The Northeast Region presented its annual awards on September 16 at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in New Jersey. Three awards were presented for both outstanding team and individual achievements in technology transfer. This year's recipients included:

Franklin Hoke, Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate
Regional Coordinator's Excellence Award

From left: Regional Coordinator Dr. Theresa Baus, Franklin Hoke, Jr., Deputy Regional Coordinator Lewis Meixler

Franklin Hoke, Jr. of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI), located in Rome, N.Y., received the Regional Coordinator's Excellence Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the FLC program. In his role as the primary technology transfer lead for AFRL/RI, Hoke has developed a number of technology transfer initiatives that are novel and highly productive. As a recognized intellectual property rights expert within AFRL, especially with regard to software, Hoke has come up with processes that ease the transfer of pertinent technology to and from the civilian sector. Among his innovations is the Special Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) for Software Use, which has been adopted by AFRL and other DOD organizations.

Another example of Hoke's leadership is the successful acceleration of technology transfer capabilities between the AFRL/RI Information Institute and the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center - Northeast Region (NLECTC-NE), part of the National Institute of Justice's Office of Science and Technology. Since Hoke became Director of the NLECTC-NE in 2008, the Center has increased its transfer of Air Force technologies by 30% over the previous 13 years of its existence. Hoke has developed a broad-based approach to technology transfer not just centered on technology push, but also on the integrated view of technology and opportunities. Through his efforts, technology needs in law enforcement are now a major factor in the research process.

John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center
Regional Laboratory Award

From left: Regional Coordinator Dr. Theresa Baus, Volpe Center Director Dr. Richard John, FLC Representative Aviva Brecher, Deputy Regional Coordinator Lewis Meixler

The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, located in Cambridge, Mass., was the recipient of the Regional Laboratory Award in recognition of its extraordinary efforts, which exceed legislated requirements, in the furtherance of national and regional technology transfer activities. Part of the Department of Transportation, Volpe Center is an internationally recognized federal center of research and technology development and deployment for transportation logistics and expertise in safety, and economic competitiveness.

In the past year, the Volpe Center has excelled in regional, national, and global technology transfer efforts. Among the Center's accomplishments are the development of hardware and software that enable remote tracking, communication and display of the a ship's location and its identification information; an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) initiative that leverages the synergy of widely used current technologies to ultimately improve transportation safety and convenience, as well as economic productivity; and an integrated vehicle-based safety system for both light vehicle and heavy truck platforms that warns drivers of imminent crash situations, thus helping to prevent rear-end, lane-change, and road-departure crashes.

"RAPT-R Automated Audio Transcription and Reporting System"
Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate
Excellence in Technology Transfer Award

From left: Regional Coordinator Dr. Theresa Baus, Franklin Hoke, Jr., Steven Johns of AFRL/RI, Deputy Regional Coordinator Lewis Meixler

Researchers at AFRL/RI won an Excellence in Technology Transfer Award for their development and commercialization of RAPT-R (pronounced Raptor), an automated audio transcription system that performs basic audio player functions while providing advanced analytical and manipulation abilities via modular, upgradeable technologies. RAPT-R allows the user to load and save audio in a variety of different formats, and provides general audio editing tools that include cut, copy, paste, and undo.

The technology is in the process of being transferred via a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between AFRL/RI and the National Transportation Safety Board for use as a transcription technology for its investigators.

The Northeast Region congratulates the winners on a job well done.