Congress recently designated the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to be the lead agency for the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, giving it the primary responsibility for planning and coordinating the collaboration of federal agencies charged with achieving "major measurable reductions in the losses of life and property from windstorms."
A team of researchers at Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) have developed a means for Department of Defense (DoD) labs across the globe to quickly obtain a genomic analysis of unknown and potentially hazardous biological samples without incurring the cost and risk of shipping them to a robust stateside lab.
Connecting with communities is paramount to the success of the Flood Apex program, and the focus for this Facebook Town Hall is individual decision making. Join the DHS S&T's First Responders Group Director on July 20, 2016 to share your perspectives on how S&T and its partners can enhance information sharing.
Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced the Fiscal Year 2016 Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Grant Program, with $10 million in available funds. This is the first federal assistance program devoted exclusively to providing local communities with the resources to counter violent extremism in the homeland.
In 2016, the United States has already seen eight weather- and climate-related disasters that have each met or exceeded $1 billion in damages. These eight disasters resulted in the loss of 30 lives, and caused at least $13.1 billion in damages, according to an analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information.
Baltimore-based biotech firm, PathSensors Inc. announced the launch of its Universal BioSensor technology. Developed in partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, the Universal BioSensor is a new biothreat detection platform that can use any existing antibody to rapidly develop tests for the presence of pathogens in environmental samples.
Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) researchers have developed a decontamination spray that enables soldiers at the unit level to decontaminate vehicle surfaces in the field immediately after exposure to a chemical warfare agent and continue with their mission. The formulation is being developed so that it can be ultimately put in the hands of the warfighter.
The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) announces a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement for the development of a Zika vaccine candidate with Sanofi Pasteur. WRAIR scientists and collaborators are moving rapidly to develop and test the Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine candidate. Sanofi will explore advanced and larger scale manufacturing and production.
Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health will monitor potential Zika virus exposure among a subset of athletes, coaches and other U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) staff attending the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Brazil. The study aims to improve understanding of how the virus persists in the body and to identify potential factors that influence the course of infection.
To aid Brazil in developing a vaccine to protect people from Zika virus infection, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will join the World Health Organization (WHO) and international public health groups in providing funding and technical assistance to Brazil's Butantan Institute, a biomedical research center and Brazilian government partner.
