image: Bob May's career-long aspiration has been to keep people from all walks of life and in different work environments safe from radiation in the workplace. Now, the deputy director of Environment, Safety and Health at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has been honored for his dedication to the field by being named a fellow of the Health Physics Society. view more
Credit: DOE's Jefferson Lab
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Bob May’s career-long aspiration has been to keep people from all walks of life and in different work environments safe from radiation in the workplace. Now, the deputy director of Environment, Safety and Health at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility has been honored for his dedication to the field by being named a fellow of the Health Physics Society.
“The award is given to members of the society in recognition of their significant administrative, educational and/or scientific contributions to the profession of health physics,” said Nolan Hertel, chair of the HPS awards committee, in a letter to May.
May was nominated and elected to receive the honor by his professional peers.
Throughout his 40-year career as a health physicist, May has held many roles within the HPS national and statewide chapters, including exam panel member, board member, secretary, president and newsletter editor. Currently, he is a plenary member and president-elect of the accelerator section of the nationwide organization and treasurer of the Virginia chapter.
May has served as the deputy director of the ES&H division at Jefferson Lab since 2008. He joined the lab in 1990 when it was the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF), serving first as the operational health physicist and then as the acting head of the radiation control group.
Prior to starting his career at the lab, May worked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard as a health physicist and senior manager. He began his career in 1979 as a radiological health specialist for the Virginia Department of Health after graduating from Virginia Tech with a bachelor of science degree in biology. He earned a master’s degree in health physics from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2003.
Founded in 1956, the Health Physics Society consists of more than 3,200 members around the world who specialize in radiation safety. According to the HPS, members include professionals in academia, government, medicine, research and development, analytical services, consulting and industry.
Contact: Kandice Carter, Jefferson Lab Communications Office, 757-269-7263, kcarter@jlab.org