TNI Semiannual Meeting: Forum on Laboratory Accreditation
The NELAC Institute (TNI) hosts two regularly scheduled meetings per year, typically in January and August. Both are a week long and involve open meetings of the TNI committees as well as training courses and other special sessions. The summer meeting is held in combination with the National Environmental Monitoring Conference.

Forum on Laboratory Accreditation
August 9-13, 2010
Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill
Washington, DC
Future Meetings
January 31-February 4, 2011, Savannah, GA
July 18-22, 2011, Seattle, WA
With over 250 attendees, the Forum on Laboratory Accreditation is the only conference that brings laboratories, regulatory agencies, data users, sampling firms, and many other organizations to discuss cutting-edge changes in environmental laboratory accreditation and future directions in policy that will have a national impact. In addition to the committee meetings and general sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to attend technical training courses, see the latest products and services in the industry and be able to network with peers.
Who should attend?
- State and federal officials concerned about data quality
- Data users
- Laboratories (e.g., commercial, industrial, municipal, state and federal)
- Field Sampling and Measurement Organizations
- Quality managers
Why should you attend?
The Forum offers attendees an opportunity to exchange ideas, findings, and recommendations in a professional setting. The strong and diverse program will address a number of timely issues that affect data quality. Training sessions will be offered in conjunction with the meeting. A vendor exhibition will bring the latest in technology and services to the attendees.
We are pleased to invite you to the Forum on Laboratory Accreditation, the principal conference for addressing policy and technical issues affecting the accreditation of environmental laboratories. The August 2010 Forum will focus on implementation of the new TNI consensus standards that will replace the 2003 NELAC standard in 2011.
The Forum will feature open public meetings of all TNI committees to allow quality professionals, chemists, analysts, microbiologists, engineers, and managers from federal and state agencies; commercial, municipal, state and federal laboratories; and many others who are actively involved and interested in laboratory accreditation issues to review what has been done and participate in the efforts to establish a national program for environmental laboratories. The August 2010 Forum will include:
- An assessment forum
- A mentoring session
- Meetings of all TNI committees
- A meeting of EPA’s Environmental Laboratory Advisory Board (ELAB)
- A workshop on the new TNI standards
Note: For more information on the specific presentations of the National Environmental Monitoring Conference (NEMC), go to www.nemc.us.
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The table below summarizes registration fees:
Symposium Registration (1) |
Full Conference |
Daily |
| Attendee Registration | $450 |
$195 |
| Participant (2) | $335 |
$155 |
| EPA Employee | $285 |
$125 |
| Student | $150 |
$65 |
Notes:
1. Symposium registration includes participation in all meetings, and all printed materials. The registration includes a continental breakfast and lunch on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and receptions on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
2. A Participant is a NEMC Session Chair, a speaker at NEMC, or a member of a TNI Committee or Board.
Download the conference brochure (PDF, 2.7MB)
Training Courses and Workshop
Electronic Delivery of Laboratory Data for the Next Generation
This training course will introduce and discuss the implementation of the Staged Electronic Data Deliverable (SEDD). The course will focus on implementing SEDD for the Superfund Methods (ISM01.2, SOM1.2, DLM2.2 and CBC1.2) Statements of Work for EPA's Contract Laboratory Program (CLP). The course will also be applicable to anyone using SEDD for other programs (e.g., SW-846). Laboratories, software vendors, and Architect-Engineer firms who have bid or are considering bidding on this contract in the future or have worked with SEDD files would be highly encouraged to attend. SEDD is a universal format that can deliver environmental testing data for any program in an XML format. The course will introduce SEDD and discuss the various “Stages†and what type of data each can deliver. The structure of SEDD will be discussed that will show the type of data that is reported in a Stage 2a, 2b, or 3 SEDD file and how the files are constructed. The course will focus on the reporting of the data for the Stage 2a and 2b along with some discussion on Stage 3. SEDD allows for the complete linking of all samples to their associated Quality Control samples, the complete linking of all samples to their associated continuing and initial calibration data, and the complete linking of all reported results to the specific analysis that was used to derive that specific result. Numerous real examples will be displayed and discussed. The various means for constructing these files along with the current tools that can assist the laboratories with the evaluation of their in-house created files will be demonstrated. Overall, in the data review process, a significant cost savings has been demonstrated in the CLP through the use of these deliverables and associated software tools.
Date: Friday, August 13
Time: 8:30 - 4:30 pm
Instructor: Joseph Solsky, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Collaborating Instructors: John Nebelsick, EPA Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation and David Youngman, Shaw Environmental Group, Inc.
Fee: $0 (for individuals registered for the Symposium)
Fee: $65 (all others)
How to Modify a Method Through an Alternate Test Procedure: Meeting the Regulatory Requirements for Federal Compliance
The class will step through the requirements that a laboratory must perform to complete an Alternate Test Procedure (ATP) at a local or regional level (Tier 1 or Tier 2) for a method modification under the requirements of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The areas that will be focused on are:
- Development of the method modification justification for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 ATP.
