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Our researchers within National Security at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) focus on delivering high-impact, science-based, practical solutions to our clients to prevent and counter acts of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Our world-leading capabilities cross-cut market needs and one of our major strengths is our ability to integrate our research and projects across PNNL and take them to market. We are committed to providing excellent service to our clients to help make our world safe and more secure.
News Highlights
National Security Directorate research team credited with 2011's third most downloaded article
The publication, Nuclear Instruments And Methods In Physics Research Section A (NIM-A), has credited a team of researchers within NSD for having the third most downloaded NIM-A article in 2011. Congratulations to Dick Kouzes, James Ely, Azaree Lintereur, Mitchell Woodring, Daniel Stephens, and Emily Mace on this notable achievement.
The research paper focuses on the shortage of Helium-3 used in neutron detection applications – namely radiation portal monitor systems – and how this shortage has triggered the search for effective alternative neutron detection technologies for national security and safeguards applications. It was the culmination of a team effort in this area of research of significance to national security.
Paper accepted for IEEE conference
PNNL Technology to Address Deadly Texting While Driving Epidemic
Driving while texting has been described as a deadly epidemic. A team of scientists and engineers at PNNL have discovered a "distracted driver" signature with the potential to help mitigate this significant problem.
IEEE has selected the team's paper "Autonomous Detection of Distracted Driving by Cell Phone" for presentation and publication at its October conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems in Washington, D.C. Written by Michael Watkins, Ivan Amaya, Michael Hughes, Paul Keller, National Security Directorate; and retiree Edward Beck, the paper fits with the conference theme of safe, secure and sustainable transportation. Watkins has been invited to co-chair the session on "Driver Assistance Systems."
"This technology can be used to program a commercial cell phone to recognize when it's being used by a distracted driver," said Michael Watkins, principle investigator and project manager.
The new algorithm reveals the level of cognitive distraction or attention deficit associated with the act of texting while driving. The approach combines texting and global positioning dynamics to provide a reliable signature that the cell phone user is actually driving and not a passenger.
The new technology could be used to warn a phone user, disable the texting function, switch to voice recognition texting, or report the texting activity to an employer for mass transit, cargo or commercial drivers. The technology also has potential for being used as a research tool for better understanding the dynamics of distracted driving. Additional applications include using the technology to assess how fatigue impacts performance of tasks.
Go to the IEEE website to read the article.
View the following news coverage:
(March, 2012)
Five PNNL scientists, including NSD's Nathan Baker and Ted Bowyer, have been elected AAAS Fellows.
Nathan is the chief scientist for Signature Sciences and the Signature Science Initiative. Ted is internationally recognized in nuclear proliferation and nuclear physics and manages the Nuclear Explosion Monitoring and Policy program. These new selections bring PNNL's total of AAAS Fellows to 52. (December, 2011)
PNNL Hosts Safeguards Networking Group
Early-career safeguards professionals from across the DOE complex converged on PNNL in September for an intense, four-day learning experience about safeguards inspection challenges and resources. The event was designed to increase the National Nuclear Security Administration's future safeguards capacity by building a strong network and diverse skills of young professionals. The event also increased their familiarity with the facilities, capabilities, and resources available at PNNL, thus laying the groundwork for future collaboration.
MARS on the move
PNNL is adapting the Multi-Sensor Airborne Radiation System (MARS) for first-time deployment on a helicopter in late 2011. Researchers have been developing and testing the system to support nonproliferation objectives of the... Read more...(October, 2011)
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