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(Positive) Health Physics Exposure on TV!



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.