2015 DSP Achievement Award Recipients


Distinguished Achievement Award Winner

Dr. Terrence D’Onofrio (U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC)) -- Invented the contact-based permeation research fixture and methodology which closed a critical gap in protection testing. The Low-Volatility Agent Permeation (LVAP) system is the first contact-based method capable of accurately quantifying the permeation hazard of low-volatility contaminants, such as the chemical nerve agent VX, through clothing and protective equipment.

Standardization Achievement Award Winners

  • Army-led team, with members from the Navy and Air Force, revised MIL-STD-1474 for noise limits. A study revealed that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was spending one billion dollars per year on hearing loss claims. The Office of the Secretary of Defense requested each of the services investigate ways to reduce noise from military equipment to prevent or lessen hearing loss injuries. This cross-service team updated the military standard for noise limits, and as a result of the team’s work, the VA can expect a reduced number of claims related to hearing loss.
    Team members honored include:
    Bruce Amrein, John Mallino, Charles Jokel, Richard McKinley, and Kurt Yankaskas.

  • Navy Team (Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD)) -- Developed a standardized architecture and framework for producing a family of training simulators that replicate the functionality of the U.S. aviation, submarine, and surface ship tactical systems. This standardized framework can be used to produce photo-realistic weapon systems in a simulated 3D™ environment. The new Multipurpose Reconfigurable Training System (MRTS) 3D™ represents a significant step forward in low-cost, high-fidelity, tactical equipment and sets the standard for future trainers.
    Team members honored include:
    David Thomas, Darrell Conley, Bill Zeller, Khoa Vu, and Christopher Freet.

  • Navy Team (Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center, Pacific) -- Determined that a standard 400 Hertz converter produced for the Army could replace the problematic 400 Hertz converter used in the Navy’s AN/FPN-63 (V) Precision Approach Radar (PAR). PAR is the Navy and Marine Corps’ fixed-base primary approach aid used during conditions of poor visibility to provide radar guidance to an aircraft on final approach. Upon successful completion of testing the standard Army converter, the Navy made some refinements in order to handle overload conditions that would be beneficial for all services using the device. As a result, the electronics and programming of the new 400 Hertz converter is identical between the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps version, saving money and increasing component availability.
    Team members honored include:
    Richard Gunn, Stephen Cox, Terry Stockton, and Erin Yakes

  • Air Force Team -- Developed MIL-STD-3050, Aircraft Crew Breathing System Using On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) in response to a number of hypoxia like incidents due to OBOGS requirements not being consistently applied. The Air Force—along with the Navy and aerospace industry—developed the standard to cover the design, integration, certification, and sustainment requirements for aircraft crew breathing systems using an OBOGs. MIL-STD-3050 will now prevent inconsistent application of life support system critical items that include an OBOGS.
    Team members honored include:
    George Miller, Jose Ubinas, and Madeleine Istvan

  • John Bonitatibus (Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime) -- Developed a new performance specification (MIL-PRF-32535) and 10 specification sheets, covering Extended Range Surface Mount Ceramic Chip Capacitors for High Reliability and Standard Reliability applications. It is conservatively estimated the new specification will preclude 50 non-standard parts each year for the next five years and will result in a cost avoidance of $1.4 million annually.

  • Defense Information Systems Agency Team -- Replaced the legacy managed service, Defense Connect Online (DCO), with a collaboration service that features a modular open-standards architecture (MOSA). Defense Collaboration Services (DCS) is an integrated solution based on mature open source web conferencing software, and XMPP-based chat software. These services provide a modular suite of software components that make use of open standards to provide interoperability and reduce costs.
    Team members honored include:
    Deepak Seth, Bruce Watkins, Jay Chung, Brian Fuchs, and Steven Crum