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ISSUE NO. 9
Cindy Learn (left), a system engineer with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, adjusts the components of the M45 protective mask to ensure a proper fit. (U.S. Army photo by Tom Faulkner)
works on the mask program for RDECOMs Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, sup porting the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. They are protected so they can protect us. The Hard-to-Fit Program accommodates members of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as Department of Defense civilians who are required to wear masks for their jobs. A Warfighter cannot be deployed without a mask that fits properly and securely to the face, said Learn, who has been an Army civilian for six years. There are infinite different shapes and sizes of faces, and having a pro tective mask that fits well is essential to any deployable mission. Not being able to get your hands on the right fitting mask could be a career ender for some.
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U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Director Dale Ormond talks with headquarters personnel during a Feb. 28 town hall meeting at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. (U.S. Army photo by Conrad Johnson)
I want you to know that were doing everything possible to prepare for whatever comes our way.
Dale A. Ormond I want you to know that were doing ev erything possible to prepare for whatever comes our way. Please bookmark http:// go.usa.gov/24a9 for up-to-date RDECOM employee furlough information. This is our SharePoint site where weve posted many frequently asked questions, informa tion papers and transcripts of Department of Defense briefings on this issue. Also,
please review the comments by our new Secretary of Defense on page 3 of this newsletter, and a FAQ from the Office of Personnel Management on pages 3 and 4. With our workforce on the job 20 percent less, we simply will not be able to meet our full potential. However, within RDECOM we are committed to creating new technologies that change the Soldiers world. Change is our job. No matter what happens, we will continue to stay on track. We are considering all options as to how we can maximize our operational effectiveness through the furlough. I ask for your patience and sup port as we work through this process. We are challenged to deliver the great est possible capability to the Soldier from the resources the Army gives us, and we must find a way. Each of us must understand our mission, even in these financially challenged days: Empower, unburden and protect the Warfighter through integrated research, development and engineering solutions. I do have some good news to share with you. The Secretary of Army has announced the appointment of Dr. Thomas P. Russell to the position of Army Research Laboratory Director. Dr. Russell comes to RDECOM from the U.S. Air Force, where he currently serves as the Office of Scientific Research director in Arlington, Va. He joins our team March 10. Dr. Russell brings a unique perspective to his new position, one grounded in more than 20 years of diverse experience within the research and scientific communi -
ties. He has authored more than 100 publi cations and has earned a host of academic and professional awards. Dr. Russell was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2006 and has served in several key AF and Navy leadership positions. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Russell on his selection and help me wel come him to the RDECOM team. As ARL Director, he will have an impact on every part of our community as he sets the direc tion for the Armys fundamental research. I know he can count on your support as we continue to strive to find ways to improve our support to Soldiers and our combat formations. I would also like to express my most sin cere gratitude to Dr. John Pellegrino for serving as ARLs interim director during this time of transition. Dr. Pellegrino has done a great job making sure ARL maintained its critical role as the premier research labora tory for the Department of the Army. Finally, I want to thank Eric Edwards for serving as my acting deputy director for 45 days in January and February and welcome Dr. Gerardo Melendez from the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, who is now serving as acting dep uty director. Army Strong! RELATED LINKS Biography: http://go.usa.gov/vK8 Facebook: http://facebook.com/mrdaleormond Twitter: http://twitter.com/DaleOrmond
Chuck Hagel was sworn in as the 24th Secretary of Defense on Feb. 27, becoming the first enlisted combat veteran to lead the Department of Defense. (DoD Photo)
In anticipation of sequester, in January the department began to slow spending. The aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman did not deploy to the Persian Gulf as scheduled, and the department looked to hiring freezes and layoffs of temporary and term employees. The service chiefs announced cuts to facilities maintenance and contract delays. If sequester continues and the continuing resolution is extended in its current form, other damaging effects will become apparent, Hagel said. Our number one concern is our people -- military and civilian -- the millions of men and women of this department who work very hard every day to ensure Americas security. The department needs some fiscal certainty, the secretary said, and DOD leaders will continue to work with Congress to help resolve this uncertainty. Specifically, we need a balanced deficit reduction plan that leads to an end to sequestration, he said. And we need Congress to pass appropriations bills for DOD and all federal agencies. RELATED LINKS SecDef Bio: http://1.usa.gov/103CAMz
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are nonetheless excepted from the furlough because they are performing work that, by law, may continue to be performed during a lapse in appropriations. Excepted employees include employees who are performing emergency work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property or performing certain other types of excepted work. Agency legal counsels, working with senior agency managers, are determining which employees are designated to be handling excepted and nonexcepted functions. See http://www.opm.gov/ furlough/OMBGuidance/index.asp for copies of DOJ issuances, which provide guidance on the application of these criteria. Will employees who are furloughed get paid? Congress will determine whether furloughed employees receive pay for the furlough period. May agencies deny or delay within-grade or step increases for General Schedule and Federal Wage System employees during a shutdown furlough? It depends on how long the shutdown furlough lasts. Within-grade and step increases for General Schedule and Federal Wage System employees are awarded on the basis of length of service and individual performance. Such increases may not be denied or delayed solely because of lack of funds. However, extended periods of nonpay status (e.g., because of a furlough for lack of funds) may affect the timing of such increases. For example, a GS employee in steps 1, 2, or 3 of the grade who is furloughed an aggregate of more than 2 workweeks during the waiting period would have his or her within-grade increase delayed by at least a full pay period. (See 5 CFR 531.406(b).) What will happen to employees who would have retired during a shutdown furlough? For employees who, on or before the requested retirement date, submitted some notice of their desire to retire, agencies should, when the lapse in appropriations ends, make the retirement effective as of the date requested. The retirement request may be informal (such as a letter requesting retirement), and can be either mailed or personally submitted to the agency. Any additional required paper work, such as the formal retirement application form, may be completed when the agency reopens. No time spent by the retiree in such actions after the effective date of the retirement may be considered as duty time, since the individual would no
RDECOM SOLDIER GETS PROMOTED ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. The U.S. Army promoted Capt. Michael Orr from the rank of first lieutenant, effective Feb. 1. Brig. Gen. Daniel Hughes, deputy commanding general for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and headquarters staff gathered Feb. 8 to congratulate Orr on his promotion. Orr is Hughes aide-de-camp.
BRAZILIAN OFFICIALS VISIT ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Brig. Gen. Daniel P. Hughes, (center) U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command deputy commanding general, meets with a visiting delegation of Brazilian Army officials Feb. 4 at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.
Sgt. 1st Class LaFonte Bennett of the U.S. Army Research Laboratorys Computational and Information Sciences Directorate, Battlefield Environment Division, was recently selected for promotion to master sergeant. (U.S. Army photo)
National Defense Service Medal (with bronze star), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Kosovo Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal (with four Bronze Stars), Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Driver Badge Wheel/Track and others. He is also a member of the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara. Bennett has deployed twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and four times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He received an associates degree in criminal justice, a bachelors degree in business management and a masters degree in social psychology from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
ARMY PROMOTES SENIOR NCO ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. The U.S. Army promoted Master Sgt. Frank Munley from the rank of sergeant first class, effective Feb. 1. Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie, senior noncommissioned officer for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and headquarters staff gathered Feb. 4 to congratulate Munley on his promotion. Munley worked for the RDECOM command sergeant major, but departed Feb. 20.
