Dr. David Young and Dr. Brandan Scully from the U.S....

Leveraging the unique robotic capabilities and facilities at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, part of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, engineers are working on a basic research project aimed at lightening Soldier loads and reducing the amount of personnel and machinery needed for down-range missions. The project, which goes by the acronym Co3MaNDR, uses a series of cable-driven robots that work together to reduce the lifting burden on front line military personnel, ultimately allowing distributed robotic systems to conduct complex military and maintenance efforts under the control of a single operator. Using a series of modules mounted on robotic platforms, Soldiers could potentially handle heavier equipment more easily, endure repetitive lifting tasks longer, or even coordinate heavy equipment near front lines from a remote location. To learn more about the mission and development of Co3MaNDR, watch this video.

The U.S. Army Engineer and Research Development Center (ERDC) broke ground recently on its new Permafrost Tunnel Operations Facility, a 4,300 square-foot building that will contribute to significant advances in permafrost engineering and geotechnical research. The facility will be built adjacent to the CRREL Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fox, Alaska. Expected to be completed in November 2025, it will house a laboratory with cold storage and a three-dimensional permafrost test bed, as well as office and meeting space, a visitor briefing area, and garage work and maintenance space.

Is a summer camp for future Engineers and Scientist. Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science.

The innovative team at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) hosted CERLCon24 – short for CERL Connection – recently. Featuring more than 80 presentations, posters and technical sessions, CERLCon aimed to foster critical connections between the laboratories world-class branches and teams. The three-day event brought together the CERL research and support community and built upon the foundation of collaboration built during CERLCon23, the first such event for the laboratory located in Champaign, Illinois. This video, which highlighted many of the laboratory’s facilities, capabilities, and talented and diverse workforce, kicked off the week’s festivities.

Researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are working in support of ERDC’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management Program to better inform efficient and economic dam safety monitoring by studying how the use of fully grouted vibrating wire piezometers compares to traditional methods. The geotechnical community has promoted fully grouted vibrating wire piezometer installations over conventional piezometers because of their ability to successfully monitor multiple zones within the same borehole. This method also requires fewer drilled holes, resulting in a reduced overall drilling cost. To accomplish their data collection, ERDC researchers worked in collaboration with the USACE Nashville District, which provided the test site, and the USACE Savannah District, which provided drilling equipment and expertise.

Researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are working in support of ERDC’s Flood and Coastal Risk Management Program to better inform efficient and economic dam safety monitoring by studying how the use of fully grouted vibrating wire piezometers compares to traditional methods. The geotechnical community has promoted fully grouted vibrating wire piezometer installations over conventional piezometers because of their ability to successfully monitor multiple zones within the same borehole. This method also requires fewer drilled holes, resulting in a reduced overall drilling cost. To accomplish their data collection, ERDC researchers worked in collaboration with the USACE Nashville District, which provided the test site, and the USACE Savannah District, which provided drilling equipment and expertise.

The U.S. Navy has leveraged the unique research and technical capabilities of the U.S. Army Watercraft and Ship Simulator, based at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), to advance and support a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Calling upon the unique combination of high-tech simulators and world-class computer and hydrological engineers at ERDC, the Navy is testing whether port facilities in the South Pacific region can accommodate today’s larger naval vessels and supply ships.

Lake Altoona, Wisconsin, faces a critical threat from sedimentation that could potentially turn it into a marsh within 20-30 years. Traditional dredging solutions have raised economic and environmental concerns for the Lake Altoona community. Researchers with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District are working with the Lake Altoona District to test a bedload sediment collector that could offer an economical and environmentally sustainable option for this ongoing challenge. Watch the full implementation study video to learn how this innovative solution could be a game-changer for Lake Altoona and other similar environments.

Lake Altoona, Wisconsin, faces a critical threat from sedimentation that could potentially turn it into a marsh within 20-30 years. Traditional dredging solutions have raised economic and environmental concerns for the Lake Altoona community. Researchers with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District are working with the Lake Altoona District to test a bedload sediment collector that could offer an economical and environmentally sustainable option for this ongoing challenge. Watch the full implementation study video to learn how this innovative solution could be a game-changer for Lake Altoona and other similar environments.

