Armed with Science | Tag Archive | Office of Naval Research

DOD To Track Human Subjects Studies

Filed under Policy, STEM, Technology by jtozer on August 19, 2012 at 7:09 am {no comments}

A Web-based application developed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) will form the basis of the nation’s first Defense Department-wide system to track and manage human subject studies funded by the federal government.

The Protections in Research, Oversight Management Information System (PROMIS) is a tool that allows command research protections staff members to submit human research protocols – plans that detail studies involving humans – as well as other documentation for review by Navy and Marine Corps research compliance specialists.

Subsequently, users can track and manage their studies using the Microsoft SharePoint-based system.

“The nation expects more accountability for research involving human subjects,” said Dr. Timothy Singer, director of the research protections division in ONR’s Warfighter Performance Department. “PROMIS offers a way for the entire Department of Defense [DoD] to gain greater insight into protocol submissions and offer better tools with which to manage active projects and the reporting of current and historical research.”

The Department of the Navy (DoN) conducts studies with human subjects to support warfighter training and operational capability as well as the naval medical department’s competency.

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Universal Gateway

Filed under STEM, Technology, Uncategorized by jtozer on August 9, 2012 at 7:10 am {no comments}

Currently on any Navy destroyer, cruiser or carrier, there are two networks: one for combat systems and one for command and control, and between them they share some 30 interconnections. The Office of Naval Research developed the Universal Gateway which collapses those 30 connections into a single portal, rapidly automating data integration, enhancing information assurance and reducing manpower workloads and costs.

Additionally, the gateway can be put between any different networks, despite their classification levels, so information is available in a timely and effective way for warfighters.

Video provided by the Office of Naval Research YouTube Channel

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Office of Naval Research Seeks Small Business Innovation

Filed under Featured, STEM by jtozer on August 5, 2012 at 7:29 am {no comments}

Growing a company in today’s market environment is no simple feat, particularly for small businesses vying for success in the federal sector.

To open new pathways to partnership, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) will join with entrepreneurs, start-ups and other emerging entities, Aug. 6-8 at the 24th annual Navy Gold Coast Small Business Conference at the San Diego Convention Center.

“Many small businesses have great new technologies and concepts, but they don’t know where to start,” said Brenda Pickett, director of ONR’s Office of Small Business Programs. Finding out that ONR is “an entry point for the Department of the Navy science and technology acquisition cycle is a real eye opener.”

The conference provides a forum for government agencies to engage small businesses on critical issues affecting them and best practices for succeeding in the federal sector. ONR team members will provide insight on the command’s contracts and acquisitions process.

At the same time, ONR and conference attendees can explore research and technology concepts of mutual benefit.

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Open Waters, Open Spirit

Filed under Technology, Videos by jtozer on June 13, 2012 at 7:37 am {no comments}

Navy Diver 1st Class William Davis takes slack out of a line connecting a surface buoy to an underwater concrete anchor at the line separating U.S. military and Cuban waters. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class, Navy diver, Brett Roberts/Released)

U.S. Navy divers take on dangerous tasks every day—and now they are part of a multinational effort near Estonia to help clear the Baltic Sea of underwater mines left over from as long ago as the First and Second World Wars.

“Open Spirit” will be among the biggest naval exercises in the Baltic Sea this year, where more than 150,000 naval mines were planted during the two world wars. It’s all part of a day’s work for U.S. Navy divers, who in addition to hazardous missions face natural perils like oxygen toxicity and decompression sickness every day.

This video highlights how Office of Naval Research (ONR) scientists are working with medical experts to protect America’s undersea warriors.

The field is called Undersea Medicine—and it is designated a National Naval Responsibility by the Chief of Naval Research. Viewers can get an inside look at this remarkable world of the deep in “Protecting Navy Divers: The Undersea Medicine Solution”—a look at the groundbreaking work being done by the divers beneath the waves, and the scientists improving their ability to perform missions.

“There is no such thing as a pure 100 percent safe dive,” said Cmdr. Matthew Swiergosz, a program manager with ONR. “Navy divers take on jobs that are extraordinarily dangerous, and they do them with a poise and professionalism that would inspire every American who could see it.”

Continued domination of the undersea domain, officials say, is a vital component of national security.

“The Earth is mostly water,” said Swiergosz. “Most people live within a handful of miles of our oceans, seas, rivers. So any military force that’s supposed to provide national security must have underwater capabilities.”

The new video offers viewers unique insights into the hazards that await divers every time they splash into the water—and the progress being made to lessen the dangers.

