Undersecretary talks about Air Force's energy plan at White House forum

by Master Sgt. Russell P. Petcoff
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

8/2/2010 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Undersecretary of the Air Force Erin Conaton described the service's work on energy reduction and the search for renewable sources of energy during a White House forum July 27.

At the White House Office of Energy and Climate-sponsored Clean Energy Forum, Ms. Conaton talked about the strategic, operational and financial impact fuel has on the Air Force and the Department of Defense. She also spoke of the steps Air Force officials have taken in developing alternative renewable and biomass energy sources.

"One, it's a strategic imperative," Ms. Conaton said. "Both President Obama and (Defense) Secretary (Robert) Gates have said time and again that this is a national security issue, and I think the military has heard that loud and clear."

Developing alternative energy sources is also an operational imperative, Ms. Conaton said.

"I think for all the services, and for DOD, this is about mission accomplishment," she said. "There are broader national goals at stake. But for us, the primary driver is making sure we can accomplish the mission on the battlefield and do it with the least risk to our service members in the process."

The financial impact that the cost of energy has for the nation, to include the DOD, also makes the alternative energy source issue an important one, Ms. Conaton said.

"We need to take every dollar possible that's available to the Department of Defense and put it toward force structure (and) modernizing weapon systems," Ms. Conaton said. "Every dollar of fuel that we save is good for the planet (and) good for the country, but also good for our services in terms of allowing us to reinvest those dollars elsewhere."

Air Force is taking small steps because those often lead to big leaps forward, the undersecretary said.

"We're looking at things in very simple terms, but I think the simple terms are what get us there," Ms. Conaton said. The goal is to "reduce the demand, increase the supply and change the culture of the Air Force in terms of how we think about energy."

The undersecretary offered a few examples of how Airmen are finding ways to reduce energy use.

"We have a number of really innovative leaders inside the Air Force, including those who are working out of our Air Mobility Command," said Ms. Conaton of the command officials who primarily operate the Air Force's largest aircraft. "They're doing really innovative, but simple, things like reducing aircraft weight, decreasing auxiliary power unit use and coordinating better with our foreign partners about the routings we use to make them more fuel efficient."

These measures and others have allowed the Air Force to reduce fossil fuel use by almost 9 percent since 2003 and reduce energy use on bases by nearly 15 percent.

In the area of renewable energy, Ms. Conaton said officials at Air Force bases are trying to use environmental factors abundant in their locales to generate energy.

For example, she cited the solar ray panels at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and the wind turbines at F. E. Warren AFB, Wyo. The solar photovoltaic system at Nellis AFB is the largest in North America.

"We're trying to take a targeted look at what types of bases could make use of what types of renewable energy and take that even further as we move forward," Ms. Conaton said.

The undersecretary also highlighted Air Force officials' moves to synthetic and biomass fuels. "On the demand side, we're looking very aggressively at alternative and biofuels," she said. "Some may not know, but back in 2006 we flew our first aircraft, a B-52 (Stratofortress), with a 50/50 blend of JP-8 and synthetic fuel."

Air Force officials have certified another eight airframes on the blended fuel, she added.

Working with community and industry leaders is another important way of trying to reduce energy demand and pursue renewable sources of energy, the undersecretary said.

Next month's energy forum in Nevada is designed to see "where there have been some concrete examples of local industry working with bases to make sure we've got compatible energy development projects," Ms. Conaton said.

Arctic Voyage Completed: What’s Next for ICESCAPE Researchers?

Dr. Kevin Arrigo is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Earth System Science at Stanford University. He is the Chief Scientist for NASA’s ICESCAPE (Impact of Climate change on the Eco-Systems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment) mission this summer onboard US Coast Guard Cutter HEALY.

Tonight I looked out of my porthole and saw something that I hadn’t seen in weeks – darkness. The unexpected view jolted me into the realization that the first ICESCAPE journey is near its end. Our last station is behind us, and we are steaming south for home.

What did we accomplish during our 30 days of sampling in the Chukchi Sea? We won’t know for sure until we get back to our labs and analyze the thousands of samples we have accumulated.

