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Environmental Monitoring Online Training

Training course introduces theories and methods of measuring outdoor radiation levels

Introduction

ORAU's PTP is now offering an expanded version of the Environmental Monitoring Online Training course.

Participants will now have access to both lecture and lab materials through self-paced modules and pre-recorded videos, developed by the same team that provides the instructor-led training.

The American Academy of Health Physics grants 40 Continuing Education Credits for completion of this course.

Course description

Monitoring programs for environmental radioactivity have been, or are being, established at many facilities. It is essential to ensure that appropriate types of samples are collected, appropriate measurements are made, correct sampling and measurement techniques are employed, and the best locations for these samples and measurements are selected. To help meet the need for trained personnel in this area, ORAU developed the Environmental Monitoring Online Training course

The course contains 17 self-paced modules and 10 pre-recorded videos designed to introduce participants to the basic theories and mechanics of environmental monitoring for radioactivity. The videos provide an unobstructed view of the instructors conducting each exercise and processing the data that is collected. This course is expected to take 40 hours to complete. 

A list of the modules included in the course is provided below, along with instructions about the registration process. In order to complete the course, you will be required to pass an exam. A passing score is 70+ out of 100. You will have three attempts to successfully complete the exam. Upon successful completion of the exam, a course certificate of completion will be provided.

PTP instructors will be available via email, phone, or Microsoft Teams to answer questions and provide assistance when needed.

Target audience

This online course is designed for individuals who design and/or implement environmental monitoring programs and have limited practical and/or theoretical experience in this area.

Cost

$2,195 - Tuition includes access to the course materials via the ORAU Learning Management System (LMS).

Register now

Questions

If you have additional questions about this course, please contact the Registrar.

Impact Areas

Registration Information

These are asynchronous (self-paced) online courses. The training staff recommends that you complete the training within six months of enrollment. Once registration is complete, you will receive an email confirming that your registration has been received. Once your payment has been confirmed, you will receive an email containing your user name and temporary password if this is the first time you have registered for an online course. If you have registered before, you will receive notification that the course is now available.

Each course contains a series of modules/exercises to be completed. When all modules are complete, you will be granted access to the exam. A passing score is 70 out of 100. You will have three attempts to successfully complete the exam. Upon successful completion of the exam, a course certificate of completion will be provided.

Please read the following carefully in its entirety. You must accept these terms and conditions in order to be successfully enrolled in the course. By accepting these terms and conditions, you are legally obligated to act in accordance with this agreement.

Restricted Materials Use Agreement

By registering for this course offered by ORAU's Professional Training Programs (PTP), I understand that I will be provided with PTP-developed course materials. In exchange for receiving these materials, I agree and understand that PTP’s course materials (both electronic or hardcopy) are provided for use by the registered participant only.

Duplication and/or distribution of the course materials, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, is strictly prohibited without the prior written permission of ORAU. The participant may retain and use the course materials for personal reference in perpetuity. Publications and other copyrighted materials provided during the course may be subject to additional restrictions as noted within these documents.

Payment Policy

Payment in full is required in advance.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Once access to the course material has been granted via the Learning Management System, no cancellations will be accepted and no refunds will be issued.

Links to Third-Party Websites

PTP's Online Training may include links to third-party websites that are controlled and maintained by other organizations. Any link to third-party websites is not an endorsement of said websites, and ORAU is not responsible for the content or availability of any such sites.

Recording

Sessions that contain webinars will be recorded.

ORAU Event Attendee Code of Conduct

This ORAU Event Attendee Code of Conduct (“Code of Conduct”) applies at all ORAU live and virtual meetings, conferences, forums, and meeting-related events, including those sponsored by ORAU or in conjunction with other organizations.

Please read the following Code of Conduct linked below in its entirety.

This Code of Conduct may be revised at any time by ORAU and the terms are non-negotiable.

Your registration for or attendance at any ORAU Event, whether it is held in-person or virtually, indicates your agreement to abide by this Code of Conduct.

ORAU Event Attendee Code of Conduct

Ordering Terms and Conditions

The terms and conditions agreed to herein comprise the entirety of the agreement between the customer and ORAU absent any other ORAU commercial contract.

