Naomi H . Harley , August 4 , 1932 – June 11 , 2023 In Memoriam
June 29 , 2023
Naomi H . Harley , August 4 , 1932 – June 11 , 2023 In Memoriam
Dr . Naomi Ann Hallden Harley passed away on June 11 , 2023 , at the age of 90 .
Dr . Harley was raised in Tenafly , New Jersey . She received her PhD in Radiological Physics from New York University ( NYU ) in 1971 , her ME in Nuclear Engineering from NYU in 1967 , her BE in Electrical Engineering from The Cooper Union , New York , in 1959 , and an APC in Management from the New York University Graduate Business School in 1983 .
Up until her passing , Dr . Harley was a Research Professor , in the Department of Environmental Medicine , at the NYU School of Medicine . Prior to her appointment to the faculty at the School of Medicine , she was Head of the Special Projects Group at the U . S . Atomic Energy Commission Health and Safety Laboratory . Her primary research interest was in the measurement and dose evaluation of human exposure to ionizing radiation , in particular radon and other naturally occurring radioactive materials . Her research resulted in over 170 scientific publications , along with six patents . In her years on the faculty , she mentored many MS and doctoral students who went on to contribute to the health physics community .
Dr . Harley was a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements ( NCRP ) from 1982 to 2000 and was elected a Distinguished Emeritus Member in 2000 . She chaired several scientific committees : ( SC ) 57-4 which published Evaluation of Occupational and Environmental Exposures to Radon and Radon Daughters in the United States ( NCRP Report No . 78 ); SC 61 , Measurement of Radon and Radon Daughters in Air ( NCRP Report No . 97 ); and SC 85 , Risk of Lung Cancer from Radon . She also co-wrote Commentary No . 6 , Radon Exposure of the U . S . Population – Status of the Problem .
She was a member of SC 73 ( Report No . 77 , Exposures from the Uranium Series with Emphasis on Radon and Its Daughters ) and Advisory Committee 93 on Radiation Measurement and Dosimetry . Dr . Harley delivered the Lauriston S . Taylor Lecture No . 23 entitled “ Back to Background : Natural Radiation and Radioactivity Exposed ” in 1999 . She chaired the 1988 Annual Meeting Program Committee on “ Radon ” and was member of the 2001 Program Committee where she also made a presentation on “ Laboratory Analyses : Environmental and Biological Measurements .”
Dr . Harley was a member of the United States Delegation to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation . She served on four National Research Council committees and chaired a Rand Committee that produced a review of Gulf War health effects from depleted uranium . In addition , she was a fellow of the Heath Physics Society and a member of the Association for Aerosol Research , American Chemical Society , and the American Association for Advancement of Science .
She was predeceased by her husband , Dr . John H . Harley ( also an NCRP Distinguished Emeritus member and Taylor Lecturer ). A memorial service for Dr . Harley will be held at a later date . Dr . Harley was laid to rest with her husband at George Washington Memorial Park , Paramus , New Jersey .