WASHINGTON – Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor along with Congressman Marion Berry (AR-01) announced today that they secured $6 million in the Fiscal Year 2006 Defense Appropriations bill for important research projects at Arkansas State University (ASU). The university is currently working on several cutting-edge defense technologies that will improve military effectiveness.
"The way Arkansas State University moved into cutting-edge defense research is most impressive, and I am pleased to help the university move these projects forward," said Congressman Berry. "We should be proud of ASU's contributions to the defense industry and for making sure rural America plays an important role in providing our country with the best available technology for military operations."
Information on these projects is included below:
Standoff Sensor for Radionuclide Identification, Arkansas State University - $4 million was secured to invest in smart technologies, called Standoff Sensor for Radionuclide Identification, to detect nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. ASU, The University of Hawaii, and Florida A&M will continue collaborative work to expedite results on promising sensor research for the early detection of chemical and biological threats most likely to be used by terrorists.
Standoff Hazardous Agent Detection and Evaluation System (SHADES), Arkansas State University - $2 million was secured to assist ASU, in conjunction with industry, to further sampling and analysis technologies to detect ultra-low concentrations of weapons of mass destruction. These technologies will include Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME) samplers and unique Gas Chromatography (GC) and Laser Spectroscopy (LS) techniques.The $453.5 billion defense appropriations bill includes funding for military personnel, operations and maintenance and equipment procurement. In addition, $50 billion is allotted to finance the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the first part of fiscal 2006.
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