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Monday Lecture: From Networks to Human Activity Patterns

Filed under Technology, Videos by John Ohab on June 25, 2010 at 11:10 am {2 comments}

Dr. Albert-László Barabási, Real World Network Theorist and Distinguished Professor from Northeastern University. The title of Dr. Barabási's presentation is, "From Networks to Human Activity Patterns".

Click for full larger version.

The final lecture in the Office of Naval Research‘s spring 2010 Distinguished Lecture Series is right around the corner!

On Monday, June 28th, from 1300-1430, the Armed with Science blog will live stream the lecture by Dr. Albert-László Barabási, Real World Network Theorist and Distinguished Professor from Northeastern University. The title of Dr. Barabási’s presentation is, “From Networks to Human Activity Patterns.”

Highly interconnected networks with amazingly complex topology describe systems as diverse as the World Wide Web, our cells, social systems or the economy. Dr. Barabási will discuss the amazing order characterizing our interconnected world and its implications to network robustness and spreading processes.

Most of these networks are driven by the temporal patterns characterizing human activity, ranging from web browsing to mobility patterns. Dr. Barabási will use mobile phone data to explore the patterns characterizing these temporal processes, leading us to the question of predictability in human activity patterns.

Visit the Armed with Science blog Monday, June 28th, from 1300-1430 to watch this exciting lecture live!

Preparing for the Internet Crunch

Filed under Podcast, Policy, Technology by John Ohab on June 22, 2010 at 8:42 am {no comments}

By Ian Graham
Defense Media Activity

Reports have been circulating of an upcoming “Internet crunch,” a phenomenon web experts expect will occur when Internet protocol version four (IPv4) runs out of space for IP addresses, the identification numbers assigned to computers and other devices connected to a network.

To delay effects of the possible crunch on the Defense Department (DoD) and increase tactical communications capabilities, the Department is going to adopt a combination of existing IPv4 infrastructure and newer IPv6 equipment, said Kris Strance, the DoD chief of IP policy. He will discuss the Internet crunch in more detail on DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable on Thursday, June 24, at 1100 EDT.

Strance says the DoD has nothing to worry about, at least internally. He said due to DoD’s early involvement in the creation of the Internet (a product of DARPA), it has more address space at its disposal than most other organizations worldwide.

“What we have to be concerned about it our outward-facing websites that connect with folks that might only have IPv6, so we’ll need to make sure those are both v6 and v4 compatible,” he said.

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Coming Soon: Virtual Reality Medical Technology for Troops

Filed under Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Technology by John Ohab on June 20, 2010 at 3:57 pm {2 comments}

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) exterior rendering.

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence exterior rendering. (Image: DCOE)

Cutting-edge virtual reality medical technology, the Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) system, will soon be available for patients at the new National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), which will hold its ribbon cutting ceremony next Thursday, June 24.

“CAREN allows the use of virtual reality to be incorporated into the care of wounded warriors and may assist in the return to duty and/or the reintegration process,” said Sarah E. Kruger, a biomedical engineer and the CAREN operator for NICoE.

CAREN allows patients to work through a variety of skills after experiencing traumatic injuries, with the focus on promoting resilience and recovery. Troops returning from war are able to work through post-traumatic stress symptoms through a very carefully monitored virtual environment.

“The CAREN system contains an instrumented treadmill embedded into a six degree-of-freedom motion platform that synchronizes in real-time with a virtual environment projected onto a large, curved screen,” according to Kruger.

The potential benefits to troops who experience brain injuries are significant, as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) are very serious issues facing increasing numbers of our troops. According to the VA, more than 44% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been diagnosed with psychological conditions, and service members who have served back-to-back deployments often show signs of PTSD and TBI.

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Timothy Kelly: DoD Math Teacher Wins Presidential Award

Filed under Education & Culture, Physical Sciences, Technology by John Ohab on June 18, 2010 at 10:45 am {one comment}

Timothy Kelly is a mathematics teacher at Baumholder Middle-High School. (Photo: Department of Defense Education Activity)

Timothy Kelly is a mathematics teacher at the Department of Defense Education Activity, Baumholder Middle-High School, and a recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Let’s take a minute to imagine your Algebra I classroom back in high school. There is a lecture in progress at the chalkboard or perhaps at an overhead projector. Students are arranged in rows and the routine has been clearly established. The teacher is progressing through the textbook in preparation for the chapter test or semester exam.

Sound familiar? This scenario was the accepted form of instructional delivery for much of the 20th century. Students that couldn’t handle this environment were sent down to “consumer math.” If your recollection is similar to mine, scores of great teachers used this model and were successful in their time. But that was back then, and times were different.

The reality of the modern classroom is that we now need to prepare our students for new types of jobs, some of which have yet to be created. (Imagine writing that lesson plan!) Meanwhile, many of the traditional careers are being outsourced overseas to save money. To be successful, students will need to be both digitally and globally competent with skills that cannot be outsourced. And let’s not forget about creativity! Can you imagine a student in your Algebra class telling the teacher her career goals included making applications for the latest popular Smartphone?

