opened the meeting with welcoming remarks and a special acknowledgement of our meeting sponsors: Research Products International, Saint-Gobain Crystals & Detectors, ICN Dosimetry and Teletrix Corporation.

Eric Eastwold, Health Physicist at the University of Minnesota, presented the first technical session entitled "Cf-252 Irradiator Source Installation." The multi-media presentation gave us a unique perspective on the intricacies of fitting a source into an existing facility.

John Moulder, PhD, Professor in Radiation Oncology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, spoke to the question "Is Mobile Communication a Health Hazard?" Dr. Moulder has posted detailed information at http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop/cell-phone-health-FAQ/toc.html. His research to date does not show that radiofrequency energy emitted from mobile phones has adverse effects, but there is not yet sufficient information to conclude that they pose no risk.

Cheryl Rogers, Radiation Section Manager, State of Wisconsin, and Paul Schmidt, Manager in the Wisconsin Dept. of Health Radiation Protection Section, reported on Wisconsin's progress in becoming an agreement state.

Sue McClanahan, Supervisor in the Radiation Control Section of the Minnesota Dept. of Health, gave us an update on the status of Minnesota's move towards becoming an agreement state for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. They are on schedule with the final draft rule with July 2003 as the anticipated sign-off date.

Howard Jacob, PhD, Associate Professor in the Dept. of Physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, addressed the topic of "P-32: Your Research Friend for Human Genetics is in its 8th Half-Life". He explained how P-32 is currently used in genomic research and how it is being replaced by fluorescent dyes.

Irene Patrek, NCC Executive Council, spoke about the method in which the chapter Science Teacher Award recipient is selected, using 2001 recipient Julie Olson of Mitchell High School in Mitchell, SD, as a model for the selection process. Members of the selection committee Kermit Paulson, Cynthia Horn, Doug Gossen and Dan McGrane were acknowledged. New members and many applications in 2002-3 are welcomed.

The Spring Chapter Business Meeting was called to order right after lunch.

Chapter election results were announced. The newly elected officers will take over duties at the conclusion of the fall business meeting typically held in October. The newly elected officers are President-elect Irene Patrek, and Councilors Jeffrey Brunette and Tim Donakowski. Other topics covered were nominations for HPS awards and offices, NCCHPS committee assignments, and the chapter newsletter.

Marcum Martz, Radiation Safety Officer for the Medical College of Wisconsin, addressed the topic of "Isotope Security at Academic Institutions". He discussed a proposal to apply risk-based levels of security for laboratories using radioactive materials. The system is based on the ALI, form and concentrations contained in labs.

Jim Ellis, RN BSN, Director, Trauma Center, led the group on a tour of the decontamination facility in the Froedert Hospital Emergency Department.