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News Release
Congressman Bob Etheridge
North Carolina

December 15, 2003

Contact: Sara Lang
Phone: (202) 225-4531

Etheridge Applauds Awarding of First Homeland Security Contract to NCSU

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington), who serves on the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Homeland Security, today applauded the awarding of an $830,000 homeland security contract to N.C. State University for the development of the next generation of firefighting protective gear. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology division and the Technical Support Working Group awarded their first contract to N.C. State, where Dr. Roger Barker, director of the Center for Research on Textile Protection and Comfort in the College of Textiles, will lead the research. Etheridge, who has visited Dr. Barker's lab, advocated for N.C. State throughout the application process.

"Today's announcement is good news for N.C. State and for our first responders around the country," Etheridge said. "Having seen Dr. Barker's research firsthand, I know that he and his colleagues are on the cutting edge of research on equipment to protect those who protect our families. This type of encouragement for new technologies that can keep our country safe, is exactly what the Department of Homeland Security ought to be doing. Congratulations to N.C. State!"

N.C. State was selected from 3,300 proposals submitted for the contract. Initial prototypes from the research will be showcased in August 2004. Over the past decade, researchers at the Textile Protection and Comfort Center have developed many advances in protective gear, including fire- and heat-resistant fabrics for firefighters. The center may be most famous for "Pyroman," the revolutionary lifelike dummy used to test its new fabrics and equipment.