WASHINGTON   –  U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) today announced that four Missouri projects she requested in the FY 2010 Department of Defense

Appropriations Act gained final approval in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.  Funding for all four projects, totaling $12 million, will go to the

Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla.

“Not only are these projects opportunities for local jobs and economic development, they are also a chance for the University’s faculty who work on these projects

to serve our men and women in uniform,” Emerson said.  “These are significant funds for substantial work that is being done right here in Rolla, with tremendous

potential to aid U.S. forces around the world.”

Emerson singled out one project with the potential to save American lives in combat operations around the world.

“Just one of the innovative things being worked on at the Missouri University of Science and Technology will help our troops discover, locate and track Improvised

Explosive Devices.  The new technology, being developed right here in the Eighth Congressional District, will certainly keep Americans safer in dangerous places

like Iraq and Afghanistan, where an IED can be hidden in a little girl’s backpack by the side of the road or under an abandoned automobile.  I’m very proud of the

work being accomplished on all of these projects,” Emerson said.

Following are the projects included in the bill at Emerson’s request and the amount at which they were funded:

$2,400,000 – Advanced Polymer Systems for Defense Application – Power Generation, Protection and Sensing – Missouri University of Science & Technology

$2,400,000 – High Performance Alloy Material and Advance Manufacturing of Steel Castings for New Lightweight and Robotic Weapons Systems – Missouri University of Science & Technology

$4,800,000 – Locating and Tracking Explosive Threats with Wireless Sensors and Networks – Missouri University of Science & Technology

$2,400,000 – Ultra-High Temperature Materials for Hypersonic Aerospace Vehicles – Missouri University of Science & Technology