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Tomorrow at The BRICC | The Doolittle Institute hosts the 2015 Washington, DC Regional Mini-Urban Challenge!

What is Mini Urban Challenge? The Mini-Urban Challenge is a national competition sponsored by Team AFRL and the Doolittle Institute that challenges high school students to design and operate an autonomous “car” using a LEGO® Mindstorms® EV3 kit to successfully navigate through a model city. The event is free and open to the public: http://miniurbanchallenge.com/2014-washington-dc-regional-…/ ‪#‎AirForce‬ ‪#‎STEM‬ ‪#‎Legos‬ ‪#‎Creativity‬ ‪#‎Innovation‬

I am Team AFRL, Monica Allen, Senior Electronics Engineer: "I first get to work with real life problems that are facing the military today. And within that context, I have the freedom to explore my ideas that would provide unique solutions to these real world problems.” ‪#‎WomeninSTEM‬ ‪#‎WomensHistoryMonth‬ ‪#‎Sensors‬

The Doolittle Institute will host the 2015 Washington, DC Regional Mini-Urban Challenge at The BRICC on Saturday, March 21st, from 8-5PM! The Mini-Urban Challenge is a national competition sponsored by Team AFRL and the Doolittle Institute that challenges high school students to design and operate an autonomous “car” using a LEGO® Mindstorms® EV3 kit to successfully navigate through a model city.

This autonomous Lego vehicle challenge is designed to inspire High School students to engage in problems of interest to the United States Air Force. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit http://miniurbanchallenge.com/ ‪#‎AirForce‬ ‪#‎STEM‬ ‪#‎Legos‬ ‪#‎Innovation‬

This week at The BRICC | AFOSR hosts its annual Spring Review for Chemistry & Biological Sciences ‪#‎AirForce‬ ‪#‎BasicResearch‬

Students and professors from the United States Air Force Test Pilot School and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are working together to test the L1 adaptive controller on Calspan’s variable stability Learjet. The HAVE CLASS controlled L1 adaptive stability study is being done as a Test Management Project, the equivalent of a master's degree thesis. The technology for the L1 adaptive controller was first funded by AFOSR, PO: Dr. Fariba Fahroo, and developed in 2004 by University of Illinois professor Naira Hovakimyan and colleague Chengyu Cao. The testing at TPS is the first time the controller has been tested in a manned aircraft. Read the full story at http://1.usa.gov/1MHCjnB ‪#‎AirForce‬ ‪#‎BasicResearch‬ ‪#‎FlightTest‬ ‪#‎Cockpit‬ | Edwards Air Force Base

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) highlighted science at the St. Patrick's Festival Big Day Out! To learn about the contributions of Irish scientists, visit: http://www.askaboutireland.ie/…/science-t…/irish-scientists/ (Ask About Ireland)

Planning to incorporate science into your St. Patrick's Day?
‪#‎HappyStPatricksDay‬ ‪#‎Science‬ ‪#‎STEM‬

‪#‎MissionMonday‬ | Team AFRL's 711th Human Performance Wing is a unique combination of three units: the Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH), the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM) and the Human Systems Integration Directorate (HP). The synergies of combining the ideas, resources and technologies of these units position the 711 HPW as a world leader in the study and advancement of human performance. The Wing's mission is to advance human performance in air, space and cyberspace through research, education and consultation.

Careers at AFRL span the spectrum of science, engineering, and technology: http://www.teamafrl.afciviliancareers.com/
(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Maeson L. Elleman)

It's ‪#‎AwardsSeason‬ for AFOSR-funded researchers

As the vital basic research component of Team AFRL, AFOSR has been funding award-winning researchers from around the world for over six decades and each year more accolades are added to that list. Over the past few months, researchers from across AFOSR's broad portfolio have been selected for numerous awards recognizing their accomplishments and contributions to the United States Air Force and society in general. Click the link below to learn about six recent award winners.

‪#‎Congratulations‬! | ‪#‎AirForce‬ ‪#‎BasicResearch‬

Happy Pi (π) Day! Today, in celebration of International Pi Day, Team AFRL and the Wright Brothers Institute have teamed up to celebrate the most irrational day of the year - Pi Day - with their first Maker Fest, a celebration of DIY technology, electronics and 3D printing projects! The Maker Fest brings together various maker groups to encourage exploration and tinkering as a path to innovation and to inspire future generations to become interested in STEM. ‪#‎PI‬ ‪#‎PiDay‬ ‪#‎STEM‬ ‪#‎Innovation‬

In a new study, Cornell University scientists offer insight on how different “knobs” can change material properties in ways that were previously unexplored or misunderstood. “The ultimate goal is to control electronic and magnetic properties of new materials using various knobs,” said Kyle Shen, associate professor of physics, who led the study. “What you want is to turn one knob, change some parameter, and turn a material from this to that.”

The research was supported by the Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, the Cornell Center for Materials Research, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and AFOSR, PO: Dr. Harold Weinstock, Quantum Electronic Solids. ‪#‎Physics‬

For the mathematicians, trigonometrists, geometrists, and STEM fans out there (or those who love one), Saturday is a momentous occasion that will not occur for another hundred years! At 9:26:53 AM and PM on Saturday, the Date/Time is 3/14/15 9:26:53... representing the value of Pi to 10 digits: 3.141592653 ‪#‎PI‬ ‪#‎PiDay‬

Bio-sensing gives new meaning to 'breaking a sweat'

Team AFRL's 711th Human Performance Wing, Signature Tracking for Optimized Nutrition and Training (STRONG) team, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Cincinnati's Novel Devices Laboratory, have conducted the first successful human trials of a usable sweat sensor prototype, in an exercise lab at Wright-Patterson AFB. Read the full story at http://1.usa.gov/1AgDmmB ‪#‎AirForce‬ ‪#‎Sensors‬

Photo: AFRL researcher, Dr. Joshua Hagen, holds up a sweat sensor prototype. (U.S. Air Force photo by Michele Eaton/88 ABW Public Affairs/Released)

This week at the The BRICC | Dr. Harold Weinstock hosts the Quantum Metaphotonics & Metamaterials MURI 2015 ‪#‎AirForce‬ ‪#‎BasicResearch‬

Breaking Down the BAA | Research proposals are sought for the Quantum Electronic Solids program, managed by Dr. Harold Weinstock. This program focuses on materials that exhibit cooperative quantum electronic behavior. The primary emphasis is on superconductors, metamaterials, and on nanoscopic electronic devices based mainly upon graphene, nanotubes and other forms of carbon with low power dissipation and the ability to provide denser non-volatile memory, logic and/or sensing elements that have the potential to impact future United States Air Force electronic systems.

Interested in AFOSR funding for your innovative research ideas? Visit http://1.usa.gov/13bmYIJ to get started! ‪#‎AirForce‬ ‪#‎BasicResearch‬ ‪#‎Physics‬

I am Team AFRL, Millay Morgan, Principal Investigator for Advanced PNP Tech: "My job is to investigate electronics and computers and space systems so we can put them all together into, usually a satellite in our case, and we can fly those so people can use them when they're out in space.” ‪#‎WomeninSTEM‬ ‪#‎WomensHistoryMonth‬

‪#‎MissionMonday‬ | Team AFRL's Information Directorate points its research vector towards novel and affordable Command, Control, Communications, Cyber and Intelligence (C4I) technologies and continues to be recognized as a national asset and leader in C4I. Their mission is to explore, prototype and demonstrate high-impact, game changing technologies that enable the United States Air Force and Nation to maintain its superior technical advantage.

Careers at AFRL span the spectrum of science, engineering, and technology: http://www.teamafrl.afciviliancareers.com/