(Positive) Health Physics Exposure on TV!

[Sharyn Mathews <editor50@EARTHLINK.NET>]

HEALTH PHYSICS COMES TO TV! URSA SHOWN ON CBS “CRIME” SHOW


"CSI Miami," the popular television drama known for its use of

state-of-the-art equipment and its attention to scientific detail, will

use the “brain-child” of a health physicist in an upcoming episode. The

episode entitled, “Dead Woman Walking,” will air on Monday, February 10th

on the local CBS station, from 10-11 PM. In the story, the "CSI

Miami" scientists investigate an unknown substance--later determined

to be a radioactive isotope--using the URSA, a real-life health physics

instrument developed by Paul R. Steinmeyer.  Steinmeyer, who is Vice

President of Operations at Radiation Safety Associates, Inc., in Hebron,

Connecticut, developed the Universal Radiation Spectrum Analyzer--URSA,

for short--in an effort to make his job (and that of his colleagues)

easier and more accurate.


"CSI Miami" was recently voted “Best New Drama on TV” in the

Peoples’ Choice Awards, and CBS has just renewed its contract for a full

year, following its initial 13-week success. “Dead Woman Walking” is

episode number 15 in the series.  "CSI Miami" is known for

its use of state-of-the-art equipment and its attention to scientific

detail.  According to one of its producers, the show has a forensic

science lab equipped with genuine scientific equipment that would be the

“envy of many jurisdictions,” and the show’s producers, actors, and

directors are committed to providing its viewing public with an education

(in the field of forensic science) as well as entertainment.


The URSA is a miniaturized version of equipment that labs have used for

years, computer-based, and sensitive. Roughly the size and shape of a

“Palm-Pilot”™  or your child’s “Game Boy”™ the URSA is portable. Its

price--considerably lower than its larger cousins--makes it affordable

for smaller offices. And its dedicated, comprehensive software (again,

developed by Paul exclusively for use with the URSA) makes it easier to

analyze data, comparing the information it receives to a database of

isotopic characterizations.  The URSA is capable of analyzing

information around the office or around the world.  Included in the

URSA software is the capability to run remote locations from a central

office, making it ideal for situations where “in the field” measurements

are sent back to a central processing facility. 


The URSA is one of several “brain-children” Paul has created in the past

few years. His other contributions to his profession include:  


--

      

Nuclear Medicine

Patient Release Software (an application based on the federal regulations

for the release of patients following the administration of radioactive

isotopes for medical purposes); 


--

      

ReSource

(co-developed with his wife, Laura Steinmeyer; a software application

that functions as a database for tracking nuclear materials in labs and

other radiation-using facilities); and

--

      

RadCalc (software

that automatically performs mathematical formulas and functions, and

gives the user a full, searchable database of radioactive elements and

their characteristics.


Other hardware and software items are, according to Paul, “always under

development. For additional information, contact Radiation Safety

Associates, Inc., at 860 228 0487, or visit the website at

www.radpro.com.