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RDECOM Public Affairs NATICK, Mass. Dr. Jack Obusek is the technical director of the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. He leads about 700 Department of the Army employees and 16 Soldiers. He oversees about 100 contractors and executes an annual program budget of about $353 million. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in biological sciences from the University of Delaware, a masters of physical therapy from Baylor University and a doctor of science in applied kinesiology (with distinction) from Boston University. Before joining the Senior Executive Service as NSRDEC director in January 2011, Obusek served as the centers associate director with responsibility for strategic plans and programs. Obusek served as a U.S. Army officer for more than 27 years, culminating his career as the commander of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, also at Natick. He also served as U.S. representative to a NATO medical research panel. His military education includes the Military Health System Executive Skills Capstone Course, the U.S. Army War College and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. What do you want the rest of RDECOM to know about your workforce NSRDEC is the critical HUB for RDECOM and the Army in generating and applying technology to the Soldier System the only Army platform with a human chassis. I see this role as critical not only to the Army but for all services. When Natick Labs was established in the 1950s, the intent was to create an Institute of Man, where every aspect of human performance, when inte grated with clothing, equipment, and nutri tion, can be studied. Establishing this capability was the result of the conditions experienced during World War II that Americas forces were not able or prepared to counter. Today, along with our installation part ners at NSRDEC, we continue the mission to enhance human performance making the U.S. Warfighter the most capable in the world. As our experience over the last 10 years of war has shown, the Soldier on the ground remains the most important battle field system. I see NSRDECs role increasing as we pivot to adjust our focus to future battlefields
Dr. Jack Obusek is the technical director for the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. (U.S. Army photos by David Kamm)
and the potential deployment of Soldiers to new missions in challenging environments. Systems engineering is critical to the inte gration of new technologies that we apply to the Soldier System. I see NSRDECs role as the lead systems engineer for technology development for the human platform as key and critical role in the future. Because the human platform is highly complex and inherently variable, when we conduct research to enhance capability, we need a broad spectrum of expertise covering a wide variety of disciplines. Therefore, NSRDECs workforce, as we like to say, includes people with diverse backgrounds that range from aerospace to zoology.
How do you encourage collaboration and sharing across RDECOM? Soon after I became the NSRDEC tech nical director, I established an Enterprise Transformation Process. I viewed this pro cess as a means of changing the way we do business rather than just a reorganization. We moved away from commodity-based thinking and began to task organize com munities to solve the most urgent Soldier problems. By creating communities of in terest around Soldier challenges, we bring the right people together from all Science & Technology arenas, Warfighting centers (the Army Capabilities Integration Center and Army Centers of Excellence), program
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year, our S&T efforts enabled the cutting edge development of female body armor. This was a top 20 invention by Time magazine for 2012. I am excited how the NSRDEC workforce has been responding to new initiatives. Embracing change is never easy but a flexible agile workforce will embrace change for the better and see where opportunities exist. Embracing NSRDECs enterprise transformation is part of being flexible. Through an organizational redesign, we have created a new portfolio management construct. This new structure promotes more effective S&T project planning and oversight. There are quite a number of new technologies that make NSRDEC an exciting place to work, whatever your field of expertise. By gaining a deeper understanding of human and material sciences, for example, we will be able to effectively forge new science and engineering frontiers. The promise of nanomaterials to provide leap ahead capabilities in Soldier protection and functional uniforms or synthetic biology that promises to provide the ability to code sequences into 3D printers to create new materials with novel properties. NSRDEC is enthusiastic and ever committed to keeping Soldiers dominant on the battlefield with the decisive edge. What advice do you have for the workforce? Sequestration and Continuing Resolution Authority present us with challenging times, but we need to view these as opportunities to exploit rather than roadblocks. The organiza tion needs to be prepared, ready and able to turn those opportunities into reality. I would advise employees to look for ways to apply their talents to address new and emerging Army problems. We need to be flexible and agile to accom plish the mission. I also recommend that em ployees consider taking risks in their careers moving into areas that stretch their thinking. Its critical to build teams of people with di verse backgrounds. Science and engineering is more of a team sport than anytime in the past. Teams must agree on common objectives and goals allowing all to share in the success. Relationships matter take time to build your networks and exercise them to the point of developing strong mutual trust. Have a clear-eyed understanding of why you are working on a project, what it will do for the Soldier on his or her mission, and be able to articulate it to anyone. RELATED LINKS Biography: http://go.usa.gov/4zKG
Moreover, and one of a kind, we formed an R&D partnership with University of Massachusetts at Lowell in February. HEROES, Harnessing Emerging Resources Opportunities Empowering Soldiers, brings together NSRDEC scientists and students collaborating on flame-resistant and high-performance fibers, aerial delivery and photovoltaic solutions. Efforts like this helps to overcome such workforce challenges. We are also committing more energy to partnering with federal and state representatives, academia, and industry. We are addressing challenges by placing special emphasis on our core competencies, such as fiber and material science and engineering. For example, we are applying significant effort with our tri-compartment polymer fiber extruder that has been used by NSRDEC scientists and engineers to develop new variable loft fibers. Industry partnerships with companies like Polartec allow for rapid technology transfer and the production of new clothing to protect the Warfighter. What excites you about the future? The people of NSRDEC are more creative and innovative than ever, and Im sure the other RDECOM technical directors see similar things in their organizations. We benefit from both an experienced and a newer, younger workforce. As much as 50 percent of our workforce has been hired in the last five or so years and the innovation and technical expertise these individuals bring to this organization and the Army is outstanding. Given the opportunity and encouragement, NSRDEC employees perform. Last calendar
Future Soldiers will have plastic electronic sensors embedded in their helmets and uniforms. Research has brought electronics to flexible plastic through the combined efforts of industry, academia and Army scientists. (U.S. Army photo by Conrad Johnson)
which then reduces overall entry costs to enable displays while enabling the capability to fabricate electronics on plastic. And thats really the key for large-scale manufacturing of displays. Were going to unburden Soldiers by getting rid of a lot of the batteries that have to be carried today, Colaneri said. The nearestterm application weve been talking about is a display on the Soldiers sleeve. Imagine what a Soldier could learn by glancing down at his or her sleeve such as current mission requirements or any battlefield command. Thats what Army researchers are thinking about for the Soldier of the future. The Soldier is going to have a display that is essentially embedded on his or her uniform that will provide information when it is needed, said David Morton, Ph.D., ARL program manager for flexible displays. The system will
Army researchers are developing new ways for Soldiers to wear electronic devices that give information to the user, such as a wrist monitor.
