Collaborators exploding with pride at center's 10th

Friday, June 19, 2009

Click here to enlarge this photo Photo by THAI Q. NGUYEN, UMD PHOTO SERVICES Center for Energetic Concepts Development celebrates its 10-year anniversary. CECD faculty, students, alumni, NSWC officials and invited guests gathered for the occasion. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

The Center for Energetic Concepts Development, a collaboration between the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division and the University of Maryland, celebrated its 10th anniversary May 28.

CECD faculty, students, alumni, NSWC officials and guests gathered at the Inn and Conference Center on the University of Maryland campus to celebrate.

Among the guests were state officials Chancellor William E. Kirwan, Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton (D-Charles), Del. John L. Bohanan Jr. (D-St. Mary's), NSWC Technical Director Steve Mitchell and Indian Head Division's Technical Director Robert Gates. U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) was represented by Dick Myers.

During its 10 years, the CECD has signed two five-year cooperative agreements with IHDIV for a total of $8.9 million in CECD research covering 130 technical projects conducted by 52 scientists and engineers from IHDIV and 31 faculty and researchers from the University of Maryland.

The CECD has also forged close ties with Southern Maryland.

In 2004, the CECD formalized the Southern Maryland Development Initiative for Energetic Capability and signed a memorandum of understanding with IHDIV and the College of Southern Maryland.

In 2006, the CECD played a key role in establishing the Energetics Technology Center in La Plata. From 2003 to 2008, the University of Maryland awarded 26 master's degrees and 11 doctorate degrees supported by CECD funds and free tuition provided by the University of Maryland.

Davinder K. Anand, the center director, opened the event.

"We celebrate our 10th birthday with great pride and considerable amount of satisfaction," he said in a press release.

"We have a decade of solid achievements and contributions in science and technology related to energetics and at having established a good and mutually valuable relationship with the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head. As we celebrate the past decade we are eager to face the challenges of the ensuing decade."

Other speakers included Kirwan, Middleton, Mary Lacey and Mitchell. Their remarks were followed by technical presentations by CECD professor Don L. DeVoe on "Nanotechnologies for Trace Explosives Detection," professor Satyandra K. Gupta on the "Role of Virtual Environments in Design and Training," Darrin Z. Krivitsky on "Lean Manufacturing" and professor James Short on "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury."

Lunch speakers included Bohanan, professor Millard Firebaugh and Myers.