But we do know that we managed to make physical, chemical, and biological measurements at 140 stations, covering more of the Chukchi Sea than has ever been accomplished in a single cruise before. Our stations extended from the coast of Alaska westward to the US-Russian border – and from the Bering Strait northward to Barrow, Alaska. Ten of those stations included detailed studies of the sea ice and the underlying ocean.

We made our full suite of optical measurements at more than 20 stations – often under ideal conditions of fully clear or fully diffuse skies. We sampled stations along 15 different slices – or sections – through the Chukchi Sea. These sections provide a detailed two-dimensional picture of how physical, chemical, and biological properties of the Chukchi change with distance and depth. Think of them as the oceanographic equivalent of an MRI.

We mapped the often circuitous paths that the Alaska coastal current and winter water take before these two important water masses flow off the Chukchi shelf into the deep Canada Basin. We documented how the slow pathways extend the blooms of phytoplankton by providing an early summer slug of new nutrients to fuel additional growth. We learned that the single celled alga called Chaetoceros is nearly everywhere but is most abundant in a thin layer below the sea surface.

I look forward to digging through our vast collection of data and see what other new surprises await. There will undoubtedly be many other discoveries to make – and many papers to write. By any measure, ICESCAPE 2010 was an unqualified success.

And while tomorrow we celebrate our good fortune and success, tonight we plan. ICESCAPE 2011 is not far off and we are going to be ready – yet again.

Law Enforcement Technology Project Management, Part II

Sponsored by: SPAWAR Atlantic - Advanced Law Enforcement Technology Branch, National Institute of Justice – Office of Science and Technology

Date: Thursday, August 19, 2010
Time: 2:00pm EDT (duration: 90 Minutes)
Cost: Free
Registration: The deadline for registering is August 19, 2010 at 2:00 pm EDT
Phone Number for Audio: (877) 311-4232
Pass Code: 909-12-512

Registration link
https://www118.livemeeting.com/lrs/1100002190/Registration.aspx?pageName=5637861mz4223vql
Attendance:* The target audience for this webinar includes:
Law Enforcement Officers
Law Enforcement IT Personnel
Law Enforcement Administrators and Policymakers
Academic Researchers

*Attendance is limited to the first 150 registered participants.

Event Description
This is the fourth in a series of SPAWAR- NIJ sponsored, no-cost law enforcement technology webinars. The practitioner-to-practitioner focused webinar will explain how small, medium, and large agencies can effectively manage legacy and new information technology projects. The presenters will discuss methods that address t needs of all stakeholders to include end-users, administrators, and technologists. Topics of discussion will include:

Setting Expectations and Identifying Potential Risks
Establishing Performance Measures for Project Success
Getting Functional and Non-Functional Requirements Right
Vendor Selection and Management Methodologies
Case studies of effective and ineffective project management efforts
Participants will have an opportunity to submit questions to the panel through the webinar interface.

Presenters:

Captain Scott Edson, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department
Captain Scott Edson has over 32 years of law enforcement experience with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. He is responsible for the Department’s voice and data radio systems, county wide mutual aid radios, and regional voice and data interoperability projects. He has collateral responsibility for the Department's Crime Assessment Center, information sharing efforts, and knowledge-based policing programs and CompStat. Captain Edson actively participates in communications related committees, integration and interoperability projects, criminal justice related standards committees, law enforcement information sharing initiatives, and knowledge-based policing efforts, nation-wide. Captain Edson has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology Management and an Associate of Arts degree in Administration of Justice.

Lieutenant David Mulholland, United States Park Police
Lieutenant Mulholland has over 22 years experience with the United States Park Police and has served as the agency’s chief information officer for the past 8 years, overseeing IT and Communications at a national level. He is a former board member of the IACP Law Enforcement Information Management Section, and is currently the chair of the APCO Civil Contingency Network and the National Capital Region Police Technology Police Technology Subcommittee. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and is involved in numerous technology projects including replacing a tri-state radio system to obtaining and deploying a national law enforcement records management system.

Ms. Catherine Plummer, Nlets
Catherine Plummer currently manages several Nlets technology projects, including Criminal History Information Exchange Format (CHIEF), Criminal History Records Information Sharing (CHRIS), and Geospatial Service Oriented Architecture for Public Safety (GeoSOAPS). Plummer holds a master degree in Public Administration, with a concentration in Justice Administration, as well as Project Management Professional certification, and is an experienced justice information system administrator with twenty years of progressive experience in technology development, planning, requirements analysis, procurement, implementation and project management.

