[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 158 (Friday, August 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48891-48892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-20909]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Federal Interagency Steering Committee on Multimedia 
Environmental Modeling

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

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SUMMARY: The annual public meeting of the Federal Interagency Steering 
Committee on Multimedia Environmental Modeling (ISCMEM) will convene to 
review progress by the

[[Page 48892]]

working groups and to discuss initiatives for FY 2004.
    Date of Meeting: September 24, 2003.
    Place: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Headquarters Auditorium, 
11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD, 20852.
    Time: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Inquiries and notice of intent to 
attend the meeting may be addressed to Dr. Mark S. Dortch, ISCMEM 
Chair, Environmental Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Research and 
Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199, or 
phone 601-634-3517.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: On July 5, 2001, six Federal agencies entered into a 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on research and development of 
multimedia environmental modeling (for a copy of the MOU with 
addendums, and details of the activities please see http://www.ISCMEM.Org). In 2002 and 2003, two additional Federal Agencies 
joined the interagency cooperative project. The MOU establishes a 
framework for facilitating cooperation and coordination among the 
following agencies (the specific research organization within the 
agency is in parenthesis): U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Engineer 
Research and Development Center); U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(Agricultural Research Service); U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(Natural Resources Conservation Service); U.S. Department of Energy 
(Office of Research and Development); U.S. Geological Survey; U.S. 
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration; and U.S. Nuclear 
Regulatory Commission (Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research). These 
agencies are cooperating and coordinating in research and development 
(R&D) of multimedia environmental models, software and related 
databases, including development, enhancements, applications and 
assessments of site-specific, generic, and process-oriented multimedia 
environmental models as they pertain to human and environmental health 
risk assessment. Specifically, the MOU supports collaboration and the 
exchange of technical information in support of multimedia 
environmental modeling focusing on environmental risk assessments, 
including development/enhancements of models and model frameworks or 
infrastructure and advancement of related technical activities, such as 
considering uncertainty and model application procedures.
    Purpose of the Public Meeting: The annual public meeting provides 
an opportunity for the scientific community, other Federal and State 
agencies, and the public to be briefed on the progress of the MOU 
working groups and their initiatives for the upcoming year, and to 
discuss technological advancements in multimedia environmental 
modeling.
    Proposed Agenda: The ISCMEM Chair will report on new participating 
Federal agencies. The four MOU working groups, Software System Design 
and Implementation, Uncertainty and Parameter Estimation, Modeling 
Reactive Transport, and Watershed Modeling, will report on their 
progress during the year. A series of technical presentations will 
focus on: progress on the Geospatial Library for Environmental Modeling 
(GEOLEM) project as related to integration of modeling frameworks and 
GIS; results of the International Workshop on Uncertainty, Sensitivity 
and Parameter; and activities towards conceptualized model development 
for subsurface reactive transport modeling of inorganic contaminants, 
radionuclides, and nutrients. Participation with this MOU of similar 
coordinating groups and consortia outside the U.S. will be discussed. A 
detailed agenda with presentation titles and speakers will be posted on 
the MOU public Web site: http://ww.ISCMEM.Org.
    Meeting Access: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
Headquarters Auditorium is located in Two White Flint North Building at 
11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. To access the NRC 
Auditorium, please use the Two White Flint North building entrance to 
proceed through security. The most convenient transportation to the 
meeting venue is via Metro. Please take Metro to the White Flint Metro 
stop on the Red Line. NRC is directly across the street from the White 
Flint Metro exit on Marinelli Road. Please inform the security 
personnel that you are attending the public meeting on multimedia 
environmental modeling in the NRC Auditorium.

Mark S. Dortch,
Chair, Federal Interagency Steering Committee on Multimedia 
Environmental Modeling.
[FR Doc. 03-20909 Filed 8-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-61-M