Letter from the Regional Coordinator

I’d like to thank everyone who participated in our 2011 regional meeting in Dearborn, Michigan, especially our speakers, who took time out of busy schedules to share their valuable information with us. Another special thanks goes to our gracious hosts at TARDEC, who gave a very in-depth and interesting tour, despite being shorthanded due to another conference. Read more

Partnership Produces Record-Setting Power, Reliability, and Efficiency in a Low Mass, Free-Piston Stirling Convertor

Technology developed through a series of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Ohio-based Sunpower, Inc. in partnership with NASA's Glenn Research Center has resulted in the Advanced Stirling Convertor (ASC), an 80 watt free-piston Stirling power convertor that produces electric power from any source of heat. The ASC can be used in any application that requires conversion of heat into electric power with high efficiency and low mass. The ASC provides a state-of-the-art power conversion system for potential future NASA deep space and planetary missions enabled or significantly enhanced by the application of radioisotope power systems. Other terrestrial applications being considered are a liquid-fueled soldier carried portable power system and an efficient portable solar-to-electric convertor. Read more

SIUE, TRANSCOM Team Up to Promote STEM Education

Metro-east schools may soon see military scientists and university experts demonstrating robots in their classrooms.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) have agreed to share resources to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. While SIUE has had a STEM outreach program in area schools for years, officials expect a large expansion partnered with the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) at Scott Air Force Base.

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Lilly and Argonne National Laboratory Announce $2 Million Upgrade to Lilly's Beamline Capabilities
Industry and Government Sharing of Expertise and Technology Has Yielded Breakthroughs in Drug Discovery

Eli Lilly and Company and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory announced today the completion of Lilly's $2 million upgrade to the company's research-guided beamline, located at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne's campus outside of Chicago. The APS is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility operated by Argonne. Read more

Department of Energy, Department of Army Announce New Alliance, Convene Energy Leaders for Vehicle Power Workshop

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of the Army today announced a new collaboration aimed at promoting the joint development of advanced vehicle technologies. During the first-ever Advanced Vehicle Power Technology Workshop – hosted by the DOE and the Army at NextEnergy headquarters in Detroit – Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Under Secretary of the Army Joseph Westphal announced the completion of a new charter that will enhance national energy security and demonstrate the Federal Government's leadership in transitioning America to a low-carbon economy. The announcement came during the workshop, which brought together more than 80 energy leaders from government, industry and academia to jointly address ground mobility challenges.Read more

Developer of ECOR® Advanced Environmental Composites Announces Joint Patent Applications

San Diego-based Noble Environmental Technologies Corporation (NET), a leading sustainable materials developer and manufacturer, announces its submittal for two U.S. and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patents jointly with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in Madison, Wisconsin, detailing new eco-composite panel technology advancements. The company has completed a two-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) in collaboration with the USDA to develop environmentally-superior three dimensional engineered molded fiber (3dEMF) process and material technologies. NET named the new manufacturing technology and resulting composite panel products ECOR®. Read more

Ultra-Light, Low-Cost Solar Concentrator Offers Unparalleled Efficiency and Performance
Affordable Green Energy Technology from NASA/Entech Solar

Technology developed through multiple, related Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Entech® Solar, Inc. in partnership with NASA's Glenn Research Center has produced a high-performance, ultra-light solar concentrator for space and ground applications. The Stretched Lens Array (SLA) uses a thin film lens to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a small area of photovoltaic (PV) cells, with simple waste heat rejection performed by a thin sheet of thermally conductive material beneath the cells. This record-breaking technology offers unprecedented performance and cost-effectiveness by employing flexible Fresnel lenses for optical concentration, minimizing solar cell area, mass, and cost. The SLA has been optimized for the best performance, reliability, and efficiency through NASA's award-winning space demonstration on Deep Space 1. On the ground, the same basic concept is now being used with the commercial launch of Entech Solar's new terrestrial product, the SolarVolt™ module. Read more

Commercialization of Improved Optical Fiber Expands Capabilities

An AFRL-managed Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has developed a new kind of optical fiber that enables the commercialization of high-power, two-micron Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) sources.

AdValue Photonics of Tucson, Ariz., developed the new fiber, which allows for the broadest bandwidth, near infrared wavelength range, customized center wavelength, and high-output power. The ASE source has more than twenty times the power of previously available sources.

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NASA and International Partners Discuss New Uses for Space Station

The Multilateral Coordination Board (MCB) for the International Space Station partner agencies met recently to discuss how to use the space station as a test bed for technologies that will enable missions beyond low Earth orbit. Read more

Argonne Wins Four "Oscars of Innovation" from R&D Magazine

Four technologies developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have won R&D 100 awards.

The awards, organized by R&D Magazine, have been given out annually since 1962 for the top high technology products of the year and are considered to be the "Oscars of Innovation." Read more

Big Push for Science and Math Degrees Paying Off

Ohio’s public colleges and universities have seen a 20-percent jump in students graduating with degrees in science, math and technology-related fields from 2006-2010.

Better job opportunities, higher pay, and a coordinated effort by educators and lawmakers across the state and the nation focused on graduating students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs have all contributed to the increase.
Those jobs are key to Ohio and Dayton’s future, said Tom Lasley, a University of Dayton educator and executive director of the education advocate, Learn to Earn Dayton. Read more

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