Apr 29, 2013

Children ages 9-18 participated in the 16th annual Bring Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the Natick Soldier Systems Center on April 19. The 117 girls and boys witnessed firsthand what their parents and other scientists and engineers do when they come to work at the "Natick Labs," the name by which the base is known in the area.

Apr 25, 2013

When the bombs went off at the Boston Marathon, April 15, 2013, three members of the Massachusetts Army National Guard followed their instincts and training, helping to save lives in the process.

Apr 23, 2013

The Natick Soldier Systems Center will hold its first Armed Forces Day celebration May 18. The event, open to the public, will include a 5-kilometer run, installation tours, and military displays from the Massachusetts Army National Guard.

Apr 23, 2013

One week ago, on the morning of April 15th, we celebrated the Boston Marathon which is itself a celebration of Patriot's Day; that day when the citizens of this region took action that would culminate in the birth of this nation. At this time, one week ago, our city and our nation were stunned as we were pulled once again into the reality of Evil's ugly presence. We were shocked, but not dumbstruck; we were rattled, but not stilled. We are grieved, but resolute that the greatness of our city and region will continue forward.

Apr 16, 2013

About five minutes earlier, Shivaun Pacitto had crossed the finish line in the 117th Boston Marathon. She was milling about with hundreds of other runners who were waiting to receive their medals and space blankets to ward off the spring chill. Then everything changed.

Apr 15, 2013

Army Reserve Command Sgt. Maj. David Sanborn, normally the chief of Master Planning at U.S. Army Garrison Natick, Mass., has been serving since Oct. 6, 2012, as the command sergeant major of U.S. Army Garrison-Bagram, Afghanistan.

Apr 12, 2013

A versatile new suite of modular appliances promises to make feeding Soldiers in the field a more energy-efficient, cleaner, cooler and quieter process.

Apr 9, 2013

Undergraduate students from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, participated in the 10th annual Soldier Design Competition held at MIT, April 4, 2013.

Apr 4, 2013

Robotics and Culinary Arts students from Weymouth High School visited the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center on March 25. The group of 20 toured and learned about different aspects of Soldier life and the science that makes up their equipment.

Apr 2, 2013

Staff Sgt. Brian Scott is getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan as a squad leader with the 344th Military Police Company, an Army Reserve unit out of Massachusetts, after being wounded in Iraq only five years ago.

Apr 1, 2013

The U.S. Army and Navy were named among Thomson Reuters' Top 100 Global Innovators for 2012. This is the first time any government agency has ever made this list.

Mar 28, 2013

In an era of budgetary uncertainty, the Doriot Climatic Chambers at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Mass., recently conducted tests that not only saved taxpayer money, but generated revenue.

Mar 27, 2013

A group of scientists from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine recently returned from a field study in which they teamed up with the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment and the Norwegian Army from the Garnisonen i Sør-Varanger in Kirkenes, Norway, to assess the physiological demands of a multi-day winter training exercise.

Mar 22, 2013

The U. S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, unveiled their redesigned institute website Monday in an effort to combine multimedia information and products in one easily-accessible location.

Mar 21, 2013

To better understand how carrying heavy loads affects Soldiers, Tyler Brown, Ph.D., looks at them as if they were athletes.

Mar 21, 2013

Former Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Sheila Widnall spoke at the Natick Soldier Systems Center's Women's History Month program March 20. This year's theme was "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics."

Mar 20, 2013

Twenty-five exhibitors from on and off the installation participated March 13 in the 2013 Natick Soldier Systems Center Health and Wellness Fair, which seeks to encourage a healthier workforce.

Mar 18, 2013

When it comes to providing comfortable living spaces for deployed Soldiers while saving time, money, fuel and water, rigid walls beat canvas every time.

Mar 18, 2013

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts visited the Natick Soldier Systems Center, March 15, 2013, as the installation braced for the impact of across-the-board budget cuts, known as sequestration.

