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

Tracking Surgical Equipment Using Bar Codes

Filed under Technology by Armed with Science on November 24, 2010 at 12:24 pm {2 comments}

New technologies enable an item to be identified nearby or at a distance. (Photo: U.S. Air Force)

Larry George is a retired Air Force clinical laboratory officer and currently serving as a contract project manager for the Center for Partnerships in Research and Technology (CPRT) in the Office of the Assistant Air Force Surgeon General for Medical Modernization. CPRT has projects and personnel assigned at Falls Church, Virginia, San Antonio, Texas and Biloxi, Mississippi.

In a previous blog post, I reported on a research project sponsored by the Office of the Air Force Surgeon General at the 81st Medical Group Hospital, Keesler Air Force Base in South Mississippi. The project, which uses Automated Identification and Data Collection (AIDC) applications, seeks to improve clinical and business processes. AIDC includes technologies such as Radiofrequency ID (RFID), ultrasound, bar codes and infrared that allows an item to be identified nearby, in the case of bar codes, or at a distance, using RFID.

An additional proof-of-concept project is underway in the hospital’s Central Sterile Supply (CSS) to validate the initial positive return on investment estimate. This application uses both bar codes and RFID to support surgical tray and instrument tracking. The two-dimensional bar codes (approximately 4 mm square) are electrochemically etched into the stainless steel surgical instruments, uniquely identify each instrument as well as its type, and are linked to information in the system data base. The accompanying picture shows a tech applying a 2D bar code as well as example instruments that have been marked.

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VIDEO: Tour of McMurdo General Hospital [Dispatches from Antarctica]

Filed under Life Sciences, Videos by Armed with Science on November 21, 2010 at 9:12 am {one comment}

This is the 30th 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.

6 November 2010, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

In today’s video, U.S. Air Force Maj (Dr.) Greg Richert, flight surgeon, gives a tour of McMurdo General Hospital. Maj Richert treats both civilians and military personnel at McMurdo Station and coordinates patient transport back to New Zealand for patients that need to be treated off continent.

During the tour, Maj Richert walks us through the facilities, including the hyperbaric chamber, and introduces us to several hospital staff.
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TEDxPentagon: What are the Human Stories?

Filed under Cyber Security, Education & Culture, Technology, Videos by Armed with Science on November 18, 2010 at 4:31 pm {no comments}

Liz Lopez is a social media intern at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.

If you browse the listing of TEDx events happening around the world, you can see that each event usually includes a theme that unites the broad range of speakers and their stories. TEDxMidAtlantic asked its speakers and audience, “What If?” TEDxNASA presented its “Space to Create.” TEDxUSC wanted people to imagine “Ideas Empowered.” And so the time came for our team to stop and ask ourselves, “What do we want TEDxPentagon to say?”

The original theme was going to be “The Intersection of People and Technology – A New Kind of Military,” a conference aimed at a generation that grew up with cell phones, computers, and the Internet. When the TEDxPentagon team sat down to brainstorm tag lines for our event, we reviewed our speakers and their speeches to see if it still aligned with our original idea. Some of them indeed fit.

TSgt Stuart Wilson will be sharing his experiences of working in cyber and network security for the Air Force. LTG Benjamin Freakley of Army Accessions Command had a thought-provoking title for his talk, “Technology without people is just (very cool) stuff.” COL Geoffrey Ling from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Program (DARPA), with his extensive background in prosthetics research, is presenting how technology makes the impossible probable.

Technology is obviously a large aspect of our military. But we realized that some talks had nothing to do with technology and gadgets. MSgt Julia Watson will be talking about her time on the Marines’ Female Engagement Program in Iraq, and developing a similar program for Afghanistan. EOD technician LT John Pucillo will be telling us why, after losing his left leg to an IED, he reenlisted back into the Navy. And Sarah Hertig will be sharing her experiences as a military spouse, the unspoken heroes of the military community.