Velcro poses a much lighter and minimal risk. Years of research in this area has opened the Armys eyes to many potential applications for flexible electronics on plastic. It turns out theres actually more Armyrelevant applications for flexible electronics than flexible displays, Morton said. Morton and the team work closely with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which sup ports Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal. Imagine an EOD Soldier in the field with a lightweight, flexible X-ray sensor. Thats just one of many potential uses for flexible elec tronics on plastic. Were going to be able to apply electronics everywhere, Morton said. Think of plastic patches on the outside of tanks that are sensors. The Soldier may have sensors on his or her back built onto the uniform for friend or foe identification. There will be sensors built into the helmet, maybe acoustic, could be optical. The communications antenna may be built into the clothing. If you can put electronics on lightweight, flexible plastic or build it into the fabric, essentially you can put it everywhere. Morton constantly updates Army planners on research progression. Were driving the technology forward. We know whats coming and we have an estimate of when its going to arrive, Morton said. Were not only driving technology, were pro viding critical inputs for the development of our requirements road maps. Were driving the customers by saying, This is what you can
plan for and insert. You see it all around you, most visibly in the multi-touch phones, Colaneri said. Its being enabled by a whole host of electronic technologies. In the units youre using the display is still a piece of glass. Its small, flat, hard and rigid. As we move toward the displays that can be unfolded or unwrapped or can be anywhere -- on your sleeve or pants leg, I think were go ing to see an evolution to information everywhere -- connectivity between electronic systems that are throughout our lives, ultimately empowering and unburdening us in our daily lives as consumers. Forsythe is also optimistic about the Armys flexible display and electronics re search program. Because of the partnership, some companies are bringing flexible displays to the marketplace as early as next month. Korean consumer electronics maker LG, a member of the Flexible Display Center research team, announced its intent to revo lutionize the e-book market. LG intends to market its first product in Europe in May, ac cording to a company press release. Its been highly successful both in how research can be done in certain applications. Its certainly been successful in terms of ac celerating technology for the Soldier, which ultimately is our goal, to get technology to benefit the Soldier, Forsythe said. RELATED LINKS Army.mil: http://1.usa.gov/WE070r
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By Timothy Rider ARDEC Public Affairs PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is a 3-D picture worth? Engineers at Picatinny Arsenal and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., are working on a project to find out. They plan to reap a daisy chain of dollar savings by developing technologies that will be at the center of a revolution in how the Army meets its constantly changing needs for equipment. A prominent feature of the plan has the Army providing manufacturers the specifications for a needed part in an interactive 3-D model format, including data that can be used with modern, computer-aided machine tools. Currently, when the Army wants a part made, it provides an official product representation as a technical data package, or TDP. The packages include two-dimensional drawings along with product manufacturing data that provide the basic dimensions and tolerances. Manufacturers use the data packages to set up their shops for the production of a wide range of parts to meet the Armys needs -trigger assemblies, cannon breeches, turret parts and grenade safety pins -- everything from new to improved parts or parts to replace depleted inventories. Much of the manufacturing world works with 3-D data, said Sanjay Parimi, a project officer with the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center. However, we very often only provide industry with 2-D technical data packages, increasing the cost and time for acquiring manufactured goods. The reason for the added cost is added work. The manufacturers must take the Armys 2-D technical data package and convert it into a 3-D computer-aided design, or CAD, format, which is the language used by modern machine tools. That conversion can occupy a team for a week or even longer, depending on the complexity of the parts. Theyre not going to swallow the cost of translating the data from 2-D to 3-D, Parimi said of manufacturers. Theyre going to pass on that cost and risk to the government. The risk, he explained, is making a mistake during the data translation. The Army does not provide official product representations in a 3-D format for several reasons. Until recently, the Army had no way of validating 3-D CAD data. Also, the Army had not adopted the use of a neutral standards-based CAD format that would allow vendors to use CAD data, regardless of which
Army researchers us fully annotated 3-D modeling for computed aided design (U.S. Army illustration)
CAD platform their business used. Teams from two of the Army Research Development and Engineering Commands organizations -- Picatinny Arsenals ARDEC and Aberdeen Proving Grounds Army Research Laboratory, or ARL, had both been working on projects that sought to modernize the Armys technical data packages. It made sense to join forces and put a more comprehensive program together, said Paul Huang, a materials engineer who is the project lead for models-based enterprise activities at ARL. He added that they are all part of the same Manufacturing Technology team working multiple projects in the same space. TOWARD A NEUTRAL ARMY 3-D STANDARD The ManTech team began by investigating whether they could use a CAD format that is neutral among the competing versions from various CAD vendors. The format they explored was based on an industry standard called STEP, which stands for Standard for the Exchange of Product model data, Huang said. In its current form, CAD vendors do not support the translation of STEP without some critically important data on how to manufacture the product. Consequently, the Army does not provide its official product representation in STEP. Another approach would have been to
pursue changes to STEP that supported the Armys needs, but since the STEP is based on agreement across an international body, that process would not have moved fast enough, Huang said. This leaves the Army back at square one, Parimi noted. We still need the 2-D drawing as the official product representation. We recognized the need to send out 3-D data in a neutral format was important, but the technology to do that wasnt there.
Our goal then was to replace the 2-D PDF with a 3-D PDF design document that includes 3-D visualization and the product manufacturing data to make it so all of the design outputs can easily become inputs to the manufacturing world.
Sanjay Parimi Facing a wall the team could not get through, the team, got a ladder and climbed over it, Huang said. Team members investigated the common Portable Document Format, commonly known as a PDF, which allows viewing in 3-D and is readable on standard personal computers without additional cost. However, it does not
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maintenance personnel, depots and product engineers can always access an up-to-date official representation from anywhere via the Internet. FIELD REPAIRS AND PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE -- IN 3-D The original 3-D technical data package can also be used to assist in the field maintenance of Army systems, since visual representations of products and parts are used to instruct Soldiers in the disassembly, cleaning and replacement of parts needed to keep a system working. The Army is already using training manuals accessible with a tablet or handheld computer that use 3-D product representations. An example is the 3-D Interactive Electronic Training Manual, or IETM, for the XM7 Spider Networked Munition System. A 3-D IETM allows Soldiers to disassemble and re-assemble virtual models of a system. The 3-D feature allows them to rotate components in the model to view them from different angles or zoom in to get a better view of small parts. The 3-D data is also used to provide videolike assembly and disassembly instructions and is incorporated into self-paced tests, all to improve a Soldiers maintenance skills. Parimi is developing plans to deploy 3-D PDF, PDMS and IETM elements. He is working with their customers in Project Manager Soldier Weapons and Project Manager Close Combat Systems to bring the technology to fruition in a way that would support actual products being used by Soldiers. One such project with PM Soldier Weapons includes developing 3-D digital work instructions to save time and money in the conversion of M2 .50 caliber machine guns into the upgraded M2A1 variant that was announced last year as an Army Greatest Invention of 2011. And it starts with seeing things, in three dimensions -- just as they are in the real world. A picture is worth a thousand words, Huang said. If thats true, then wouldnt a 3-D picture be worth one thousand words to the third power: a billion words? If not, the ManTech team may just have to settle for billions of dollars in savings. That is why we see a huge impact with this technology, Huang said. RELATED LINKS Online: http://1.usa.gov/Yem0oq
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Dan Nattress and Deborah Haley of the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center use fresh ingredients to provide tube foods to high-flying U-2 pilots. (U.S. Army photo by David Kamm)
Combat Feeding has been supplying tube foods to U-2 pilots for five decades.
of culinary achievement. Weve been making these for years and years, said Dan Nattress, a food technologist with Combat Feeding. Combat Feeding has been supplying tube foods to U-2 pilots for five decades. For a community of only about 100 pilots, CFD supplies approximately 28,000 tubes annually of the food, which has a shelf life of three years at 80 degrees. The silver containers attached to feeding probes insert through ports in their helmets and provide nourishment on flights that can last as long as 12 hours. That makes caffeine a popular ingredient among pilots.
