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News from Rep. Stephanie Herseth
For Immediate Release
Contact: Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449

HERSETH ANNOUNCES SOUTH DAKOTA PROJECTS IN DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Secures Funding for School of Mines Defense Research Projects

September 27, 2006, Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth today announced the details of several South Dakota projects receiving funding in the Fiscal Year 2007 Defense Appropriations Conference Report. The bill passed the House of Representatives late last night, and includes a number of projects specifically requested by Herseth. Following Senate approval, the bill will go to the President's desk for his signature.

The Defense Appropriations bill funds the Department of Defense, and includes support for research projects at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology that are key to our national defense. This year's bill also includes $70 billion in emergency spending for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including $20 billion for repairing or replacing equipment damaged or lost in combat.

Herseth said, "I'm proud to have secured this important funding, which will support research critical to the future of our national defense. The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is a national leader in defense research, and this funding will help further their groundbreaking work."

Projects that were secured by Rep. Herseth in the House include $4.3 million for defense research at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology:

Shielding Rocket Payloads - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City

Received: $285,000

The purpose of this research is to reduce the sound pressure levels within space vehicles to avoid damage to delicate payloads during launch. Successful implementation of this project will lead to significantly improved protection for communication satellites and other important payloads launched into orbit for space observation. Methods developed in this work can be easily extended to low-frequency noise shielding within commercial aircraft, land-based military and civilian vehicles, as well as individual war-fighter headgear. The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology will partner with the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) in this work.

Control System for Laser Powder Deposition - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City

Received: $300,000

The U.S. Army has made a commitment to lighter and more rapidly deployable weapons systems without losing significant survivability or lethality. The Future Combat Systems (FCS) family of ground vehicles and autonomous sensor platforms will be the key to success of the Army's Objective Force. Significant advances in materials technologies and materials processing is required in order to meet aggressive goals. The project serviced through the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is focused in the development of a robust control process for a fabrication technology, Laser Powder Deposition (LPD), which is critical to the manufacture of these new defense-related materials.

Improvised Explosive Devise Simulation in Different Soils - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City

Received: $500,000

The purpose of this proposed research is to develop a numerical modeling strategy that can serve as a starting point for the simulation of shallow buried explosive (SBE) blasts in loose, fully saturated, coarse-grained soils. This method of attack upon the US military is becoming more prevalent in areas of conflict around the world. For the design of military vehicles and other equipment that may be exposed to a SBE blast, it is important to be able to predict with reasonable accuracy the time history of the impulsive loads that will act on them as a consequence of the explosion. Work aimed at gaining a better understanding of the physics involved in a SBE blast can help in the design of military vehicles as well as equipment used in mine clearing operations.

Transparent Nanocomposite Armor - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City

Received: $250,000

The purpose of the proposed work is to continue the development of new transparent armor for the Army's Future Combat Systems. This is a critical requirement for Army vehicles as evidenced by recent assaults on US troops in Iraq. Vehicular windows must be both ballistically strong and light. Polycarbonate (PC) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) materials offer great promise to improve performance over existing materials. Research will be continued in this area at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to reduce cost to the point where these materials will be affordable for vehicle applications.

Future Affordable Multi-Utility Materials for the Army Future Combat Systems - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City

Received: $2,000,000

This research will support development of unmanned ground and aerial vehicles within the Future Combat Systems (FCS) fleet, which will autonomously gather intelligence and carry out tactical missions on land and air. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a key element within the concept of information dominance. The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, partnering with the Army, is uniquely positioned to conduct this research.

Biomedical Materials Initiative - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City

Received: $1,000,000

The Biomedical Materials Initiative will provide the necessary infrastructure for researchers at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology to develop applied solutions for tissue engineering, bio-devices and sensors, micro-circuitry for rewiring the body, and bio-compatible engineered materials for medical treatment. The capabilities housed in this laboratory will support a number of novel and important projects including the development of smart bandages, fabrication of retinal and corneal prostheses, construction of new adaptive optics tools for retinal imaging, as well as other medical sensing, actuation, and diagnostic tools.

Other South Dakota Projects included in the bill:

Advanced Electronics Integration Center - Rosebud Sioux Tribe

Received: $2,750,000

Rosebud Sioux Tribe and Radiance Technologies, Inc., with program coordination and oversight by the U.S. Army's Space and Missle Defense Technical Center's Defense Research Projects Agency Office, continues to research, develop, test and demonstrate advanced electronics integration and fabrication technology on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe reservation.

Fatigue Odometer for Vehicle Components and Gun Barrels Project - Batcheller Consulting Group

Received: $1,650,000

The U.S. Army Benet Laboratories and the Batcheller Consulting Group are working to provide more accurate and timely information on the wear-and-tear to military vehicle and weapons systems.

Transition Laser Engineered Shaping (LENS) Technology - RPM & Associates of Rapid City

Received: $1,000,000

RPM & Associates of Rapid City are using laser engineered technology in Department of Defense aerospace applications.

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