USAARL News
Updated April 2012
Research Laboratory Donates Excess Optometry Equipment to University of Alabama in Birmingham
By Ms. Catherine Davis, USAARL Public Affairs
The U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) at Fort Rucker donated excess Optometry equipment to the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) on 2 April. Mr. David Bishop and Mr. Zach Bishop (pictured above) of Ophthalmic Technical Sales & Service accepted the donated equipment on behalf of UAB’s School of Optometry. Also pictured, are Dr. Tom Harding, USAARL Sensory Research Division Director, and LTC Michael Pouncey, USAARL’s Deputy Commander.
As a federal laboratory, USAARL is authorized by the Education Partnership Act, Title 10 United States Code 2194, to transfer excess defense laboratory equipment to educational nonprofit organizations.
School administrators who are interested in being considered for future excess scientific/computer equipment donations should contact Dr. Loraine St. Onge at (334) 255-6907.
USAARL Featured Articles
By KMI Media Group, Publisher of Military Medical/CBRN Technology and Special Operations Technology Magazines.
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Story: "Saving Lives on the Battlefield"
Magazine title: "Military Medical/CBRN Technology"
Volume 15, Issue 6
Author: Brian O'Shea
KMI Media Group, publisher of Military Medical/CBRN Technology.
Read the full article by clicking the image to the left, (PDF - 294KB) 
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Story: "Eye and Hearing Protection"
Magazine title: "Special Operations Technology"
Volume 9, Issue 9
Author: Henry Canaday
KMI Media Group, publisher of Special Operations Technology.
Read the full article by clicking the image to the left, (PDF - 725KB) |
USAARL Hosts International Meeting
By Ms. Catherine Davis, USAARL
The U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) at Fort Rucker, AL, hosted the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) Task Group (RTG), NATO RTO RTG-184, “Safe Ride Standards for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)-Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC)” meeting 30 January through 3 February 2012. At the invitation of COL Dana Renta, USAARL Commander, and Mr. John Ramiccio, Chief of USAARL’s Flight Systems Branch and RTG member, military officers and dignitaries from organizations representing the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Air Force Special Operations Command, British Royal Air Force, and Israeli Defense Force participated in the meeting.
Since the 1920s, aeromedical evacuation has been conducted on-board fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. The gravitational forces (G-forces) experienced by injured patients on-board the aircraft are within human tolerance limits because the forces are controlled by on-board pilots. UAS can generate G-forces far greater than traditional medical evacuation aircraft. In order for UAS to be used for far-forward medical evacuation, safe ride standards for injured patients are critical to UAS developers who need to ensure their airframes are suitable for medical evacuation.
The NATO RTG, made up of aviation, medical transport, and UAS experts, began researching the development and flight characteristics of UAS in 2009. Through the years, the group researched control mechanisms of UAS, the potential uses of UAS for medical evacuation, and in-flight medical monitoring. During this most recent meeting, however, the group evaluated the research underlying the NATO standards that they will publish. The standards will be used by UAS developers to ensure that the artificial intelligence programs used to control UAS are able to support the use of these airframes for medical evacuation.
BG (Retired) Dr. Erich Roedig, MD, CFS, former Surgeon General of the German Air Force and Chairman of the NATO Working Group commented, “I hope this meeting will bring us a step forward in our work so that in a few months from now we will have reached our goal of developing documents for safe ride standards for wounded Warriors being transported on-board UAS.”
Local Support Leads to Certification of Helicopter Medical Equipment
By Mr. John Ramiccio, USAARL Chief, Flight Systems Branch
Supported by Fort Rucker’s 110th Aviation Brigade’s Air Ambulance Detachment (FlatIron), the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory's Airworthiness Certification and Evaluation (ACE) Branch recently accomplished the inaugural test cycle for certification of patient movement medical items. With the detachment’s assistance, 12 medical devices are Airworthiness Certified for use on board the Army's newest medical evacuation platform, the UH-72A Lakota helicopter.
Personnel from FlatIron, PM-UH-72 Project Office, Army Engineering Directorate (AED), USAARL Flight Systems Branch, and USAARL ACE Branch collaborated to coordinate the use of FlatIron's UH-72A helicopter, developing and approving the test plan, conducting ground and in-flight environment medical Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) testing, and compiling the test report data, all of which will lead to improving the medical equipment aboard the UH-72 fleet worldwide.
This outstanding synergistic approach to mission accomplishment saves Army resources, maximizes personnel assets, inspires inter-organizational cooperation, and ultimately leads to saving lives of our Warfighters on the battlefield.
Research Laboratory Excess Equipment to Enterprise State Community College
By Mrs. Catherine Davis, USAARL
The U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) at Fort Rucker donated a DNA synthesizer and centrifuge to Enterprise State Community College (E.S.C.C.) Science Division. Dr. R.C. Lewis, Science Division Chairperson, accepted the donated equipment on behalf of E.S.C.C.
According to LTC Michael Pouncey, the USAARL Deputy Commander, “To encourage the study of science at all levels of education, federal laboratory commanders are authorized by the Education Partnership Act, Title 10 United States Code 2194, to transfer excess defense laboratory equipment to educational nonprofit organizations.”
“As a local defense laboratory that employs scientists, engineers, and research technicians, USAARL wants to encourage students enrolled in local schools or colleges to learn important mathematics and science concepts,” Pouncey said.
This is the ninth equipment transfer USAARL has made to schools in the Wiregrass. Other USAARL donations include computer equipment to Opp City Schools, Dale County Schools, and Coffee County Schools, and science laboratory equipment to Troy University and Opp High School.
School administrators who are interested in being considered for future excess scientific/ computer equipment donations should contact Mrs. Catherine Davis at (334) 255-6883.
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