Armed with Science | Tag Archive

Fostering STEM Interest With Robots

Filed under Robots, STEM, Videos by jtozer on May 19, 2013 at 7:49 am {no comments}

Everything is more interesting with robots, don’t you think?

The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center hosted a Mathematics with Robotics seminar! The seminar presented by the National Center for the Advancement of STEM Education taught Cecil Country Maryland teachers how they can use robotics to make teaching math fun.

Video provided by RDECOM YouTube Channel

————

Disclaimer: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense of this website or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities such as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation sites, the Department of Defense does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this DoD website.

Saturday Space Sight: Solar Electric Propulsion System

Filed under Photos, Space by jtozer on May 4, 2013 at 7:38 am {no comments}

Using advanced Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technologies is an essential part of future missions into deep space with larger payloads.

The use of robotics and advanced SEP technologies like this concept of an SEP-based spacecraft during NASA mission to find, rendezvous, capture and relocate an asteroid to a stable point in the lunar vicinity offers more mission flexibility than would be possible if a crewed mission went all the way to the asteroid.

NASA’s asteroid initiative, announced as part of the President’s FY2014 budget request, integrates the best of NASA’s science, technology, and human exploration capabilities and draws on the innovation of America’s brightest scientists and engineers.

It uses current and developing capabilities to find both large asteroids that pose a hazard to Earth and small asteroids that could be candidates for the initiative, accelerates our technology development activities in high-powered SEP and takes advantage of our hard work on the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft, helping to keep NASA on target to reach the President’s goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s.

Image Credit: Analytical Mechanics Associates

———-

Discovering DARPA

Filed under Featured, Technology by jtozer on May 2, 2013 at 7:19 am {no comments}

(Graphic photo provided by DARPA)

If you’re familiar with the advancements in science and technology in any way, chances are you’ve heard a thing or two about the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. You might know them better by their buzzworthy acronym DARPA.

Ah, DARPA.

Mother of the cheetah robot. Creator of magnificent stealth machines. Problem solving with science so spectacular it brings science fiction to life in front of our very eyes. Yes, this agency is one that makes my life – all our lives, really – more exciting. As a science journalist, the word DARPA is to me what the word Enterprise is to a Star Trek convention: immediately interesting and intrinsically on topic.

But for as much as I love the robotastic DARPA, there are a lot of people who don’t really know what the agency is, or what they do.

That, my friends, is about to change.

Surprising satellite was surprising. Also, frankly, pretty neat looking, too.

Let’s start with a little bit of history. In 1957, the Soviet Union surprised the world with their launch of Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial Earth satellite. Shortly after that (in 1958), President Eisenhower founded the Advanced Research Projects Agency – what we now know as DARPA. It’s mission? To be at the forefront of scientific and technological development. Basically, he wanted to make sure that there would be no more, ahem, surprises.

Basically, this institution was designed to put the government in a position where they would be seeking and exploring science and technology, rather than learning about it second hand.

And now, 55 years later, they’re still doing just that.

(more…)

The Strategically Critical Cyber Airman

Filed under Cyber Security by jtozer on April 21, 2013 at 7:33 am {no comments}

Chief Master Sgt. Linus Jordan, Air Force Space Command, command chief, discusses the role of airmen as a strategically critical professional Cyber force for the nation during a panel discussion at Cyber 3.1 in Colorado Springs. (Air Force photo by Duncan Wood )

Cyber airman development became the focus of discussion at Cyber 1.3 in Colorado Springs as Chief Master Sgt. Linus Jordan, command chief, Air Force Space Command, addressed space and cyber industry leaders at the conference prior to official opening of the 29th National Space Symposium.

Jordan, and a civilian aerospace leader, were participants in a moderated panel discussion that encouraged audience participation via e-mail.

The interactive forum quickly moved through topics including youth interest in an evolving cyber culture, common talent pool recruitment considerations, challenges of long-term development of a professional cyber force, and the critical roles of cyber-trained airmen.

Jordan invested in developing cyber airmen, both as command chief for the Air Force major command, and as a father of an airman in the cyber operations career field.

He challenged common assumptions that people fall into only the popular categories of digital native or digital immigrant. Jordan offered a third category: the digitally disadvantaged.

“There are demographics in our country where young people, or people of any age, may not have had the opportunity – educationally or economically – to be exposed to technology…to have the opportunity to use and leverage technology.”

“Just because someone was born into an era, doesn’t mean they experienced what that era was all about, “said Jordan.

(more…)

STEM Leaders Encourage An Early Start In Science

Filed under STEM, Teacher Feature, Videos by jtozer on March 26, 2013 at 7:10 am {no comments}

What have you done for STEM lately?

Mary Doak is the program manager for community and education outreach at the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command‘s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. She discusses her role in supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in the APG area.

Video provided by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command YouTube Channel

———-

Can Your Phone Do This?

Filed under Technology by jtozer on March 22, 2013 at 7:43 am {no comments}

Ask anyone with a smartphone, and they will tell you that they can do pretty much anything with it.

You can manage your stocks and use your phone as a flashlight. You can even take a picture of a check and send it to your bank for a direct deposit, right from your phone.

But the latest applications for smartphones go beyond the conveniences of modern society – they are actually saving lives. The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) is developing cellphone-based wide-field fluorescent imaging of microbeads for pathogen detection.

In simpler terms, developing technology to collect a sample, analyze the results, geotag the location of the sample on Google Maps, and send the results to a laboratory for further review—all from the same smartphone used to play video games.

Scientists at ECBC worked with a team at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to adapt its prototype of a plastic, clip-on “microscope” to fit an Android phone, commonly used by the Army. This device clips directly over the camera of the smartphone and operates just like a microscope.

The user collects a sample, slides it into the device, and snaps a picture using the camera in the cell phone.

(more…)

STEM Technovation For Women

Filed under STEM by jtozer on March 21, 2013 at 7:27 am {no comments}

Women’s History Month is in full swing, and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) is helping to meet the challenge of encouraging young women to become scientists.

The Technovation Challenge — funded by ONR to introduce girls to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers — provides an opportunity for girls from around the country to design and pitch mobile phone apps to leaders in computer science and business.

The challenge spans 12 weeks and ends May 1 at the World Pitch event in San Francisco. During the challenge, teams of high school girls are mentored in design, computer coding and business; nearly every mentor is female.

“ONR is helping girls develop into future technology leaders,” said Cmdr. Joseph Cohn, deputy director of research for Navy STEM. “We understand the importance of recognizing the historic technological contributions women have made. We also need to celebrate the efforts girls and young women—tomorrow’s leaders—are making today.”

ONR’s support has helped the Technovation Challenge transition from a pilot program for 45 girls in a single location to a nationwide program. It has since expanded to 18 countries.

(more…)

Focus on the Future

Filed under Technology, Videos by jtozer on February 24, 2013 at 7:09 am {no comments}

This video focuses specifically on AFOSR‘s investment in six basic research areas that have the potential to create foundations for new disruptive technologies and solve formerly unsolvable problems for the Department of Defense.

Each of the disruptive technologies discussed will be covered in more detail in follow-on video clips. Join the Air Force Office of Scientific Research throughout 2013 as they highlight the world-class researchers tackling these difficult topics.