Moderator:
Matthew Snyder: SPAWAR Advanced Law Enforcement Technology Branch

Post Webinar Activity:
A Survey will be administered immediately after the webinar to all registered participants
Presentations will be available after the webinar on www.JUSTNET.org
Questions:
Contact Heather R. Cotter at heather@cotterresearch.com

VA officials approve $2.8 million for Gulf War illness research

7/30/2010 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Department of Veterans Affairs officials have approved $2.8 million to fund three new research projects that focus on testing or developing new treatments for illnesses affecting veterans who served in the Gulf War from 1990 to 1991.

The research incorporates recommendations of the department's Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses Task Force.

"Reaching out to Gulf War Veterans is essential to the transformation of VA," said John R. Gingrich, the Veterans Affairs chief of staff. "This research is a great opportunity to do something that will improve the care and services these veterans have earned."

About 697,000 men and women served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm from August 1990 to June 1991 during the Gulf War. In the years since they returned, nearly a quarter of these veterans have experienced chronic symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, gastrointestinal problems, cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbances, persistent headaches, skin rashes, respiratory conditions and mood changes. The symptoms are known collectively as "Gulf War Veterans' illnesses."

A recent report by the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Gulf War and Health, "Health Effects of Serving in the Gulf War," noted that chronic multi-symptom illnesses affect an estimated 250,000 Gulf War Veterans. Given the findings, VA officials are embarking on a national Gulf War Veterans' illness research program to identify and adopt the most effective treatments for veterans.

"Last February, we welcomed (Veterans Affairs) secretary (Eric) Shinseki's decision to take a serious look at the disability claims of Gulf War Veterans," said Clarence Hill, the national commander of the American Legion. "Now that VA is following through with these important studies of Gulf War illness, which has plagued many of the 700,000 Gulf War Veterans for nearly 20 years, the American Legion believes these studies should provide a shared foundation for those veterans who need to be cared for and compensated for their disabilities."

The first $700,000 will be available Oct. 1, the beginning of fiscal 2011.

The studies are expected to take between two to five years to complete, and include:

-- A five-year study to evaluate the impact of resistance exercise training in treating chronic musculoskeletal pain and associated symptoms in Gulf War Veterans. The study will evaluate the influence of RET on total physical activity, pain sensitivity and regulation, and brain white-matter tracts.

-- A four-year study on an animal model of Gulf War illnesses to assess the effectiveness of therapies to enhance mood and memory. The therapies are designed to increase generation of nerve cells in the hippocampus, improving cognitive function and reversing depressive and anxiety-like behaviors. One strategy will test treatment with anti-depressant medicine and a drug or dietary supplement having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The second strategy will test use of either an antidepressant or an antioxidant/anti-inflammatory agent, combined with exercise.

-- A two-year pilot study that will include randomized, controlled, eight-week trials of an intervention known as "mindfulness-based stress reduction," compared with usual care. Assessments of veterans will include symptom-based measures of pain, fatigue, and cognitive and physical function, as well as objective measures of attention, concentration and memory.

The Institute of Medicine report noted that the illnesses seen in Gulf War Veterans cannot be ascribed to any psychiatric disorder, and likely result from genetic and environmental factors, although the data are not strong enough to draw conclusions about specific causes.

Wound Care News

Former University Official Ordered to Pay More Than $12,000 in Restitution for Selling Computer Items Bought with Federal Grant

DAYTON—James Marshall, 28, a former network and data administrator in the Information Technology Services Department at Wilberforce University, was ordered to pay $12,614.21 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Energy for stealing computer equipment purchased with a federal grant and selling it through his established Internet business in 2007.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Keith L. Bennett, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Randall Kizer, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General, (DOE) announced the punishment as part of the sentence handed down today by United States District Judge Thomas M. Rose. Marshall pleaded guilty on April 26, 2010 to one felony count of theft of government property.

