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For the last 50 years, the Office of Naval Research has been in the business of guiding the most "imaginative research" * found across the country. Technologies taken for granted today – the cell phone, the Global Positioning System, the laser, the national bone marrow donor program, for example –...

Seeking out new technology or exciting ideas at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global is something of a treasure hunt. Dr. Scott Walper, science director, ONR Global, says the search for innovative projects can take him and his team of program officers all over the world, relying on a bit of luck — or serendipity — to strike gold. But recently, Walper said he and his predecessor for Synthetic Biology at ONR Global, Dr. Patrick Rose, who is now with SPRIND (Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation) had an idea to try something a little different. Walper said, “The thought was we would put out a call for a ‘Serendipity Collective,’ where we would sponsor a workshop and ask people to tell us their craziest ideas”. To attract innovators, the team worked with the company IdeatePlus. Walper said Kevin D'Silva, IdeatePlus CEO, and his team were instrumental in helping develop and manage the event, setting up a web-based platform to crowdsource and push out a social media campaign. The website generated 73 concepts from more than 225 active participants. The information was collected and shared it with a team of experts, including an artist, engineer, scientist and someone from the humanities. The experts scored proposals based on originality and feasibility. Eight teams were then invited to the “Serendipity Collective” held in Berlin in May. From those core concepts, another panel of experts composed of representatives from ONR Global, DEVCOM, the VW (Volkswagen) Foundation and SPRIND picked the ones they wanted to sponsor with an award of $50,000 to kick-start their efforts.

As the global automobile industry considers alternative energy sources to replace the traditional internal combustion engine, Jessie Pacheco, a mail clerk at Camp Pendleton, has been making his rounds to Marines in General Motors (GM) Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).

ONR recently tested two systems designed to improve Marines' marksmanship performance: the Human Performance EcoSystem and the Joint Marksmanship Assessment Package.

The Office of Naval Research is helping students with computer-based applications similar to programs originally designed for Navy recruits.

With guidance from ONR's TechSolutions Program, NAVSEA partnered with NCTRF to design a new steam suit for use on nuclear-powered submarines. The suit currently is being tested during at-sea drills on the USS Toledo.

Structured to pique students´ career interests in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics, the 47th Three Rivers Science and Engineering Fair was hosted, Feb. 19, at the Naval Support Activity Panama City (NSA PC).

On Feb. 28, Navy officials announced the firing of the Navy's first industry-built electromagnetic railgun prototype launcher.

The stuff of Army and Marine Corps boot camp is legendary - mud, grueling marches, hours of, climbing and crawling with the requisite 100-lb pack, through smoke, barbed wire, gun and missile fire, with sweat, little sleep, scanty rations, and punishing, in-your-face "trainers." The culminating final...

ONR recently sponsored a series of STEM workshops, highlighting the science behind prosthetic limbs, for students whose parents are current or former military personnel.