Nicholas P. Cheremisinoff is the Principal of NP Consultants, Ltd., Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a firm specializing in environmental programs and project financing in environmentally sound and energy-efficiency technologies with emphasis on Eastern Europe and parts of Latin America. Dr. Cheremisinoff has worked extensively for such organizations as the World Bank Organization, the United States Export-Import Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, and the United States Trade and Development Agency. He is the author, coauthor, editor, or coeditor of more than 150 engineering books, including the Handbook of Engineering Polymeric Materials, the Handbook of Pollution and Hazardous Materials Compliance, the Handbook of Applied Polymer Processing Technology, Safety Management Practices for Hazardous Materials, the Handbook of Advanced Materials Testing, Hazardous Chemicals in the Polymer Industry, and the Handbook of Industrial Toxicology and Hazardous Materials (all titles. Marcel Dekker, Inc.).

Dr. Cheremisinoff received the B.S. (1974). M.S. (1975), and Ph.D.

(1977) degrees in chemical engineering from Clarkson College of Technology, Potsdam, New York.