A new capability for material, component and large-scale, system-level chemical agent testing was unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 27th at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC). The Non-Traditional Agent Defense Test System (NTADTS) is designed to provide a safe and specialized testing capability for diverse chemical defense items in support of the Warfighters and nation.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its selection of academic partners for the 2015 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) University Challenge, a project designed to increase public awareness and use of data on industrial releases of toxic chemicals in communities. This year's academic partners are the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and Mercyhurst University.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) signed Memoranda of Understanding with seven technology organizations to provide state, local, tribal and territorial governments with technology resources during a disaster to expedite response and recovery.
To further strengthen the nation's infectious disease response capability, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has selected nine health departments and associated partner hospitals to become special regional treatment centers for patients with Ebola or other severe, highly infectious diseases.
To assist doctors in diagnosing Ebola virus disease quickly, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) will pursue development of an Ebola virus diagnostic test for use in a doctors office, hospital, clinic, or field setting that will provide results within 20 minutes.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) launched a new data visualization tool that enables users to see when and where disaster declarations have occurred across the country. As hurricane season kicks off, the tool helps provide important information about the history of hurricanes and other disasters in communities and what residents can do to prepare.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and partners from the public and private sector announced a new comprehensive online library of resources for training health workers around the globe. This is the first-ever resource that is freely available and accessible through Internet-enabled mobile devices.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate announced the selection of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as the lead institution to establish a new Critical Infrastructure Resilience Center of Excellence. The center helps the United States address challenges to strengthen the resilience of the nation's critical infrastructures.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) evaluated the efficacy of current vaccine options for highly pathogenic avian influenza. In addition to economic impacts of vaccination, USDA has determined that, as it currently stands, additional criteria must be met before a vaccine can be approved for emergency use.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published the first "roadmap" for the next 20 years of research needed to establish seamless, broadband public safety communications networks. The new roadmap focuses on location-based services to improve situational awareness for police, firefighters, emergency medical services, and other first responders.