Mar 14, 2013

Armed with 50 pounds of operational rations for hungry partakers, food technologists from the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center's Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate had plenty to share with the crowd of more than 1,000 people at the third annual "Taste of MetroWest" March 12 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel.

Mar 13, 2013

Eating on the go can be tough, especially when your job requires you to fly an aircraft for the U.S. military. The Aircrew Build to Order Meal Module (ABOMM), designed by the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center's Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate, or CFD, will make refueling these aviators a lot easier.

Mar 8, 2013

Mar 8, 2013

Dr. Jack Obusek is the technical director of the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. He leads about 700 Department of the Army employees and 16 Soldiers. He oversees about 100 contractors and executes an annual program budget of about $353 million.

Mar 7, 2013

The Expeditionary Basing and Collective Protection Directorate works with Soldiers to help erect and provide shelters, and sometimes works alongside them when both civilian and military personnel are deployed to countries like Afghanistan.

Mar 7, 2013

Take a boyhood working for family food businesses in Boston's famed North End, add plenty of intelligence, hard work and people skills, spice it all with self-deprecating humor, and you have Gerry Darsch's recipe for success at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center's Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate.

Mar 5, 2013

How often does one get the chance to run on the field at Fenway Park, cross home plate, and help Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families -- all on the same day?

Mar 1, 2013

More than just thousands of miles separate Afghanistan from U.S. Army Garrison Natick. Just ask Sgt. Maj. Robert Beausoleil, who recently went from one to the other. Beausoleil arrived here Oct. 22, signed in at USAG-Natick Dec. 10, and will have his assumption of responsibility ceremony March 4 as Natick's command sergeant major.

Mar 1, 2013

A system developed by researchers at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate, would help bring water to Soldiers in the field, either cool or heat it, and then keep it that way for days at a time.

Feb 26, 2013

When they deploy rapidly to the mountainous regions of Afghanistan, U.S. Soldiers confront more than the enemy. At heights exceeding 8,200 feet, they must worry about the effects of altitude on their mental performance and about their susceptibilities to Acute Mountain Sickness.

Feb 25, 2013

Imagine a world without dirty clothes. Quoc Truong, physical scientist at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, wants to make that a reality.

Feb 25, 2013

The Large Capacity Ammunition Carriage System, or "Ironman," began as the brainchild of Iowa National Guardsmen and was named one of the Army's top inventions of 2010. The system was recently assessed by Soldiers in Afghanistan.

Feb 22, 2013

Scientists and engineers from Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center will join faculty and student researchers from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in a new research and development initiative that was announced Feb. 7 at the UMass Lowell campus.

Feb 21, 2013

African American/Black History Month was observed at Natick Soldier Systems Center during a Feb. 20 celebration that focused on significant milestones.

Feb 21, 2013

Natick High School's RoboNatick teams received the FIRST Technology Challenge's Connect award for their connections with their local community and the engineering community, specifically Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center.

Feb 21, 2013

In the face of current budgetary uncertainties, the Department of Defense informed Congress on Feb. 20 of its intention to administratively furlough DoD civilian employees for 22 days during Fiscal Year 2013 if no resolution is found.

Feb 7, 2013

Team NSSC, NSSC Installation Status Update as of 0500 March 19, 2013 NSSC is Closed today because of the snow fall last night and the continued accumulation expected this morning.

Feb 7, 2013

Scientists and engineers from Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Mass., will join faculty and student researchers from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in a new research and development initiative that was announced Feb. 7, 2013, at the UMass Lowell campus.

Jan 30, 2013

A new Solar Simulation Unit has allowed the Doriot Climatic Chambers at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, Mass., to replicate sunshine.

Jan 24, 2013

A typical service member in garrison needs to consume about 3,250 calories a day for sustenance. Maj. Aaron Crombie, Ph.D., of the Military Nutrition Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, is in the process of estimating how much more a special operator should eat.