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Once youre fully suited and under pressure and connected to oxygen, theres no movement inside the helmet, except when you breathe in and breathe out.
Deborah Haley Things change, Nattress said. In the 1970s, your expectations were different than what they are in the 2000s. We had no direct communication with the user prior to 2010. To rectify that, Nattress and Deborah Haley, chef and physical science technician with CFD, visited Beale Air Force Base, Calif., from which the U-2s fly. Since then weve had a few pilots who have come here and walked through, said Nattress, and they are just totally amazed at what we do to make these. At Beale, Nattress and Haley got a taste of a pilots life, even trying on the pressurized gear. Things are a lot more difficult, Haley said. Once youre fully suited and under pressure and connected to oxygen, theres no movement inside the helmet, except when you breathe in and breathe out. So swallowing is a conscious effort. You have to actually think about that, because theres no air movement. Its a lot different sort of feeling to it. Once pilots are fitted to the four-layer suits by a pair of technicians, they are then shoehorned into the U-2 cockpits, which actually do have heaters to warm the food. I mean, the suit itself is one thing, and you look inside the cockpit -- it is just very small, Nattress said. It really gave us a much better idea of what they go through on a regular basis. The Air Force asked CFD to produce four products identified by pilots -- peach melba, beef stroganoff, key lime pie, and a breakfast item, which became bacon with hash browns. They were added to a revamped 15-item menu, all made with
The U-2 provides high-altitude, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance, day or night, in direct support of U.S. and allied forces. It delivers critical imagery and signals intelligence to decision makers throughout all phases of conflict, including peacetime indications and warnings, low-intensity conflict, and large-scale hostilities. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Tube foods used by U-2 pilots are attached to feeding probes that are inserted through ports in their helmets. (U.S. Army photo by David Kamm)
Deborah Haley (left) and Tina Howard, of the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, sample tube foods while wearing pressurized suits during a visit to Beale Air Force Base, Calif. (Courtesy photo)
fresh ingredients ground to fit in the tubes. They didnt want us to completely revise all of the products, but we knew that there were things that we could do to improve them that wouldnt be major, Haley said. We made some suggestions to develop layers of flavors, and thats my whole thing, is really developing layers of flavors in these tubes. So that was the thing just tweaking it and taking it (to) the next level, he continued. Now the pilots are getting really excited about the food. Its so much better. Certainly, Nattress and Haley have
faced challenges and experienced a failure or two along the way. In the early stages of developing the now successful peach melba, Nattress recalled that it had a dirty sock kind of taste. Much the same as the pilots they serve, however, the CFD staff continues to push the envelope. In the near future, for example, chicken tortilla soup will find its way onto the menu. Were constantly thinking ahead, Haley said. It takes a while to find just the right balance so that when it comes out of the tube, youve hit just the right flavor profile. Haley said that she just wants people to know about the science and hard work that go into improving the quality of life for Air Force and NASA U-2 pilots. Were such a unique program, Haley said. Theres no one else doing what were doing. RELATED LINKS Army.mil: http://1.usa.gov/WGXvST
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ECBC Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Robert Pazda says his team within the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center is accustomed to having to fit 10 pounds of equipment into a five-pound bag. But his teams latest project -- the Global Strike Near Real Time Battle Data Assessment System -could change all that. The Army always wants everything smaller, lighter, said Pazda, the branch chief for Electronic Design Integration within the Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division of the centers Engineering Directorate. His team focuses on integrating electronic parts that comprise state-of-the-art devices. The Global Strike NRT-BDA System incorporates unattended sensors and a remote Warfighter Interface to provide timely reporting of conditions during reconnaissance op erations. One sensor includes a chemical agent de tector similar in shape and size two a twopound soda can. The sensors are intended to be air deployed and have been tested from a P-3 Orion aircraft at 1,000 feet. The sensor is equipped with an accelerometer, which triggers the release of the cap and small parachute (ballute). Once it lands, spring-loaded legs pop open, allowing it to sit upright. The detector is also equipped with a GPS tracking device. Once the detector has landed and the position remains the same, the device initiates the start sequence of the detector so it can detect chemical agents and other threats, in addition to seismic activity. This detector, which was a redesign of the Joint Chemical Agent Detector, can feed information to a satellite and then to Soldiers manning a Warfighter Interface as far as a few thousand miles away. One of the earlier challenges with the Global Strike NRT-BDA was fitting all three antennas onto a circuit board that was two and-onequarter-inch in diameter. It contained a GPS antenna for location purposes, an iridium antenna that sends information up to a satellite, and a short-range communications antenna. In a later design the short-range communication antenna was no longer required. Its a pre or post assessment tool, Pazda said. You could drop it and know something is there and strike, or you know somethings there and avoid the area. ECBC has collaborated with other organizations to design sensors and other parts that the Electronic Design and Integration Branch incorporated into the device. They worked with ECBCs Engineering Design and Analysis
Soldiers with U.S. Army Europes Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry keep watch during a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan, Oct. 1, 2010. (Photo by Spc. Joshua Grenier)
Branch, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Kansas State University and Smiths Detection. There are still challenges to overcome for extended operational time. Currently, the de vice will last four to six hours, but the goal is to have it monitor its surroundings for several days. The Global Strike NRT-BDA has displayed survivability with plans for improve ment. Pazda said the biggest challenge his team faces is rapidly changing technology. My world is challenging. We do so much with electronic wizardry, but people dont realize the tens of millions of dollars that were invested in things like cell phones that took decades to perfect what we have today. Thats the challenge in this electronic age, to keep up with technology since things hap pen at a very quick pace, Pazda said. He noted that the first transistor was in vented in 1948, and the first integrated circuit was created in 1951. In 15 years, the world has gone from cell phones to smart phones with internet functionality, to cam eras and applications that can do just about anything. With the increasing pace of ad vances in technology, there is a greater push to keep up with the latest generation of technological changes that go along with those advances. We have to investigate those products and integrate the newest capabilities to sup port the Warfighter, Pazda said. RELATED LINKS ECBC: https://www.ecbc.army.mil
A sensor for the Global Strike NRT-BDA System is approximately the size and shape of a twopound soda can. It designed to be air deployed and is equipped with a small parachute. Springloaded legs pop open upon impact with the ground, allowing it to sit upright once it lands. (U.S. Army photo)
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Navigating new waters: Army samples ocean floor for underwater munitions project
