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The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), a NASA Small Explorer Mission planned for launch in Fall 2002, will perform the first Space Ultraviolet sky survey. Five imaging surveys in each of two bands (1350-1750Å and 1750-2800Å) will range from an all-sky survey (limit m AB~2 0-21) to an ultra-deep survey of 4 square degrees (limit m AB~2 6). Three spectroscopic grism surveys (R=100-300) will be performed with various depths (m AB~2 0-25) and sky coverage (100 to 2 square degrees) over the 1350-2800Å band. The instrument includes a 50 cm modified Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, a dichroic beam splitter and astigmatism corrector, two large sealed tube microchannel plate detectors to simultaneously cover the two bands and the 1.2 degree field of view. A rotating wheel provides either imaging or grism spectroscopy with transmitting optics. We will use the measured UV properties of local galaxies, along with corollary observations, to calibrate the UV-global star formation rate relationship in galaxies. We will apply this calibration to distant galaxies discovered in the deep imaging and spectroscopic surveys to map the history of star formation in the universe over the red shift range zero to two. The GALEX mission will include an Associate Investigator program for additional observations and supporting data analysis. This will support a wide variety of investigations made possible by the first UV sky survey. SCIENCE OVERVIEWThe primary goals of GALEX are to address these questions:Local Universe Investigation: What are the UV properties of local galaxies, and how do rest UV properties, measured at high redshift by HST and NGST in their search for galaxy origins relate to star formation rate (SFR), extinction, metallicity, and burst history? Star Formation History Investigation:What is the star formation and metal production history of galaxies over the redshift range 0

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Biofouling has been referred to as “the Achilles heel” of reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology; the main cause being polyamide RO membranes lack of chlorine tolerance. Biofouling increases the operating cost of water treatment by increasing RO system feed pressure (i.e., energy demand) and increasing membrane cleaning frequency, which increases downtime and reduces membrane useful life. For waters with known high biofouling potential, plant designs also may require more extensive pretreatment, which increases capital and operating costs as well as the footprint of a desalination plant. It is known from the literature that the three keys to fending off biofouling in RO systems and/or recovering from biofouling once it takes root include (1) understanding site-specific processes governing biofilm formation, (2) implementing effective biofouling pretreatment ahead of RO membranes, and (3) monitoring biofouling to enable more proactive and effective RO membrane cleaning. Herein, we present four case studies of RO membrane biofouling in seawater, municipal wastewater, brackish groundwater and industrial wastewater. Next, we describe what is known about the causes and consequences of bacterial biofilm formation and growth through a process level RO membrane biofouling model. Finally, we review common biofouling control methods including pre-treatment, chemical cleaning and the most common strategies for monitoring biofouling in RO membrane systems.