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  • September

    Maj. Jarrod Gillespie, deputy chief of contracting for the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, signed an ROTC contract the day of Sept. 11, 2001, in response to seeing the attacks on America. Today, 20 years later, Gillespie is proud of the choice he made to defend his nation.

    A call to serve: One Soldier remembers 9/11

    On Sept. 10, 2001, Maj. Jarrod Gillespie, who now serves as deputy chief of contracting at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), was a junior at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. He enlisted in the Army Reserves right out of high school, and while he enjoyed being a Soldier, his plan was to graduate from Alcorn State, finish his military service and begin civilian life as a culinary arts student with plans to open his own restaurant. The next day, everything changed.
  • Dr. Paul Mlakar, retired force projection technical director at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, remembers exactly where he was the morning of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Hours later, he was tapped to lead the study of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Today, 20 years later, his findings are still being used in blast resistant building design.

    20 years later, ERDC engineer reflects on 9/11, Pentagon wreckage

    The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, began like most others did for Dr. Paul Mlakar, who was serving at the time as technical director for force projection for the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). On that particular Tuesday, Mlakar was working out of a hotel room near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he had traveled for a seminar that took place the day before. As he sat in his room preparing for a 9 a.m. EST conference call, an unsettling news report came across his muted TV—the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 had struck the north Twin Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

  • Brewer lauded with USACE Chief Counsel's Honorary Award

    An attorney at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) was recently recognized during the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Chief Counsel’s Honorary Awards ceremony. Allison Brewer, who has been with the ERDC Office of Counsel for more than five years, was awarded the E. Manning Seltzer Award for Special Contributions, which is named for the Chief Legal Advisor to the Chief of Engineers and General Counsel of the USACE from 1956 until 1977. The award recognizes an attorney who has made one or more special contributions to the USACE legal service mission through the development of a legal theory, a legal management innovation or practice or outstanding performance in solving a legal or management problem.

  • August

    Amy Bednar (center), a research mathematician at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Information Technology Laboratory, graduated from the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, July 23, 2021,. Bednar was part of a two-year distance education class, which included 391 students from military, federal agencies and other countries around the world.

    ERDC employee graduates from U.S. Army War College

    Earlier this summer, Dr. Amy Bednar, an employee of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), joined the prestigious ranks of U.S. Army War College alumni.
  • U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center researchers evaluate dredged material from the Houston Ship Channel Expansion Improvement Project with instrumentation in the Environmental Laboratory in Vicksburg, Mississippi, September 2018. The researchers evaluated the material from the 52-mile-long ship channel and modeled its potential environmental impacts using agreed-upon, site-specific modeling parameters in consultation with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

    ERDC researcher’s detective work helps ship channel improvement project stay on track

    A construction effort as massive as the Houston Ship Channel Expansion Improvement Project — designed to accommodate the wider and deeper ships now carrying goods back and forth between Asia and the U.S. — has many regulatory requirements that need to be met.
  • Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Donna R. Williams, a Vicksburg, Mississippi, native and former deputy commanding general of the 412th Theater Engineer Command, is one of the newest inductees to the U.S. Army ROTC Hall of Fame, which honors graduates who have distinguished themselves in both military and civilian pursuits and made lasting, significant contributions to the nation, the Army and the history and traditions of the ROTC program.

    ERDC’s Williams to be inducted into ROTC Hall of Fame

    The U.S. Army recently announced that Donna R. Williams, a computer scientist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), would be inducted into the U.S. Army ROTC Hall of Fame.
  • The Hardened Alternative Trailer System (HATS) two-story protective structure used by Department of State, with additions of the recently patented weather-resistance and connective flashing components. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory Research Civil Engineer Justin Roberts of Vicksburg, Mississippi, improved his previously patented Modular Anti-Ballistic, Blast and Forced Entry Resistant Shelter invention, part of HATS, with these capabilities. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photos by Justin Roberts)

    ERDC engineer improves Department of State protective shelter patent

    U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Geotechnical and Structure Laboratory (GSL) Research Civil Engineer Justin Roberts recently made improvements to a previous patent that will enhance protective shelters leveraged by the Department of State (DOS).

  • July

    Engineering With Nature’s Tyndall Coastal Resilience Study recognized with international award

    Engineering With Nature’s Tyndall Coastal Resilience Study recognized with international award

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and its partners received the U.K. Environment Agency Flood & Coast International Excellence Award June 30 for the Tyndall Coastal Resilience Study.
  • The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Director Dr. Joseph Corriveau is interviewed by ERDC’s Shelley Tingle during ERDC’s LinkedIn Live event in June.

    ERDC brings history, experience to the crucial fight against climate change

    In early June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a report showing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere had reached levels not seen in more than 4 million years. The report has brought more weight to the emphasis President Biden’s administration has placed on a “climate crisis that threatens our people and communities, public health and economy, and, starkly, our ability to live on the planet Earth.”
  • An aerial photograph shows a portion of Swan Island in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Swan Island is an example of an island restored through beneficially used dredged sediment. In 2018, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as part of the Engineering With Nature® initiative, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), dedicated resources to monitor the island to better understand the ecological and engineering performance of the project.

    Following Mother Nature's lead to solve nation's infrastructure challenges

    At a time when Congress is fleshing out the final details of a significant investment in the nation’s infrastructure, Dr. Todd Bridges, Senior Research Scientist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, offered testimony on how infrastructure projects built using natural elements may be the best solution to key infrastructure challenges moving forward.

  • June

    Indu Shukla, a computer scientist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), was recently chosen for the Asian American Most Promising Engineer of the Year Award, which is presented each year as part of National Engineers Week.

    ERDC researcher named Asian American Most Promising Engineer of the Year

    Indu Shukla, a computer scientist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), was recently chosen for the Asian American Most Promising Engineer of the Year Award, which is presented each year as part of National Engineers Week.
  • ERDC has begun to ship simulator technology for military uses giving leaders a tool to simulate vessel landings in severe environments.

    Using simulation tools for operational readiness in maritime and littoral operations

    Operational readiness is a term used throughout the six branches of the U.S. military. The ability of armed forces to conduct the full range of military operations, regardless of a posed threat, is contingent upon how well units are manned, equipped, trained and led. To increase readiness, researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have partnered with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps on a joint venture to use ship simulation and numerical models in the planning of amphibious assaults and littoral operations.

  • May

    Shown is University of Maine’s full-scale structural testing of a composite material bridge girder system used for rapid construction of lightweight bridge structures.

    ERDC partnership with University of Maine delivers innovative military engineering technology

    For researchers at the U.S. Army Research and Development Center (ERDC), long-term strategic partnerships with industry and academia are essential in executing ERDC’s mission in support of Army modernization and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works, as well as the needs of other sponsors and stakeholders.
  • Ray Dos Santos, a mathematician and computer scientist with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geospatial Research Laboratory, Alexandria, Virginia, uses large amounts of historical data, social media activity and news articles to identify the best indicators of when and where a terrorist attack may take place. This “Big Data” approach uses massive amounts of available information, along with high-end parallel computing, to find important clues in the fight against rogue activities. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

    Using a “Big Data” approach to find threats, fight terror

    Whether at home or abroad, the main goal of any commander is to keep Soldiers safe. With that in mind, researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have been using large amounts of historical data, social media activity and news articles to identify the best indicators of when and where a terrorist attack may take place. This “Big Data” approach uses massive amounts of available information, along with high-end parallel computing, to find important clues that aid in the fight against rogue activities.

  • April

    A new podcast series tells the stories of how, over the last 10 years, a growing international community of practitioners, scientists, engineers, and researchers across many disciplines and organizations are working together to combine natural and engineering systems to solve problems and diversify infrastructure value by applying the principles and practices of Engineering With Nature®.