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The Future Of The Forecast

Filed under Featured, STEM, Technology, Videos by jtozer on June 12, 2012 at 7:51 am {no comments}

No more sneaking up on US, eh hurricanes? We've got our eye on you! A GOES-12 infrared satellite image provided by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Monterey, Calif., showing the status of Hurricane Dolly in 2008. (Courtesy Photo)

With the Atlantic hurricane season officially beginning this month, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is pursuing a number of projects to help Navy forecasters and meteorologists around the world predict storms better.

“Weather is one of the most significant factors affecting naval operations at sea,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder. “ONR-funded research in weather prediction is improving the Navy’s forecasting capability and accuracy for any location around the world where our sailors and Marines are conducting missions.”

ONR’s efforts in funding ocean research are yielding enhanced weather and ocean prediction models that help Navy leaders understand how to route ships around the globe to avoid storms, reduce fuel consumption, avoid Arctic ice flows and promote safety at sea.

Video provided by the Office of Naval Research

At the Fleet Weather Center in Norfolk, Va., Navy meteorologists depend on ONR-developed weather models and tools to provide timely, comprehensive and tactically-relevant products and services to support Fleet training and operations.

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Got A Pirate Problem? There’s Even an App For That

Filed under STEM, Technology by jtozer on May 29, 2012 at 7:56 am {no comments}

Arr, matey.

The Department of Defense will begin funding an Office of Naval Research (ONR) – sponsored project aimed at developing Web applications to help multinational navies police the world’s oceans, officials announced.

Pirates, ye be warned!

I don't know how effective this technology will be if you're...you know...fighting 18th century pirates. Capture of the Pirate, Blackbeard, 1718 depicting the battle between Blackbeard the Pirate and Lieutenant Maynard in Ocracoke Bay (Painted by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1920)

The International Collaborative Development for Enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness (ICODE MDA) was one of 14 projects selected by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics to receive $1 million awards beginning this fall through the Coalition Warfare Program, which funds international collaborative research efforts.

The ICODE MDA project is a research alliance between ONR and Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific). ONR is partnering with scientists in Chile to build widgets, or Web-based applications, for use by sailors and maritime operators to analyze data and other information to combat pirates, drug smugglers, arms traffickers, illegal fishermen and other nefarious groups.

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ONR Researcher Tapped for Role in National Materials Genome Initiative

Filed under Earth Sciences by jtozer on May 26, 2012 at 7:31 am {one comment}

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has selected an Office of Naval Research (ONR) director to serve as co-deputy chair of an interagency subcommittee tasked with speeding the advancement of new materials.

Dr. Julie Christodoulou, division director of naval materials in ONR’s Sea Warfare and Weapons department, became one of three co-deputy chairs of the National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee for the Materials Genome Initiative. The subcommittee is supporting the Materials Genome Initiative for Global Competitiveness (MGI), part of President Obama’s plan to accelerate the standard decades-long process to discover, mature and manufacture new materials.

Just as the Human Genome Project rejuvenated and spurred the growth of biological sciences by decoding the fundamental building blocks of human genetics, MGI is a national effort to build a materials innovation infrastructure that will accelerate the discovery and incorporation of materials in half the time and at a reduced cost of traditional approaches.

It took nearly 40 years for lithium-ion batteries to go from material discovery and development to mass market consumption.

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Laser Weapons for Navy Ships

Filed under Physical Sciences, STEM, Technology, Videos by jtozer on May 14, 2012 at 7:50 am {no comments}

We are getting closer and closer to the laser beam, I can feel it. A military scientist operates a laser in a test environment. The United states Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate conducts research on a variety of solid-state and chemical lasers. (U.S. Air Force)

I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.

The Navy…is getting LASER WEAPONS.

Eventually.

Okay, so it’s not right this second, but ONR is working to make it a reality. To help sailors defeat small boat threats and aerial targets without using bullets, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) wants to develop a solid-state laser weapon prototype that will demonstrate multi-mission capabilities aboard a Navy ship.

“We believe it’s time to move forward with solid-state lasers and shift the focus from limited demonstrations to weapon prototype development and related technology advancement,” said Peter Morrison, program officer of the Solid-State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) program.

ONR will host an industry day May 16 to provide the research and development community with information about the program. A Broad Agency Announcement is expected to be released thereafter to solicit proposals and bids.

The Navy’s long history of advancing directed-energy technology has yielded kilowatt-scale lasers capable of being employed as weapons. Among the programs, the Maritime Laser Demonstration developed a proof-of-concept technology that was tested at sea aboard a decommissioned Navy ship.

The demonstrator was able to disable a small boat target: (more…)