James A. Luppens, project chief, U.S. Coal Assessment, for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston, Va., has been elected to the ASTM International board of directors for 2007 to 2009.

Luppens lives in Leesburg, Va.

Luppens is currently chair of D05, an ASTM technical committee of approximately 220 members who are responsible for nearly 80 documents published in the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. He has also served as membership secretary and secretary of the committee as well as chair of Subcommittee D05.18 on Classification of Coals. Luppens has been honored with the Committee D05 R.A. Glenn Award. An ASTM fellow and 2001 Award of Merit recipient, Luppens has made important contributions to a number of standards and has written or coauthored numerous papers in his field, including ASTM Manual 11 on the Drilling, Sampling, and Analysis of Coal. He also served two terms on the Committee on Standards, with one term as chair.

At the U.S. Geological Survey, Luppens directs the U.S. coal assessment program, which includes a systematic inventory of the remaining economically minable coal reserves in the United States, as well as coal quality research at the USGS. He has been with USGS since 2003.

An expert in coal geology and coal quality, Luppens previously gained 27 years of experience with Phillips Coal Co., Richardson, Texas, as Chief Geologist doing coal exploration and mine development, including the opening of the first commercial coal mine in Mississippi. While at Phillips, Luppens also developed a national award-winning middle school earth science curriculum and teacher training program.

Luppens became the principal geologist for the Phillips Petroleum Co., Englewood, Colo., in 2000, where he provided geological support for coal bed methane exploration for the Phillips’ Business Development Group. His early career included geological positions with the White Pine Copper Co., where he mapped and evaluated copper properties, and Toledo Testing Laboratories, in which role he conducted soils engineering and geological tests.

In addition to ASTM, Luppens is a member of the U.S. delegation to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC27 Committee on Solid Fuels. He is also affiliated with the Society of Mining Engineers and The Society of Organic Petrology.

Luppens earned his B.S. and M.S. in geology from the University of Toledo, Ohio, and did additional graduate work in geology and geochemistry at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, N.M. He also taught undergraduate courses at both institutions.

Release #7557