Judge Rose also sentenced Marshall to two years’ probation. Marshall must serve 100 hours of community service within the first year of his probation. The Department of Energy suspended Marshall from doing any type of contract work with any branch of the federal government.

According to court documents, the university received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in September 2005 to create and operate a functional advanced disaster modeling and simulation laboratory. Marshall began to work on the grant in October 2005, eventually becoming Strategic Director of Research and Information Systems for the grant. Marshall was responsible for procuring all computer hardware and software under the grant. The grant budget for July 30, 2005 through July 30, 2006 included $200,000 for high speed networking and simulation laboratory; $30,000 for high resolution projector and screen; $100,000 for simulation software; $50,000 for statistical software; $110,900 for high speed computers and laptops; and $100,000 for software development and expert system shells. In November 2005, Marshall instructed vendors to ship merchandise directly to him.

In March 2007, the Wilberforce Information and Technology Department staff conducted a preliminary visual inventory of equipment located in the Lab. They discovered approximately 103 hard drives and other computer equipment missing from the Lab. The staff also determined that some of the same items were observed being sold on an eBay site belonging to Marshall. The university dismissed Marshall after the theft was discovered.

Stewart commended the cooperative investigation by FBI and DOE agents, the assistance provided by Wilberforce officials, and Dayton Branch Chief Laura Clemmens, who prosecuted the case.

Spirit May Never Phone Home Again

July 30, 2010: NASA mission controllers have not heard from Mars rover Spirit since March 22 as the rover faces its toughest challenge yet - trying to survive the harsh Martian winter.

On July 26, mission managers began using a paging technique called "sweep and beep" in an effort to communicate with Spirit.

"Instead of just listening, we send commands to the rover to respond back to us with a communications beep," said John Callas, project manager for Spirit and its twin, Opportunity, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "If the rover is awake and hears us, she will send us that beep."

Spirit is probably in a low-power "hibernation" mode. The rover was not able to get to a favorable [sun-facing] slope for its fourth Martian winter, which runs from May through November. The low angle of sunlight during these months limits the power generated from the rover's solar panels. During hibernation, the rover suspends communications and other activities so available energy can be used to recharge and heat batteries, and to keep the mission clock running.

Based on models of Mars' weather and its effect on available power, mission managers believe that if Spirit responds, it most likely will be in the next few months. However, there is a very distinct possibility Spirit may never respond.

"It will be the miracle from Mars if our beloved rover phones home," said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program in Washington. "It's never faced this type of severe condition before - this is unknown territory."

If Spirit survives the ongoing winter and wakes up again, more discoveries await.

Because most of the rover's heaters are not being powered this winter, Spirit is likely experiencing its coldest internal temperatures yet -- minus 55 degrees Celsius (minus 67 degrees Fahrenheit). During three previous Martian winters, Spirit communicated about once or twice a week with Earth and used its heaters to stay warm while parked on a sun-facing slope for the winter. As a result, the heaters were able to keep internal temperatures above minus 40 degrees Celsius (which is also minus 40 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale).

Spirit is designed to wake up from its hibernation and communicate with Earth when its battery charge is adequate. But if the batteries have lost too much power, Spirit's clock may stop and lose track of time. The rover could still reawaken, but it would not know the time of day, a situation called a "mission-clock fault." Spirit would start a new timer to wake up every four hours and listen for a signal from Earth for 20 minutes of every hour while the sun is up.

The earliest date the rover could generate enough power to send a beep to Earth was calculated to be around July 23. However, mission managers don't anticipate the batteries will charge adequately until late September to mid-October. It may be even later if the rover is in a mission-clock fault mode. If Spirit does wake up, mission managers will do a complete health check on the rover's instruments and electronics.

Based on previous Martian winters, the rover team anticipates the increasing haziness in the sky over Spirit will offset longer daylight for the next two months. The amount of solar energy available to Spirit then will increase until the southern Mars summer solstice in March 2011. If we haven't heard from it by March, it is unlikely that we will ever hear from it.

"This has been a long winter for Spirit, and a long wait for us," said Steve Squyres, the principal investigator for NASA's two rovers who is based at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. "Even if we never heard from Spirit again, I think her scientific legacy would be secure. But we're hopeful we will hear from her, and we're eager to get back to doing science with two rovers again."