- Determine what method modifications will or can be made without requiring an ATP.
- Determine what method modifications will or can be made without requiring a new method under EPA requirements.
- Develop the experimental parameters.
- Minimum statistical requirements for method comparison.
- Writing the new method in EPA format.
- Writing and submitting the summary reports.
Date: Friday, August 13
Time: 8:30 am – 2:30 pm
Instructor: Edward Askew, Askew Scientific Consulting
Fee: $75
New TNI Laboratory Accreditation Standards
The NELAC Institute (TNI) National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) has adopted for use within the program four new accreditation standards:
- Management and Technical Requirements for Laboratories Performing Environmental Analysis;
- General Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Environmental Laboratories;
- General Requirements for Environmental Proficiency Test Providers; and
- General Requirements for an Accreditor of Environmental Proficiency Test Providers.
The new standards will replace the 2003 NELAC standard and will be implemented in 2011. All NELAP-accredited laboratories will need to comply with the new requirements by July 1, 2011. This workshop will review in detail the standard applicable to laboratories, briefly review the other three standards, and present the plan for implementation.
Date: Friday, August 13
Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
Instructors: TNI Staff, Committee Chairs, and Volunteers
Fee: $95 (Free for those registered for the full conference)
Sustainable Landscape Design
Millions of dollars are spent each year designing, implementing, and maintaining urban landscapes. Unfortunately, long-term problems are caused when these processes are not carried out properly. Many of these problems can be avoided or reduced by utilizing sustainable landscape practices. A landscape developed with sustainable practices will improve the environment by conserving resources and reducing chemical applications. A sustainable landscape will also reduce labor inputs making it less expensive to implement and maintain. The key to creating a sustainable landscape is to understand that the design process should be considered first. Plant selection, implementation, and maintenance build on the design process, each having sustainability as a major consideration.
In this course you will:
- Learn the basic principles of landscaping including unity, simplicity, harmony, balance, color, repetition, practicality, proportion, and scale.
- Learn how to assess your present landscape needs.
- Learn how to assess the purpose of your landscape.
- Learn how to avoid common landscaping mistakes.
- Learn how to make the most of what you have.
The class will explore the appropriate uses of hardscape, turfgrass, and ornamental plants in your landscape.
Date: Tuesday, August 10
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Instructors: Kirstin McCracken, Vermont Master Gardener and Jerry Parr, Texas Master Gardener
Fee: $45 (Includes a light meal)
Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C., USA 20001
Tel: +1 202 737 1234
washingtonregency.hyatt.com
Special advance registration rates at the government rate of $170 per night (Single) can be obtained before July 10, 2010 by using our on-line hotel registration system: http://washingtonregency.hyatt.com/groupbooking/wasrw2010neli
Discover our historic city from the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. Enjoy easy access to all the attractions of our nation's capital from our ideal location in the heart of this popular downtown neighborhood. Walk to the Smithsonian and the National Mall, tour government centers, visit monuments and museums - all just minutes from our Capitol Hill hotel. Within in our inviting accommodations, you'll find gracious service, deluxe amenities, extensive business facilities – among the largest in the city - plush Grand Beds and tempting dining. For business travel or vacations, treat yourself to the premier luxury hotel in downtown Washington DC.
Transportation
DIRECTIONS:
From/To Ronald Reagan National Airport:
Taxi: Taxis are available outside the baggage claim area. Fare is approximately $14 - $18 (10-20 min).
Metro Subway: Take the Yellow/Blue line from the airport to the Gallery Place/Chinatown stop. Transfer to the Red line to Union Station (2nd stop). The Union Station Metro stop is located three blocks from the hotel. Fare is approximately $1.35-$1.75 (20-25 min).
As in previous years, an exhibition will occur during the conference. Exhibit hours will be from 5:30 pm on Monday, August 9 (i.e., opening coincides with the start of the Opening Reception) though 7:00 pm on Wednesday, August 11 (i.e., closing coincides with the end of the Wednesday reception).
For more information about the Exhibit program, click here.
Conference Sponsors
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Cyber Cafe Sponsor
Contributors
Associated Design and Manufacturing
Astoria-Pacific
Brooks Rand Labs
Buchi Corp
CETAC Technologies
Chemware
Dexsil
Dionex
EST Analytical
Entech Instruments
Environmental Express
Environmental Sampling Supply
Fluid Management Systems, Inc.
Horizon Technology
Innov-X Systems
J2 Scientific
Laboratory Accreditation Bureau
Laboratory Data Consultants, Inc.
ManSci
Metrohm USA
Nippon Instruments North America
OI Analytical
PerkinElmer
PROMIUM
Quality Environmental Containers - QEC
Quantum Analytics
R.T. Corporation
Restek
SCP Science
Seal Analytical
Teledyne-Leeman Labs
Tekran Instruments Corporation
Thermo Scientific Niton XRF Analyzers
United Chemical Technologies
U.S. EPA Fibers and Organics
U.S. EPA Water Security Division
Wibby Environmental



