Earlier this week on Armed with Science, we had the opportunity to speak with Ron Meyers, quantum physicist at the Army Research Laboratory. Meyers discussed ghost imaging,which is a technique that allows a high resolution camera to produce an image of an object which the camera itself cannot see.
It uses two sensors, one that looks at a light source and another that looks at the object. (more…)
The Electrochemistry Branch in the Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate at Army Research Laboratory is working to fix that by creating fuel cells that are lighter, more efficient and more durable than existing batteries. The new fuel cells will help soldiers by lessening the number of batteries that they carry for missions lasting longer than 24 hours.
Dr. Cynthia Lundgren, chief of the electrochemistry Branch, discussed that fuel cell technology, which has the potential to lower the weight burden carried by soldiers, during a Oct. 21 webcast of “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military.”
Depending on their role in the battalion, some soldiers may carry as much as 35 pounds of batteries with them for a 72-hour mission, Lundgren said. She’d like to see that weight reduced to 12 pounds.
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Dr. Barry Spargo, head of the Chemical Dynamics and Diagnostics Department at the Naval Research Laboratory, discussed research related to the development of new and alternative sources of energy. As global first responders, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps rely on readily available, reliable sources of energy to perform a variety of missions, and the vulnerability of energy supplies could jeopardize naval forces’ ability to support forces afloat and ashore. The Department of the Navy’s energy strategy aims to decrease U.S. naval forces’ dependence on foreign fuel sources. Science and technology investments will provide many solutions.
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Col. Dave Belote, commander of the 99th Air Base Wing, will discuss one of the Air Force’s most ambitious green initiatives, the Nellis Air Force Base Solar Array, which is comprised of more than 72,000 solar panels containing 6 million solar cells. The Nellis Solar Array took only three years of planning and 26 weeks to complete, and debuted as North America’s largest renewable venture. The project, which was completed in December 2007, represents a public-private partnership between the Air Force, Sunpower Corporation, Nevada Power Company and MMA Renewable Ventures.
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This week on Armed with Science, Dr. Barbara McQuiston of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), spoke about a few interesting ways the Department of Defense is trying to revolutionize renewable energy sources.
“I think Peter Drexler always said it well … ‘If you want to control the future, you need to create it,’” McQuiston said. “So DARPA invests science and technology to make these changes. When we looked at energy, what we were looking at was the diversification of energy sources and moving away from a reliance on fossil fuel to create better energy security for ourselves now and in the future.”
Their plan? To create renewable biofuel using things like cellulose (”woody” materials), rich oil and algae. You read right: algae, the plant-like organisms that float around in the ocean, could one day fuel C-130s and F-16s. But the focus isn’t as much on what the fuel is made of, but where it can be made.
For example, all fuel used in Afghanistan needs to be shipped there. If bio jet fuel could be made from plant materials that could be farmed there, it would be a “game-changer” for the military operation there and the country’s economy.
“If you looked … at Afghanistan, if you could be able to create jet fuel from indigenous sources, and rely on that, you’d not only be able to be able to source energy for our military, but you’d be able to leave an infrastructure that would be more sustainable for the country,” McQuiston said.
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Dr. Marc Mossburg, chief of curriculum at Department of Defense Education Activity and Kim Day, chief of science at DoDEA, said a shortage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields creates opportunities for students. They discussed DoDEA’s curriculum in a September 30 interview on the Pentagon Channel’s weekly podcast, “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military.”
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