Technologically Speaking

This week on Tech Speak, we sit down with S&T program manager Norman Speicher to discuss the urgent need for interoperability standards in response to the increasing effects of climate change—think floods or wildfires. Much of the response and recovery information that is gathered by flood sensors, wildfire sensors, and local agencies exists in unique and proprietary formats. Interoperability stan...

This mini episode takes us to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey as S&T and its National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) field test a promising new gunshot detection system with law enforcement. Direct responder feedback is critical to S&T’s research and development process, ensuring that the final technology is something that not only meets their operational needs but ult...

This Tech Speak mini episode takes you inside the recent National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) Urban Operational Experimentation (OpEx) event held in New York City in July 2022. Hear from NUSTL Director Alice Hong and Test Lead Bhargav Patel about why S&T hosts the event and why it is so critical to engage industry in first responder R&D. You’ll also hear from two responders direct...

This Tech Speak mini episode brings you to the Maryland State Police Training Academy for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the “Advanced Open/Obstructed Test Proctor Course for Evaluating Drone Capabilities and Remote Pilot Proficiency.” This training is based on standardized test methods developed by S&T and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The course consists of inexpensi...

On this episode of Tech Speak, join S&T in Harbison State Forest, South Carolina, as we test a newly designed respirator tailored to help wildland firefighters breathe easier. These firefighters must travel light and work long days in remote conditions with little to no respiratory protection. They not only battle smoke, dust and flames, but also the hazardous respiratory risks that can come with...

This Tech Speak mini episode offers a front row seat to a tech demonstration of counter-improvised explosive device (IED) technologies. Travel to the Charlie Demolition Range at Marine Corps Base Quantico and follow along as S&T’s Research and Prototyping for IED Defeat (RAPID) program has a blast partnering up with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). RAPID Program Manager Bill Stout was th...

This Tech Speak mini episode gives you a unique inside perspective on our 2022 Biometrics Tech Rally. Listen as Arun Vemury, program manager in the Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Biometrics and Identity Technology Center, explains what a ‘Tech Rally’ is, the challenges being addressed by the Rally, and the focus of this year’s event. Arun also gives a demonstration of the facial recogn...

This Tech Speak mini episode lets you know exactly what the First Responder Resource Group (FRRG) is with a refresher from Paul McDonagh, former Seattle Assistant Police Chief and current S&T First Responder Portfolio Manager. You’ll discover why it’s so important to S&T innovation priorities and how it influences the research and development process. You’ll also hear directly from current FRRG me...

In this very special bonus episode, hosts John Verrico and Deepak Saini are joined by S&T’s new Under Secretary, Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov. He has previously served at the U.S. Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration and is eager to now put his leadership and scientific background to use guiding S&T into its 20th year and beyond. Dimitri, as he prefers his colleagues call him,...

Host John Verrico is joined by Richard “Rik” Legault, PhD, who serves as Senior Advisor for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences for S&T’s Social Sciences Technology Center (SS-TC). Discover all that SS-TC does to support programs and inform policies across S&T by conducting assessments, analyzing risk, evaluating success, and more. Rik helps recontextualize the Department of Homeland Securit...

Technologically Speaking host John Verrico sits down with Matthew Moe, Program Manager of the Probabilistic Analysis for National Threats Hazards and Risks, or PANTHR, program. Matthew recounts getting the call to study the virus that causes COVID-19, making discoveries about the effect of sunlight and ultraviolet on the disease, and sponsoring research to get answers quickly. Tune in to hear why...

Technologically Speaking has a sobering and important conversation about preparing for chemical and biological contamination. Whether it’s intentional or unintentional, the impact of such an event would be staggering. S&T exists, in part, to research and test tools for complex cleanup scenarios that require acting quickly, efficiently and with confidence that hazardous material, like anthrax, is d...

With the help of Program Manager Guy Hartsough, our host John Verrico sniffs out the many ways S&T’s Detection Canine Program improves counter-IED (improvised explosive device) efforts. You’ll learn about the hard science behind the “art” of working with dogs and appreciate all that goes into turning a potential pet into a sophisticated tool for national security. You’ll find out what makes for a...

Host Dee Saini chats with Office of Science and Engineering program manager Sridhar Kowdley about testing technology in the New Mexico desert at JamX 2022, a field exercise where S&T evaluated tactics and technologies that help responders better deal with electronic jamming. Listen in as Sridhar discusses what jamming is and gives a rare inside look into the JamX exercise—including what it’s like...

Host John Verrico sits down with Arun Vemury, program manager in the Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Biometrics and Identity Technology Center, to discuss facial recognition performance and fairness. They dive into how the technology works, how it has changed over time, current challenges and biases and what S&T is doing to overcome them. Arun and John also touch on whether facial recog...

Technologically Speaking host Dee Saini is joined by Byung Hee Kim who shares how her time in the military prepared her for her current role as S&T’s Response and Defeat Operations Support (REDOPS) program manager. Tune in to this episode as Byung Hee takes us back to her childhood in South Korea and shares both the journey that led her to work on counter-IED (improvised explosive device) efforts...

Unless you don’t eat, our flagship episode covers a topic that affects us all—food defense. This wide-ranging and enthralling episode, hosted by S&T’s John Verrico, features Jessica Cox, Program Manager for Chemical Threat Characterization at the Chemical Security Analysis Center. Jessica kicks off the first season of the podcast, delving into food safety vs. food defense (hint: they aren’t the sa...