Jack E. Snell, director of the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will be the keynote speaker at the eighth annual Fire Risk & Hazard Research Application Symposium, to be held July 9-11 at the BWI Airport Marriott in Baltimore.

Snell's topic will be "Fire Science and Engineering Come of Age." He will also discuss NIST's World Trade Center investigation, and the new National Construction Safety Team. Sponsored by the Fire Protection Research Foundation of the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), the symposium will also feature talks on fire and the environment, fire and toxicity, new laboratory capabilities, and the activities of the foundation's new Fire and Transportation Vehicles Research Advisory Council.

The event is intended for fire protection engineers, fire prevention officers, code writers and researchers. Among the technical presentations by other speakers are: Environmental Impact of Fire - Regulatory Issues; Calculating the Impact of Large Fires on the Environment; Combustion Toxicity Assessment for Product Approval; Environmental Challenges and Materials Restrictions in Coated Wire and Cable; and Update on the Activities of the New Fire and Transportation Vehicles Research Advisory Council.

For complete program information on the symposium, or to register, please contact Eric Peterson at Eric Peterson or 617-984-7281, or visit www.nfpa.org/foundation .