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Armed with Science has written 159 articles so far, you can find them below.

Researchers View the Sun in 3-D

Cartesian projection of the entire solar atmosphere as observed by NRL's SECCHI EUV telescopes at a temperature of 1.6 million degrees. The lower panels show the individual images from each telescope and the middle panel shows the geometric configuration of the STEREO spacecraft at the time the images were taken. SECCHI acquires such full maps of the sun every 10 to 20 minutes. (Image: NRL)

by Donna McKinney
Naval Research Laboratory
Original press release

Beginning on February 6, 2011, the two STEREO spacecraft are 180 degrees apart providing Naval Research Laboratory scientists with a 360-degree view of the Sun. NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft were launched on October 25, 2006, and have been gathering spectacular images of solar activity, especially solar storms, since the mission began.

A key component of the STEREO mission is NRL’s Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI), a suite of five scientific telescopes that observe the solar corona and inner heliosphere from the surface of the Sun to the orbit of Earth. These unique observations are made in “stereo” by the two nearly identical solar-powered STEREO observatories with one observatory ahead of Earth in its orbit and the other trailing behind. The two observatories trace the flow of energy and matter from the Sun to Earth. The instruments aboard STEREO reveal the three-dimensional structure of coronal mass ejections, the powerful eruptions of plasma and magnetic energy from the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona.

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People Empowering Technology: The Cyberspace Ecosystem

Filed under Cyber Security, Education & Culture, STEM, Technology by Armed with Science on February 4, 2011 at 11:44 am {no comments}

An early visualization of the Cyberspace Ecosystem. (Image: SENDS)

By Carl Hunt and Richard Raines

Last week on Armed with Science, John Ohab posted a remarkable video of Army LTG Benjamin Freakley on the topic of “Technology Without People is Just Very Cool Stuff.” This video is an insightful piece about the role military people play in the development, deployment and uses of technology on the battlefield. LTG Freakley called it “soldiers working, empowering technology.”

What a great way to put it: people making technology better…empowering it. His talk visualized a true socio-technological convergence, where both people and technology mutually benefitted, and where military missions benefitted from increased likelihoods of success.

It was a “remarkable empowerment by regular soldiers, thinking through age-old problems,” as LTG Freakley said later in the video. People acted as problem-solvers, tackling the challenges of leadership of the socio-technological dilemmas that have surfaced with the advent of hyper-connected cyberspace.

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If you’re worried about computer security, you should know…

Filed under Cyber Security, STEM, Technology by Armed with Science on February 3, 2011 at 12:11 pm {one comment}

Are you protected?

This blog post was shared with us by the Information Assurance Technology Analysis Center (IATAC). It is the fifth entry in our 22-part series produced by the Defense Technical Information Center.

Do you use a computer? Are you ever connected to the Internet? Is your organization aware of the myriad computer threats?

Twenty years ago, if you answered yes to any of these questions, you would have been in the minority. Today, we’re all “connected” and assume our organizations are watching out for us.

At work, our organizations are responsible for ensuring we’re protected from a variety of threats, external and internal. There are a significant number of policies and standards that provide guidance to ensure there is no weakest link. Staying abreast of the latest policy changes and their impact on your organizational operations can seem daunting. Enter the Information Assurance (IA) Technology Analysis Center (IATAC).

Since its inception in 1998, IATAC has been a Department of Defense (DOD) central point of access for information on Information Assurance, Cyber Security, Defensive Information Operations, and Defensive Information Warfare. IATAC also provides assistance and expertise in emerging technologies in system vulnerabilities, research and development, models, and analysis to support the development and implementation of effective defense against Information Warfare attacks.

What does this mean to you? It means IATAC has been constantly building a knowledge base in hundreds of IA topic areas to assist organizations with their IA challenges; to help organizations counter threats before they become headlines; and if events do occur, provide a solid foundation to help organizations respond.

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Making the Grade: Kinser Elementary School [Dispatches from Antarctica]

Filed under Education & Culture, STEM by Armed with Science on February 2, 2011 at 2:45 pm {4 comments}

This is the 40th 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.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been asking elementary and high school students to submit their top questions about life in Antarctica — the coldest, windiest, and driest place on Earth.

We’ve heard from Ms. Vogt’s class at Arnold Elementary School in Arnold, MD, and two schools from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA), Guam High School and Osan American Elementary in South Korea.

Today is our final Q&A, and I’m pleased to answer some very interesting questions from students at DODEA’s Kinser Elementary School in Okinawa, Japan. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity help you learn more about Antarctica.

Please feel free to let us know what you think in the comment section.

Logan: How did you get your job?

Lt. Col. Vaughan: Hi Logan. I spent many years in the Air Force as an officer and a pilot before applying to work in my current job. I was fortunate that a selection board composed of three senior officers selected me based on my background, which is a combination of aviation, science, and management.

Some other background required for this position includes a college degree and experience with deployed operations. For the college degree, I studied engineering, but I think it’s important to choose a field in which you have a personal interest. Learn the basics, but then have fun taking your education to the next level.

