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  • April

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center's Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory uses a Heavy Vehicle-load Simulator-Aircraft system to test AM2 matting for the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon aircraft in March 2021 at the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

    ERDC team uses unique tool in Navy aircraft runway testing

    Since aircraft have been used as wartime weapons, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has led the charge of creating tools that allow those planes to land anywhere in the world. Today, that mission has not changed, and the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) is using a unique machine to better understand the Navy’s P-8 Poseidon and how it distresses temporary, rapidly constructed runways.  

  • March

    A section of the 1:2 scale model of one of Florida’s coastal mangrove forest built by researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) shows the intricacy of the mangrove roots. The ERDC team partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District and the U.S. Naval Academy to explore the engineering value of the forest in reducing flood and storm risk. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

    Evaluating the engineering benefits of Florida’s mangrove forests

    Along the Florida coastline, forests of trees with a dense tangle of prop roots appear to be standing on stilts above the water. These trees, or mangroves, are not only magnificent to see, but are a key element in protecting coastlines and communities during coastal storms. Researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District and the U.S. Naval Academy to explore the engineering value of Florida’s mangrove forests.
  • A robotic system known as the Dambot operates near closure gates at Blue Mountain Dam, Arkansas in October 2020. Dambot takes the human element out of a dangerous but necessary U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintenance task. The cutting-edge technology has been successfully tested and stands poised to change the course of closure gate assessments, while also safeguarding USACE team members. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

    Dambot takes the lead on dangerous assessments

    A U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center team is designing robotic systems to keep humans out of harm’s way. Sounding more like the plot of an action movie than a research and development project, a robotic system known as Dambot takes the human element out of a dangerous but necessary U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintenance task. The cutting-edge technology has already been successfully tested and stands poised to change the course of closure gate assessments, while also safeguarding USACE team members.

  • December

    A multi-disciplinary team of operations, engineering and dam safety personnel inspect Detroit Dam Sept. 22 to assess impacts to the project—as well as the project’s functionality and any major safety concerns—after the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires spread throughout the area upstream and downstream of the dam.

    Broadening the scope of post-wildfire flood risk management

    As firefighters worked diligently to extinguish a notable number of wildfires this season, researchers with U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) post-wildfire flood risk management team took a step back to evaluate how they could improve their efforts in assisting with the devastating effects of the fires.
  • The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Office of Small Business Programs was recognized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during a virtual ceremony for the 2020 USACE Small Business Awards, Dec. 4, 2020.

    ERDC Small Business Office recognized with USACE 2020 Small Business Award

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Office of Small Business Programs was recognized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) during the 2020 USACE Small Business Awards held virtually Dec. 4, 2020.
  • Army first responders can now use multi-faceted software to identify key geolocations for disaster support allocations and mitigation efforts. This inventive software was developed at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geospatial Research Laboratory as the patented System for Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, later transitioned to the Army Geospatial Center and includes the Geo-centric Environment for Analysis and Reasoning.

    ERDC researcher excels as emergency responder software inventor

    As an intern and later a full-time research engineer at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Geospatial Research Laboratory (GRL), Dr. Michelle Hamilton invented a system for Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, which was patented in September 2020 for emergency responders’ use in prioritizing key geolocations for support allocations and mitigation efforts.
  • Soldiers deploy the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Ready Armor Protection for Instant Deployment, or RAPID, full armor configuration at the Maneuver Support, Sustainment and Protection Integration Experiments 2020 (MSSPIX20).

    Patented expedient protection structure impresses users

    With decades of inventions protecting Soldiers and civilians from hostile forces, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) continues developing life-saving innovations as one of the seven world-class laboratories of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • A U.S. Army Landing Craft Utility 2000 offloads equipment to a Trident Pier at Anmyeon Beach on the west coast of the Republic of Korea during exercise Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (LOTS) 2015. CJLOTS 2015 is an exercise designed to train U.S. and ROK service members to accomplish vital logistical measures in a strategic area while strengthening communication and cooperation in the U.S.-ROK alliance.

