For Immediate Release
19 October 2007
of PPPL Nuclear Detection System Awarded
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For Immediate Release of PPPL Nuclear Detection System Awarded |
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Plainsboro, New Jersey —In recognition of the DOE Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's successful transfer of the Miniature Integrated Nuclear Detection System (MINDS), the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) Northeast Region recently presented PPPL with the Excellence in Technology Transfer Award.
"I am very pleased that technology we have developed here at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory can be applied to enhance the security of our nation," said PPPL Director Rob Goldston. An anti-terrorism technology, MINDS was developed for detection of the radiation emitted from a nuclear threat, such as a dirty bomb or from dangerous nuclear material. This technology employs a conventional off-the-shelf hardware approach to detecting the nuclear radiation spectrum coupled with an innovative detection scheme. Using a scintillating crystal to detect X-ray and gamma ray radiation, the emitted signal is then coupled to a multi-channel analyzer (MCA) with appropriate amplification. The generated spectra is analyzed in real time by the propriety software developed by PPPL for the identification of specific radionuclides that may be associated with the threat of nuclear terrorism. The analysis is generally done in a laptop or other conventional computing environment. PPPL Technology Transfer Head Lewis Meixler accepted the award on behalf of the Laboratory in September at the FLC Northeast Region meeting in Natick, Mass. The PPPL MINDS team includes Andy Carpe, Bill Davis, Charles Gentile, Steve Langish, Lewis Meixler, Dana Mastrovito, and Kenny Silber. |
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 The MINDS team includes (from left, seated) Bill Davis, Dana Mastrovito, and Andy Carpe; (standing) Steve Langish, Lew Meixler, Charles Gentile, and Kenny Silber. | In 2005, Princeton University signed a licensing agreement with InSitech, a not-for-profit organization that brings government-developed technology to market. "Since we started on the path of developing MINDS for homeland security purposes, the system has been successfully deployed at a major commuter rail station in the northeast, at the Port of Oakland in California, at a U.S. military base, and with an international security company. Currently, plans are underway to employ MINDS algorithms in hand-held detectors that are being developed by SAIC. I find it particularly satisfying that our Laboratory is able to support the country in the current war on terrorism, in parallel with pursuing our primary mission of developing viable fusion energy," said MINDS team head Charles Gentile. |
In the interior of stars, matter is converted into energy by the fusion, or joining, of the nuclei of light atoms to form heavier elements. At PPPL, physicists use a magnetic field to confine plasma. Scientists hope eventually to use fusion energy for the generation of electricity.
The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) is the nationwide network of federal laboratories that provides the forum to develop strategies and opportunities for linking laboratory mission technologies and expertise with the marketplace (http://www.federallabs.org/). ******End****** |
| For further information, please contact: |
Anthony R. DeMeo Head, Information Services Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (609) 243-2755 ademeo@pppl.gov |
Patricia Wieser Information Services Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (609) 243-2757 pwieser@pppl.gov |