Puerto Rico Army National Guardsman evaluates Sterilization Efficacy of a Portable Ozone Sterilizer at NAMRU San Antonio

Photo By Burrell Parmer | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON (Aug. 11, 2026) Arleen Hidalgo Morales, of Moca, Puerto Rico, an intern assigned to Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio, presented research on the evaluation sterilization efficacy of a portable sterilization unit at reduced cycle times at the Battlefield Health and Trauma Research Institute. Hidalgo Morales, a U.S. Army first lieutenant in the Puerto Rico National Guard, earned her master’s in Bioengineering from University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus. She is participating in the Office of Naval Research’s Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP). NREIP gives academically talented college students, graduating seniors, and graduate students pursuing STEM careers the opportunity to learn about Naval research and technology while receiving first-class mentoring by top scientists and engineers. NAMRU San Antonio, part of Navy Medicine Research & Development, conducts gap-driven combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy research in support of Navy, Marine Corps and joint U.S. warfighter health readiness and lethality while engaged in routine and expeditionary operations. Navy Medicine’s 44,000+ talented and ready forces optimize health readiness, deliver quality healthcare, and provide global expeditionary medical support to warfighters. (U.S. Navy Photo by Burrell Parmer/Released)  

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, UNITED STATES

08.20.2026

Story by Burrell Parmer 

Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON (Aug. 21, 2026) Arleen Hidalgo Morales, of Moca, Puerto Rico, is participating in the Office of Naval Research’s Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) at Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) San Antonio.

NREIP gives academically talented college students, graduating seniors, and graduate students pursuing STEM careers the opportunity to learn about Naval research and technology while receiving first-class mentoring by top scientists and engineers.

During her summer internship, Hidalgo Morales was assigned to the Biomedical Systems Engineering and Evaluation Department where she conducted research on the evaluation sterilization efficacy of a portable sterilization unit at reduced cycle times.

To present her findings, Hidalgo Morales participated in a poster session and oral presentation held at the Battlefield Health and Trauma Research Institute, Aug. 11 and 20.

“I heard about NREIP through my graduate assistantship,” said Hidalgo Morales, a first lieutenant in the Puerto Rico National Guard. “While working as a chemical laboratory assistant, my supervisor told me about the program and encouraged me to apply.”

According to Hidalgo Morales, she wants to work in the medical device industry as an engineer, focused on process validation and optimization.

“During this internship, I was able to expand my knowledge in those areas, by working on optimizing and validating the sterilization cycle of an ozone and hydrogen peroxide sterilization unit,” Hidalgo Morales said.

Hidalgo Morales was chosen to help further optimize SteriO3’s Ruggedized Ozone Sterilization System Model 1 focusing on how to maintain sterility while modifying the current program to decrease the time of exposure for either ozone or hydrogen peroxide, according to her mentor Andres Martinez Murillo, a biomedical engineer, assigned to the command’s Combat Casualty Care and Operational Medicine directorate.

“Through her efforts, she was able to reduce the time by four minutes from 45 minutes to 41 minutes while maintaining sterilization. Additionally, her impact on the sterilizer system allowed us to develop a necessary stability modification to the nebulizing system that delivers vaporized hydrogen peroxide,” said Martinez Murillo. “Her hard work has been extremely valuable in the further development of the portable sterilizer system that will benefit the military end user.”

Navy Medicine Research & Development (NMR&D) makes use of multiple channels to recruit and retain critical U.S. Navy medical support personnel. The research commands reach out to the next generation of scientists through conferences, STEM events, internships and career days, and support recruiting efforts early in undergraduate and graduate programs.

NAMRU San Antonio, part of NMR&D, conducts gap-driven combat casualty care, craniofacial, and directed energy research in support of Navy, Marine Corps and joint U.S. warfighter health readiness and lethality while engaged in routine and expeditionary operations.

Navy Medicine’s 44,000+ talented and ready forces optimize health readiness, deliver quality healthcare, and provide global expeditionary medical support to warfighters.

• Date Taken: 08.20.2026
• Date Posted: 08.20.2026 16:33
• Story ID: 572870
• Location: SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US
• Hometown: MOCA, PR