Mervin Fingas has over 40 years of experience in oil and chemical spill research. Previously, he was Chief of the Emergencies Science Division of Environment Canada for 30 years and is currently working on research in Western Canada. Dr. Fingas has a PhD in Environmental Physics from McGill University, three Masters degrees in chemistry, business, and mathematics - all from the University of Ottawa, as well as a BS in Chemistry and a BA in Arts from Indiana. He has authored over 1,000 technical publications including books, manuals, and 500 peer-reviewed papers. He has won over 20 awards for research and papers from the United States Government, Canadian Government, and international conferences. He has served on two committees on the National Academy of Sciences of the United States on oil spills and as chairman of several ASTM and inter-governmental committees on spill matters, was the founding chairman of the ASTM sub-committee on in-situ burning and chairman of oil spill treating agents and another on oil spill detection and remote sensing. Dr. Fingas has collaborated on studies with over 25 organizations around the world, coordinated studies for over 30 years through 6 internationally attended committees and developed co-operative projects with many international groups