Saint Croix Island, a 6.5-acre uninhabited island, holds immense historical significance. Managed by the National Park Service (NPS) as an International Historic Site under a formal agreement with Parks Canada and in consultation with the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the island has faced substantial erosion over the centuries, endangering its original ‘habitation’ footprint and the ancient cemetery where 35 French settlers are buried. Recognizing the island’s archaeological and historic significance, the workshop aimed to explore NBS alternatives that would work effectively for this unique site. The project partners, led by the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) program, are committed to understanding and harnessing the potential of nature-based solutions to protect the island from further erosion and preserve its cultural heritage. Learn more about Engineering With Nature® in Cold Regions at, https://ewn.erdc.dren.mil/research/project/developing-and-optimizing-multi-dimensional-nnbf-and-ewn-strategies-that-endure-cold-region-environments/.

Dr. Robert Moser and Dr. Zack McClelland from the U.S....

Researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) along with Association of Maryland Pilots performed virtual simulation tests on a bypass channel around the Francis Scott Key Bridge accident site using the Ship/Tow Simulator located at the ERDC’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory in Vicksburg, Miss. As part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ERDC is assisting in the Unified Command’s Francis Scott Key Bridge Response mission by utilizing their real-time ship simulators to analyze methods of transporting imports and allowing cargo ships to move commerce in and out of Baltimore Harbor. (Video by: Desiree Kapler, Tim Reeves)

Nature is the ultimate designer, and incorporating nature-inspired designs into coastal infrastructure can provide maximum resilience, as well as economic, environmental and social benefits. However, doing so has been difficult because of constraints in traditional manufacturing. Rapid advancements in additive manufacturing and pioneering research by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have opened new possibilities. Looking to capitalize, a team at ERDC is studying how 3D-printing can create geometrically complex structures needed to mimic nature. As an added first-time innovation, this Engineering With Nature® project beneficially uses dredged material as feedstock for the printers, turning a waste material into a valuable resource and helping the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reach its goal to beneficially use 70 percent of dredged material by the year 2030. For more information about the project, visit ewn.erdc.dren.mil/research/project/removing-artificial-from-artificial-habitats-3d-printing-natural-materials-to-unlock-complex-nature-inspired-infrastructure/.

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), along with their partners, developed and deployed innovative numerical simulation and probabilistic analysis methods to better quantify hurricane storm surge flooding. This effort culminated in the development of the Coastal Hazards System (CHS), a national-scale, multi-agency initiative that provides accurate, robust, and consistent quantification of coastal storm hazards along U.S. coastlines and other locations of interest to national security. Data from the CHS can be used for various applications in support of USACE’s Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM), Flood Risk Management (FRM), and Navigation (NAV) missions, including coastal engineering design, risk assessment, and inundation mapping. USACE coastal projects, federal research and development initiatives, flood-risk mapping, and emergency management activities all use CHS storm data to plan, design, and ascertain risk. These activities are supported by high-resolution numerical modeling and cutting-edge machine learning analyses. Additionally, the CHS has led to an improved understanding of complex coastal storm processes by federal, state, and local governments, and the public at large.

Millions of acres of surface water nationwide are infested with non-indigenous, problem-causing aquatic plants like Eurasian watermilfoil, hydrilla and yellow floating heart. These plants, with no natural enemies in the United States, can be detrimental to our aquatic ecosystems – interfering with navigation, flood control, hydropower production and waterborne recreation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) faces this challenge daily in the management of more than 5.5-million surface acres of water at its reservoir and navigation projects across the United States. Aquatic plant management in the U.S. costs millions annually to USACE districts and states, primarily through herbicide application. However, other solutions are being explored by USACE’s Aquatic Plant Control Research Program. The Aquatic Plant Control Research Program has been leveraging the expertise and world-class facilities of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in the development of management strategies for these non-indigenous aquatic plants. To gain knowledge of these plant species, ERDC’s researchers have fostered international collaborations with partners across the globe. These partnerships are instrumental in gathering year-round data. Their latest effort has taken them to South Korea in the search for a suitable biological control agent for Yellow Floating Heart. Watch to learn more.

Millions of acres of surface water nationwide are infested with non-indigenous, problem-causing aquatic plants like Eurasian watermilfoil, hydrilla and yellow floating heart. These plants, with no natural enemies in the United States, can be detrimental to our aquatic ecosystems – interfering with navigation, flood control, hydropower production and waterborne recreation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) faces this challenge daily in the management of more than 5.5-million surface acres of water at its reservoir and navigation projects across the United States. Aquatic plant management in the U.S. costs millions annually to USACE districts and states, primarily through herbicide application. However, other solutions are being explored by USACE’s Aquatic Plant Control Research Program. The Aquatic Plant Control Research Program has been leveraging the expertise and world-class facilities of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in the development of management strategies for these non-indigenous aquatic plants. To gain knowledge of these plant species, ERDC’s researchers have fostered international collaborations with partners across the globe. These partnerships are instrumental in gathering year-round data. Their latest effort has taken them to South Korea in the search for a suitable biological control agent for Yellow Floating Heart. Watch to learn more.