Jan 24, 2013

Nearly a half-century after it was delivered, his "I Have a Dream" speech was re-enacted Jan. 23 during a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday at Natick Soldier Systems Center.

Jan 23, 2013

Army War College Fellows at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University and Harvard University learned about the important work done at the Natick Soldier Systems Center during a Jan. 18 visit to the installation.

Jan 18, 2013

Tube foods, produced only by the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, keep Air Force U-2 reconnaissance pilots and NASA ER-2 pilots nourished during their long flights.

Jan 15, 2013

On his visit to the Natick Soldier Systems Center, Secretary of the Army John McHugh saw some of the unique facilities and the science behind the Soldier

Jan 15, 2013

Rich Landry from the Natick Soldier Systems Center explains improvements to the Individual First Aid Kits.

Jan 10, 2013

In his first town hall of 2013 on Jan. 8, U.S. Army Garrison-Natick Commander Lt. Col. Frank Sobchak introduced his incoming sergeant major, looked back on the achievements of 2012, and ahead to the potential challenges of the new year.

Jan 8, 2013

Dozens of forward operating bases and thousands of service members depend on supplies that drop daily from the sky and Afghanistan is shaping up to be the largest combat aerial resupply operation in history.

Jan 3, 2013

Something as simple as turning off office lights, office equipment, and hallway and bathroom lights not in use could save lots of energy and money.

Jan 3, 2013

After more than 30 years of service to the U.S. Army, Dr. Michael N. Sawka has retired.

Dec 20, 2012

A group of representatives from Natick High School Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam held a discussion at the Natick Soldier Systems Center regarding their ideas for an ice search and rescue remotely-operated vehicle (ROV). The team is being funded $10,000 by the Lemelson-MIT Program whose goal is to assist students, teachers and mentors with their invention projects. The team made a separate trip to Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center to learn about and tour the Prototype Shop in particular. Different subject matter experts led the students in a guided tour of the facilities and explained the varying types of equipment, materials, and designs the shop offers as well as constructs.

Dec 20, 2012

Employers, various local schools, and an assortment of businesses conferred together at Bristol Community College December 5. Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center representatives Rebecca Engle and David Querim discussed the Labs' STEM involvement with interested listeners, highlighting the teacher training and multiple student-oriented programs the Labs offers on a regular basis.

Dec 20, 2012

Lt. Col. Robert Roussel, the Deputy Commander of USARIEM and Forensic Toxicology Consultant to the Army's Surgeon General, provided his insight into best lab practices during the Massachusetts House Committee Post Audit and Oversight Hearing on the State Drug Lab that took place in light of recent Massachusetts state lab scandals on Nov. 28, 2012.

Dec 13, 2012

When it comes to devouring waste, the Natick Soldier Systems Center has found a hungry helper in the BigBelly Solar Intelligent Waste and Recycling Collection System.

Dec 13, 2012

Col. Kevin Hillman visited the Natick Fire Department Dec. 12 to thank its chief and firefighters for their quick response to a small fire Nov. 27 at Natick Soldier Systems Center.

Dec 12, 2012

An official from the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center was named to the Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Advisory Council in Massachusetts.

Dec 6, 2012

If you ever invite Sporty King to a party, you won't have to worry much about whether he's having fun.

Nov 26, 2012

As he described his work and personal life, Tom Yang asked, "So, am I a nerd?" You decide.

Nov 26, 2012

Each year generous members of our community come forward to support those in our family who need financial assistance through the Angel Tree Program. Coordinated by Army Community Service staff, the program is designed to support Soldier and Civilian families, as well as unaccompanied/single Soldiers stationed at Natick.

Nov 20, 2012

A Soldier's boots tend to get a bit more wear than those of the average person. This is especially true for Spc. Rebecca Fant of Natick Soldier Systems Center, who gave up an extra pair of her boots to a woman without shoes during a weekly trip to a local soup kitchen.

Nov 19, 2012

When it comes to the future of the Natick Soldier Systems Center, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Town of Natick may be about to provide a better road to success.