ECBC Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Five miles off the southern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, a three-person submersible was lifted off the back of a boat by a mechanical crane. The underwater vehicle floated on the surface of the ocean for a few moments as the crew in the chase boat unhooked the submersible as it prepared for its 550-meter journey into the depths of the ocean. Crisp light blues faded slowly into darker shades of color, and the temperature grew colder in the vast blackness. Even with the underwater lights, the researchers inside could only see 20 meters in front of them, through portholes barely as big as their faces. One of those researchers was Mike Knudsen, the field remediation air monitoring manager for the Chemical Biological Application and Risk Reduction, or CBARR, Business Unit of the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. Knudsen was part of a CBARR team that supported a multi-phase research effort called the Hawaii Undersea Military Munitions Assessment, known as HUMMA, to investigate sea-disposed military munitions along the Hawaiian coast. A typical dive is between eight and nine hours in a small metal sphere that is seven feet in diameter, and there are three people in there, Knudsen said. It was a small, cold space. But an absolute, cant-pass-up-opportunity. I was excited. According to the HUMMA project website, both conventional and chemical munitions were discarded south of Pearl Harbor following World War II, including 16,000 M47A2 100-pound mustard-filled bombs. For two weeks beginning on Nov. 23, CBARR supported its second mission for HUMMA, and provided chemical analysis for nearly 300 samples collected by the submersible, including 165 sediment samples, five water samples and 36 samples of shrimp tissue. Our job on the dive was to provide chemical warfare material sampling expertise and to help locate items on the bottom of the ocean. One of the big pieces of the job was to watch the sonar to make sure the sub doesnt run into things or get snagged on other hazards, said Knudsen, who has made a total of six dives down in the submarine. Old munitions deteriorating on the sea floor decorated the muddy sediment like railroad tracks on the sonar map. There are no plants at these depths and few animals, but every once in a while the crew caught a glimpse of a shark
Edgewood Chemical Biological Center scientist Mike Knudsen, air monitoring manager for Chemical Biological Application and Risk Reduction, boards the Pisces submersible operated by the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory.
or sting ray. Knudsen attributes the sightings not to luck but to the bait traps used by the submersible to catch shrimp for bio analysis. John Schwarz, CBARR analytical chemistry laboratory manager and project lead, took the equivalent of a mobile analytic platform and stationed it on a boat in order to analyze the collected samples. A glove box was used for sample preparation and MINICAMS accurately monitored air inside the designated laboratory space. All equipment in the designated onboard laboratory, including computer monitors, had to be tied down due to the ships movement on the ocean surface. Schwarz said the experience was more unique than anything else hes done for CBARR. On the ship we were able to successfully execute the quality of analytical procedures and protocols for samples as we would in our fixed laboratory back at our headquarters at
the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, Schwarz said. To me thats why it was a big achievement. We did it on a boat in the ocean. While Knudsen and CBARR teammate Jim Swank, the designated explosive ordnance disposal technician of Pine Bluff Arsenals (Ark.) Field Technology Branch, spent their days in darkness underwater, Schwarz spent his nights working in the laboratory analyzing samples and clearing them of chemical agents. According to Schwarz, the munitions themselves are too dangerous to lift from the ocean floor and are unlikely to wash ashore due to the depth of their location, where the water temperature hovers around the 40-degree Fahrenheit mark. The possible chemical agent inside the World War I-era weapons would be frozen at that temperature. But there was one
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U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Commands communications-electronics center Outreach team lead Erica Bertoli explains to fourth grade students at Lisby Elementary, Bel Air, Md., that Iron Man is only a super hero because Tony Stark is a brilliant engineer. . (U.S. Army photos by Amanda Rominiecki)
By Amanda Rominiecki CERDEC Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. Can someone tell me why Iron Man is the best superhero, what his true super power is? -- Iron Man is the best superhero because Tony Stark is an engineer! Tony Stark made himself a superhero. Traditionally, STEM outreach initiatives target older students in middle school or high school who have a greater general knowledge base and more advanced math skills. The STEM Superstar program aims to reach students earlier in their academic career -- before they learn to be fearful of math or science that can often deter stu dents from STEM career paths -- and set a foundation for a future that might involve the statement, I want to be an engineer when I grow up, Bertoli said. For the program to be successful it had to be tailored to the younger students interests and level of understand ing. Connecting popular movies and su perheroes to STEM and engineering, like the invention in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs that makes it rain food and its engineer creator, or Tony Stark and the suit he engineered to become the superhero Iron Man, allows students to connect
Piloting a STEM program with local elementary schools allows CERDEC to demonstrate to students that engineering is an enjoyable, attainable and rewarding career path.
Jill Smith STEM Superstar began as a pilot program in November 2011 at Hickory Elementary, Bel Air, Md. and evolved into a five-year, county-wide initiative to bring STEM to elementary students in the area surrounding Aberdeen Proving Ground. During the 2012-13 school year, the pro gram will serve 12 schools and approxi mately 6,000 students. Piloting a STEM program with local elementary schools allows CERDEC to
demonstrate to students that engineering is an enjoyable, attainable and rewarding career path, CERDEC Technical Director Jill Smith said. Encouraging students to pursue science and math early in their ed ucation can help ensure our country has a competitive and successful S&T workforce in the future. The program is broken into hour-long sessions spread across four days at a spe cific school. During that hour, CERDEC Outreach team members lead a short les son designed to show students the basics of STEM and engineering, followed by a STEM mission that will leave the students STEM Superstars by the end. There is no requirement for teachers to prepare stu dents prior to the program, ensuring more information does not have to be placed into already-full lesson plans. During a STEM Superstar lesson at Lisby Elementary in Aberdeen, Md., CERDEC Outreach team members asked a young student why he doesnt use a baseball for dribbling during a basketball game -- be cause the ball is solid and wont bounce well, unlike a basketball. They asked a stu dent what happens if she doesnt run fast enough heading into a gymnastic flip -she wont make it all the way around, shell fall. Helping the students connect what
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A number of elementary schools include STEM into the curriculum by way of schoolwide programs or teachers including it in lesson plans. McGonigal is involved in a STEM Cohort at Towson University, looking into a possible STEM certification for teachers. Meadowvale Elementary, with the aid of a Department of Defense grant, has created an after-school STEM Club program for its fourth and fifth graders that had to be restructured in its second year to accommodate the high level of student interest. STEM is the way of the future and we have to ensure we are laying a foundation for our students, said Karen Jankowiak, Meadowvale assistant principal. The dis cussions we have with Harford County high school and middle school administrations reaffirm the need to prepare students for upper level math and science courses, now, at the elementary level. If they arent prepared, it just closes doors for their fu ture. CERDEC Educational Outreach works to support STEM education through other means outside the STEM Superstar pro gram. CERDEC worked with the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, the Army Testing Center, the Army Research Laboratory and the entire APG STEM community to bring an annual STEM Expo to APG, which brought more than 400 high school students to learn about organizations at APG in November. An annual Math and Science Summer Camp is hosted by CERDEC Outreach, continuing STEM education into the summer months for area fifth-10th graders. CERDEC also partici pates in the Armys eCYBERMISSION pro gram and the Maryland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Throughout the STEM Superstar curricu lum are messages that relate back to the work CERDEC engineers, and the countless engineers from other R&D organiza tions, do at APG, located right around the corner for most of the students, and where many of their parents work. We show them the amazing things en gineers at CERDEC do -- creating night vi sion goggles to let Soldiers see in the dark, making Sense Through the Wall that lets Soldiers see whats on the other side of a brick wall, Bertoli said. To a kid, what CERDEC engineers do can seem like really giving Soldiers super powers and thats a powerful message.
