Laura Toran, hydrologist at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), has been appointed to the American Geophysical Union's (AGU) Ground Water Committee.
As a member of this committee, Toran will help solicit and organize the technical program for AGU's biannual meetings and specialty conferences through 1996. Toran has served as a research associate in the Environmental Sciences Division of ORNL since 1986. Her research work includes groundwater modeling and the application of supercomputer technology to groundwater problems. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee, teaching hydrology and groundwater modeling courses.
The AGU appointment is the latest in a list of professional honors that includes editorial service to the publication "Ground Water." She has written more than 50 technical publications, reports and abstracts.
Toran joined ORNL in 1986 after completing her doctorate in geology at the University of Wisconsin. She and spouse Jon Nyquist, along with daughters Katherine and Megan, live in Oak Ridge.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of the Department of Energy's multiprogram national research and development facilities, is managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, which also manages the Oak Ridge K-25 Site and the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant.