University awarded military contract to develop sensor
ASU has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army to conduct research and ultimately, develop a laser-based multi-color, real-time remote sensor capable of detecting the presence of an explosive at a distance of 100 meters. Dr. Susan Allen, Distinguished Professor, Laser Application and Science, heads up the the research and development team, which includes Dr. Bruce Johnson, Physics; Dr. Scott Reeve, Chemistry; and Dr. William Burns, Chemistry, and a group of undergraduate and graduate students. ASU is one of three universities that will each receive $2.42 million over the next two years from the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVSED) which is part of CECOM (Communications and Electronics Command) in Alexandria, Va.  Two other universities, Florida A&M University and the University of Hawaii, will work closely with ASU on the project. This project is part of a research effort initiated in 2005 and has been included in the Department of Defense appropriations bills for fiscal years 2008 and 2009. The current contract with NVSED represents a four-year, $6,032,115 investment by the Department of Defense.