Fourth graders explain their prototype to RDECOMs communications-electronics center Outreach team members. STEM Superstar engages students from kindergarten to fifth grade in stimulating activities challenging students to think creatively and solve problems like an engineer. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
idea could cause and how much of their budget they used. We wanted to make a super powered router so you can take the Internet wherever you go, one fifth-grader at Lisby Elementary said. Its solar powered and portable. You dont have to be in your house to use it and everyone can use the internet for free. Another team created a prototype that would collect fish in a river in hopes of ef ficiently collecting the fish for food, while keeping in mind the live animals. The wheels spin from the river current and power the arm that sucks up the fish, said another Lisby fifth-grader. But we have to be sure the wheels dont hurt the fish and that the fish can escape if it gets full. This program truly is special, Freel said. It brings the program into our class rooms, into a familiar setting, and provides a unique opportunity for our students to actively participate in a fun and engaging lesson that they will remember. Not only that, but for the teachers it serves as an anchor point that they can refer back to in future lessons. Harford and Cecil county officials were critical in the successful launch of the pro gram, said Bertoli, citing the positive re lationship between APG, county officials, and principals and administrative staff at the county schools. Over the next four years, the STEM Superstar program plans to visit every elementary school in the two counties, ensuring every student has taken part in the program at least once. The program is a reflection of the dedi cation of Harford and Cecil counties to pro vide the best opportunities and further the education of their students, Bertoli said.
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TARDEC Public Affairs DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. Research, Development and Engineering Command Director Dale Ormond envisions a structural change within the command to better integrate the science and technology centers in the future. But functionally, he emphasized, S&T teams are more essential than ever to future operational readiness. I dont think theres an organization in the Army that can do what you do, he declared during a recent town hall address at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center. I see tremendous things come out of this command every day, Ormond said to associates. One of the great things about our type of organization is we have men and women whose priority is helping some guy or gal out on point in the middle of nowhere execute their mission and come home safely. Were doing that as profoundly as anybody in the Army because were putting new capabilities in that Soldiers hands. He has proposed a new way to think about developing and delivering technology that meets Army needs, though. Im trying to get us to collaborate across RDECOM in the most profound way, so we can take advantage of the expertise that exists at all the other RDECs [research, development and engineering centers]and provide even greater capabilities to help the Army execute its mission, he asserted during the Jan. 16 town hall. This organization was stood up [in 2003] because the Army saw the value of the RDECs and ARL [Army Research Laboratory] and recognized if we could collaborate in a positive way, it would only work to the benefit of the Army. During the course of his initial nine months as the commands first civilian director, Ormond has been planning and implementing actions to establish RDECOM as the Armys go-to organization for engineering expertise a fully integrated source for technological solutions that ensure battlefield dominance. By linking RDECOMs seven centers and laboratories together in a collaborative network providing technological expertise, he intends to position the command as the powerful and diverse S&T provider the Army envisioned 10 years ago. Revitalizing the network of 16,000 associates may also involve a name change for the centers and labs. Proposals include what Ormond described as the FedEx model: the prominent package delivery business
RDECOM Director Dale A. Ormond (left) visits Dr. Paul Rogers at the commands tank and automotive center at Detroit Arsenal. (U.S. Army photo)
consolidated its assets under one banner with identifying designations to strengthen the overall brand but also promote their specialties, such as FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight and FedEx Office. TARDEC could evolve into RDECOM Ground Vehicle Systems under this proposed plan. The Armament Research Development and Engineering Center could become RDECOM Armaments, and Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center could become simply RDECOM Soldier, and so on. Another proposal would combine all the RDECOM organizations under one headquarters called the Army Research and Engineering Laboratory. RDECOM leaders are considering the rebranding effort to change the paradigm for how work gets completed and vehicle systems become integrated to best serve Soldiers in the field and, long term, to lower costs. The effort involves deleting duplicative practices and using a common approach that focuses on each labs or centers core competency, such as TARDECs specialties systems engineering and integration. We ought to have the same approach to systems engineering the same terminology, the same assessments, conduct trade space analysis the same way, Ormond announced. If we do it all the same way, then systems engineers could even move back and forth between RDECs and
integrate and do systems engineering on platforms. Were enabling risk assessment and the decisions make sense because we all talk the same language and use the same approach. Success hinges on two factors. First, every organization that interacts with RDECOM has to adopt a 30-year plan so that budgeting, facilities plans and workforce needs will be known and can be aligned with the Armys goals to become more efficient, more flexible and ready for the next security threat. Also, Ormond believes technology development moves faster when the Army collaborates with private industry and transfers its research and development to the vehicle builders. The RDECOM director reassured TARDEC employees that S&T research and development will remain prominent and relevant to a military that doesnt want to lose its edge if the United States needs to defend its interests in another part of the world. We contribute to the fight every day. While other budgets will be going down, S&T budgets are expected to be fully funded equivalent to what they were in previous years, Ormond said. If [the country] has a need to buy new capabilities and we havent invested in S&T, we wont be ready and we will lose traction with the rest of the world. RELATED LINKS Online: http://tardec.army.mil/
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Innovations Solutions Training Event participants pose with a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. (U.S. Army photo)
CCS transportation design associate professor Thomas Roney said that kind of collaboration is key to the process. It gets these people that maybe arent used to being together all in the same room and bouncing ideas off each other. It creates a synergy that you get some better ideas out than you probably would have without that happening, Roney said. At the end of the three-day event, 141 ideas were attached to the wall for CCS students to use as they explained their ideas. The sketches will be sent for operations security review once TARDEC engineers pore through them to identify potential ideas that could move forward. Several good ideas and great sketches were developed for the Virtual Window project. Some of the sketches will be utilized to communicate the current implementation for the project. Some of the ideas that came out of this event have potential to influence future implementations of the Virtual Window project as well, Virtual Window Project Manager Andrew Kerbrat said. Youre looking at the beginning stages of innovation, said James Scott, who was part of a CCS class that helped design ideas for Fuel-Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator Bravo in 2010. He now works for TARDECs Advanced Concepts team as an industrial designer. This is probably the most important
process because youre able to explore new ideas. This is a chance to get a lot of innovative ideas down on paper in a short amount of time, Scott said. At the end of the day, 80 percent of the ideas are unfeasible, but, perhaps, 20 percent have nuggets of innovation that could be further investigated. A VERY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE It was just a great combination of the right people at the right time with the right environment, TARDEC Mobility Demonstrator PM Mike Blain said. It was, from my opinion, a very positive experience. Blain said the students were only given so much information about each project. We [the PMs] know our projects hands down, so we were able to tell them what we wanted, but, yet, not tell them so much that we kind of got the answer that we already had. We wanted to sort of give them the boundaries but not constrain them so much so that we got the same answer that we were already moving toward. Chief Warrant Officer 5 Rodney Crow, who directs ordnance and warrant officer training at Fort Lee, agreed. I think everyone had a great event here. The collaboration
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Dr. Bill Lewis, director of AMRDECs Aviation Development Directorate, provided a briefing of the Joint Multi Role Technology Demonstrator, the Future Vertical Lift family of vehicles, and the Apache Block III to MG(P) James L. Huggins Jr., incoming Department of the Army G-3/5/7, during a January 2013 tour of AMRDEC. (U.S. Army photo by Merv Brokke)
so the workforce I have today has never designed a helicopter, has never designed an air vehicle of this nature. Weve modified a lot of them; weve enhanced them; weve tweaked those. But we never have, from the ground up, done those kinds of preliminary detailed design processes to get to a new concept. I have to build a workforce that has the capability of doing that. Typical working in Army aviation are
On the battlefield, in 2040, autonomous systems are going to be doing a lot of things that manned aircraft are doing today.
