PPPL Team Receives Edison Award for Nuclear Detection System

Nuclear detection system inventors at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have received a 2008 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award. Charles Gentile, Andrew Carpe and Stephen Langish, who developed the Miniature Integrated Nuclear Detection System (MINDS), received the honor from the Research and Development Council of New Jersey during a November 6 dinner in Basking Ridge. Read more

Physicists Receive Patent for Improved Cancer Therapy Device

Four physicists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have been awarded U.S. Patent No. 7,432,516 B2 for the design of a "medical synchrotron" capable of delivering precision doses of proton radiation to cancerous tumors with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. The new device would be more precise and less costly than existing proton-therapy systems, potentially increasing the availability and benefits of this treatment for cancer patients worldwide. The Brookhaven scientists are now seeking industrial partners to license and commercialize the technology. Read more

Aviation Research and Technology Park Lease Signing Advances Key NextGen-Related Venture

The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) William J. Hughes Technical Center has entered into a lease and Memorandum of Understanding with the South Jersey Economic Development District to build an Aviation Research and Technology Park adjacent to the Technical Center, near Atlantic City, N.J. The lease transfers control of 55 acres of Technical Center property for construction of the complex. The agreement was signed October 31. Read more

NOAA Fisheries Research Ship Retired

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) research ship Albatross IV was decommissioned on November 20, 2008, ending her distinguished 45-year career serving the nation. The vessel sailed over 655,000 miles on 453 research cruises, primarily fisheries surveys off the northeastern coast of the United States. These surveys created the world's longest continuous study of fish population data. Read more

Hope for Treating Relapse to Methamphetamine Abuse

A new study at Brookhaven National Laboratory suggests that vigabatrin (a.k.a. gamma vinyl-GABA, or GVG) blocks drug-seeking behavior in animals previously trained to associate methamphetamine with a particular environment. Specifically, animals pretreated with vigabatrin lost interest in spending time in a location where they previously had been given methamphetamine. The results will appear in the February 2009 issue of Synapse. Read more

Navy Divers Chill in Army Chambers

Researchers from the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory (NSMRL) in Groton, Conn., used the Doriot Climatic Chambers at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (SSC) in Natick, Mass., to begin an evaluation of two different designs of submarine escape immersion equipment (SEIE) suits. Participating in the study are four volunteer Navy divers divided into groups of two; each group is in the SEIE in an inflatable pool within the chambers."They are trying to simulate an emergency evacuation from a disabled submarine and waiting for rescue," said Josh Bulotsky, an SSC electrical engineer. Read more

Save the Date: Spring 2009 Regional Meeting

The next Northeast regional meeting will take place March 16-18, 2009, at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport, located in Newport R.I. Join us for three days of networking, discussions about technology transfer issues, laboratory tours, and entertaining social events. More information on the meeting, including an agenda and hotel information, will soon be available.