    Expanding the Practice of EWN through Landscape Architecture

    VICKSBURG, Miss. – In this episode of the Engineering With Nature (EWN) Podcast, Dr. Jeff King, deputy national lead of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) EWN program, discusses how three landscape architects ― Auburn University’s Rob Holmes, University of Pennsylvania’s Sean Burkholder and the University of Virginia’s Brian Davis — have joined forces with EWN to explore innovative solutions to coastal resilience. The group describes their efforts to synthesize the engineering and landscape architecture disciplines and the opportunities and potential for advancing EWN practices. The EWN approach of leveraging natural processes to accomplish the desired engineering outcome while creating environmental and social benefits aligns well with the discipline of landscape architecture in which landscapes are co-designed by humans and natural processes. King and his guests discuss the power of integrating landscape architecture practices into the work Burkholder, Holmes and King are doing with colleagues at the Philadelphia District along the New Jersey coast.
  • Dr. Todd Bridges, national lead of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering With Nature (EWN) program, opens the virtual international Book Launch Event at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi, April 7, 2021, by welcoming virtual attendees. The event celebrated the release of Engineering With Nature, an Atlas, Volume 2, with the public, and included speakers from a range of U.S. and overseas partner organizations conveying a shared goal for expanding EWN practices globally through collaboration.

    Collaboration a key theme at Engineering With Nature book launch event

    VICKSBURG, Miss. (April 9, 2021) ― The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature (EWN) program’s Book Launch Event celebrated the release of Engineering With Nature, an Atlas, Volume 2 with the public, and included speakers conveying a shared goal for expanding EWN practices globally through collaboration, April 7.
  • Ross Alter, a research meteorologist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, spoke virtually at an event April 8, 2021, in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Alter’s paternal grandfather, pictured in the PowerPoint image, was liberated at the age of 17 from Auschwitz- Birkenau, the largest concentration and extermination camp, where more than 1.1 million men, women and children were killed during the Holocaust. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Mary Margaret Edney)

    ERDC honors Holocaust Remembrance Day with virtual event

    An employee with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the grandson of a Holocaust survivor spoke at a virtual event April 8 to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. Ross Alter, a research meteorologist in the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, spoke to more than 100 ERDC employees who signed on for his online talk, “The Holocaust: What was it, why did it happen, and… why should I care?”
  • U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center leaders and special guests participate in a dirt turn at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new annex building at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, April 6, 2021. The $4.3-million annex will consist of laboratory and research administrative spaces to support the organization’s expanded military research mission. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Sheree Perry, Norfolk District)

    ERDC’s Field Research Facility holds groundbreaking ceremony for new annex

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new annex building at its Field Research Facility in Duck, North Carolina, April 6, 2021. ​The $4.3-million annex will consist of laboratory and research administrative spaces to support the organization’s expanded military research mission. In collaboration with the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence, the Field Research Facility develops methods to protect forces, conduct forcible and early entry and transition rapidly to offensive operations.

  • March

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature Program will hold a virtual Book Launch Event April 7, 2021, from 10-11 a.m. CDT, to celebrate the release of the Engineering With Nature Atlas, Volume 2.

    USACE Engineering With Nature Program announces Atlas Volume 2 Book Launch Event

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering With Nature (EWN) Program will hold a virtual international Book Launch Event April 7, 2021, from 10-11 a.m. CDT, for the release of the Engineering With Nature Atlas, Volume 2.
  • Construction to restore the southern shoreline of Deer Island, off the coast of Mississippi.

    Expanding Engineering With Nature – What’s New in Season 2

    Dr. Todd Bridges, senior research scientist for environmental science for the U.S. Army and national lead for the Engineering With Nature (EWN) program, kicks off Season 2 of the EWN Podcast by announcing that U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District is joining EWN as its fourth proving ground.