Dr. Bill Lewis in the engineering fields of aerospace, mechanical, electrical, materials science and propulsion. Coming along in the future of flight, Lewis said, are the addition of computer engineers, because of the complexity of digital systems, and systems engineers. The big piece about systems engineering is, its not about the transmission, its not about the engine, its not about the radio, Lewis said. Its about how all those things work together, because the more digital, more cyber-physical we get in the process, the more the aircraft becomes a very highly interdisciplinary cross-coupled system. That system has to work at a system level.
That has to occur in our future systems, and that capability will exist, and we need people who understand the interdisciplinary nature of that engineering specialty, said Lewis. To develop the workforce, Lewis has implemented preliminary design groups and mentoring programs. As a former systems engineer, it is his goal to impart to the current and next generations what he learned throughout his career and as a young engineer during the production of the OH-58D Kiowa in the 1980s. Im 60 years old. Im not going to be around for a long time, relatively. So what I need to do is take the knowledge and experience I have and try to infuse that into the workforce so that they understand, without going through those exact processes, the logic, the rationale, the experience that they can utilize in going forward. A lot of that is documenting engineering processes and pieces, or talking about how you do a flight test or what kind of aircraft is suitable. For the engineers who are working this program today. its their time in the spotlight. This really is the time for a rotorcraft engineer to really cut their teeth, learn the business, get excited about what they do every day and reap the benefits of technologies that are out there just beyond the reach of what were doing today, Lewis said. RELATED LINKS Online: http://bit.ly/TnDs6m
Newly promoted Master Sgt. John Herring describes his experiences as the senior enlisted advisor at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center. (U.S. Army photo by Merv Brokke)
in uniform over there in harms way. Hes done a lot of great things to help us get that Ops Cell up and running, Edwards said. While serving at AMRDEC, Herring deployed as the senior science and technology advisor to Combined Joint Task Force Paladin in support of efforts to counter improvised explosive devices. Sergeant Herring is no stranger to pulling tough tours, said Mockensturm. Hes had four combat tours - in OEF and OIF. And so a lot of those young Soldiers in that unit [stationed in the Republic of Korea] and young NCOs are going to be looking to him for his expertise in knowing how to lead in combat; which he has clearly demonstrated. Hes an excellent Soldier, Mockensturm said. While at Redstone, Herring completed, with cum laude honors, a bachelor of science in business administration from Columbia College. A few weeks before to his promotion, Herring was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, First Oak Leaf Cluster, from RDECOM Director Dale Ormond for his exemplary service while assigned to AMRDEC. Herring was also inducted into the Honorable Order of Saint Michael and was presented the Bronze Award by Col. Bob Marion, project manager for Cargo Helicopters and senior vice president of the Army Aviation Association of Americas Tennessee Valley Chapter. RELATED LINKS Online: http://bit.ly/TnDs6m
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Patricia Buckley, a research biologist in ECBCs Research and Technology Directorate, holds up a prototype of the next-generation smartphone technology, which uses wide-field imaging of microbeads for pathogen detection. (U.S. Army photos)
The next-generation prototype for smartphone technology developed by ECBC and UCLA scientists can collect a sample, analyze the results, geotag the location of the sample on Google Maps, and even send the results to a laboratory for further review.
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Left: Women contributed significantly to mission accomplishment during World War II. Above: The idea of women in military uniform was softened by the popularity of a newspaper cartoon depicting female soldiers. (U.S. Army photos)
contest with the help of the WACs. The prize for the contest was a threeday pass to New York City. The USO decided to send Semanchik and Herman. The trip to NYC hit the pages of Life magazine, Yank and The Stars and Stripes. The two winners met NYC Mayor LaGuardia and movie actor Dick Powell. They visited The Stork Club, appeared at The Stage Door Canteen and saw several Broadway shows. They also suppor ted a WAC recruiting drive. But the culmination for them was a modeling session for the countr ys leading car toonists at the Pen and Pencil Club. The now-famous Althea Semanchik returned to APG and continued to ser ve until her discharge on Jan. 17, 1946. Many veterans felt the car toon provided lots of laughs during the war, but it also accomplished the goal of helping Americans get used to the idea of women ser ving in the militar y. RELATED LINKS ECBC: http://1.usa.gov/Xjap8m
Pfc. Althea Semanchik from Duryea, Penn., became the model for the famous cartoon character Winnie.
