PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J.--Picatinny Arsenal unveiled an "Innovation Wall of Fame" on March 24 in Building 93 as a way to honor its innovative culture. The wall also aims to represent successful partnerships that empower the organizational focus on developing solutions for warfighters.
The ceremony was hosted by the U.S. Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, and led by ARDEC Director John Hedderich.
The wall was established as part of Hedderich's overall vision for ARDEC as an organization that "…deliberately fosters and resources a culture that is open to all forms and sources of innovation, internal and external, revolutionary and evolutionary, to drive success."
The wall is located in the lobby of Building 93, across from the Public Affairs Office and Civilian Personnel Advisory Center. The wall's design involves a mounted aluminum bar that spans below the lobby windows. On the bar are hooks, and on each hook is a glass-encased PDF or image of a patent, noting its title and the creators involved in the patent.
"These are not just ideas," said Hedderich. "These are items that eventually will be in the field and used by the warfighter."
After the unveiling, attendees were invited to Picatinny's Lindner Conference Center for a patent award ceremony, which individually recognized the patents listed on its innovation wall. For the first quarter of the 2016 fiscal year, 31 ARDEC employees, as well as 15 inventors from industry and academia, collaborated to produce 13 different patents.
The patents explored various topics, ranging from a container with an ornamental design and offset handles, to a re-usable training projectile, to a new method that helps to purify contaminated water.
"That's what makes us so great: the diversity of our products," said Hedderich about the patents. "But, it's not just the inventors that make these products happen, it's the climate that our supervisors make. It's the facilities that we have. If don't have all of that, we have no place to invent.
"So, the real key is not just their [the inventors'] ideas, but who else we talk to and collaborate with," added Hedderich.
"What I want all of you to start thinking about is working with people you don't even know, who aren't in your field or office, because that's when we get innovation. Real innovation is combining different ideas in ways people never thought could happen."
At the ceremony, Hedderich also recognized 15 Picatinny employees who supported an active shooter exercise held in Lower Manhattan on Nov. 22, 2015, which was held one week after the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris.
This exercise involved working with the New York Police Department (NYPD), New York City Transit Authority, the NYPD Counterterrorism Division, Fire Department City of New York, U.S. Secret Service, Federal Air Marshals of New York, Department of Security Science and Technology, and ARDEC.
Picatinny provided the planning, oversight and management of technical efforts associated with the event. For instance, Picatinny collected data for evaluation and gave an assessment of technologies that could assist law enforcement or first responders in their missions.
Picatinny personnel also provided real-time video feedback to leaders, evaluators, and observers in two observation areas and in an incident command vehicle.
"We [Picatinny] are vital to national security, not just through our U.S. Army mission but also because--god forbid there is another terrorist event--we can help to protect our homeland," said Hedderich.
To thank employees involved in the event, Hedderich gave each a commander's coin and a certification of appreciation, which acknowledged the outstanding support, enthusiasm, and professionalism that contributed to the success of the exercise.
Related Links:
U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Homepage
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