Archive | Physical Sciences | Armed with Science

In Defense of Decontamination: How to Clean Up After a Biological Incident

Filed under Earth Sciences, Education & Culture, Physical Sciences by Armed with Science on January 19, 2011 at 10:40 am {no comments}

This blog post was shared with us by the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Information Analysis Center (CBRNIAC). It is the third entry in our 22-part series produced by the Defense Technical Information Center.

Remember the 2001 anthrax letters? The 1918-19 flu pandemic? Our near miss with the H1N1 flu? The British experience with foot and mouth disease?

When natural and man-made diseases occur, careful cleanup (or decontamination) is essential — especially, when it pertains to bioterrorism or natural pandemics and diseases. Biological decontamination is not only hazardous, but technically demanding and must be complete and thorough to minimize public risk.

To prepare for situations like this, the Department of Defense (DOD) works closely with federal, state and local agencies. With so many different levels of government involvement, establishing an effective platform for communicating ideas and solutions can be challenging. To address this challenge and establish a collaborative environment, the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense Information Analysis Center (CBRNIAC) organized and led an interagency forum on biological decontamination.

During the latest forum this past September, CBRNIAC engaged experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Guard Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Homeland Security, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, U.S. Public Health Service, and Naval Surface Warfare Center to explore clean-up requirements, standards (how clean is clean enough?), and useful technologies. Throughout the forum, the importance of consistency developed as a theme — consistency in how agencies approach the development of materials, processes and the collection and analysis of pertinent data.

(more…)

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

Filed under Challenge, Cyber Security, Earth Sciences, Education & Culture, Featured, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, STEM, Technology, Videos by John Ohab on January 3, 2011 at 9:25 am {20 comments}

Although it is logistically unlikely that a giant strand of DNA would be able to use a computer, this image represents the fusion of science and blogging.

Although it is logistically unlikely that a giant strand of DNA would be able to use a computer, this image does represent the fusion of science and blogging.

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

In January 2010, Defense Media Activity launched the Armed with Science blog to share the stories of the amazing men and women involved in cutting-edge research and development at the Department of Defense (DOD).

Our approach was to empower scientists, engineers, and other subject matter experts to directly interface with the public through first-person narratives, Q&A sessions, live scientific lectures, and more. As we look back on 2010, most of our 300 posts during were indeed produced by subject matter experts, both at DOD and collaborating agencies like the Transportation Security Agency and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as well as academic institutions and business partners.

We also tried to connect our audience with similar opportunities on other websites. The Office of Naval Research’s “Tech Talk” series on Facebook, the Challenge.gov initiative, and DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable interviews are just a few examples.

Which 2010 blog posts were your favorite? Below, I’ve listed the 10 most popular blog posts according to the number of visitors. Leave a comment, and let me know what you think!

Of course, I would be remiss not to mention that this is just a small portion of the science and technology-related awesomeness at DOD. If you’re not into Armed with Science, check out our handy guide to Department of Defense science and technology blogs.

10. DOD Launches Casual Gaming Site
	In December 2010, Defense Acquisition University (DAU) announced the launch of the first ever DOD casual games site. The DAU games site launches with 13 mini games designed specifically to enhance Acquisition workforce education. DAU’s Global Learning Technologies Center intends to release a new game each month in order to keep players coming back and to keep the content on the site fresh.

9. The Return of Count Spirochete

Produced for the National Naval Medical Center in 1973, The Return of Count Spirochete is a delightful animated cartoon dramatizing the medical facts about venereal disease. Be prepared to go on a whirlwind journey through the historical facts, symptoms, course of infection, and the impact of venereal disease on the human body as it was understood in the early 1970s. Also, check out the related commentary on Wired.com and Bioephemera, who helped drive 50K views in less than a week.

(more…)

VIDEO: How DOD is Responding to Climate Change

Filed under Earth Sciences, Education & Culture, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Videos by Armed with Science on December 9, 2010 at 8:23 am {one comment}

(click for high definition version)

Peter Boice is the Deputy Director, Natural Resources (Installations and Environment) at the Department of Defense.

Through the Legacy Resource Management Program and Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, the Department of Defense (DOD) is implementing several strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.

Several of these efforts are highlighted in a newly created animation video that describes a handful of DOD-funded projects that address climate change impacts on DOD installations. The video introduces climate change and features projects on sea level rise and threatened and endangered species, as well as an overview of DOD’s conservation funding programs.

(more…)

Air Force Builds Supercomputer Using 1,716 Sony PlayStations

Filed under Physical Sciences, Podcast, Technology by Armed with Science on December 6, 2010 at 11:47 am {6 comments}

Mitch Kowalski, contractor from Ryan Electric in Rome, N.Y, runs power cables used to power Playstation 3 consoles used for research. When complete, approximately 3,500 consoles will be connected. (Photo: USAF/Master Sgt. Jack Braden)

Mitch Kowalski, contractor from Ryan Electric in Rome, N.Y, runs power cables used to power Playstation 3 consoles used for research. (Photo: USAF/Master Sgt. Jack Braden)

By Ian Graham
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

Video games have advanced by leaps and bounds in the past few years. What once was a big black box with a bad video version of ping-pong is now a sleek, motion-capturing, high-resolution computer system capable of networking around the world.

