President Barack Obama appointed Regents Professor Sue Clark to serve on the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB).

Clark said she feels privileged to take part in this opportunity.

"I am very honored by this opportunity to serve the state of Washington and the country,” Clark said."Being able to engage in these kinds of activities and to see the impact of your work — and the impact of science in general — on public policy and issues of importance is a terrific benefit of being a faculty member at Washington State University.”

Clark is regents professor of chemistry at WSU, where she has taught and conducted research in actinide environmental chemistry and radioanalytical chemistry since 1996. The NWTRB is an independent organization providing objective scientific and engineering advice on nuclear waste management to Congress for the secretary of energy and other officials.

Joanna Steward, director of communication in the College of Sciences, said she wanted to clarify the difference between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the NWTRB because they can be confused at times.

“The NWTRB is not a regulatory body,” Steward said. “The members review the technical basis for various DOE activities related to spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste and then provide technical scientific and engineering recommendations.”

Dean of the College of Sciences Daryll DeWald said Clark's appointment to the NWTRB is a reflection of the quality of her research and the depth of her knowledge of the science involved with high-level nuclear waste.

“Current and future chemistry students, particularly those in Dr. Clark's specialty of radiochemistry, will benefit from her experiences, as well,” DeWald said.

DeWald said he believes Clark will be an asset to the company.

“The nation has gained an enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable technical advocate as we work through the complex issue of high-level radioactive nuclear waste,” DeWald said. “Her experience and expertise will be an asset for the NWTRB. Clark will remain on faculty at WSU and will continue her academic duties throughout her tenure on the NWTRB.”

According to her biography on the NWTRB website, Clark has served on numerous national advisory committees, including the Board of Directors of the U.S. Council for Chemical Research, the Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board of the National Research Council, the Board on Radioactive Waste Management of the National Research Council, and the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee of the Office of Science in the U.S. Department of Energy.