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EPA studies IGCC, a method for burning coal cleanly
More than 50 percent of U.S. electricity is produced from coal; there is no alternative to coal in the near future, so we had better work to make coals cleaner; the EPS discusses a new method for clean-burning coal
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Lockheed Martin’s solution receives GSA approval for HSPD-12 compliance
Another large defense contractor gets GSA approval for HSPD-12 compliance solution
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U.S. Department of Energy pushes for cellulosic ethanol as an alternative to gasoline
Many experts doubt the scientific validity of the effort to create useable fuel for transportation from cellulosic ethanol (they suggest that a much quicker, cheaper, and more effective way to produce ethanol for cars would be, first, to produce it from sugar rather than corn and, second, to reduce dramatically the tariffs on Brazilian ethanol) – nonetheless the Department of Energy issues an ambitious roadmap for ethanol production from biomass
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BIO-Key fingerprint solution successfully passes NIST SDK test
The standard organization NIST runs pretty tough tests, so it is good news for BIO-Key that its fingerprint solution has passed the NIST SDK test with flying colors
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Moore’s Law lives: UCLA researchers solve power dissipation problem in chip design
Moore’s Law states that complexity of integrated circuits, with respect to minimum component cost, doubles every 24 months; the very advances depicted by the law, however, threatened to invalidate it at some point (the point is here, in fact), owing to the power dissipation in traditional silicon semiconductors; an innovative team of UCLA researchers found a way around the problem, and in the process also brought closer the day of convergence of photonics and electronics
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HSIEC awards grants to three innovative Illinois companies
Northwestern University’s center for homeland security entrepreneurship awards three grants to innovative Chicago-area companies
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Nanotechnology to improve warhead, missile design
The U.S. Army wants to exploit the benefits of advanced nanotechnology to create more precise and more stable munitions
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Enemy inside
This is more serious — and less benign — than “Intel inside”: practically no microchip manufacturing is done in the U.S.; when the Pentagon needs computer chips for its advanced weapons — say, a GPS-guided bomb — it buys the chips abroad; experts are worried that hostile entities will penetrate the chip factory floor subtly and stealthily to introduce flaws onto the chips; trouble is, until the chip actually fails in action, there is no way to detect such flaws; the Pentagon wants the help of business and academia in developing malware detection methods
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AirGATE to deliver RFID-enabled phones to U.S. prisons
There are 120,000 phones in more than 3,100 correctional facilities around the U.S., and inmates complete 750,000 collect calls daily on these phones; the prison authorities want to make sure that they know who makes what phone call, so prisoners will be equipped with RFID-equipped wristbands, and the phones will be equipped with RFID scanners
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Globecomm Systems awarded GSA schedule
A specialist in satellite-based communications solutions receives GSA schedule
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Missile market to grow to $100 billion by 2015; missiles for air defense to account for large share
Iran’s crash program to develop ballistic missiles, to say nothing of its relentless drive to build nuclear weapons, has rekindled an anxious interest in missile defenses; other aerial threats such as cruise missiles and UAVs only add to the drive for better and more sophisticated aerial defenses, offering opportunities for companies and investors
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Broin Companies to build large ethanol facilities in Indiana, Minnesota
Brazil relies on ethanol for a large portion of its fuel needs; in the Midwest they want the U.S. to follow suite
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Crusher, the unmanned ground combat vehicle
We know about unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); now we are entering the era of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) — and DARPA has an exciting contest program to encourage the development of sophisticated UGVs
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SafeNet shows new line of enterprise Ethernet encryptors
Metro Ethernet is increasingly popular among corporations and organizations, which means that it is used for an ever increasing volume of data — which means that the business of securing the data is becoming more urgent and more lucrative (another reason: Such transmission must comply with ever stricter security and privacy regulations)
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Mid-IR laser products recognized
Mid-IR lasers have several advantages over near infrared technology, and five companies developing useful commercial products based on mid-IR are recognized
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The long view
Climate Change Is a National Security Risk
Climate change is affecting practically everything on Earth, from natural systems to human endeavors. National security is no exception. The U.S. Defense Department recognizes that climate change is a “threat multiplier” as it exacerbates existing environmental stresses and security risks.
Scientists Map Loss of Groundwater Storage Around the World
Global water resources are stretched by climate change and human population growth, and farms and cities are increasingly turning to groundwater to fill their needs. Unfortunately, the pumping of groundwater can cause the ground surface above to sink. A new study maps, for the first time, the permanent loss of aquifer storage capacity occurring globally.
First 10 Months of 2023 See Record 25 Billion-Dollar Disasters
NOAA confirmed another billion-dollar disaster in October, bringing the total to a record 25 disasters in the first 10 months — the largest number of disasters for any year since NOAA has kept track of these types of events. The Mississippi River’s water level dropped to historic lows along parts of the river.
Quantum-Safe Cryptography
Cryptography researchers have created an algorithm that can help strengthen online transactions that use end-to-end encryption against powerful attacks from quantum computers.