Esteemed scientist Quoc Truong retired recently from the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, or NSRDEC, after more than 33 years of service. During the ceremony, Doug Tamilio (left), director of NSRDEC, presented Truong (righ...
Natick's Quoc Truong, a physical scientist, provided technical guidance and direction to Luna Innovations, Inc., to successfully develop a durable, "omniphobic" coating used to produce self-cleaning fabrics. Here, Truong demonstrates how the self-cle...
Quoc Truong, an esteemed physical scientist and beloved mentor at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, or NSRDEC, discusses a process used to create superomniphobic surfaces with Dr. Artee Panwar, who is a postdoctoral re...
NATICK, Mass. -- Quoc Truong's career as an Army scientist was inspired by his great love of science, his innate knack for thinking outside of the box, and his determination to repay the country that had greeted him with both kindness and opportunity.
For more than 33 years, Truong dedicated himself to making life better and safer for the American Soldier. Truong served as a physical scientist at the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, where he worked on leading-edge technologies and the development of advanced, innovative materials and textiles that have greatly benefited the warfighter.
As part of the first wave of refugees to come from Vietnam in 1975, Truong came to the United States at the age of 15. His family arrived at Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, which at the time, served as a camp for Southeast Asian refugees.
"It was a big shock for me to listen to people talking to me yet I couldn't understand what they were trying to say," said Truong, who is known at NSRDEC not only for his scientific innovations, but also his warmth, helpfulness, kindness and humor.
"One of my first thoughts was that I will never be able to make anyone laugh because I couldn't speak English," said Truong. "At the refugee resettlement center, I attended the English classes that were offered to us regularly. Each student received a thin, yellow Vietnamese-English/English-Vietnamese dictionary, and that became my bible as I had it with me everywhere I went."
His family -- including his grandmother, father and eight siblings -- soon settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they were sponsored by the St. Bede Church. His family instilled in him a tireless work ethic and an unwavering dedication to making a contribution to society.
"I wrote a message to myself that read 'If you don't worry about your future, you won't have any,' and I taped it in front of my desk," said Truong. "Not knowing English when I first came, I told myself that I must put in ten times the effort if I am going to be as good as my friends in school, and I set out to learn as much as I could learn about everything to get ahead. My father always told us his only wish was to see us, his nine children, do well in school. He told us that no matter what, we all must graduate from college to be successful in this new country."
In 1978, the family relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, and Truong eventually studied at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
"When I was a junior at UMass Lowell, I saved a help-wanted ad, and it was for a chemist at Natick. I thought 'I want to work for the Army to pay back the government for all the wonderful things it did for my family.' When I graduated, I was hired by Natick. I feel really fortunate that I have this job with the opportunity and the freedom to explore new ideas."
During his distinguished career working for the Department of the Army, Truong developed new technologies that greatly improved protective clothing for the nation's warfighters. Many of these technologies have made their way to the private sector where they benefit the consumer.
The scientist is known for his ingenuity and for his work with other NSRDEC scientists, as well as partners in academia and industry. He has been published extensively and his work has earned international recognition.
Truong is recognized as a pioneer for non-carbon-based, selectively permeable membrane developments. He is considered one of the "brains behind the membranes." The selectively permeable membrane technology greatly reduces the use of carbon in chemical-biological protective clothing. Since carbon adds weight and bulk to clothing, the new garments are dramatically lighter and offer better protection than their predecessors.
The novel materials provide enhanced protection against toxic compounds, but also allow moisture vapor to pass through the clothing, thus providing relief from heat stress through evaporative cooling. The chemical-biological protective duty uniform, which is based on selectively permeable membrane technology, was a candidate for the Army Materiel Command's Top Ten Inventions in 2003.
Truong successfully led the development and transition to the commercial sector of a durable omniphobic textile coating, which will benefit both the warfighter and the consumer. The coating lowers dirt and dust attraction and it repels water, oil, and many liquid chemicals. The coating greatly enhances protection while reducing how often garments need to be washed. In the commercial sector, the technology is being applied to everything from outdoor wear to diapers.
Always innovative, Truong invented a new architecture for super non-wetting fibers. The resultant fibers mean improved warfighter protection against toxins and other threats since the fibers will keep out chemicals, oil and solid contaminants. In addition, he contributed to developments in superomniphobic coatings, fibers, and films.
At the forefront of the technical development of self-healing capabilities, Truong also worked on materials that will be used to mend chemical-biological protective clothing. The self-healing technologies will enable cuts, tears and punctures to repair themselves.
In addition to being a committed Army scientist, Truong is known as an accessible and dedicated mentor.
During his time at NSRDEC, Truong was very active in NSRDEC's and the University of Massachusetts Lowell's joint research and development initiative called Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers, or HEROES. Truong served as a collaborating research scientist and as a mentor to students, as well as young scholars and employees at NSRDEC.
