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| FLC Midwest Region Quarterly Newsletter - Winter 2006 |
From Treatment Plant to Tap: The Safe Delivery of Drinking Water
The United States enjoys one of the world's highest standards
of drinking water, but Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water researchers are always alert to new risks of contamination, whether at the point of treatment or in the distribution systems that carry finished water to the consumer. One example is ongoing National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) research into possible impacts on water distribution systems following changes in disinfection practices. About one-third of major U.S. water companies are changing from traditional chlorine treatment to chloramine to guard against harmful disinfection by-products (DBPs) resulting from the reaction of chlorine with organic matter in the water. Read more
Experimenters at Fermilab Discover Exotic Relatives of Protons and Neutrons
Scientists of the CDF collaboration at the Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory recently announced the discovery of two rare types of particles, exotic relatives of the much more common proton and neutron.
"These particles, named Sigma-sub-b [Σb], are like rare jewels that we mined out of our data," said Jacobo Konigsberg of the University of Florida, a spokesperson for the CDF collaboration. "Piece by piece, we are developing a better picture of how matter is built out of quarks. We learn more about the subatomic forces that hold quarks together and tear them apart. Our discovery helps complete the 'periodic table of baryons.'" Read more
Award-winning Grids and Collimators Produce Better X-ray and Nuclear Images
A grid as little as three millimeters tall could save lives by helping X-rays and radiotracers provide clearer diagnostic images of the human body.
These X-ray anti-scatter grids and nuclear collimators, developed by scientists at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Creatv MicroTech, Inc., won an R&D 100 Award from R&D magazine, identifying it as one of the top scientific and technological innovations in the world introduced as a product during 2005. Read more
New Technique Breaks Nanometer Barrier in X-ray Microscopy
A new X-ray microscopy technique that observes molecular-scale features less than a nanometer high has been developed by scientists at the Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in collaboration with Xradia, Inc. By combining X-ray reflection with high-resolution X-ray microscopy, scientists can now study interactions at the nanometer scale, where materials often exhibit new properties. A better understanding of interactions at the nanoscale promises to help cure the sick, protect the environment, and make the nation more secure. Read more
| Researchers Address Health Hazard That Lingers Long After Flood Waters Recede
Before the catastrophic hurricane season of 2005 drew widespread attention to the issue of flood-related pollution, researchers from the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) and the University of North Dakota (UND) began studying the problem of indoor air pollution that can follow massive flooding.
Personal experience is what drew Drs. Evguenni Kozliak and Wayne Seames of the UND Chemistry and Chemical Engineering departments toward this complex form of pollution. In April 1997, the Red River flooded Grand Forks, North Dakota, spurring long-lasting indoor air pollution problems. Read more |
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Urgent Phone Call Rekindles Forest Service Laboratory's Interest in Wood Propellers and Military Aircraft
In mid-July 2006, an anxious phone call from a leading manufacturer of airplane propellers to the USDA Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) rekindled FPL's involvement with wood propellers and research to meet wartime needs of the U.S. military.
Nearly 90 years ago, as World War I dragged on in Europe, FPL, which had been conducting research related to wood aircraft frames for the U.S. War Department (the predecessor of the Department of Defense), established an experimental propeller laboratory to investigate the problem of warping and twisting caused by atmospheric humidity. Read more |
| Glenn Researchers to Receive R&D 100 Award
Members of NASA Glenn Research Center's Communications Division will be feted at a black tie event in the Grand Ballroom of Chicago's Navy Pier on October 19 during the 2006 R&D 100 awards banquet.
Dr. Jeffrey Wilson, Dr. Rainee Simons, Dr. W. Dan Williams and Richard Krawczyk (retired) collaborated with L-3 Communications Electron Technologies, Inc., Torrance, California, on a traveling-wave tube (TWT) that is being recognized as one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace over the past year by the editors of R&D magazine. Read more |
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EPRI, Argonne to Assess Commercial Viability of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) recently announced a three-year collaborative agreement to conduct detailed analysis of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) aimed at assessing the commercial feasibility of this technology for the Department of Energy.
The EPRI/ANL analysis will evaluate PHEVs, hybrids and conventional vehicles from environmental, cost, design and marketing perspectives. Some of the world's leading transportation experts will participate in the engineering and technical studies, which will be conducted at the two organizations' respective research facilities in Palo Alto, California, and Argonne, Illinois. Read more |
| Remote Abandoned Mines: Some Cleanup Approaches
The boom-and-bust history of early western mining towns is well preserved in American folklore and song. Unfortunately, that colorful legacy has a darker side that can be seen today in hundreds of abandoned non-coal mines whose metal-laden wastewaters contaminate the delicate ecosystems of the West and pollute thousands of downstream creeks and rivers.
According to the EPA scientists and engineers who have joined in a multi-agency effort to remediate mine waste damage, more than 600,000 U.S. mines have polluted an estimated 180,000 acres of lakes and 12,000 miles of streams. Read more |
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AFRL Significantly Increases Avionics Bandwidth
AFRL, in partnership with Edgewater Computer Systems, Inc. (Ottawa, Canada), increased avionics bandwidth by a factor of 200, enabling the transition of advanced displays and network-centric warfare capabilities. The team developed an expanded MIL-STD-1553B capability that removes defense-wide roadblocks preventing required upgrades to current air fleets. Read more |
| AFRL Transitions Thin-Film Solar Cells
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) selected AFRL’s thin-film solar cell technology to meet the power generation requirements of its High-Altitude Airship (HAA) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program. The MDA will demonstrate the laboratory-developed technology in the deployed structures experiment (DSX), which will establish the viability of thin-film solar arrays and deployment mechanisms while increasing technical maturity. Read more |
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TECH Trends - Volume 7, Issue 9, September 2006
Maplewood-based 3M has joined a patent licensing consortium made up of companies that develop RFID technology. According to the company, the goal of the consortium is to promote rapid adoption of RFID by providing easier access to essential patents and to help patent owners receive fair compensation for their patents. The consortium currently has eight members. Read more |
| Coal Dust Mine Sampler Receives R&D 100 Award
On October 19, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its partners were honored by R&D magazine with its prestigious R&D 100 Award 2006 for development of the "Coal Dust Explosibility Meter - Model 100." This is the first device that provides an immediate capability for determining if coal dust concentrations in active areas of underground coal mines have been sufficiently mixed with rock dust to prevent risk of explosion. NIOSH developed the theory and technology behind the device, and a prototype was developed in collaboration with the Geneva College Center for Technology Development. The device will be manufactured and marketed by H&P Prototyping Inc. For more information on NIOSH research and technical assistance for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths in mining, visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining.
Upcoming T² Conferences and Events |
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Cindy Wesolowski
Regional Coordinator
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Letter from the Regional Coordinator
We had a great meeting in Nashville. More than 40 technology transfer professionals gathered from both the Southeast and the Midwest regions to discuss a wide range of topics, to network, and to honor the winners of this year’s awards. The meeting included, among other topics, presentations about recent EPA technology transfer successes, using startups to commercialize technologies developed at the labs, and patenting strategies to increase the likelihood of successful commercialization. All of the presentations are available via the Midwest Region’s website. Read more |
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