ML20005B501

Responds to 810616 Request for Addl Info Re D Hirsch Educational & Prof Qualifications to Serve as Expert Interrogator.W/Certificate of Svc

ML20005B501
Person / Time
Site:	05000142
Issue date:	06/30/1981
From:	Hirsch D COMMITTEE TO BRIDGE THE GAP
To:	Bowers E Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel
Shared Package
ML20005B502	List: ML20005B501 ML20005B504
References
NUDOCS 8107080305
Download: ML20005B501 (3)

Text

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COMMITTEE TO BRIDGE THE GAP 1637 BUTLER AVENUE #203

-w LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90025 (213) 478M29 DJ f 1981 N

Elizabeth S. 3owers, Esq.

Chairman 3

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Administrative Judge jul 0g198 7 H3 j:ss Atomic Safety and bcensing 3oard U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission %z pgss# 'q g  %

Washington, D.C. 20555 k> O *

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D In the Fatter of' A U'.vn ,

The Regents of the University of California Z N U 6lggf , d{l (UCLA Research Reactor) <'-

Docket Fo. 50-142 (S Offic Ded [ 9 $ % h; (Proposed Fenewal of Facility License) r.ff ;

RE: Response to 3oard Order of June 16, 1981, Requesting Additional Infernation from Daniel Hirsch

Dear Judge 3cwers:

On June 3,1961, counsel for the Comnittee to 3 ridge the Cap (C3G) moved the 3 card to qualify me as an " expert interrogator ' funder 10 CFR 2.733 'to assist counsel in examination and cross-exanination of expert witnesses at hearing. On June 12, Applicant informed the 3oani that it had no objection to the request, but asked that it be informed whether its understanding of my formal education was correct.

At that time, Applicant also " corrected" a statem .t of mine regarding my teaching of courses in energ issues as a Visiting Lecturer at UCIA through the Council on Educational Development (CED), an academic program of the UCIA Acadenic Senate. By letter dated June 25, 1981, Mr. Cornier apparently retracted his " correction," noting that the Acting Dean of the Council had informed hin that CED is indeed a faculty committee of the Academic Senate at UCLA.1 On June 16, 1991, the Board requested that I answer the query raised b7 Applicant and furthermore, be "more explicit about the cources on ' energy issues'" I am teaching. Staff, which I understand had in phone conversation with C3G's atterney previously stated that it anticipated no objection frem Staff, informed the Board on June 19 that Staff would await my answer before filing its response.

If Mr. Cormier's June 12 letter seemed to imply that I do not teach in an acadenic program of the UCLA Academic Senate, but rather through some

" student and faculty c'omnittee" not quite associated with the University. 9\\

As Mr. Cormier's June 25 letter of correction indicates, I an a visiting lect er with the Council on Blucational Developnent, an academic program of the Acadenic Senate. All faculty cornmi ttaa= nr +6 aa.ademic Senate have a few student representatives. 6 8107080305 810630 p PDR ADOCK 0500C142.

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Elizabeth S. Bowers page 2 June 30, 1981 Pr. Cormier stated in his June 12 letter It is our understanding that Mr. Hirsch is not a scientist and that he has not received a bachelor's degree or any advanced degree i in a science or field of engineering. Because it is propoced that he proceed as an expert interrogator we request that he be directed to be more explicit about his formal educational background and to correct us if we are wrong in our understandire.

The Board's Ctder of June 16 requested information as to uhat a

" degree from Farvard in Special Studies means." Let me explain.

"Special Studies" was an interdisciplinary honors. progran at Harvard established to provide a small, select ~ group of students with an opportunity to do educational work in several disciplines, something which, prior to the establishment of the "Special Studies" program, was difficult to do due to the segmentation of academic concentrations at Harvard into rather narrow fields of study.

I had some hand in the creation and adoption of the "Special Studies" program by the Farvard Faculty Senate when I was a member of the Committee on Undergraduate Education (a faculty committee, which like UCLA's CED, permits a few student representatives to sit on it). The program, when finally adopted, was limited to a very few students who had to pass through a rather rigorous applicatim procedure. There were, if I remember correctly, only twelve of us approved during the year I entered the program.

The program was interdisciplinary, with each student responsible for putting together an interdisciplinary academic committee to tutor, advise, and evaluate his work, including his thesis. My committee was headed by Rustham thavala, a geologists also serving were Herb Gintis, an economist who was my thesis advisers and Adam Curle, from the School of Education.

My particular program focused on how various disciplines are utilized.

in public policy decisions. It is thus correct that my forral education was heavily on the social science side, focusing on public policy questions, although clearly from an interdisciplinary perspective.

That interest in public policy issues has continued in my teaching at UCLA, which I have teen doing part-time for the last seven years. In recent years the public policy question that has been of most interest to me has been energy policy, with a very strong focus on nuclear power. As is true of many of my academic colleagues, my acquiring of knowledge in ray field has occurred largely after my formal education ended. In my case, in order to cmpetently address public policy questions related to energy in general and nuclear power in particular required a deep immersion

Elizabeth S. Bowers page 3 June 30, 1981 in the scientific and technical aspects of the policy questions I address.

The courses I have been approved to teach at UCLA, as will be seen in the attached course dy :Mption, are interdisciplinary in attempting to create an interface bam een the technical Lnd scientific information and skills necessary for mking informed judgments about complex issues and the urderstanding of social theory as to how complex decisions are actually made in a society such as ours.

It is a common practice for scholars in academic life and researchers for nonprofit crganizations to attempt to develop a technical competence in the public policy areas we address. In my case that has been the area of energy policy ard in particular nuclear policy. As will be seen by the statement attached from the Los Angeles Federation of Scientists, at least some of my co11ea6ues feel my acquired technical knowled6 e creditable enough to enable me to to of service at hearing.

In sum, my formal educaticri has focused on the public policy side of tcademic disciplines, not science er engineering; however, my experience cince formal education onded has been heavily immersed in acquiring the technical competence necesrary for work in my area of public policy.

Please note *nat Mr. Pollock requested my assistance in examination and cross-examination of expert wits sses on the tasis of expertise acquired through experience (p. 2, 6/3/81 Mot *.on), not formal education. It is my understanding that qualification on such grounds is permitted under 10 CFR 2.733.

As the 3 card's Order only raquested additional information as to ny formal education and my current teaching, and since the University has said it has no objection to my serving as an " expert interrogator," I have not detailed the experience from which my technical knowledge has been derived.

Nor, aside from the statement by the Los Angeles Federation of Scientists, have I included any letters of support from scientists and engineers. I am willing to provide both should the Boari still find the present information insufficient.

Re p/ectfull tjed, Duf Daniel Hirsch attachments: Statement from Los Angeles Federation of Scientists Declaration of Park Pollock course description U CIA catalogue listing +

• I have asked that the course be postponed to winter quarter because of the press of other duties, but the change was rade after the catalogue was printed.

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