Archive | December 22, 2010 | Armed with Science

Santa’s NextGen-Equipped Sleigh Approved for Travel

Filed under Education & Culture, STEM, Technology by John Ohab on December 22, 2010 at 1:31 pm {6 comments}

Join NORAD to track Santa's journey across the globe!

Dr. John Ohab is a new technology strategist at the Department of Defense Public Web Program.

Scientists, engineers, and US. government officials are working to help Santa prepare for his annual global journey.

The Federal Aviation Administration just approved his sleigh, outfitted with new satellite-based NextGen technology. The sleigh’s onboard systems will allow Santa One to maintain cruising altitude for as long as possible before making a continuous descent into cities and towns around the world. While maneuvering on rooftops, an advanced, onboard runway safety system will help reduce the risk of incursions between the sleigh and chimneys.

“Children around the world will get their gifts on time, regardless of the weather, thanks to NextGen,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We’re proud to say NextGen is bringing Santa Claus to town.”

According to the American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Elf Soen Firr, chief Santa suit engineer, confirmed that Santa’s red suit has also been weatherproofed and tested to ensure Santa will stay warm and dry in any type of weather. No further details of the suit’s material or capabilities were released. You can track Santa’s flight this Christmas Eve on NORAD’s website, Google Earth, Twitter, Facebook, and Picasa.

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Ten for ’10: Top Armed with Science Videos of the Year

Filed under Videos by John Ohab on December 20, 2010 at 8:00 am {7 comments}

This is what it would look like if Uncle Sam were to enjoy an Armed with Science video on a floating mid-1990s computer.

Dr. John Ohab is a new technology strategist at the Department of Defense Public Web Program.

When I’m surfing the Internets, I sure love coming across a really interesting video to share with friends.

To create this experience on the Armed with Science blog, we drew from a variety of different sources over the past year: original footage from Department of Defense laboratories, high quality productions from The Pentagon Channel and the National Defense Education Program’s Lab TV, and even a scientific lecture from a Nobel Prize winner. It was a real team effort.

Below, I’ve listed the 10 most watched videos that we’ve shared on the Armed with Science blog in 2010 (arranged according to views on YouTube). Some were provocative, others were dramatic, and a few were just plain ridiculously awesome. The one thing they have in common: You viewed them!

Which 2010 video is your favorite? Leave a comment, and let me know! Also, don’t forget to check out our top podcasts of the year.

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VIDEO: Recycling Rocket Bottles is a Blast [Dispatches from Antarctica]

Filed under Education & Culture, Videos by Armed with Science on December 17, 2010 at 4:07 pm {2 comments}

This is the 35th entry in the Armed with Science series, Dispatches from Antarctica. The series features Air Force Lt. Col. Ed Vaughan’s first-hand experiences on OPERATION: DEEP FREEZE, the Defense Department’s support of National Science Foundation research in Antarctica.

As depicted in the above photo, solid-fuel rockets are sometimes used to help LC-130s takeoff from remove sites in Antarctica. This is known as jet assisted takeoff or JATO.

Misfired or defective JATO fuel bottles must be detonated prior to removal from Antarctica to permit recycling. The JATO explosive disposal team consists of both U.S. Antarctic Program and U.S. Air Force military personnel.

In the first of two videos, you’ll get an inside look at how the JATO explosive disposal team operates. At about 1:30, an EOD team shouts “fire in the hole” three times prior to detonation. All debris is then cleaned up and safely returned to the U.S. for proper recycling. Thanks to Chief Master Sergeant Connie Hoffman, Joint Task Force – Support Forces Antarctica, for this interesting footage.

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Awesome Holiday Greeting from the Troops (and Toby Keith!)

Filed under Education & Culture, STEM, Videos by John Ohab on December 17, 2010 at 9:45 am {3 comments}

Dr. John Ohab is a new technology strategist at the Department of Defense Public Web Program.

It is my pleasure to share with you a truly awesome holiday greeting, “Twas a Night in December,” produced by the Defense Media Activity’s Emerging Media Directorate. The video starts with an introduction from country music artist Toby Keith and features Servicemembers at more than 40 commands based around the world. The entire story and a list of commands that participated this project are listed below the video.