Mark Barnell, director of high-performance computing and the Condor Cluster project at the Air Force Research Laboratory, has used that technology to create a new supercomputer.

The Condor Cluster, a heterogeneous supercomputer built from off-the-shelf commercial components — including 1,716 Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles — could change the supercomputing landscape, Barnell said yesterday in a DODLive Bloggers Roundtable.

Listen to the roundtable or read the transcript.

(more…)

Sense-through-the-Wall Technology Detects Adversaries, Hidden Compartments

Filed under Physical Sciences, Technology by Armed with Science on November 30, 2010 at 12:55 pm {7 comments}

In preparation for an exercise to “Gain a Foothold,” a Soldier uses one of the ATO technology demonstrators to determine the location of any personnel near the door and adjacent rooms of the target building. (Photo: CERDEC)

Scientists and engineers from across the U.S. Army, academia and industry are presenting their research this week in Orlando, Fla. at the 2010 Army Science Conference. The conference seeks to enable Army and DoD leaders, Congress and the public to understand the scope of the Army’s science and technology efforts to rapidly develop technologies in support of the Army and the Nation.

About the author: Wilbur Chin is an electronics engineer with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s communications-electronics center (CERDEC). A team lead in CERDEC’s Intelligence & Information Warfare Directorate (I2WD), Wilbur has managed the Suite of STTW Systems Army Technology Objective.

Military operations are becoming increasingly urban centric and our ability to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance on combatants is severely hindered as they retreat indoors. The Army is committed to providing the Soldier with the capability to locate potential hostile targets deep inside urban structures with sense-through-the-wall (STTW) technology.

The Suite of STTW Systems Army Technology Objective, managed by CERDEC I2WD during FY04-FY08, developed a capability for dismounted Soldiers to detect and locate personnel who are hidden behind various types of walls, doors and other obstructions. The successful demonstration of STTW technology has resulted in its transition to a Program of Record.

CERDEC I2WD is providing support to the Program of Record as well as continuing its research of detecting personnel, concealed weapons and explosives and other devices of interest in complex and urban terrain through partnerships with the Army Research Lab and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

(more…)

Enhanced Performance Round Brings More Capability to U.S. Soldiers

Filed under Physical Sciences, Videos by Armed with Science on November 29, 2010 at 1:47 pm {no comments}

By Lt. Col. Jeffrey Woods, Product Manager for Small-Caliber Ammunition in the Office of the Project Manager Maneuver Ammunition Systems, Program Executive Office for Ammunition, at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. He holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Texas and a M.S. in operations research from the Florida Institute of Technology.

Earlier this summer, the Army began shipping a new 5.56mm cartridge to warfighters in Afghanistan called the M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round. And, as Soldiers normally do when any new product comes their way, the M855A1 has become a hot topic during their ritual debates on guns and ammo.

The new round replaces the current M855 5.56mm cartridge that has been used by U.S. troops since the early 1980s.

The M855A1 is tailored for use in the M-4 weapon system but also improves the performance of the M-16 and M-249 families of weapons. The M855A1 has shown improved hard-target capability, more dependable, consistent performance at all distances, improved accuracy, reduced muzzle flash and a higher velocity.

(more…)

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.

(more…)

Tech Talk: Directed Energy in Maritime Environments

Filed under Physical Sciences by John Ohab on November 4, 2010 at 6:29 am {no comments}

ONR Program Managers Quentin Saulter and Sarwat Chappell will answer your questions on Facebook on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 11am eastern.

ONR Program Managers Sarwat Chappell and Quentin Saulter will answer your questions on Facebook on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 11am eastern.

Lasers have mystified us for ages, but did you ever imagine that the high-energy beams depicted in those sci-fi thrillers might actually defend the U.S. military in your lifetime? The concept may not be as far-fetched as you think. The Office of Naval Research’s investment in directed energy could soon provide the U.S. fleet and forces with instantaneous, pinpoint-precision laser fire … and our team is ready to tell you about it.

Join us at 11 a.m. EST, Thursday, Nov. 4, on Facebook for a live Q&A with ONR Program Managers Quentin Saulter and Sarwat Chappell. They’ll answer your questions–on a first-come, first-served basis–about ONR’s directed energy portfolio, including the free electron laser.

At the outset, the directed energy concept is similar to headlights, on which you rely for driving visibility. Your beams must cut through fog, mist, rain, dust and other debris to illuminate the path ahead. Exponentially more powerful than headlamps, directed energy rays must “outshine” environmental factors in the maritime environment (e.g., sea spray, salt, rain, fog), traveling farther distances without scattering or distorting for high-impact precision strikes.

This year, ONR awarded a free-electron laser contract to the Boeing Company, but as the science and technology provider for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, ONR is constantly seeking proposals for compelling directed energy research with naval applications. As part of the 2010 Chief of Naval Research Challenge, ONR’s Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department will award up to $100,000 for an innovative directed energy proposal at the 2010 ONR Naval Science and Technology Partnership Conference, Nov. 8-10, in Arlington, Va.

(more…)