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Contributing to Marine Pollution by Washing Your Face [Dispatches from Antarctica]

Filed under Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences, Videos by Armed with Science on November 15, 2010 at 10:29 pm {no comments}

This is the 29th 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.

1 November 2010, McMurdo Station, Antarctica: Microplastics…Ocean Pollution writ Large

My sister told me to always clip the circles on the plastic six-pack holders. The theory is that such measures may prevent sea creatures from getting caught up in them. I don’t know if that works or not, but it made me think about all the plastics that find their way to the ocean. Turns out that even the so-called biodegradable plastics (made from plant materials) only biodegrade when composted in soil. In the ocean, it seems they float around like all the other trash.

Also, I’ve seen photos and read news stories about gulls, sea turtles, and marine mammals found dead due to entanglement with plastic garbage. Living in the Hawaiian Islands, we hear news about a “discovery” of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling, floating ad hoc plastics dump, is claimed to be larger than the state of Texas? Even if such a thing couldn’t be quantified in that way, as explained by NOAA in their Marine Debris web portal, its mere existence would be significant.

The NOAA Ship Sette unloads its undesirable "catch" from the Pacific Ocean. (Photo: NOAA)

As NOAA states very clearly, “…regardless of the exact size, mass, and location of the “garbage patch,” manmade debris does not belong in our oceans and waterways.”

But what happens over the long haul? Do these plastics mechanically degrade in the ocean and become harmless? According to Dr. Mary Sewell, senior lecturer (professor) at University of Auckland in New Zealand, petroleum-based plastics do break down into smaller bits over a long period of time. And these smaller bits present a whole new range of hazards to marine life, both big and very, very small.

As Dr. Sewell explains in the above video, microplastic particles are generally described as pieces less than 5mm in size, but can be as small as a few microns. However, they don’t only come from large plastics which are broken down over time. They also come directly manufactured at the micro-scale for use in consumer cosmetics and other products.

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Volunteers Plant 500 Native Shrubs Along Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge

Filed under Earth Sciences, Life Sciences by Armed with Science on November 15, 2010 at 10:59 am {no comments}

Volunteers logged 245 hours and planted 500 native plants and shrubs at Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge for National Public Lands Day 2010. (Photo: DoD)

By Bob Schallmann, Conservation Program Manager at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach as part of Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest.

Naval Weapons Station and Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge (SBNWR) hosted a volunteer event on 16 October 2010 with the objective of restoring native vegetation to several acres of upper saltmarsh habitat and adjacent upland habitat.

The project included removal of invasive plants, preparing the land for restoration, and planting native plants. These upland restoration areas provide habitat and shelter for state and federally-listed endangered bird species, numerous pollinator species, and a wide variety of mammals, amphibians, birds, and reptiles. They also provide a buffer between wetland habitat and agricultural lands.

The Navy and the Fish and Wildlife Service relied heavily on the Friends of SBNWR to assist in the coordination, planning, and implementation of this project. National Public Lands Day proved once again to be an ideal opportunity to involve community volunteers in the upland restoration adjacent to the refuge wetlands. The restoration areas were previously covered in non-native vegetation such at Fountain Grass, Fennel, and Hottentot Fig. The Navy was responsible for the removal of these invasives, clearing the way for soil preparation work by the Friends group. Volunteers from public and community groups, recruited by the Navy and the Friends, planted 500 native shrubs and flowers in the prepared area.

Funds from the Legacy grant contributed to the purchase of plants, soil amendments, transporting volunteers to and from the worksite, rubbish containers, and irrigation supplies.

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Scientists Chasing the Ozone Hole [Dispatches from Antarctica]

Filed under Earth Sciences, Videos by Armed with Science on November 14, 2010 at 1:48 pm {no comments}

This is the 28th 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.

October 29, 2010, McMurdo Station, Antarctica: Chasing the Ozone Hole

The Antarctic ozone hole was discovered in 1985 by British scientists Joseph Farman, Brian Gardiner, and Jonathan Shanklin of the British Antarctic Survey.