If a critical part breaks in the arctic, or other similarly remote and austere environments, forward-deployed warfighters can’t just order a replacement on the internet and have it shipped overnight. But what if they could manufacturer it onsite themselves? That was the premise behind the Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program’s first-of-its-kind Point of Need Manufacturing Challenge, held December 4-8, at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire. The event showcased technologies generated by member companies of the Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Six projects, selected for funding in March by ManTech and DoD expert judges, used the event to demonstrate that their systems could be deployed in a cold weather environment to help close supply chain gaps and enable warfighters to manufacture and utilize critical equipment right where they need it. “Material performance in the cold is different,” said Dr. Steven Wax, acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. “We must understand this to adapt to support current operations.” According to Stephen Luckowski, an advanced manufacturing associate at the Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, CRREL was selected by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense to host the event because of the unique capabilities that exist at the laboratory. “The cold temperature capabilities at minus-60 degrees emulate the environments that we believe we will see in operations around the world,” Luckowski said. “This is a unique capability in the United States, and the only place where we could actually execute this type of work.” One of the industry participants, Anusha Iyer, CEO and founder of Vienna, Virginia-based Corsha, said the opportunity to work in such extreme cold temperatures was invaluable. “It’s been an incredible experience being able to come here and do this exercise at CRREL and really simulate that our platform can work at these kinds of extreme, austere temperatures and environments, and make sure that we’re putting in place technologies and solutions for the warfighter that will help them at point of need,” said Iyer, whose team demonstrated a platform that manages cybersecurity challenges presented by point-of-need manufacturing. “It’s only when you come into these types of settings that you see the unique constraints — everything that you take for granted sitting in an office or sitting in a secure data center that’s warmed up and continually connected — it’s a totally different playing field when you come into an environment like this. Everything from connectivity to cabling, to environmental constraints, are what we are solving for, and it’s great to do it in a live environment like this.” Defense officials from allied partner nations joined senior leaders and general officers from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services, defense agencies and the National Guard to witness manufacturing demonstrations in extreme cold temperatures. Wax was joined by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Deputy Commanding General Brigadier General David Trybula and DoD ManTech Director Tracy Frost in attending the event and interacting with and congratulating the developers on their accomplishments advancing the defense technologies to meet the warfighters’ needs. The event allowed CRREL’s scientists and engineers to demonstrate the laboratory’s capabilities and forge important relationships with defense industry and DoD personnel. “Hosting the Point of Need Challenge provided an opportunity for the CRREL community of scientists and engineers to not only support a significant DoD technology demonstration, but also to connect with, and develop, new partnerships with the larger DoD community of stakeholders,” said Dr. Joseph Corriveau, director of CRREL. “Through these partnerships our ultimate goal is to work together on tomorrow’s challenges, today.” Those new partnerships have already begun to pay dividends, according to Dr. Orian Welling, chief of CRREL’s Force Projection and Sustainment Branch. “Since the event, I’ve talked to several researchers who’ve been invited to engage on numerous topics, including participating in events this winter with SOCOM, holding trainings for our staff in Picatinny, and collaborating with researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and Natick Soldier Center,” said Welling. The projects covered three challenges — the Warfighter Medical, Health and Nutrition Challenge; the Staying in the Fight Challenge; and the Cyber Challenge — and were assessed in real time by Soldiers, Marines, National Guardsmen and engineers. ManTech will invest nearly $2.5 million, while industry partners will contribute nearly $700,000 in cost share.

The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) takes on highly interdisciplinary research areas that are of critical importance to military operations. ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory is at the forefront of research that’s supporting the Department of Defense’s Arctic Strategy and capabilities in areas such as mobility and extreme cold weather operations. To better help the military achieve mission success in the Arctic’s extreme environment, ERDC has been focused on the region’s primary challenge, ice. An interdisciplinary team of researchers is now engaged in studying the material properties of ice -- examining it as both an adversary and a resource, with the objective of advancing force projection and force protection capabilities in Arctic regions. Watch to learn more.