Armed with Science: Blast-induced Brain Injury

Filed under Uncategorized by on February 2, 2010 at 5:47 pm {one comment}

army_mil-2007-06-28-113715On Armed with Science we interviewed Thomas Meitzler, PhD, scientist at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), and Joy Hirsch, PhD, professor at Columbia University and director of the Program for Imaging and Cognitive Sciences.

Meitzler and Hirsch discussed a collaborative study to determine what areas of the brain are susceptible to damage and measure the neural circuitry engagement for TBI patients. The key goals of this project are to develop a pre and post deployment functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging protocol that identifies a specific neural signature from blast induced TBI in soldiers and to provide vehicle intelligence. The results of neuroimaging will be used to guide and monitor therapy, and prevent compounding injury by multiple blast exposures.

LISTEN to the interview.

To view the full transcript, click here.

Sensors Built Into Vehicle Armor Will Add Protection for Troops

Filed under Uncategorized by on November 9, 2009 at 2:51 am {no comments}

Scientists at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center are developing tiny automatic sensors that can be manufactured right into the armored plates of vehicles. The sensors self-report when they’re in good condition – and when they’ve been damaged.

Dr. Thomas Meitzler, team leader of TARDEC’s nondestructive testing and evaluation laboratory, says normal wear and tear can cause damage that’s invisible to the naked eye.    By giving troops real time situational analysis, the sensors, which are made with piezoelectric transducers, could improve survivability for U.S. troops.

Meitzler explained how the sensors work,  their success in lab tests and upcoming field trials during a Nov. 4 interview on the Pentagon Channel’s weekly podcast, “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military.”

To listen to the interview, click here.

To view a transcript from this interview, click here.

To view the article on this topic, click here.

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    An United States Air Force C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, conducts flare training off the Ventura County coast. The flares are used as tactical infrared countermeasures to confuse and redirect heat-seeking missiles.

    (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Dave Buttner)


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    Famed Yankees pitcher “Lefty Gomez” once remarked “I’d rather be lucky than good,” but for one Tuskegee Airman, luck and good combined to make him one of the most successful combat pilots of World War II.

    During the summer of 1944, 2nd Lt. Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was flying the P-51 Mustang over the skies of Italy’s Po Valley providing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers with cover support on their way to attack airfields in southern Germany.

    Lester was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, a part of the 332nd Fighter Group, and had earned the nickname “Lucky” “because of all the tight situations from which I had escaped without a scratch or even a bullet hole in my aircraft.”

    Read the story of a flight that helped Lester earn his nickname here.


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    The only African-American ace of World War II, and a former Tuskegee Airman, went on to have a career in the Air Force, as well as success in the business world.

    Lee A. Archer joined the Army in 1941 with high hopes of becoming a pilot, but was initially denied because of his race. When the Army’s policy changed about a year later, Archer was accepted to the training program for black aviators at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama.

    Archer is best known for a day in late 1944 when he was involved in a series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary. Flying a P-51 Mustang fighter, Archer shot down three German fighters. He would go on to add two more German fighters to his credit to become the first and only African-American ace of the war.

    As a civilian, Archer enjoyed even greater success, serving as vice president for urban affairs with General Foods, as CEO of North Street Capital Corp. and chairman of Hudson Commercial Corp. He also served on the board of directors of Beatrice International Foods and the Institute for American Business.

    Read the rest of his story here.