| FLC Midwest Region Quarterly Newsletter - Spring 2010 |
Letter from the Regional Coordinator
At last year's regional meeting, we conducted a strategic planning session after the tour of NSWC Crane. During this session, we conducted a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis of the Region's current position. Based on this analysis, we developed a pair of value propositions for the Midwest Region: one for the value to member labs and one for the non-federal entities in the region. Read more
Celebrating a Century of Innovation—Forest Products Laboratory, 1910-2010
For 100 years, the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) has worked to develop products that improve the quality of life for all Americans while sustaining the health of our nation's forests. Reflecting on the past century of research reveals breakthroughs that heavily impacted society, from the way people use wood products in their daily lives to the way we manage America's forest resources. Here are a few examples of research success that have established FPL as a world leader in wood science and use, and inspire FPL researchers to continue this work into the next century with a renewed dedication to conservation. Read more
Girls Test Out Science at Argonne Career Day
On February 18, 2010, Argonne National Laboratory hosted sixth- through eighth-grade girls at its annual Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. "This event is a great opportunity to inspire our next generation of scientists and engineers," said Erika Benda, chairperson of the event and an Argonne mechanical engineer. Read more |
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Air Vehicles Volunteers Show Support for FIRST LEGO® League
Once again, AFRL Air Vehicles Directorate personnel came out to show their tremendous support for area FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) competitors. At the FLL Ohio State Championship, held February 14-15 at Wright State University's Ervin J. Nutter Center, an impressive number of Air Vehicles personnel turned out to participate, provide support, and cheer for their favorite teams. Read more |
Concrete Sewer Pipe Vulnerable to Corrosion
Under certain conditions, the microorganisms that are naturally present in urban wastewater systems can convert hydrogen sulfide in the water to sulfuric acid. When this happens, even durable concrete pipes are vulnerable to corrosion. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water researchers at the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) are studying concrete sewer pipe damage by analyzing the DNA of microorganisms that trigger chemical attacks on pipe walls. Read more |
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AFRL Assists UNLV Researchers in UAV Testing
AFRL personnel recently participated in an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test to investigate the performance and operational characteristics of hybrid propulsion systems for UAVs. The test was one part of a much larger multidisciplinary collaborative effort with the University of Nevada Las Vegas. In preparation for the test, the propulsion system of a commercial off-the-shelf UAV was modified from its original configuration. Read more |
Fairchild Controls to Validate a Next-Generation Cooling System for Aircraft Avionics with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory
Fairchild Controls Corporation, an EADS North America company, has signed a teaming agreement with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to evaluate innovative cooling system technologies for avionics and mission systems aboard military aircraft. The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) will result in the joint development and operation of a multiple-evaporator vapor cycle system prototype at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Read more
Solid-Fuel Cook Stoves: Gauging Performance and Emissions
In support of the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air, air researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) tested a number of household cook stove and fuel combinations for performance and pollutant emissions. Read more |
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Maine South High School Wins 15th Annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest
A team from Maine South High School today won Argonne National Laboratory's 15th annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest held at the Chicago Children's Museum on Navy Pier. By winning Argonne's contest, Maine South advances to the National High School Rube Goldberg Machine Championship to be held Saturday, March 27, at Purdue University. Read more |
Biochip Technology Reveals "Fingerprints" of Biochemical Threats
Argonne biochemist Daniel Schabacker could be considered a Sherlock Holmes of bioterrorism. Although he doesn't carry around a pipe and magnifying glass as he attempts to nab the culprit, he has a far more powerful deductive tool: the biochip. Read more
U.S. Forest Service and College of Menominee Nation Sign Partnership Agreement
Four units of the U.S. Forest Service signed a second 5-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the College of Menominee Nation (CMN) in Keshena, Wisconsin, on November 13, 2009. The agreement pledges the Forest Service and the CMN "to cooperate in synthesizing best practices of forest management, ecology, utilization and Native American expertise and applying this knowledge to sustainable forestry practices and sustainable development." Read more
Sustainability Metrics—A Test
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) researchers have developed a multidisciplinary method for measuring movement toward—or away from—sustainability across a region for a 26-year period. Sustainability specialists in the National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), in collaboration with staff from National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory and EPA Region 8, have assembled a dataset for a region in south-central Colorado that includes economic, social, and environmental variables. Read more |
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Forest Owners and Carbon Markets: Can't We All Just Get Along?
The Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) battles global climate change on many fronts. Working with the Environmental Protection Agency, FPL estimates carbon emission offsets due to annual net additions of carbon stored in wood and paper products. Partnering with the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, FPL estimates the carbon footprint of the U.S. forest products industry. Read more |
National Fire Service Seat Belt Pledge
NIOSH has reaffirmed its support and participation in the United States Fire Administration's (USFA) National Fire Service Seat Belt Pledge Program. Certificates are awarded to fire departments that have 100% of their firefighters pledging to wear their seat belts. Recently, NIOSH participated in a ceremony in honor of the Amarillo Fire Department's 100% participation in the Seat Belt Pledge. More information about the Seat Belt Pledge can be found at http://www.trainingdivision.com/seatbeltpledge.asp.
NASA Glenn Visitor Center Moves to Great Lakes Science Center
NASA's Glenn Research Center and the Great Lakes Science Center have signed an agreement that names the Science Center as the official Visitor Center site for Glenn. Read more
Upcoming T2 Conferences and Events
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