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Wind Tunnel Breaks Barriers in Hypersonic Research

Filed under Physical Sciences, Technology by John Ohab on June 17, 2010 at 6:19 pm {no comments}

Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel 9 is used to investigate complex physics associated with hypersonic science and technology. (Photo: AEDC)

Ian Graham
Defense Media Activity

At the Arnold Engineering Development Center site in White Oak, Md., it’s easy to see how much supersonic flight research has expanded over the past 100 years.

The original supersonic tunnel, created by Werner von Braun and other German scientists to test weapon aerodynamics in World War II, sits in a lobby a few yards away from its youngest ancestor, Hypersonic Wind Tunnel 9, which can produce wind conditions simulating hypersonic speeds, up to Mach 14, or about 4,800 feet per second.

“At these speeds, one wrong factor can mean disaster,” Dan Marren, site director at White Oak, said. “So we have to prescribe exact specifications based on our gathered data to make sure our people and equipment survive at high speeds.”

Tunnel 9 is unique in the truest sense of the word: there are literally no wind tunnels like it any where else. The tunnel uses a 200,000 cubic foot, seven-story sphere as a vacuum on one end, and nitrogen compressed to 30,000 pounds per square inch and heated to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit to create a pressure ratio of about 1,000,000, site director Dan Marren said, which is needed to create hypersonic wind conditions.

Dr. Mark Lewis, the former Chief Scientist for the U.S. Air Force and a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Maryland, said the tunnel is the leading edge in hypersonic research. The applications of that research are priceless, he said.

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Educate, Inform, Connect: A Success Story

Filed under Cyber Security, Education & Culture, Technology by John Ohab on June 10, 2010 at 8:55 pm {one comment}

Brenda Roth is the Assistant Dean for Curriculum at the NDU iCollege located at Ft. McNair in Washington, D.C.

Colleges and Universities routinely sponsor events like symposia, colloquia, seminars, and conferences. These events create environments where like-minded individuals come together to discuss topics, issues, and problems and collectively work together for greater understanding and problem-solving. Almost everyone likes to attend these events with their keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and bottomless cups of coffee. This is education and networking on a grand scale. But symposia must have a return on investment (ROI) for the sponsoring organization in order for the events to have value.

In 2008, the National Defense University’s Information Resources Management College (NDU iCollege) celebrated its 20th anniversary by creating a series of Information Leader Symposia for the purpose of bringing together diverse groups of government leaders to solve mutual problems and connect in creative and meaningful ways. The topics for 2008 included Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Government 2.0, and in 2009, the College hosted a Cloud Computing Conference keynoted by Vivek Kundra, the first Federal Government Chief Information Officer. All of these events were highly successful and they highlighted the College’s educational goals of crossing boundaries, building communities and transforming organizations.

In 2010, the iCollege took it to an entirely new level by planning and hosting several international regional symposia with the first being offered in Singapore, July 13-14, 2010, at the Shangri-La Hotel. The event, Regional Collaboration in Cybersecurity: Securing the Cloud, Web, and Virtual Networks, brings together key components of today’s technology while answering the challenge of information security. (more…)

New Cyber Chief: Cyberspace Must Become a National Security Priority

Filed under Cyber Security, Policy, Technology by John Ohab on June 8, 2010 at 7:31 pm {one comment}

By Christen N. McCluney
Defense Media Activity

The director the U.S. Cyber Command recently spoke about the role of the new agency, as he became the first CYBERCOM commander during a small ceremony at Fort Meade, Md. On May 21, 2010.

“Last June, the secretary of defense directed the standup of U.S. Cyber Command to streamline the command and control of our military’s cyber-capabilities,” said Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, head of U.S. Cyber Command, during a discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. For more information, visit the Defense.gov Cyber Security special.

“Since that time, we have been leaning forward and building an organization and a mission alignment that is more integrated, synchronized and effective in the support of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilians.”

The command will lead the day-to-day defense of all military networks, support military and counterterrorism missions and, under the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, assist other government and civil authorities and industry partners.

Alexander, who is also the director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and chief of the Central Security Service, said that protecting cyberspace is a national security priority and that the NSA and U.S. Cyber Command will represent the intersection of military, intelligence and information-assurance capabilities.

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Psychological Health Care through Virtual World Technology

Filed under Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Technology by John Ohab on June 7, 2010 at 2:27 pm {no comments}

The National Center for Telehealth & Technology's Virtual Worlds project.

By MC1 Molly A. Burgess
Defense Media Activity

The National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2) will launch a new Virtual Worlds project for servicemembers post combat deployment or with other psychological health care issues related to deployment. The project utilizes a 3-D computer generated environment to help improve psychological services and care.

The web based project allows servicemembers to access tutorials, information, training, and socialize with other service members or counselors with a click of their mouse, no matter where in the country they currently reside, explained Dr. Kevin M. Holloway, a T2 clinical psychologist and the project lead for the Virtual Worlds project, during a DotMilDocs interview on Pentagon Web Radio, June 3.

With the project being available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, accessible online, and the option to be anonymous while using an avatar, it relieves the pressure of an inconvenient travel to a facility or the uncomfortable feeling of speaking face-to-face with a provider. The project also allows service members to interact socially with others who might be experiencing the same issues by chatting or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) which helps to give them a sense of normalization.

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