The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology (DHS S&T) announced the successful demonstration of the Enhanced Loran (eLoran), a precision-timing technology for financial transactions at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). eLoran is a low-frequency, high-power radio navigation signal that is broadcasted by ground-based transmission stations.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology (DHS S&T) Directorate announced that a fifth cybersecurity technology has been licensed for commercialization as part of the Cyber Security Division's Transition to Practice program. The Physical and Cyber Risk Analysis Tool technology assesses cyber risks simultaneously with physical risks.
The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is offering to provide technical cooperation to support pilot studies of new mosquito-control technologies, as part of its response to the Zika virus. New tools under development to combat the Aedes mosquito that transmits Zika include Wolbachia bacteria, genetically modified mosquitoes, and others.
The U.S. Geological Survey released additional evidence that western Alaska remains a hot spot for avian influenza to enter North America. The new report announces that, although no highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have been found in Alaska, the state remains an important area to monitor due to migratory bird flyways from North America and Eurasia that overlap the region.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded six grants totaling $3.1 million to researchers exploring the molecular mechanisms behind combination vaccine adjuvants - substances that improve the effectiveness of vaccines.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that the Department of Defense (DoD) is partnering with an 89-member consortium to establish a new manufacturing innovation institute focused on revolutionary fibers and textiles. The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America is a competitively selected group of companies, universities, nonprofits, research organizations, and startup incubators organized by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Information Application and Standards (IAS) is a crosscutting division within the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate that aims to apply open standards to the technologies responders use in the field daily. IAS was established to bring more attention to information sharing, which has become a critical issue for first responders.
A research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, has established a mouse model for testing of vaccines and therapeutics to battle Zika virus. The mouse model mimics aspects of the infection in humans. The infection has been linked to microcephaly and Guillian-Barré syndrome.
The Global Partnership seeks to fund and coordinate projects and activities in the areas of chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological security. The Global Partnership identifies and funds work in countering Weapons of Mass Destruction terrorism risks and vulnerabilities by pairing Global Partnership member programs with nuclear security needs in countries worldwide.
Sandia National Laboratories and the California Fire and Rescue Training Authority (CFRTA) signed a memorandum of agreement to develop new concepts and capabilities for emergency planning, exercise, and response. This agreement builds on a recent grant to Sandia to build three emergency response scenarios for the state and the CFRTA on wildfire, chlorine tanker release, and radiological dispersal device.
