[en] Chemical and structural environments of f-electron elements in glasses are the origin of many of the important properties of materials with these elements; thus oxidation state and chemical coordination of lanthanides and actinides in host materials is an important design consideration in optically active glasses, magnetic materials, perovskite superconductors, and nuclear waste materials. We have made use of the line shapes of Ce to determine its oxidation state in alkali borosilicate glasses being developed for immobilization of Pu. Examination of several prototype waste glass compositions with EELS shows that the redox state of Ce doped to 7 wt% could be varied by suitable choice of alkali elements. EELS for a Pu-doped glass illustrate the small actinide N₄/N₅ intensity ratio and show that the Pu-N_4,5 white line cross section is comparable to that of Gd M_4,5