NATICK, Mass. – A ceremony honoring patent inventors at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, or DEVCOM SC, underscored the center’s commitment to innovations benefitting the warfighter.
In Fiscal Year 2022, DEVCOM SC scientists and engineers achieved yet another year of outstanding advances, earning numerous patents for technologies benefitting the warfighter. The patents were the result of the creativity and expertise of DEVCOM SC’s scientists and engineers combined, in some cases, with their collaborations with partners in academia and industry.
Yoojeong Kim, Innovation and Outreach team lead at DEVCOM SC, proposed having an annual patent award ceremony to recognize and foster innovation. Kim also proposed establishing a display of plaques recognizing the achievements of DEVCOM SC inventors.
“Recognizing our talented and innovative scientists and engineers is important, because it fosters an innovative environment and provides motivation and incentive for creating cutting-edge technologies,” said Kim. “Patents protect the intellectual properties generated by the SC scientists and engineers and prevent others from obtaining patents to our inventions. In addition, technology transfer of patents benefits both the taxpayer and the DoD, as products can be developed for public use, thereby potentially increasing the general public’s access to new technologies, as well as ensuring product availability for warfighters and generating jobs and revenues.”
Sheri Mennillo serves as the technology transfer manager for DEVCOM SC’s Office of Research and Technology Applications.
“I am delighted that we had the opportunity to showcase some of the meaningful patent-protected technologies invented at DEVCOM Soldier Center,” said Mennillo. “Our organization continues to strive to seek patent protection in a manner that will best drive federally supported research and development forward, spur economic growth in the community and nationwide, and precipitate a positive impact on the protection, optimization and lethality of the warfighter.”
Nina Tobin, a visual information requirements specialist at DEVCOM SC, planned and executed the ceremony that honored DEVCOM SC’s exemplary innovators and their creative efforts in developing cutting-edge technologies supporting the warfighter. Tobin’s diligence and meticulous organizational skills contributed to the success of the ceremony and set a high precedent for future events.
The following paragraphs name DEVCOM SC employees and briefly describe their patents:
DEVCOM SC inventors Melvin Jee and Conor Hennessy were awarded a patent for a configurable modular shelter system.
Quoc Truong was awarded a patent for the application of a microencapsulation methodology to improve the retention of more purified super activated carbon,
Kathryn McCusker, Robert Drown, Matthew Hurley, and Alfredo Lujan received a patent for their work on an integrated protective knee pad assembly.
Natalie Pomerantz received a patent for a chemical and biological thermal ensemble and composite fabric.
Stephen Fossey and Barry Decristofano were awarded a patent for actuators based on unbalanced moments of inertia.
Scotlund McIntosh, Lisa Hepfinger, Cheryl Ann Stewardson, Anabela Dugas, and James Fairneny received a patent for camouflage patterns.
Michael Wiederoder, Eric Brack, Matthew Hurley, and Andrew Connors received a patent for a self-powered flow meter to measure an individual’s water intake.
John Kirk, Matthew Hurley, Rachel Matuszek, and Richard Landry were awarded a patent for an adjustable apparatus holder, an ambidextrous holster for the M17 modular handgun system.
Chris Doona received a patent for a method and composition of humidity-controlled generation of chlorine dioxide in polymers and superabsorbent hydrogels.
Diane Steeves and Brian Kimball received a patent for diffractive waveplate lenses and applications.
Douglas Tamilio, director of DEVCOM SC, summed up the importance of the organization’s innovative contributions to the warfighter.
“The innovative efforts of our scientists and engineers have resulted in leading-edge technologies that support and advance Soldier performance and capabilities,” said Tamilio. “The patents underscore our commitment to creating and advancing solutions that ensure America’s warfighters are optimized, protected, and lethal.”
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About DEVCOM Soldier Center: The DEVCOM Soldier Center is committed to discovering, developing, and advancing science and technology solutions that ensure America’s warfighters are optimized, protected, and lethal. DEVCOM Soldier Center supports all of the Army's Modernization efforts, with the Soldier Lethality and Synthetic Training Environment Cross Functional Teams being the DEVCOM Soldier Center’s chief areas of focus. The center’s science and engineering expertise are combined with collaborations with industry, DOD, and academia to advance Soldier and squad performance. The center supports the Army as it transforms from being adaptive to driving innovation to support a Multi-Domain Operations Capable Force of 2028 and a MDO Ready Force of 2035. DEVCOM Soldier Center is constantly working to strengthen Soldiers’ performance to increase readiness and support for warfighters who are organized, trained, and equipped for prompt and sustainable ground combat.
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) outreach and mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers are also an important part of the mission of DEVCOM Soldier Center. The mentoring of students by Army scientists and engineers benefits the students and their communities. It also increases young people's awareness of potential Army job opportunities and helps provide the Army with potential new talent, helping to fuel innovative ideas that benefit the nation's warfighters and the nation as a whole.
DEVCOM Soldier Center is part of DEVCOM. Through collaboration across the command's core technical competencies, DEVCOM leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win our nation's wars and come home safely. DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.
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