Contact: Nicole Whittier

Phone: 401-789-6224

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. -- On Thursday June 10, 1999, Applied Science Associates Inc. (ASA), will celebrate 20 years of business, during which the firm of 16 people has worked in over 50 countries and on every continent.

Specializing in the development of computer models for marine environmental studies, ASA has worked on projects such as the impact assessment of oil spills in Kuwait during the Gulf War; response and damage assessment of the Exxon Valdez in Alaska and the North Cape oil spill in Rhode Island; the continuing problem of combined sewage overflow impact in Providence’s waterways; and even crime investigation, assisting the R.I. state police in the Emery Disappearance Investigation. ASA is currently the primary environmental consultant for the project measuring the marine impacts of the proposed Quonset Point port. They are studying the possible impact of the port’s construction on the water quality, circulation and aquatic life in the vicinity.

ASA was spun off from the University of Rhode Island Ocean Engineering program in 1979, with the goal of bringing technological advances developed at the university, into the market place. "The computer modeling programs are our surrogate of the environment," said ASA founder Malcolm Spaulding, "Here at ASA we apply these tools to real life problems."

The state-of-the-art technology developed by ASA engineers over the past two decades includes computer modeling programs which simulate different environmental conditions and the interactions of pollutants, such as oil, within the environment. These interactions are then represented visually on electronic maps which show, for example, the movement of oil during a spill. These modeling systems have been distributed to companies all over the world, helping them to meet environmental regulations.

When ASA began, computers were relatively new. Rapid advances in technology have provided the springboard for ASA’s own evolution. In 1979, the idea of performing numerical modeling on a personal computer would have seemed preposterous, but now, ASA software can feed environmental data measurements taken by a buoy at sea, incorporate them via satellite into a complex numerical model, and publish the results on the internet in just a matter of minutes. This month, a web-enabled version of ASA’s oil spill model, OILMAP, will be available from the company’s web page.

Reflecting on the company’s success, Director of Operations, Eoin Howlett, concludes that ASA’s staff has made the difference. "Even though we are essentially a technology company, it’s the people on our team make us a success. I constantly meet clients around the world who are impressed with the quality of our work, especially for a small company. The type of informal atmosphere here provides a terrific environment for the all of us to be creative problem-solvers."