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    Academies' Young Scientists Hold the Key to Future Defense

    FORT BELVOIR, VA, UNITED STATES

    09.12.2017

    Courtesy Story

    Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Chemical and Biological Technologies Department

    Threats change over time. In fact, history shows us that every 10 to 15 years revolutionary technologies emerge that have a tremendous impact on how we fight. As technological advances equip both friend and foe with new weapons, the U.S. and its allies must stay at the forefront of innovation to create new tools for national defense. Basic research performed today will provide the layered defense of tomorrow, which is why the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Chemical and Biological Technologies Department invests in their Service Academy Research Initiative.

    This initiative allows funding of basic research at the U.S. Air Force (USAFA), Naval (USNA) and Military Academies (USMA) to enhance future officers’ understanding of chemical and biological weapons, and the role science and technology plays in enhancing warfighter and civilian protection. Young scientists and engineers are afforded the opportunity to perform this research while supporting the academies’ efforts to develop new technologies to defend the warfighter.

    Students focus on materials development, synthetic biology, bio-agent simulant studies, molecular recognition and sensing, medicinal chemistry, medical countermeasure pretreatments and therapeutics. The focus on basic research provides greater knowledge of the fundamental aspects that pertain to countering chemical or biological weapons. These efforts form the building blocks that increase understanding and provide a foundation for the Department of Defense applied research programs.

    Current efforts by midshipmen and cadets include developing new sensor platforms based on olfactory systems for use in early detection and warning of pathogen exposure. Others are utilizing changes in cellular morphology to identify chemical and biological agent exposures via ‘organ-on-a-chip’. Some are developing an understanding of viral mechanisms and identifying novel in vitro selection strategies to produce RNA molecules for use as drug therapeutic targets and highly selective sensors. Students are creating mathematical models and tools that describe intracellular ion concentrations for synthetic biology countermeasures; all critical new technologies for a layered defense.

    In addition to the ongoing research, students gain valuable experience presenting their work to national and international audiences. They regularly present at many prestigious forums and publish in peer reviewed journals.

    Furthermore, midshipmen from the USNA won the annual DTRA Syn Bio Academies’ Challenge, an event in which service academies compete to demonstrate advancements in bioengineering. A major aspect of this challenge includes participation in the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition. The USNA also selected a DTRA-funded midshipman as a Trident Scholar, a highly prestigious program, and presented her work in the Academy’s Trident Scholar Symposium.

    Defensive technologies such as the internet, GPS, night vision, lasers and stealth technologies were all the result of basic research. DTRA’s initiative to promote basic research and knowledge of chemical and biological weapons and their countermeasures to our future military leaders helps ensure that warfighters have the necessary tools to achieve their mission.

    POC: Brian Pate, Ph.D.; brian.d.pate.civ@mail.mil

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 09.12.2017
    Date Posted: 09.12.2017 14:28
    Story ID: 247937
    Location: FORT BELVOIR, VA, US

    Web Views: 117
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN