908 Devices announced the release of MX908™, a second-generation handheld chemical detection and identification device powered by the company’s patented high-pressure mass spectrometry (HPMS) technology. The MX908 is designed for true trace-level detection and identification across a variety of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive (CBRNE), and hazardous material response missions.
Drug smugglers, human traffickers, illegal immigrants, and even potential terrorists crossing the United States border do their best to cover their tracks. It is the responsibility of the United States Border Patrol (USBP) to pursue and apprehend these individuals. USBP asked the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s First Responders Group to develop training to assist in increasing tracking abilities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the deployment of facial recognition biometric exit technology at Washington Dulles International Airport for one daily flight from the United States to Dubai. The deployment builds on a June 2016 pilot at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport using facial recognition. Future deployments of the technology are planned for additional airports in summer 2017.
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents voted to establish the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The Global Center will build on the vast work already being done at the Medical Center and further enhance the university’s health security and biodefense capabilities in clinical care, education, training, clinical research, and basic science research in infectious diseases.
FLIR Systems, Inc. announced the Griffin G510 Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS), its first person-portable chemical identifier. The FLIR Griffin G510 enables military and civil responders to easily sample all phases of matter, including solid, liquid, and vapor, to rapidly identify chemical hazards in the field.
The spread of Zika virus disease, the resurgence of dengue, and the emerging threat from chikungunya were results of weak mosquito control policies from the 1970s. During that decade, funding and efforts for vector control were greatly reduced. Over the past year, the World Health Organization has spearheaded a new strategic approach to reprioritize vector control.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists and partners are taking technology to the next level, using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly called drones, to acquire both fire intensity and emissions data during prescribed burns. Lessening the risk to property and lives during wildfires is a primary purpose of prescribed burns.
The Atlantic hurricane season has started, and there is no better time to get ready than now. There is a lot of information available to help individuals and communities prepare. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages residents and businesses across the nation to prepare by understanding their risk, planning together for the entire family, and downloading the FEMA mobile application.
Emergency response personnel are often at risk of skin exposure to dangerous chemicals. The goal of the DERMaL eToolkit is to provide informational resources and tools associated with dermal exposures to chemicals. The resources and tools are used for hazard assessments associated with dermal contact with chemicals during emergency response activities.
It was a no brainer for the HHS Ventures Fund to include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) GHOST project in its latest round of funding. This CDC Ventures team is developing a cloud-based, public health research tool to help state and local health departments more quickly detect and fight the spread of disease.
