Award Data

As novel building envelopes are implemented to reduce energy use, indoor air quality can be compromised. Humidity sensing must be part of any advanced indoor air quality system, but existing humidity sensors do not maintain accuracy over extended periods of time, so a humidity sensing technology with long- term stability and costs competitive with current sensor products is needed. Luminescence-ba ...

The stainless steel canister inside a dry cask storage system (DCSS) used to store spent nuclear fuel is at risk for chlorine-induced stress corrosion cracking (SCC), especially near welds and at storage sites exposed to high humidity. It is highly desirable to have a viable technique for in-situ nondestructive evaluation of SCC, specifically to measure the depth of the crack along its length. Las ...

Animal manure is an excellent source of phosphorous, nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients essential for plant growth, and is therefore applied to cropland in the United States in addition to commercial fertilizer. However, adverse impacts on environmental quality of soil and water may occur if manure is over-applied, especially on field plots having tile-drained systems. Several studies have d ...

NASA has identified silver ions as the best candidate biocide for use in the potable water system on next-generation spacecraft. Though significant work has been conducted to develop systems for controlled release silver ions in the water systems, there is no sensor for continuous in-line monitoring of the concentration of silver in the water used by the crew, nor a reliable device to analyze silv ...

Space-based global measurements of atmospheric CO2 must be complemented with ocean water analysis. Monitoring ocean acidification, which results from the accumulation of CO2, is of critical interest, since progressive acidification is already affecting oceans and coastal estuaries and waterways. To that end, NASA and NOAA are seeking in-situ monitoring devices for oceanic and coastal water monitor ...

Additive manufacturing (AM) is an increasingly popular technique for rapid, low-cost production of parts directly from a CAD file. AM is especially appealing for complex parts that would be costly or impossible to fabricate by machining or casting. It is also attractive for fabrication of prototype parts. At present there are no reliable, cost-effective process control techniques to minimize defe ...

Intelligent Optical Systems proposes to develop InVITME an implantable sensor system for in vivo clinical continuous monitoring of the chemistry within the tumor microenvironment TME during drug trials which will increase the pace of TME targeted drug discovery and may improve early stage diagnosis prognosis assessment prediction of effective therapy and therapy modulation during treatment ...

Rapid diagnosis in conflict areas is a growingmilitary need, as troops areexposed to chemical threats (http://www.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/351235.pdf). Testingfor biomarkers in saliva has recently shown great promisein diagnostics, prognostics, and treatmentefficacy follow-up. In addition to itsconveniencefor field sampling and rapid testing,saliva is a rich body fluid with a number of physiologica ...

ABSTRACT: Additive manufacturing (AM) is a very promising technique for rapid, low-cost production of aerospace-related parts directly from a CAD file. AM is especially appealing for complex parts that would be costly or impossible to fabricate by machining or casting. It is also attractive for repairs to existing parts and fabrication of prototype parts. At present there are no reliable, cost-ef ...

Building on our established thin-film chemical detection technology, Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS) proposes to integrate its highly sensitive multi-agent chemical and toxic chemical detection sensor substrates, for mounting onto a quadcopter camera to assist in identifying/mapping target contaminants. This established optical sensor cladding technology developed at IOS adapts multiple componen ...