Posts Tagged ‘Department of Defense’

Release courtesy of NMSU News Center

WRITER: Mark Cramer, 575-646-1957, mwcramer@nmsu.edu

CONTACT: Steve Hottman, 575-646-9202, shottman@psl.nmsu.edu

New Mexico State University on Sept. 30 announced that its Physical Science Laboratory is partnering with the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in developing and testing DARPA’s Vulture unmanned aerial vehicle program.

The Vulture II Program, a joint venture between DARPA and Boeing, is centered around a new type of UAV with a 400-foot wingspan, weighing just 5,000 pounds. The objective of the Vulture program is to develop and demonstrate the technology to enable an airborne payload to remain on-station, uninterrupted for more than five years, performing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and communication missions. A mixture of solar cells and solid oxide fuel cells will power the vehicle. The system has potential in numerous roles: operation as a single platform, as a formation of multiple aircraft, or as a constellation providing infrastructure augmentation or recovery.

“This is really exciting,” said retired Air Force Col. T. Bear Larson, who is NMSU’s point of contact with DARPA. “We think this is a great opportunity for you guys to see some of our technology and maybe help us out in areas that you are strong in. We love the facilities out here. Everything about this is exciting to me. This technology intrigues me.”

The program technology enables a re-taskable, persistent pseudo-satellite capability in an aircraft package. It combines the key benefits of an aircraft – flexibility and responsiveness, sensor resolution, reduced transmit/receive power and affordability – with the benefits of space assets, such as on-station persistence, no logistics tail, energy independence, fleet size and absence of an in-country footprint.

“It’s quite an extraordinary accomplishment that’s going to bring plenty of attention to New Mexico State University and possibly similar agreements in the future,” NMSU President Barbara Couture said. “The initial contract is for about $2.5 million, and we expect, if this is successful, for more contracts to be down the road. This is a truly experimental aircraft. It’s going to be a very exciting, unusual mission here right in our back yard in Las Cruces.”

NMSU’s PSL will be involved in addressing a variety of technology challenges for the massive UAV, including developing energy management and reliability technologies capable of allowing the aircraft to operate continuously for five years. The Vulture program will conduct full-scale technology maturation and demonstration activities to prove out critical technologies. Its intent is to advance technology and break the mindset that aircraft are defined by launch, recovery and maintenance cycles. Program success would allow a continuous operating airborne platform to remain on-station for multiple years and would greatly increase capabilities of the Department of Defense. In addition, NMSU/PSL will apply their airworthiness assessment, risk analysis and excellent safety record with unmanned aircraft in developing a safe operation to minimize impact to other airspace users.

NMSU is the only FAA Authorized Unmanned Aircraft System Flight Test Center in the United States, allowing for UAS operations in the National Airspace System or civilian airspace.

The NMSU/PSL portion of the project will continue through the conclusion of flight testing, which is expected to last into the third quarter of fiscal year 2014. DARPA determined that NMSU/PSL was the only entity capable of meeting the unique facilities, airspace and technical expertise required to oversee and conduct the flight testing of the Vulture while also meeting airspace, available frequency spectrum and takeoff and landing requirements.

“We’re going to have a building ready in early 2013 and start assembling the vehicle out here,” Larson said. “Our intent is to fly sorties of less than three hours to understand the airframe, and then start climbing up in altitude, with the culmination a 30-day flight test to demonstrate it can fly. Then we’ll bring it back down and do a forensic analysis on all the components. We’re really looking forward to this.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given NMSU/PSL permission to build the airport for the Vulture testing on its land at the Jornada Experimental Range, northeast of Las Cruces. The vehicle will require a 3,000-foot diameter circle for level takeoffs. USDA also partners with NMSU/PSL for its UAS program. They use a small UAS for their remote sensing program for ecological applications, including access to airspace, image acquisition, terrain extraction, orthorectification, mosaicking, vegetation classification, geometric and classification accuracies and operational workflows.

Formed though a partnership between the Federal Aviation Administration and NMSU, the UAS Flight Test Center supports the integration of unmanned systems into the National Airspace System and operates the only FAA approved UAS FTC in the U.S. With more than 13 years of experience and expertise in UAS integration, operations and research and development, it collects data during unmanned flights in public, non-restricted airspace to assist the FAA in the development of standards and regulations for UAS operators.

The UAS FTC’s agreement with the FAA allows it to operate flights in more than 15,000 square miles of airspace in southwestern New Mexico. Facilities include a 15,000-square-foot hangar at the Las Cruces International Airport dedicated exclusively to UAS operations, and office facilities and technical support are available on the NMSU campus.

Article courtesy of the NMSU News Center

By Janet Perez

The business of ensuring the nation’s security has evolved into a vast and intimidating industry, but that doesn’t mean entrepreneurs and innovative researchers are shut out of the field.

