ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - December 2, 2008 – The Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced the 12 winners of the 2008 Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Challenge. Each of these cutting-edge science and technology (S&T) recipients will receive a $100,000 grant to be used toward the continued research and development of specific technological ideas that are projected to improve U.S. Navy and Marine Corps warfighter capabilities.
As part of the competition, eligible candidates were required to submit white papers indicating research aligned with one of the six themes emphasized at the 2008 Naval S&T Partnership Conference: Fighting at Hypervelocity and Light Speed; Next Generation Hull, Propulsion and Power; Dominating the electromagnetic Spectrum; Dominating the Battle in Littorals; Out-Thinking and Out-Adapting the Enemy; and Adaptable Autonomous Systems. Each award-winning submission described a deliverable, research approach and timeline, and outlined how the idea benefits the larger Naval S&T Strategic Plan.
ONR originally planned to award 10 grants of up to $100,000 each, but based on the high caliber of submissions, the CNR Challenge review board selected 12 innovative proposals from the more than 200 submissions that were received on site at the 2008 ONR Naval S&T Partnership Conference.
The 2008 participants focused their ideas on the conference theme, “Sustaining the Edge: Serving the next generation warfighter, now”. The CNR Challenge review board selected awardees from a range of competitors representing both traditional and non-traditional sources, with field experts performing a comprehensive review of each submission.
ONR is pleased to congratulate the following 2008 CNR Challenge award recipients for their innovative research ideas:
- Jae Lew, Mobility and Safety Enhancement of Military Ground Vehicles through Torque Vectoring
- Nathan Hamilton, Applying Advanced Statistical Methods to Complex Social Networks
- T.F. Morse, Efficient Underwater Communications
- Michael Painter, Advanced Spectrum Allocation, Frequency De-confliction, and Scheduling Optimization Decision Support
- Michael Larson, E-Field Cluster Buoy
- F.J. Diez, Novel Thrust Generation and Flow Control Method Using Micro Electro-kinetic Actuator Arrays for Micro-UUVs
- Meng H. Lean, Compact High Throughput Membrane-less Pretreatment for Reverse Osmosis
- Ashok Kumar Ghosh, Ph.D., P.E., A Novel Material for an Adaptive and Stealth Naval Platform
- Brian Teer, Combating Radicalization Analytic Model (CRAM)
- Dr. Jacques Goeller, Protection of Warfighter from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Dr. Geoff Staines, Linear Generator for Directed Energy Weapons
- Dr. Michael Browne, High Power Microwave Directed Energy Threat Warning System
“The large number of great ideas received this year accentuates how ONR is perceived as a leader in the S&T world and as the place to go with good ideas and innovative concepts,” said ONR Director of Innovation Larry Schuette, Ph.D. “The selection of the best ideas was the real challenge and ONR is pleased to invest in those that show promise to directly support building the future Navy and Marine Corps.”
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