Dr. Terry Deshler knows ozone “all the way”. For the past 25 years, he and his teams have chased, tracked, plotted, observed, measured, and outmaneuvered the annual ozone hole over Antarctica. Dr. Deshler has sought to better understand how CFCs and other pollutants contribute to the ozone hole.

One of Dr. Deshler’s team members, Holly Troy, offered these amazing photos of McMurdo Station in the twilight hours, including shots of the mysterious and beautiful nacreous clouds, found only in the polar regions.

To learn more about the relationships among chlorine, nacreous clouds, and ozone depletion, watch the video interview with Dr. Deshler from McMurdo Station. To read more about Dr. Deshler’s work, visit his webpage here and here, and an NSF summary of 2006-2007 work here.

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Tragedy on the Ice [Dispatches from Antarctica]

Filed under Education & Culture by Armed with Science on November 12, 2010 at 1:43 pm {4 comments}

An AS350 Squirrel helicopter, similar to the one which crashed in Antarctica on October 28, is pictured in this file photo provided by Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

This is the 27th 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.

28 Oct, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

[NOTE: I’ve delayed posting this entry. Both because it is appropriate to wait and because I wish I didn’t have to write it. After discussing the matter with our National Science Foundation (NSF) management at McMurdo, and the producers of this Department of Defense blog, I thought it important to move this one in front of the backlog of Dispatches we’ve amassed recently. I’ve provided links below to news outlets in both French and English. I will not attempt to provide the news here, but rather offer a brief glimpse into this horrific event from the vantage point of fellow members of the Antarctic Community.]

Today seemed like an ordinary Thursday. However, for the families, colleagues, and friends of a certain French Antarctic team, this Thursday will be filled with grief. It is anything but ordinary. Today, four members from l’Institut polaire Paul-Emile Victor, in Brest, Brittany, France would tragically perish in a helicopter crash near the French Antarctic research station Dumont d’Urville.

But we didn’t know that until two days later. At the time of the mishap, the focus at McMurdo was very different.

I finished work at 10pm and returned to my quarters for some evening tea. After addressing a noise complaint in one of the nearby dorms, I returned to find an urgent pager message waiting for me. It was just after midnight. The message indicated an overdue helicopter and a request for assistance. I went back in to work.

At McMurdo, unusual events and crises are often handled by the EOC, Emergency Operations Center. The EOC is convened by the NSF Station Manager on an as-needed basis. As the inter-agency government lead for the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), the NSF determines which, if any, of the USAP’s assigned and contracted assets and personnel will be made available to support requests for international support. Other international programs have similar arrangements.

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Announcing TEDxPentagon!

Filed under Education & Culture, Videos by Armed with Science on November 10, 2010 at 11:02 am {10 comments}

Liz Lopez is a social media intern at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.

“Have you seen this TED video?” is a friendship-forming question that’s been tossed around among college students, public intellectuals, humanitarians, and tech enthusiasts for the past few years.

TED — short for Technology, Entertainment, and Design — is a conference series that showcases dynamic speakers and their topics through short (less than 18 minutes) and fascinating speeches, such as climate change, music theory, and economic development. By advocating a distinctive speaking style and focusing on broad, futuristic ideas, TED has established a lecture series that doesn’t fail to leave their viewers thinking.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxPentagon, where x=independently organized TED event. At our TEDxPentagon event, TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

The Department of Defense is continuing their public outreach efforts by hosting TEDxPentagon: “The Human Stories” next Friday November 19, from 10 AM – 3 PM EST. Speakers from all over the world will be coming to the Navy Memorial to talk about their experiences with the military, including MSgt. Julia Watson, prior member of the Marine’s Female Engagement Team, Lt. John Pucillo, EOD technician from the Navy (think The Hurt Locker), Dr. Regina Dugan, Director of DARPA, and Gen. William E. Ward, combatant commander for AFRICOM.

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