The 2011 National Security Technology Conference & Expo, hosted by New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center, is committed to helping entrepreneurs and researchers create networks, get valuable advice about venture capital and log face time with representatives from some of the biggest names in national security.

“This conference and expo will provide a venue for technology entrepreneurs and researchers to network with and learn from federal agencies, contractors and venture capitalists,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of the NMSU College of Business and vice president for economic development.

The conference, sponsored by the Arrowhead Technology Incubator in support of a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, takes place Sept. 12 at the Las Cruces Convention Center, 680 E. University Ave.

Kathy Hansen, chief operating officer of the Arrowhead Center, said the conference aims to bring technologies being developed in labs to the attention of commercial ventures, as well as take technologies being developed by small businesses and expose them to potential customers.

One small business ready to make its National Security Technology Conference & Expo debut is the Navitus Group, a current client of the Arrowhead Technology Incubator. Josh Kauffman, the CEO and chief technology officer of Navitus, has developed a battery management system that is capable of handling high-current loads. The system also is constantly monitoring and maintaining the battery, which can make it stronger and increase performance.

With a booth at the expo, this is the first time Kauffman and Navitus are taking on the role of vendors.

“I’m usually on the other side – the guy walking around looking at other companies and their technologies,” he said. “The exposure and the clientele that are going to be walking through this conference are just too much not to be there.”

Small businesses will have booths at the expo alongside major entities, such as Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Hansen hopes small businesses and researchers in the region will take advantage of the exposure the expo offers as a way of bringing attention to their products.

“Many times, smaller businesses have a hard time knocking on the door and getting into DOD (Department of Defense) or DOE,” she said. “One speaker will talk about how DOD and DOE need to go to technology incubators such as Arrowhead in order to get access to those technologies being developed by small businesses.”

This year, the organizers of the National Security Technology Conference & Expo have opted to focus the event on the fields of cyber security, energy and aerospace.

“We tried to pick the areas that were the hottest topics, and energy is hot and certainly we have local businesses and researchers at NMSU involved in that,” Hansen said.

Also this year, a group of private investors and venture capitalists will be on hand to discuss what business sectors and technologies they are interested in funding.

“That’s very important, because a lot of ideas and technologies die for lack of that funding.” Hansen said. “Of course, the venture capitalists are usually later-stage funding. They are going to be funding technologies that look like they have near-term commercial potential.”

Kauffman understands all too well the importance of venture capital funding. His company already has received an initial investment of $200,000 and he credits the incubator at Arrowhead, particularly Chris Penner, director of business incubation, for helping him reach that milestone.

“I don’t have any doubt that the incubator has helped tremendously,” Kauffman said, “I think we would have gotten there eventually, but I think the incubator has accelerated that – and I’m talking accelerated by years.”

That statement underlines Hansen’s assertion that business incubators are a vital part of the economy.

“There is a much higher success rate for businesses that have been incubated than those that have not,” Hansen said. “Of course, our end goal is to grow the region, do economic development here and try to grow the number of jobs.”

For more information on attending or purchasing a booth at the 2011 National Security Technology Conference & Expo, visit arrowheadcenter.org.

Article courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News

LAS CRUCES – National call center company Vangent recently laid off about half of its staff at its Las Cruces call center, but reports that it plans to refill those positions.

“Right now, we have 45 still on the job,” said Vangent Vice President Doug Divelbiss. “We’ll be hiring back the other ones.”

No timetable for more hiring, though, has been announced.

Arlington, Va.-based Vangent opened its Las Cruces call center at 1630 Hickory Loop – the location that used to house Frontier Airlines until it was vacated in 2009 – on July 21.

Divelbiss said the company originally brought in about 100 workers, but as it figures out its staffing needs, had to cut back, although he said that staffing will again rise.

“We really like Las Cruces,” he said. “We like this size of town, with a college.”

Vangent reports it has been serving clients in the federal government since 1973 and has more than 7,000 employees worldwide. Its website reports that it has worked with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, NASA and other clients.

Article courtesy of the NMSU News Center

Writer: Janet Perez, 575-646-4120, perezjm@nmsu.edu

The nation’s debt crisis, national security and health care reform are the hot-button topics experts will address at the 2011 Domenici Public Policy Conference Aug. 31-Sept. 1 at the Las Cruces Convention Center, 680 E. University Ave.

“Once again, under the leadership of Sen. Pete Domenici and the NMSU Domenici Institute Advisory Committee, we have assembled an outstanding lineup of national leaders to discuss very topical policy issues, to include the competitiveness of U.S. education, health care reform, the national debt and national security — all issues that the senator has championed for many years,” said Garrey Carruthers, dean of New Mexico State University’s College of Business and director of NMSU’s Domenici Institute.

