Stephen Ostrow

Dr. Ostrow is a long-serving Adjunct Professor in the APAM Department, teaching Introduction to Nuclear Science, and is also a member of the Medical Physics faculty. He obtained his B.S. (1968), M.S. (1970), and Ph.D. (1978) degrees in Applied Physics and Nuclear Engineering from the predecessor of the current APAM Department; he also received an MBA degree from New York University (1986). While still at Columbia, he joined Ebasco Services, Inc., a large architect-engineering company deeply involved in the design and construction of nuclear power plants. He focused on developing and using applications of radiation transport theory in leading a team designing radiation shielding and other radiation protection features for the experimental Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). At Ebasco and its successor companies (including Raytheon Engineers & Constructors and Washington Group) he held a number of positions, including Manager and Chief Engineer of Nuclear Engineering and Manager of Advanced Technology. He performed and led studies in various nuclear engineering areas, including radiation protection, criticality analysis, radiation shielding, dose assessment, radiation transport and streaming, design basis and severe accident analysis, ALARA, and radiation monitoring.

At Raytheon, he established a program to evaluate new advanced technologies in support of programs, initiatives, and projects throughout the company and worked in various advanced technology areas, such as superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) and other electromagnetics programs and projects, including fusion magnet coil design, and directing engineering design services for development of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) Project.

Dr. Ostrow joined SC&A, Inc., a Vienna Virginia-headquartered radiological and environmental consulting firm, in 2002, where he is currently Senior Vice President of Advanced Technology. His focus has been on developing advanced technology systems for defense and homeland security applications for standoff detection of explosives, toxic chemicals, and nuclear materials. He has also been a major participant in SC&A’s nuclear and radiological assessment projects, such as for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, where, under a federal compensation program, the project evaluates claims of workers who may have developed cancer from exposure to radiation while employed at DOE or government contractor nuclear facilities engaged in the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Analyses include biokinetics, ICRP compartment models, pathways analyses, internal dosimetry, external dosimetry, medical exposures, environmental exposures, and consideration of a very wide range of radioactive sources. He is also currently engaged in a project for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to assess the potential operational impact of reduced occupational radiation dose limits to NRC and Agreement State licensees. He is leading the effort related to medical personnel, and has contracted with the Columbia University Radiation Safety Office to provide and analyze personnel radiation exposure data as well as other material.

He is a member of the American Nuclear Society, Tau Beta Pi, and Sigma Xi.