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College student scores publication in major journal, thanks to summer work at Army Research Laboratory
ARL Public Affairs ADELPHI, Md. University of Florida Junior Thomas Underwood was published in the February 26 edition of the Journal of Applied Physics, a major accomplish ment for any post-doctoral researcher yet achieved by an undergraduate student. His paper, Physics Based Lumped Element Circuit Model for Nanosecond Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharges, was accepted into the journal is based on the theoretical developments of the model that Thomas worked on while he worked at ARL. I was fortunate enough to be Thomas mentor during his internship in 2011 in which we worked on this topic, said Dr. Bryan Glaz, ARL research aerospace engineer. Thomas was very enthusiastic about his work. Even though he was an undergraduate student, he demonstrated the ability to independently conduct Ph.D. level research. Underwood said his college research mentor encouraged him to apply for a summer position here, where he said he gained the most in learning about the research process. My mentor for the summer in addition to the other research engineers that I came into contact within the Vehicle Technology Directorate were extremely supportive and instrumental in assisting me throughout the summer. Overall the summer program at ARL taught and guided me through the entire research process from developing a new idea to writing and presenting it, said Underwood. At ARL, he worked to establish a circuit method for approximating the physics of plasma actuators. Existing models relied on complicated discretization schemes that when coupled with a computational flow solver, often take months to converge to a solution. Obviously in the design process, such a simulation is highly impractical, said Underwood, who is scheduled to graduate in 2014 with a double major of nuclear engineering and physics and a minor in mathematics. Plasma actuators are of interest at ARL as they have shown potential for improved control over aerodynamic performance which could enable Army air vehicles, such as rotorcraft, with next-generation capabilities. The inherent advantages of plasma actuator flow control devices include: fast response time, surface compliance, lack of moving parts, inexpensiveness, and lightweight. The purpose of Underwoods work, Glaz said, was related to the study of a new aerodynamic flow control. Our interest in these new directions in plasma based aerodynamic flow control is due to the potential for these approaches to lead to Army air platforms, such as rotorcraft, with next-generation aerodynamic performance. In the context of rotorcraft, effective aerodynamic flow control could result in leapahead payload and speed capabilities. In order to properly study these new flow control approaches, we need to develop computer models for simulation. However the plasma based approach that I had Thomas working on was a very new development in the research community and no one had yet developed a numerical model of the plasma that could be coupled with aerodynamics computer codes. Another important goal of Thomas model was that it needed to run very quickly, otherwise the coupled plasma/aerodynamics simulations would take far too long to run, Glaz said. The journals peer reviewers all commented that the model described in Thomas paper is the first approach to address these issues. So there was a limited body of previous research for Thomas to build on when he began his summer internship. As a result, Thomas was required to develop the theoretical basis for his model with almost no point of reference. I was extremely impressed with his ability to independently and creatively approach solutions to complicated new research problems which no one has yet addressed. The complexity of the problem Thomas addressed as an undergraduate summer intern here at ARL, as well as the quality of his work, is consistent with the initial portions of a Ph.D. thesis. Underwood is currently applying to graduate school, with his toward a doctorate degree in applied plasma physics or biological physics. Throughout the time spent in a doctoral program, I hope to push the boundaries of thought within the field of physics while still refining my academic abilities and striving for excellence. Ideally, all of the research and time spent in academia will lead me to obtain a tenure-track faculty position in either the Department of Physics or Mechanical Engineering at a university. I feel that no other career choice could fulfill my lifelong passion of inquiry better than being a professor, said the native of the rural Sebring, Fla. RELATED LINKS Online: http://bit.ly/Ze5t2I
Thomas Underwood was selected as the Army Research Laboratory, Vehicle Technology Directorates top undergraduate intern in 2011. (U.S. Army photos)
After returning to the University of Florida, he cleaned up some of the numerical algorithms in his work leaving it suitable for submission to a distinguished journal.
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thing that was curious about the munitions, Schwarz said. They were home to an increased population of Hawaiian Brisingid sea stars that made the deteriorating munitions a natural habitat. During HUMMA, a few sea stars were collected and sent to Smithsonian scientists to study. CBARR was first brought onto the research team as chemical experts in 2009; two years after the HUMMA project began. The research effort is funded by the U.S. Army and led by the University of Hawaii to investigate the environmental impact of the sea dumped munitions on the surrounding environment. During that time, prime contractor, Environet, and the University of Hawaii mapped the ocean floor and used the Pisces submersible to collect samples within 10 feet of munitions. The Army considers this research effort extremely important to both helping close data gaps in DODs understanding of the effects of chemical munitions in the ocean environment and helping validate and improve upon procedures developed for investigating sea disposal sites, particularly those in deep water, said Hershell Wolfe, the deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health, in a November press release. Wolfe recognized Schwarz and the CBARR team in a letter of appreciation dated Jan. 10, 2013, citing a selfless willingness to duty by working nearly around the clock in support of HUMMAs demanding mission goals. University of Hawaii Principal Investigator Margo Edwards, Ph.D., shared a similar sentiment for CBARRs efforts. In a press release, she stated, UHs partnership with the U.S. Army and Environet significantly increased Hawaiis and the worlds understanding of seadisposed munitions: how they were disposed in the past and how they have deteriorated right up to the present time. The forthcoming field program will hopefully allow us to expand our understanding of the potential environmental impact of munitions that may contain chemical agent, and develop methods for monitoring and modeling future deterioration. The Army and University of Hawaii are finalizing the research report for their latest mission. The next phase of the project will evaluate performance differences between human-occupied submersibles and remotely operated vehicles, and also test new sensors and instruments that will improve the visual mapping and sampling of the munitions. RELATED LINKS ECBC: https://www.ecbc.army.mil
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FINDING A PROPER MASK FIT Currently fielded mask styles, including the M40 series and M45, are designed to fit 95 percent of head sizes. Newer masks, in cluding the Joint Service General Purpose Mask (M50) and M53 series, are designed to fit 98 percent. The program, which is part of ECBCs Protection Engineering Division, fit 100 peo ple in 2011 and has fit 38 in 2012 as of Aug. 23. Most requests come from the Armys chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological defense school at Fort Dix, N.J., and chemi cal school at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The Army uses the M45 as the hard-to-fit mask solution, Learn said. It comes in four mask sizes and five nose-cup sizes, which are interchangeable. Most other standard-issue masks have only three sizes with a fixed nosecup. Interchangeable nosecups allow for a more custom fit. The Hard-to-Fit Program does not re design a new mask for those who do not fit in the standard version. The group alters a mask to fit a persons face by mixing and matching parts. If someone decides they need a hardto-fit mask, they will contact us and tell us what mask they were best able to achieve a fit with, although they couldnt get a passing fit, Learn said. That gives us a good idea about what size they would be in the M45. Sometimes they are extremely hard-to-fit, and they will travel to ECBCs mask issue, where I will meet them and work with the fitting facility to make sure they can achieve a proper fit. The program began in the late 1970s, when engineers would make someone a custom mask, which had significantly higher costs as well as time. SERVICE FOR SOLDIERS EQUIPMENT NEEDS Learn said an important part of her work is to communicate with users and provide solu tions to their issues and questions regarding chemical, biological, and radiological protec tive equipment. Her group works in the sus tainment part of the equipment life cycle and is responsible for managing the items after they have been fielded. Servicemembers can request parts information and make recommendations to the engineers for improving equipment. The Protection Engineering Division also per forms extensive testing of par ts to ensure products fulfill user needs and
Not being able to get your hands on the right fitting mask could be a career ender for some, said Edgewood Chemical Biological Center engineer Cindy Learn. (U.S. Army photo by Tom Faulkner)
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