  • Module 1: Introduction to Environmental Monitoring Programs
    • Describe how licensees evaluate dose to members of the public from radioactive releases to the environment
    • List and describe the goals of the different types of environmental monitoring programs
    • State the recommended practices for environmental surveillance
  • Module 2: Environmental Standards and Regulations
    • Describe the roles of U.S. federal government agencies and indicate from where they derive their authority
    • Identify key U.S. federal environmental regulatory requirements
  • Module 3: Effluent Monitoring
    • Describe the different types of effluents that are monitored by licensees
    • Discuss the best practices for an effluent monitoring program
    • Compare the published effluent release limits to a licensee’s annual reports
    • Describe the use of the environmental inventory and calculate the inventory for a specific radionuclide
  • Module 4: Introduction to Radionuclide Pathways in the Environment
    • Recognize and describe the important environmental exposure pathways
    • Explain the purpose of commonly used mathematical models and computer codes used for radionuclide pathways analysis
    • Describe the components common to a licensee’s conceptual site model (CSM)
  • Module 5: Lab Video: American Nuclear Corporation (ANC) Photo Tour
    • Familiarize the learner with the former ANC site and provide an understanding of how its operations contributed to environmental contamination
  • Module 6: Direct Radiation Measurements, Part 1
    • Identify typical sources of direct radiation
    • Describe how exposure to direct radiation impacts members of the public
  • Module 7: Direct Radiation Measurements, Part 2
    • Describe the technologies that licensees use to measure direct radiationDemonstrate the calibration of a low-volume air sampler flowmeter (e.g., rotameter) with a primary standard
    • Describe the appropriate use of direct radiation measurement systems
    • List pertinent inspection points and expected outcomes of the licensee’s program
  • Module 8: Lab Video: Field Measurements – Creek, Part 1
    • Demonstrate the use of direct gamma measurement devices used by environmental monitoring programs
    • Prepare for and conduct an actual gamma walkover survey, mapping the environmental contamination
    • Demonstrate the use of borehole measurements as an adjunct to 2D contamination maps
  • Module 9: Environmental Air Sampling
    • Discuss sampling considerations when sampling air in the environment (outdoors)
    • Describe the characteristics of an ideal environmental air sampling location
    • Discuss background radionuclides found in the environment and their effect on concentration measurements
  • Module 10: Lab Video: AS-104 Environmental Air Sampling - Gross Beta Analysis
    • Prepare for, collect, and process an environmental particulate air sample
    • Quantify the gross beta concentration in the atmosphere, making corrections for naturally occurring radon and thoron decay products
  • Module 11: Lab Video: AS-105 Environmental Air Sampling - Isotopic Analysis via Gamma Spectrometry
    • Prepare for, collect, and process an environmental particulate air sample
    • Quantify the concentration of beryllium-7 (Be-7) in the atmosphere
  • Module 12: Soil Science for Health Physicists
    • Describe the different types of soil in which radionuclides are found
  • Module 13: Radionuclides in Soil
    • Describe sources of contamination and background radioactivity in soils and how they impact exposure pathways and environmental analysi
    • Describe how radionuclides move through soil and soil characteristics that influence transport and retention
  • Module 14: Soil Sampling Prpgrams
    • Describe typical soil sampling programs
    • List pertinent inspection points and licensing issues with respect to soil sampling
  • Module 15: Lab Video: Soil Sampling Equipment
    • Demonstrate the use of typical soil sampling instruments/equipment used by environmental monitoring programs
  • Module 16: Sediment Sampling
    • Describe how radioactive material is integrated into sediment
    • Describe the purposes of sediment sampling
    • Evaluate sample collection locations for sediments
  • Module 17: Lab Video: Field Measurements – Creek, Part 2
    • Demonstrate the use of sediment sampling equipment in a stream
  • Module 18: Sampling Equipment for Soils and Sediments
    • Select appropriate sampling equipment for a given sample type
  • Module 19: Lab Video: Sediment Core – Collection and Analysis
    • Demonstrate the use of sediment sampling equipment in a large body of water (e.g., slough)
    • Analyze sediment core samples via gamma spectroscopy
  • Module 20: Water Sampling, Part 1
    • Describe the different types of water in which radionuclides can be found
    • Describe the exposure pathways for nuclides in water
    • Describe why and where water sampling is performed
    • Describe water sampling methods and equipment
  • Module 21: Water Sampling, Part 2
    • Describe typical handling procedures for water samples
    • Describe typical water sampling programs at nuclear power plants, low-level waste facilities, and uranium mills
    • List pertinent inspection points and licensing issues with respect to water sampling
  • Module 22: Lab Video: Sediment and Water and Sampling – Marina Activities
    • Demonstrate the use of typical water sampling equipment in a field setting
    • Demonstrate the use of dredges for sediment sampling in a field setting
  • Module 23: Lab Video: Water Sampling Equipment
    • Demonstrate the use of typical water sampling equipment
  • Module 24: Sampling Biotas and Food Products, Part 1
    • Describe what is meant by biotas and food products
    • Describe why sampling of biotas and food products is performed and the relationship to exposure pathways
    • Describe the typical considerations for background sampling of biotas and food products
  • Module 25: Sampling Biotas and Food Products, Part 2
    • Describe typical sampling methods for biotas and food products
    • Describe typical sampling programs at nuclear power plants, low-level waste facilities, and uranium mills
  • Module 26: Lab Video: BIO-100 Biota Sampling Field Exercise
    • Demonstrate biota sample planning, collection, and management
  • Module 27: Environmental Sampling in Support of Decontamination and Decommissioning
    • Describe the need for an effluent and environmental monitoring program during decontamination and decommissioning, site maintenance, and long-term assessments

What our students are saying

“This course really brought environmental field monitoring to life. There was much practical info I can apply to my job!”

“The laboratory and off-site labs were excellent experiences. Sampling the sleu (stream) sediment and surveying the old American Nuclear Corporation site were excellent four steps that added a realistic flavor to course where often they would be simulated environments.”

Environmental Monitoring Course instructor and students in the field

Contact us

For more information about ORAU's Professional Training Programs, contact:

Registrar
ORAU Professional Training Programs 
P.O. Box 117, MS-11
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117
Phone: (865) 576-3576
Fax: (865) 241-9152
registrar@orau.org

ORAU Professional Training Programs flyer

View the PTP course flyer (.PDF, 1.28 MB)