I’ve known excellent pilots with degrees in history, English, business and other subjects. However, degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math, the STEM subject areas, seem to open the most doors in my career field right now.

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The Business of Science: Protecting Navy Medicine’s Inventions

Filed under Policy, Technology by Armed with Science on January 28, 2011 at 11:43 am {no comments}

The Naval Medical Research Center Technology Transfer Team (Photo: NMRC)

Doris Ryan works at the Naval Medical Research Center. Her blog post was originally published in Naval Medical Research and Development News.

Patents protect Navy Medicine’s intellectual property and allow commercial businesses to license the patent for the benefit of our warfighters and also U.S. taxpayers.

Each year the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) Office of Legal and Technology Transfer Services (OLTS) team pursues patent protection for about 20 new inventions, and the team currently has over 50 U.S. and 20 foreign applications in various stages of the patent process. The invaluable patent application process is done behind the scenes, and when successfully completed a 20-year patent is issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that protects the unique work done by NMRC researchers.

The first step in the patent application process, before any public disclosure, presentation or publication, is for researcher to fill out a couple of forms. The “Record and Disclosure of Invention” form gives the OLTS team basic information on the nature of the invention and inventorship. The “Patent Rights Questionnaire” form lets the OLTS team determine whether the federal government has sufficient rights to the invention to allow for filing a patent application. These forms are available on the NMRC website or by calling 01-319-7503 or 301-319-9433.

The OLTS team then develops a detailed filing strategy to support the patent application process. U.S. patents are effective only within the U.S., U.S. territories and U.S. possessions.

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Navy Energy Official Predicts Success With Biofuels

Filed under Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Podcast by Armed with Science on January 27, 2011 at 4:23 pm {no comments}

Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense for Energy Tom Hicks told reporters the Navy’s bullish on biofuels. (Photo: DOD)

Matthew Mientka works at the Defense Media Activity’s Emerging Media Directorate.

A senior Navy official yesterday criticized a major “think tank” for its outlook on the development of alternative fuel technologies and markets.

Tom Hicks, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, said in a “DOD Live” Bloggers Roundtable that a report from the nonprofit Rand Corp. to Congress this week contained “misrepresentations and some factual errors,” particularly with regard to Navy development of new fuels.

The Rand Corp. failed to consult the Navy and with industry, Hicks said, and “based on [our] active engagement with industry, we have come to some far different conclusions.”

Listen to the full discussion or read the transcript.

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Face-to-Face with Real-Life Explosives Hero: Decorated Warfighter Awes Propulsion Community

Filed under Education & Culture, STEM, Technology by Armed with Science on January 26, 2011 at 12:11 pm {no comments}

Not a Hollywood set: explosive ordnance disposal in the field. (Image: DOD)

This blog post was shared by the Chemical Propulsion Information Analysis Center. It is the fourth entry in our 22-part series produced by the Defense Technical Information Center.

Keynote speakers often are selected for their ability to convey policy or because they hold a position of power and prestige. At the most recent Joint Army Navy NASA Air Force Subcommittee Meeting in Orlando, Fla., we had a keynote speaker who held enough power in her hands to level an entire city block…literally.

Melissa Milani, a decorated Naval Explosive Ordnance Technician from Indian Head, Md., gave a captivating presentation on her past role in Explosive Ordnance Disposal. The Bronze Star recipient also touched on how her organization’s work impacted the Department of Defense (DOD) community.

Just like a Hollywood movie, Melissa’s words and stories were explosive, brought to life by a video of a captured enemy munitions disposal. However, it was her ability to connect with the audience that will be most remembered. This particular audience was filled with propellant chemists and engineers who have the job of developing better and safer munitions for the warfighter. It was clear that her skill and dedication during deployments in Kosovo and Iraq made the battlefield a safer place for US troops and civilians.

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Detecting Chemical and Biological Agents on the Nanoscale

Filed under Physical Sciences, STEM by Armed with Science on January 25, 2011 at 11:38 am {no comments}

Nanometer-sized gold and silver disks are arranged like barcodes and can be observed as signal in a microscope. (Photo: Mirkin Lab)

Kyle Osberg is a fourth-year student working towards a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. He is originally from Houston, TX.

Researchers and students at Northwestern University have developed a new way to look for chemical and biological agents using miniaturized detectors that work at nanoscale dimensions. The research is being done in the laboratory of Dr. Chad Mirkin, a National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellow (NSSEFF) funded by the Department of Defense. NSSEFF supports world-class faculty members and their development of the next generation of leading scientists.

Among Dr. Mirkin’s students is Kyle Osberg, a fourth year Ph.D. candidate from Houston, Texas, who is studying materials science and engineering. Kyle and a team of four students work on nanometer-sized gold and silver disks that are stacked and spaced at different intervals. They can be used to detect chemical and biological agents, encrypt and authenticate information, and track materials or people of interest, all while being highly covert and invisible to the naked eye.

One vision is that these disks can be embedded into fibers within lightweight, wearable fabrics worn by soldiers to monitor for possible biological and chemical threats.

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