Among those set to speak at the conference are former U.S. Sen. Thomas A. Daschle, who championed health care reform while in Congress and has published two books on the topic; New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, who will discuss matters affecting the state; and retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, who as former director of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency will speak on cyber security.

Now in its fourth year hosting the conference, the Domenici Institute is named after New Mexico’s longest-serving U.S. senator, Pete V. Domenici. Every year, the conference brings together some of the country’s top experts to discuss a variety of important issues facing the nation.

This year, Domenici will provide his thoughts on the national debt, a topic he is well versed in as a former chairman and ranking minority member of the Senate Budget Committee. He also co-chairs the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Task Force on Debt Reduction.

“The task force supported raising the debt ceiling promptly and mandating actions to put the federal budget back on a sustainable path,” Domenici said. “We also proposed a tough enforcement mechanism with any debt ceiling legislation in order to build bipartisan confidence among members of Congress that future deficit cuts will actually occur.”

The conference will close with the premiere of a documentary on Domenici’s life in public office. The documentary not only will capture the legacy of Domenici’s accomplishments, but it also will serve as testimony to New Mexico’s participation in issues of national importance.

The 2011 Domenici Public Policy Conference also will feature:

National Debt

Alice M. Rivlin is a senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution. Last year, President Obama named Rivlin to the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. She also co-chairs the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Task Force on Debt Reduction. Rivlin served as vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board from 1996-1999, was director of the White House Office of Management and Budget in the first Clinton Administration, and was the founding director of the Congressional Budget Office.

National Security

James L. Jones served as National Security Advisor for Obama from January 2009 to November 2010. He is a retired U.S. Marine Corps General who held the positions of Supreme Allied Commander, Europe and Commander of the United States European Command until December 2006. Jones is president of Jones Group International, created to help address challenging geo-strategic issues.

Health Care

Karen Ignagni is president of Washington, D.C.-based America’s Health Insurance Plans. She is a nationally recognized spokesperson for the health care industry and has appeared before Senate and House committees to share her expertise. She has written articles on health care policy for numerous publications, including The New York Times, USA Today, and the New England Journal of Medicine. She also has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, MSNBC and CNBC.

J. Mario Molina is a physician and the president and CEO of California-based Molina Healthcare. As the son of Molina Healthcare founder, C. David Molina, the younger Molina has worked in various capacities within the company. He has received the Ernst & Young Greater Los Angeles Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and in 2005 was featured in Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential Hispanics in America.

Science and Technology: Can America Compete?

Norman R. Augustine is the former CEO and chairman of Lockheed Martin. Along with working with other aerospace companies such as Martin Marietta and Douglas Aircraft, Augustine held several positions in the Department of Defense. He served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense as assistant director of defense research and engineering, as well as assistant secretary, under secretary, and acting secretary of the Army.

The 2011 Domenici Public Policy Conference costs $50 to attend, with registration and payment available online at domenici.nmsu.edu. The event is free to NMSU students. For more information, call the Domenici Institute at 575-646-2066.

This project is partially sponsored by the Department of the Army, Office of the Surgeon General. The content of the information does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. government and no official endorsement should be inferred.

Philip Bond, who leads the strategic planning effort at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), will be the featured speaker at the upcoming June luncheon meeting of the High Tech Consortium. The meeting will be held on Friday June 17th 2011 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Sunset Grill at Sonoma Ranch Golf Course.

White Sands Missile Range is home to the US Army’s premier test center that provides services to the Department of Defense and others top quality “experimentation, test, research, assessment, development, and training in support of the Nation at war, according to the WSMR official website.”  Successful support of these customers requires strategic planning that focuses on understanding who the customers are, what they need and how to best provide service.  Mr. Bond will present an overview of some of the initiatives currently being conducted at WSMR and will try to answer questions about the skills and requirements that are needed from the high  tech community in southern New Mexico.  Projects that he will discuss include the Joint Urban Testing Capability, Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor (JLENS), energy scavenging, and renewable/alternative energy initiatives.

Mr. Bond is a native of Clovis, NM and has worked at WSMR since 2007.  He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1982 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Basic Science Interdisciplinary. He was commissioned in the Field Artillery and served in Europe and Honduras. When he returned from overseas, he earned a Master’s Degree in Operations Research/Systems Analysis from Kansas State University. He left active duty in 1992 and worked for Ford Motor Company as a Production Supervisor, Industrial Engineer, Manufacturing Efficiency Specialist, and Production Engineering Manager. Phil returned for Retired Reserve status to serve in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. He moved to Las Cruces in 2006 and has worked at White Sands since 2007.

For more information contact Richard Majestic, rmajestic@msn.com or (575) 521-0018.