In 2020, SERDP began funding a group of projects investigating the relative environmental toxicity of candidate PFAS-free firefighting formulations. These projects will each study the same six (6) formulations in different environmental receptors and provide a ranking of the toxicities to assist in the selection of a new formulation for use by the DoD. A description of these new projects is provided in this blog post. More
Results from recently completed and award winning project, “Conspecific Attraction as a Management Tool for Endangered and At-risk Species on Military Lands” were just published in the Journal of Field Ornithology. More
A partnership between New York University (NYU), Manhattan College (MC), and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) intends to develop new procedures for predicting depth of burial (DoB) based on site-specific geotechnical data and fundamental physical principles. The project team is achieving this goal through the development of new experimental, analytical, and probabilistic numerical capabilities. More
SERDP and ESTCP host the Advanced Surface Engineering Technologies for a Sustainable Defense (ASETSDefense) Workshop as a space for design and sustainment engineers, industrial hygienists, program managers, and government officials to exchange information on environmentally benign alternatives for chemicals, like cadmium (Cd) and hexavalent chromium (Cr+6), commonly used in surface treatments that combat wear and corrosion. This year, ASETSDefense will be held virtually August 4 - 6, 2020. The online event will feature 11 technical sessions, networking and poster sessions, and live Q&As with speakers. More
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many scientists and researchers have dedicated their time and expertise to advance our understandings of the virus and provide essential resources to health care workers and the general public. SERDP Principal Investigators are among such volunteers who are pivoting to apply their technologies to the production of personal protective equipment (PPE). More
The SERDP and ESTCP Munitions Response Program held its spring In-Progress Review virtually last week. We wanted to highlight two projects focused on unique underwater munitions response issues. More
When I last wrote in late March, SERDP and ESTCP were just beginning remote operations and uncertain how long the situation would last. Here we are almost three months later and not much has changed. Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia are just starting the re-opening process and telework is still encouraged to the maximum extent possible. More
In 2020, SERDP began funding a group of projects designed to develop improved forensic methods and tools for source tracking and allocation of PFAS. A summary of these projects is provided in this blog post, with links to individual project web pages. More
A recently completed SERDP project provides a new understanding of seven target species and their conservation resilience as global climate change creates novel environments in and around Department of Defense (DoD) lands. More
Munitions are encountered in a variety of underwater environments as unexploded ordnance (UXO) or discarded military munitions (DMM). Dr. Steven Schmit and his team from Gradient Technology are evaluating the use of remotely operated high-pressure waterjets to cut open UXO and DMM as well as a capture system for the munitions constituents from ordnance that litter the ocean floors with as little disturbance of aquatic corals and sea mammals as possible. More