"As an older brother of five younger siblings, I took on the responsibility to coach them with their school work to help my father, and in keeping a promise to my mother," said Truong. "My mother told me to take care of my brothers and sisters. She told me this just hours before she passed away. This was two years before our family was forced to leave Vietnam due to the war. Perhaps this is why I love to mentor and help young students. I enjoy having the opportunity to help the postdocs and students succeed as my younger siblings did."
"I had the pleasure of working with Quoc on multiple projects," said Dr. Nese Orbey, a professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. "He always comes up with creative solutions to challenging problems. In addition to his technical expertise, he is a good mentor. He has mentored both undergraduate and graduate students at UMass. He will be missed greatly."
Dr. Christopher Zoto, an assistant professor at the Community College of Rhode Island, worked with Truong for two years as a postdoctoral researcher under an Oak Ridge Institute for Science Education, or ORISE, contract fellowship. He worked with Truong on a variety of research areas, all aimed at protecting the Soldier from exposure to hazardous chemicals.
"I found working with Quoc on the Chemical Sciences and Engineering Team for the past two years at NSRDEC to be a very rewarding, enriching, knowledgeable and a good experience overall," said Zoto. "He is a well-respected role model who portrays the values of hard work, kindness and honesty. I have come to know him not only as my research mentor, but also my friend. It has been an honor and a privilege working with him."
During a retirement ceremony held recently at NSRDEC, Doug Tamilio, director of NSRDEC, thanked Truong for his immense contribution to advancing warfighter protection, noting that "The impact of an individual like this is immeasurable."
Tamilio presented Truong with a Certificate of Appreciation, a Certificate of Retirement and a technical director's coin. Truong also received a citation from the office of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and the office of Massachusetts State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry.
"Quoc has an immense passion for science and a passion for innovation," said Andra Kirsteins, team leader of the Chemical Science and Engineering Team, during the ceremony. "This is what really made him successful. You would never hear from Quoc why something could not be done. He always had an idea to solve a difficult technical problem. You'd always hear him say, 'I want to do something for the Soldier.' He wanted to make a difference."
In addition to his contributions as a scientist and mentor, Truong raised four children as a single father. All four went on to become successful adults.
"Anyone who knows me knows that my father is the biggest inspiration in my life," said Dan Truong, Quoc's son. "Throughout my entire life, my father has been nothing but kind, supportive and patient. I feel my father has taught me everything I need to know about patience and about what family truly means. My father did his best to always be there for us, his kids. Teaching us to be good people and putting all four of us through college is nothing short of a miracle. I try to tell everyone that I meet that I hope I can be half as good of a father as my father has been to us."
Mary Truong, who is Quoc's sister, is the executive director of the Office for Refugees and Immigrants for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. During the ceremony, she shared a memory she had of Quoc as a child.
"Even while growing up, he was innovative in many, many ways," said Mary Truong. "He was always fixing things. He was a little bit of a rascal getting into things so I can see why he is so successful today. I feel very proud and very blessed to be his sister."
While growing up, Quoc Truong was eager to help his father, who was supporting nine children and their grandmother. In Vietnam, his father was a bank president and owned many businesses. His father left it all behind to give his children a chance for a better life in the United States.
"Quoc tried his best to help our father by working as soon as possible," said Mary Truong. "His first job was as a newspaper boy. He got up at 4:30 a.m. to deliver newspapers to many houses in our neighborhood and he always helped my father with chores. He could build and fix anything in the house, even though he had no formal training.
"He's very creative, talented, committed and focused. Because of his many good qualities, I'm not surprised that he achieved so much during his years at his job. I'm so proud of his accomplishments to help the U.S. Army, the Soldiers and all the students he helped at UMass Lowell through his inventions and mentoring."
Throughout his life's journey, the Army scientist has shown great gratitude toward this nation and its opportunities.
"I am thankful that all nine of us graduated from college and fulfilled our father's dream," said Quoc Truong. "We all realize now that our father was right -- this is the land of opportunities, but to be successful, you must make an effort as an individual to get ahead and pursue your areas of interest."
"We all know that refugees help communities grow economically, creating new businesses and professional opportunities," said Mary Truong. "They also enhance social and civic participation, taking more active roles in local politics and governance. Refugees and immigrants help to make America great. This is the land of the free, so we hope that Americans will always welcome them."
"When I came here from Vietnam, I was only 15," said Truong. "The American government and people were so helpful and so welcoming to our family. As a result, my eight brothers and sisters are now productive citizens. We will forever remember the kindness of our American friends."
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The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to provide innovative research, development and engineering to produce capabilities that provide decisive overmatch to the Army against the complexities of the current and future operating environments in support of the joint warfighter and the nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
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