Photo By Jack Bunja | A member of the Water Warriors machines down a part for their next generation of...... read more read more
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD – The U.S. Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) recently finished an educational partnership with a group of high school students from Arizona. CBC scientists supported the students with their research on methods to prevent megadroughts through innovative water harvesting methods.
The educational partnership began during the 2023 eCYBERMISSION competition in Hunt Valley, Md. eCYBERMISSION is an Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) sponsored event that pits teams of students in grades 6-9 from across the country to submit research project ideas and compete with existing prototypes for awards. The research targets social and environmental impacts in the local community, with the most promising ideas awarded grants to advance them to an operational level.
At the eCYBERMISSION event, Ann Kulisiewicz, a research chemist within the Protective Materials Development Branch at CBC, participated in a demonstration of how Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) can be used to degrade chemical warfare agents (CWA). Kulisiewicz has been working with MOFs for nine years at the Center, looking at their applications in the degradation of chemical warfare agents. As part of her demonstration, Kulisiewicz was assisting students in a virtual reality laboratory simulation of MOF synthesis and testing when the Scottsdale, Arizona team, who call themselves the Water Warriors, approached her looking for help.
"We were working on ways to show off MOFs when the Water Warriors stopped to chat," said Kulisiewicz. "They had won a grant for their project, but they weren't able to build their prototype because they didn't have the MOF needed to test it. They requested that we make a MOF that could be used in a prototype to present at the 2024 national judging and educational event in Virginia this year."
Led by team leader Audrey Skidmore, the Water Warriors are comprised of 9th graders W. Ira Parsons, Charles Skidmore, Aditya Vashistha, and Eric Wang, all hailing from different high schools in the Scottsdale area. With their Star Wars-inspired design, they now have a prototype filtration system built out of MOF-801 that collects ambient moisture from the air to create water. This MOF acts as a giant molecular sponge, attempting to pull moisture out of air that can be recycled for use in drought-stricken environments. According to Kulisiewicz, previous MOF chemists have tested this theory in desert environments and found it to be successful. With the help of some CBC consultation and a new grant-winning prototype in hand, the Water Warriors are on the path to making a difference by solving a 30-some-year megadrought that has plagued their community.
"We had to make a somewhat tutorial video for the process of MOF synthesis, going as far as recording a series of professional videos to demo and instruct the students remotely on their new materials," said Kulisiewicz. "They get to see and experience a government lab – it's a huge win for them. We get to mentor that next generation of scientists, easily one of the best parts of my job."
After missing last year's eCYBERMISSION, the Water Warriors presented their demo at this year's National Judging & Educational Event on June 27 in Chantilly, Virginia. While they didn't win among the 2,000 entrants, their in-action grant from the AEOP allowed them to refine their design further and perfect their perfected MOF filtration system. After their most recent tests, they hope each MOF will create seven liters of water daily, running entirely off solar power.
When asked how DEVCOM CBC finds educational partnerships such as these, Kulisiewicz credited Casey Weininger, the CBC STEM Program Manager, with being the primary catalyst for increasing student involvement in Army research opportunities.
"It's so great to see that sending out these outreach opportunities, interacting in local science fairs, and STEM outreach in the classroom, in general, is making a difference in both those kids' lives and our lives here at the Center," Kulisiewicz said.
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The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) was established with a bold objective: to integrate a diverse set of Army research and technology expertise to solve complex problems, rapidly deliver next-generation combat capabilities and make our Soldiers more protected and more lethal than ever before The command executes its mission to accelerate research, development, engineering and analysis to deliver warfighter capabilities by serving as the Army Futures Command’s leader and integrator within a global ecosystem of technological innovation and scientific exploration. From drones to dozers, rockets to robots, autonomy to aviation – DEVCOM experts work alongside partners in industry, academia and other federal agencies to drive scientific discovery, advance and improve existing technologies, and engineer solutions that will transform the Army and ensure war-winning future readiness.
The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center is the primary DOD technical organization for non-medical chemical and biological defense. The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center fosters research, development, testing and application of technologies for protecting our military from chemical and biological warfare agents. The Center possesses an unrivaled chemical biological defense research and development infrastructure staffed by a highly-trained, multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, technicians and specialists located at four different sites in the United States: Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas; Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; and Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.30.2024 10:44 |
| Story ID: | 477338 |
| Location: | ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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