Project-of-the-Year Awards Showcase Program Successes

It is with great pride and pleasure that SERDP and ESTCP announce the 2014 Projects of the Year. This year’s awards recognize scientific advances and technological solutions to some of the Department of Defense's (DoD) most significant environmental challenges—

  • assessing the potential impacts of rising sea levels on built and natural infrastructure at coastal military installations
  • performing building energy audits that will inform cost saving efficiency projects
  • using decision support tools and guidance to implement advanced sensors and classification techniques for improved and more cost-effective munitions response
  • distinguishing indoor sources of VOCs from vapor intrusion resulting from contaminated groundwater
  • understanding how contaminants stored in low permeability zones affect source zones and plumes associated with releases of chlorinated solvents
  • overcoming barriers to implementation of alternatives to toxic chrome and cadmium in weapons systems and platforms manufacturing and maintenance.

The findings, approaches, tools, and guidance developed by these projects will help DoD enhance its mission capabilities, improve its environmental and energy performance, and reduce costs.   

SERDP Projects of the Year 

Environmental RestorationBasic Research Addressing Contaminants in Low Permeability ZonesDr. Tom Sale, Colorado State University 

Munitions ResponseDecision Support Tools for Munitions Response Performance Prediction and Risk Assessment Dr. Laurens Beran, Black Tusk Geophysics

Resource Conservation and Climate ChangeShoreline Evolution and Coastal Resiliency at Two Military Installations: Investigating the Potential for and Impacts of Loss of Protecting BarriersDr. Rob L. Evans, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Weapons Systems and PlatformsDesign-of-Experiment Approach to Hydrogen Re-Embrittlement EvaluationMr. Scott M. Grendahl, U.S. Army Research Laboratory 

ESTCP Projects of the Year 

Energy and WaterRapid Building AssessmentMr. Swapnil Shah, FirstFuel Software

Environmental RestorationUse of On-Site Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer and Compound-Specific Stable Isotope Analysis to Distinguish Between Vapor Intrusion and Indoor Sources of VOCsDr. Thomas McHugh, GSI Environmental Inc.

Munitions ResponseHand-Held Electromagnetic Induction Sensor for Cued UXO DiscriminationandMan-Portable Electromagnetic Induction Array for UXO Detection and DiscriminationDr. Dan Steinhurst, Nova Research, Inc.Dr. Tom Bell, LeidosMr. Glenn Harbaugh, Nova Research, Inc.

Weapons Systems and PlatformsElectrodeposition of Nanocrystalline Cobalt-Phosphorus (nCo-P) Coatings as a Hard Chrome AlternativeMr. Ruben A. Prado and Mr. Jack Benfer, Naval Air Systems Command Jacksonville