Award Data

We propose an all-fiber approach to heat removal from devices such as IR and LWIR detectors and sensors. In our approach, the cooling fibersegment, the pump fiber laser, and the optical fiber used for photon waste removal are all integrated into a single fiber configuration. NPPhotonics' high efficiency fiber lasers are used to pump high purity doped glass fibers, which provide the cooling action ...

More than ever before, we have the tools to measure and identify historical trends. With this information, we can predict the future of food security, and the outlook is dire. The data suggests that traditional methods of farming are wearing on the ecosystem, the U.S. economy, and our health. Armed with a forward-looking mindset and technological advances, we will be able to develop healthier, mor ...

Farming and livestock activities affect air quality through emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia etc. which have both short term hazards for individuals nearby and long term hazards for the environment in the form of global warming. In order to set guidelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a means for quantitatively determining site-emission of green-house gases (GHGs) ...

For centuries, pipes have been manufactured in short (20-30 ft long) segments and trucked to the jobsite where they are assembled to create a long pipeline. This technique is inefficient as the pipes tend to leak at the joints and there is significant cost associated with delivering voluminous pipe segments. Furthermore, pipes made with steel or concrete corrode and have a short service life.The g ...

Food waste is a significant and complex problem for the United States. Americans generate over 250 million (short) tons of trash a year, and organic materials such as paper and paperboard, yard trimmings, and food waste continue to make up a large component of the waste stream. These organic materials collectively account for a significant portion of U.S. methane emissions, as organic waste produc ...

We propose to develop low cost extended range Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) using Colloidal Quantum Dots (CQDs) technology. We have successfully produced a SWIR FPA camera with a resolution of 640 x 512 pixels and a sensitivity from 0.4 mm to 1.7 mm at room temperature. Our first initiative will be to extend the operational wavelength range to 2.5 mm, and then 3.0 mm. We hav ...

Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes to develop an open-path spatial ringdown spectrometer (OP-SRS) for the detection and quantification of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and toxic industrial chemicals (TICs). This approach enables sensitive and selective detection of the chemicals of interest over a broad dynamic range down to the 10 minute negligible military exposure guideline (MEG) level. Thi ...

Energy used for lighting and thermal comfort contributes to more than 50% of the total energy consumption in residential and commercial buildings. Consequently, conserving air conditioning and lighting usage especially during daytime can yield substantial savings. Effective and consistent sunlight harvesting can substantially reduce electrical usage while promoting natural and comfortable indoor l ...

In recent years, consumer's concerns over hen well-being in conventional small wire cages (called battery cages) has resulted in some of the poultry farms to switch to cage-free housing where hens have freedom to walk around spread their wings, and lay their eggs in real nest boxes. This push towards cage-free egg production was further magnified in 2015 when many of the large fast food, resta ...

Hydropower is now increasingly operated outside of original design conditions due to changing water availability and environmental induced operating parameters. Fifty percent of operational hydroelectric dams in the United States are 50 years or older and nearly all were designed to operate steadily as a primary base load resource. Compounding these issues is the increasing prevalence of intermitt ...