Please share this post wildly with family, friends, coworkers, weight-lifting buddies, and anyone else you think might be interested. Happy Holidays!

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POSTPONED: Wired for War: The Science Fiction/Science Reality of Robots, War, and Politics in the 21st Century

Filed under Education & Culture, Policy, Videos by John Ohab on December 16, 2010 at 9:14 am {no comments}

Dr. Peter Warren Singer presents "Wired for War: The Science Fiction/Science Reality of Robots, War, and Politics in the 21st Century", at the Office of Naval Research's Distinguished Lecture Series, Thursday, December 16th, 2010.

Dr. Peter Warren Singer's lecture will be streamed live here on Thursday, December 16th, 2010.

UPDATE: Due to weather in the Arlington, VA, area, this lecture has been canceled. We’ll post more details about possible rescheduling when they are available.

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On Thursday, December 16th, Dr. Peter Warren Singer will present the Office of Naval Research‘s Distinguished Lecture, “Wired for War: The Science Fiction/Science Reality of Robots, War, and Politics in the 21st Century.” The talk will be streamed live right here on the Armed with Science blog from 1:30 – 3pm eastern.

If you’re in the Arlington, VA, area, you can attend the talk in person by registering at https://secure.onr.navy.mil/events.

Peter Warren Singer is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution. He is the youngest scholar named Senior Fellow in Brookings’s 90-year history. In 2005, CNN named him to their “New Guard” List of the Next Generation of Newsmakers. Singer has also been recognized by the Financial Times as “Guru of the Week” for the thinker who most influenced the world that week and by Slate Magazine for “Quote of the Day.”

In his personal capacity, Singer served as coordinator of the Obama-08 campaign’s defense policy task force. In 2009, Singer was named by Foreign Policy Magazine to the Top 100 Global Thinkers List, of the people whose ideas most influenced the world that year.

Dr. Singer is considered one of the world’s leading experts on changes in 21st century warfare. He was named by the President to Joint Forces Command’s Transformation Advisory Group. He has written for the full range of major media and journals, including the Boston Globe, L.A. Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Current History, Survival, International Security, Parameters, Weltpolitik, and the World Policy Journal. He has been quoted in every major U.S. newspaper and news magazine and delivered talks at venues ranging from the U.S. Congress to over 40 universities around the world. He has provided commentary on military affairs for nearly every major TV and radio outlet, including ABC-Nightline, Al Jazeera, BBC, CBS-60 Minutes, CNN, FOX, NPR, and the NBC Today Show. He is also a founder and organizer of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum, a global conference that brings together leaders from across the US and the Muslim world

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Ten for ’10: Top Armed with Science Podcasts of the Year

Filed under Podcast, STEM by John Ohab on December 15, 2010 at 12:12 pm {no comments}

This RSS feed icon inexplicably wearing headphones represents the fusion of the Internets and radio.

Dr. John Ohab is a new technology strategist at the Department of Defense Public Web Program.

Way back in 2009 – before Defense Fellows were redesigning Barbie, blood was being delivered to Soldiers from the sky, and researchers were developing The Science of Cyberspace – the Defense Media Activity launched a weekly podcast, “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military.”

The podcasts featured live interviews with Defense Department subject matter experts, who discussed the critical role that science and technology play in helping our servicemembers operate more safely and efficiently. In the course of 64 episodes, the show covered a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including science policy, education, and history, and brought together collaborators from across the federal government.

Having had the opportunity to host many of those discussions, I thought it would be fun to revisit the 10 most popular podcasts of the year. I’ve arranged them below according to the number of listens. Stay tuned for our top videos and blog posts…

Which podcast episode is your favorite? Leave a comment, and let me know!

10. Air Force Scientists Propelling New Technologies

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) is awesome. Joan Fuller, a program director, and Air Force Maj. Michelle Ewy, a program manager, at AFOSR’s Aerospace, Chemical, and Material Science Directorate are no exception. They joined the podcast for Women’s History Month to talk about how AFOSR is pushing the boundaries of science and technology and providing exciting career opportunities for women.