Nov 16, 2012

A member of the Nation of Arawak Indians spoke to the Natick Soldier Systems Center community, Nov. 15, 2012, during NSSC's National Native American Heritage Month observance in Hunter Auditorium.

Nov 14, 2012

Soldiers and representatives from the Natick Soldier Systems Center attended the Kennedy Middle School's 10th Veterans Day breakfast Nov. 9.

Nov 12, 2012

When it comes to turning out the finest equipment in the world for American servicemen and women, no one else can "Git-R-Done" quite like the folks at the Natick Soldier Systems Center. That's what "Larry the Cable Guy" discovered Nov. 8, 2012, when the comedian known for that blue-collar catch phrase brought the crew of his popular History Channel TV series "Only in America" to NSSC for a visit.

Nov 7, 2012

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Natick Soldier Systems Center held its 2012 Winter Safety Day on Nov. 2.

Nov 6, 2012

An innovation that will leave female Soldiers safer and more comfortable on the battlefield was named one of Time Magazine's "Best Inventions of the Year 2012."

Nov 5, 2012

Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center representatives were among business and community leaders hosted Oct. 25, 2012, by Natick High School, which kicked off its "Future Ready" program.

Nov 2, 2012

Maria Urso of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine helped the All-Army women's team to a second-place finish in the Armed Forces Marathon, held Oct. 28 as part of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C.

Nov 1, 2012

Representatives from Research, Development and Engineering Command and the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center were among more than 1,000 people who attended the ninth annual Massachusetts STEM Summit, held Oct. 11, 2012, at Gillette Stadium.

Nov 1, 2012

A Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center engineer is looking at football helmet technology that could one day also help protect Soldiers.

Oct 29, 2012

With Hurricane Sandy beginning to transition into a "perfect storm" later today, military communities in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast should assess how vulnerable they are, and review their emergency plans to ensure they weather the storm safely.

Oct 28, 2012

As of 9:15 p.m., Oct. 29, NSSC will be open on Tuesday, Oct. 30, during normal duty hours. Liberal leave is in effect for employees seriously affected by the storm. Contact your supervisor for further guidance.

Oct 25, 2012

About 40 Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering employees experienced what it is like to be a Soldier when they participated in a "greening" event, Oct. 11, 2012.

Oct 25, 2012

The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital teamed up in 2009 to form the "Home Base Program" to treat veterans with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.

Oct 25, 2012

Don't tell Jothy Rosenberg that he can't do something. He'll just prove you wrong.

Oct 22, 2012

The Equivital Life Monitor that "Fearless" Felix Baumgartner strapped on before his 128,100-foot, record-breaking jump was supported and developed with the assistance of researchers at the U.S. Army research Institute of Environmental Medicine's Biophysical and Biomedical Modeling Division, in Natick, Mass.

Oct 17, 2012

The best time to discuss problems is before they ever arise. That's the idea behind the Natick Soldier systems Center Labor-Management Forum, which meets regularly with a goal to improve organizational efficiency and employee morale on the installation.

Oct 16, 2012

According to the old saying, life is a marathon, not a sprint. For Maria Urso, Ph.D, that's literally and figuratively true.

Oct 12, 2012

November 6, 2012 is Election Day. Find out more about how you can vote in this election.

Oct 11, 2012

Christopher Doona, a civilian senior research chemist with NSRDEC's Materials and Defense Sciences Division, has done plenty of research on Listeria and understands just how dangerous this pathogen can be.

Oct 9, 2012

Steve Belmore, a mechanical engineer with the Systems Equipment and Engineering Team, Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, spent 18 months with the Corps' Afghanistan Engineer District-South.

Oct 4, 2012

The National Weather Service has recognized the Natick Soldier Systems Center as a StormReady military installation. NSSC is the first military installation in New England to be certified as StormReady.

Oct 1, 2012

A 450-person Force Provider base camp was established at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to demonstrate energy- and water-saving technologies.

