Projects selected under the FY17 CORE Solicitation to begin in 2017 are now well underway. Several new projects under SERDP and ESTCP are researching and developing technologies for improved strategies for remediating 1,4-dioxane mixed with chlorinated solvents in groundwater.
The Defense Coastal/Estuarine Research Program (DCERP) is wrapping up this year so the Resource Conservation and Resiliency team performed a site visit at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The visit included a base orientation on the first day and a stakeholders meeting on the second day.
We are all just back from Fairbanks, AK where we travelled with the SERDP Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Following presentations from the Principal Investigators of three FY17 SERDP new starts, the Board then shifted to a strategy session. This gave each of the Program Managers an opportunity to discuss with the SAB any emerging issues in their Program Areas and outline the FY18 Statements of Need that addressed these issues.
In FY 2016 SERDP initiated three SERDP Exploratory Development (SEED) projects in the Munitions Response program area related to penetration modeling of munitions in various soils. In many cases the remedy chosen in munitions response will involve subsurface removal of munitions. Modern geophysical surveying techniques can be used to characterize these sites. However, the most commonly-used electromagnetic induction sensors have a limited depth of detection that is well understood.
PMR-15 is a polyimide resin used to make composite materials for high-temperature applications such as aircraft engine components, rocket casings, engine bypass ducts, nozzle flaps, bushings, bearings, missile fins, structural wing components, and radar domes. PMR-15 is widely regarded as the most-versatile of polyimides, having a balance of processing, mechanical, and thermal properties that meet the widest array of applications. However, 4,4’-methylenedianiline (MDA), a monomer used in this resin system, is a known carcinogen and liver toxin.
DoD currently lacks a comprehensive approach for evaluating energy systems at the community scale that considers the integration of energy supply and demand to achieve optimized solutions for the entire community. The DoD installation planners address energy systems for new facilities and facilities undergoing renovation on an individual facility basis without consideration of energy sources, renewables, storage, or future generation needs.
Projects selected to begin in 2017 are now getting underway. We have several new projects under SERDP and ESTCP developing technologies for remediation of groundwater contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). Five projects were initiated under SERDP to develop technologies for treatment of PFASs mixed with chlorinated solvents, and one ESTCP project is developing a treatment train approach.
The Resource Conservation and Resiliency program area is excited about an upcoming webinar on June 29th at 9 am PT/12 pm ET. The webinar is entitled “Future Vulnerabilities to Alaskan Ecosystems and Tools for Permafrost Assessment” and will feature two speakers, Mr. Kevin Bjella and Dr. Michelle Mack.
May is one of the busiest times of the year at the SERDP and ESTCP Office. We’ll spend much of this month at In Progress Review meetings for all of the Program Areas, while also moving forward in the review and selection of new SERDP and ESTCP projects for FY18.
The Report for SERDP’s Second Workshop on Burial and Mobility Modeling of Munitions in the Underwater Environment was released last month. This report summarizes discussion topics, results, and recommendations for future research that resulted from this informal workshop hosted by SERDP in December 2015.