    Modeling the dynamics of the Modular Causeway System

    In contingency operations, the Modular Causeway System (MCS), an assembly of floating modules, is often used for loading and unloading supplies and equipment from ship to shore. The U.S. Transportation Command has enlisted the help of researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to numerically model the MCS and provide data that will aid in expanding the guidance to increase safety and efficiency for the warfighter.

  • November

    Inventors from two laboratories at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center received a 2020 patent for their Electro-active Vitreous Enamel Coated Dowel Bar, which stabilizes concrete segments and reduces repair costs.

    ERDC multi-disciplinary, multi-laboratory team earns cost-saving coated dowel bar patent

    Combining multi-disciplinary talents from two laboratories at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), a three-person team earned a U.S. patent in July 2020 for the inventive Electro-active Vitreous Enamel Coated Dowel Bar, which stabilizes concrete segments and reduces repair costs.
  • U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center researchers manipulate the Robotics for Engineer Operations, or REO, vehicle and quickly capture pertinent data to use for engineer operations during the Maneuver Support, Sustainment and Protection Integration Experiments-2020, or MSSPIX-20, in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Sept. 16, 2020. The REO employs a set of robotic platforms to remotely characterize a site by fusing multiple sensing modalities on a fully autonomous unmanned ground vehicle to capture critical information for engineer missions.

    ERDC researchers demonstrate reconnaissance-enhancing technologies with Soldiers, civilians

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the U.S. Army Futures Command, Futures and Concepts Center, in partnership with the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence (MSCoE), successfully completed the second phase of the Maneuver Support, Sustainment and Protection Integration Experiments-2020, or MSSPIX-20, in the fall of 2020.
  • U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), mechanical engineer Jon Goebel briefs the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Bryan Gossage at the ERDC Forward Operating Base- Laboratory, or EFOB-L, in Champaign, Ill., Oct. 30, 2020. Goebel discussed the research and development of hybrid power system capabilities.

    CERL hosts senior Army installation, energy, environment leadership

    Leadership from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) discussed ongoing projects and innovative technologies with the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (PDASA) for Installations, Energy and Environment (IE&E) Bryan Gossage, during his visit to the CERL campus Oct. 30.
  • Mariely Mejas-Santiago of the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory poses with her computer between sessions during RD20, a virtual collaborative event that was hosted Oct. 27-30 by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. More than 755 people attended the four-day, online event.

    RD20 fosters collaboration

    With scientists, engineers and other professionals spread across seven laboratories and multiple fields sites across the country, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) network is vast. But last week, ERDC hosted a virtual symposium – RD20 – with the goal of further connecting researchers scattered in various laboratories and locations throughout the country to enhance the organization’s ability to solve the nation’s toughest engineering challenges.

  • October

    Contractors work build a new sidewalk near the Information Technology Laboratory at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Miss. in September 2020. The work is part of the ERDC Master Plan, developed by the Installation Operations Division with a goal of enhancing quality of life and safety on all ERDC properties.

    Installation Operations Division paves the way for ERDC properties

    Tucked away in a third-floor office suite in the headquarters building, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Installation Support Division (ISD) is charged with making ERDC properties a better and more efficient place for all employees.
  • Honored guests break ground at a ceremony for the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory’s new Climatic Chamber Building in Hanover, New Hampshire on Oct. 16, 2020. (Left to right) #### ####, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District Commander Col. John A. Atilano II, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, CRREL Director Dr. Joseph Corriveau, New England District Project Manager Caitlin Slattery, Colby Company Engineering President Calen Colby and Colby Company Engineering Chief Executive Officer Sarah Emily Colby. The new Climatic Chamber Building will serve as a Material Evaluation Facility, providing a critical means to examine and test extreme cold-weather environments to develop and validate Army field materiel, which is required for Soldier and unit readiness.

    ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory breaks ground for climatic chamber building

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), along with U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New England District broke ground together for CRREL’s new Climatic Chamber Building Oct. 16 at the Hanover, New Hampshire, campus. The Climatic Chamber Building will serve as a Material Evaluation Facility. The facility will provide a critical means to examine and test extreme cold-weather environments to develop and validate Army field materiel, which is required for Soldier and unit readiness.
  • The Advanced Circulation (ADCIRC) model simulation shows maximum water surface elevations along the Texas Coastline during Hurricane Laura using the National Hurricane Center Advisory 23 consensus track shifted left. Researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center are using numerical modeling systems, like ADCIRC, to help U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts better prepare for tropical storms by simulating scenarios to look at the possible storm impacts to district maintained and operated structures.

    ERDC researchers use numerical modeling to assist with hurricane preparations

    As a tropical system approaches the coastline and the intensity and impact of the storm becomes evident, officials and first responders brace for landfall by staging equipment and readying personnel for the aftermath. To assist in these efforts, researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are using numerical modeling systems to help U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) districts better prepare for storms.
  • 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®.

    Collaborating with industry to promote natural infrastructure

    In this episode of the Engineering With Nature® (EWN) Podcast, guests Don McNeill, business development manager for Caterpillar Inc.’s Earthmoving Division and director of the Natural Infrastructure Initiative (NII), and Dr. Mike Donahue, vice president of Water Resources & Environmental Services at AECOM, discuss the need for natural infrastructure solutions.
  • The state of Louisiana constructed two sand berms between 2010 and 2011 to protect the Chandeleur Islands as part of an emergency response plan to mitigate the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Most of the sediment placed in the berms mimicked nearshore beneficial use of dredged material applications that are used for barrier island nourishment and restoration. A study found that sediment was transported onto existing island features or across the island into Chandeleur Sound. The build up and reinforcement of the island ensures its viability as wildlife habitat, making this an excellent example of working with natural processes to produce beneficial results. The effort to create the berms and evaluate them was a collaboration between multiple state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (U.S. Geological Survey photo by Karen Morgan)

    USACE Engineering With Nature Initiative launches new network, partnership

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced a new partnership with the University of Georgia (UGA) to establish the Network for Engineering With Nature (N-EWN). N-EWN was developed to accelerate delivery of nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure in the public and private sectors.
  • U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) ERDC University 2020 graduates, from left, Natural Resource Specialist Jason Knight, Tulsa District, assigned to the ERDC Environmental Laboratory (EL); Cost Civil Engineer Ian Pumo, Seattle District, assigned to EL and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory; Biologist Aaron McFarlane, St. Paul District, assigned to EL; Geologist David Robison, Louisville District, assigned to Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory; and Human Capital Office Director Dr. Gary Anderton. Corps division and district participants

    ERDC University’s virtual graduation honors district participants

    Four presentations highlighted the Sept. 23 virtual ceremony for the Class of 2020 graduates of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) ERDC University, with topics ranging from a comparison of healthy forest soils and those created for restoration projects; Unmanned Aerial Systems’ (UAS) mapping of former river channels’ crossing levees; Engineering With Nature® (EWN) resilience benefits; and extensive data results from forest volume measurements.
  • 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®.

    Protecting fragile coasts and improving community resilience

    In this episode of the new Engineering With Nature® Podcast, guest Monica Chasten, a project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Philadelphia District’s Operations Division, discusses Engineering With Nature (EWN) and her work and collaboration with other scientists and engineers to advance coastal dredging practices and the beneficial use of dredged material.
  • The new Climatic Chamber Building will serve as a Material Evaluation Facility. Completion of this facility will provide a critical means to examine extreme cold weather environments under test conditions necessary to develop and validate Army field materiel which is required for soldier and unit readiness.

    ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory builds Climatic Chamber Facility

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) announced July 9, 2020, that the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) was awarded an Unspecified Minor Military Construction Authority contract to build a Climatic Chamber Facility on the Hanover, New Hampshire, campus.