Listen

9. Using Geoscience in Support of Marine Corps Operations

Who ensures that Marines can conduct the full gamut of military operations on land, in the air and on the sea? Geoscientists, of course! In this podcast, Marine Corps Master Sgt. Kari Hubler, a 17-year veteran of the Marine Corps’ meteorology and oceanography community, explains how all forecasting is based on gathering data, analyzing the environment to determine what physical processes are affecting it, and then forecasting how those variables will change over time.

Listen

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Advancing STEM Education through Penguin Research [Dispatches from Antarctica]

Filed under Education & Culture, Life Sciences, Videos by Armed with Science on December 14, 2010 at 1:42 pm {one comment}

Adelie penguin mating pairs work together. (Photo: Courtesy of Jean Pennycook, National Science Foundation)

Adelie penguin mating pairs work together. (Photo: Courtesy of Jean Pennycook, NSF)

This is the 34th entry in the Armed with Science series, Dispatches from Antarctica. The series features Air Force Lt. Col. Ed Vaughan’s first-hand experiences on OPERATION: DEEP FREEZE, the Defense Department’s support of National Science Foundation research in Antarctica.

10 November 2010, Cape Royds, Antarctica: Penguins Marching into Your Classroom, Part 2

Jean Pennycook’s National Science Foundation-funded educational outreach, reflected on her site www.PenguinScience.com, supports student learning across a wide spectrum of disciplines. Paramount among these is STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). STEM fields of study are those academic and professional disciplines considered foundational in any advanced society. According to the NSF, the strength of a nation’s STEM workforce is often viewed as an indicator of a nation’s ability to sustain itself.

The NSF is the only American federal agency whose mission includes support for all STEM fields. To get a handle on STEM trends, it is informative to look at the NSF strategic plan and the fields it supports. These fields include, but are not limited to, biological sciences, computer and information science and engineering, education and human resources, environmental research, geosciences, math and physical sciences, social, behavioral, and economic sciences, cyber-infrastructure, and polar programs.

This may explain why many of the funded science teams in Antarctica include embedded educators from time to time. These educators provide a link between the front line science and the front line classrooms.

In this second of three batches of Penguin videos, we see the nest tending behavior of Adelie penguins at the Cape Royds research site.

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National Defense University Press Launches Online Scavenger Hunt

Filed under Challenge, Education & Culture by Armed with Science on December 14, 2010 at 11:21 am {one comment}

Joey Seich is the Internet Publications Editor at the National Defense University Press (NDU Press), located in Washington, DC. NDU Press leads the National Defense University Enterprise in publishing and disseminating vital and complex defense and national security scholarship in a variety of media to inform and influence defense and policy decisionmakers, as well as the joint professional military education community and interested public.

“I want to do a holiday scavenger hunt,” I stated matter-of-factly to my boss over coffee. It was 8 A.M. Monday morning in October. My boss laughed; I didn’t.

He quickly realized I was serious and I went on to explain, “I want to do a holiday scavenger hunt on our Web site. I want to hide holiday graphics across the site. A company did it at a conference I went to and it increased their web traffic by over 600%. I want to try it.”

“You do realize we work for the Department of Defense?” he questioned. I nodded. He shook his head knowing I wouldn’t drop the idea, “Put together a proposal, we’ll take it to the Director.” I quickly agreed.

Fast forward two months and the proposal had somehow made it through the Director, Legal, and the Front Office. I was still in shock when the paperwork landed on my desk: APPROVED.

Now December, NDU Press is launching a Holiday Scavenger Hunt.

The scavenger hunt occurs in two phases. The first phase kicks off Tuesday, December 14 at 12 p.m. from our NDU Press Facebook page. This part of the contest is modeled after the Social Media Scavenger Hunt that the National Archives hosted back in April. On each site, there will be a KEYWORD and a clue leading the user to the next site in the hunt. The first 10 people to send all the keywords in the right order to a provided e-mail address will win a prize. This part of the contest will conclude at 12 p.m. on Thursday, December 16.

The second part of the contest will take place over 10 days. During this part of the Scavenger Hunt, virtual “easter eggs” will be hidden throughout the NDU Press Web site. Some easter eggs will only be viewable from specific browsers, adding to the challenge. Other easter eggs will highlight experimental CSS techniques pioneered by developers such as Andy Clarke and Eric Meyer. Those participants that find an easter egg will win a prize.

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