The first quarter of this project was used to carry out a detailed planning process to coordinate the various aspects of this collaborative effort. A workshop was held at Brown University on December 4, 1996, attended by all project participants and key visitors, in which presentations were given by the principal investigators on their respective subtasks. The planning process culminated in the completion of a comprehensive document submitted to DOE / FETC under separate cover. Following the planning exercise, research work was initiated and will be continued in the second project quarter.