Sep 26, 2012

Fifteen years of development between Washington State University and the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center led to a revolutionary change in food sterilization: a microwave. This microwave is not your typical at-home microwave; it is a sophisticated piece of equipment that uses a rapid sterilization technique to create shelf-stable food.

Sep 25, 2012

Lightening Soldiers' loads has always weighed heavily on Rich Landry's mind. While more and more equipment is being developed to assist them on the battlefield, Landry worries how Soldiers will carry it all over rugged terrain in places such as Afghanistan without incident or injury.

Sep 24, 2012

Researchers at Natick's U. S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine have teamed up with the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow, Mass., in an effort to reduce injuries in recruits.

Sep 20, 2012

When it comes to fashion, America looks to, well, the Natick Soldier Systems Center, as it turns out.

Sep 20, 2012

One challenge at the Natick Soldier System Center is all the labs, experiments, and research done on the 78-acre base that most employees do not have the opportunity to see. A group toured the base on September 19 and saw four different labs within the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and the Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center.

Sep 18, 2012

Female Soldiers at Fort Campbell, Ky., preparing for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan are getting a chance to weigh in on the latest innovation in personal protective equipment: body armor designed specifically to fit them.

Sep 13, 2012

Soldiers and civilians from the Natick Soldier Systems Center weighed in against hunger recently by donating 711 pounds of non-perishable food items to local charities as part of the "Feds Feed Families" program.

Sep 13, 2012

Kim Ruocco regularly relives her darkest days -- her husband's suicide and the downward spiral that led to it -- to save other military families from the same heartbreak.

Sep 11, 2012

Soldiers and civilians of the Natick Soldier Systems Center gathered near the flag pole to remember the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Sep 6, 2012

Teachers became students again for a few days this summer as they raced and recorded data for Lego robots or studied dimensions of golf balls and designed their own simulations at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center through "Materials World Modules" training.

Sep 5, 2012

Brig. Gen. John J. McGuiness left an indelible mark on Natick Soldier Systems Center in his 16 months as its senior commander, which come to an end with his Sept. 14 change-of-responsibility ceremony.

Sep 4, 2012

In his final town hall meeting as senior commander of the Natick Soldier Systems Center, Brig. Gen. John J. McGuiness reminded the NSSC workforce Aug. 30 of their special role in the Department of Defense.

Aug 30, 2012

What has been called the newest and most technologically advanced rifle range in the Army opened Aug. 29 at Fort Devens, Mass.

Aug 28, 2012

Consider it the difference between night and day. At least that's the way environmental engineer Rich Valcourt looks at the new solar light pipe system that was installed recently in a warehouse at Natick Soldier Systems Center, Mass.

Aug 24, 2012

On a sunny day 777 days ago, Maj. Gen. James Gilman, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command, took the unit colors from Col. Kevin Keenan and presented them to Col. Gaston Bathalon as the 17th commander of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine. Today, Gilman took the unit colors from Bathalon and handed command to Col. Deborah Whitmer as the 18th USARIEM Commander.

Aug 17, 2012

No one wants to waste a summer, particularly U.S. Military Academy cadets, who know all about making the most of their time. Ironically, a pair of West Pointers recently came to the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center to take part in a project that will study how to turn waste into energy on base camps.

Aug 14, 2012

Dave Sanborn, chief of Master Planning at Natick Soldier Systems Center and an Army Reservist, will be the new garrison command sergeant major at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.

Aug 13, 2012

Lieutenant Colonel Ross Poppenberger took over as Product Manager Force Sustainment Systems in an Aug. 9 change-of-charter ceremony at Natick Soldier Systems Center.

Aug 9, 2012

Thirty years can pass quickly when you have been blessed to do something you love. Just ask Col. Gaston Bathalon, who will put the finishing touches on his three-decade Army career Aug. 24, the date he relinquishes command of the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine at Natick Soldier Systems Center.