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Press Releases Newsletters
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A Year of Milestones and Achievements for PSI
After more than eight years at the helm of Physical Sciences Inc., George Caledonia has retired from the company. As a physicist, Area Manager, Director of Research, President and Chief Executive Officer, George demonstrated that it is indeed possible to be both an outstanding scientist and a superb business executive. During his tenure as CEO, the company has grown and diversified while retaining its core values of technical excellence and exceeding customers' expectations. We are pleased that George will continue to contribute to PSI as a consultant and Director.
Dr. Byron David Green was elected President and Chief Executive Officer of PSI by the Board of Directors at the company's annual meeting. Dave has held multiple technical and management roles, and comes fully prepared for his new assignment. He will be supported by the company's experienced management team. Dave describes his vision of the future in the following article. Message From The President
I am pleased to have been a member of PSI's staff and part of its growth for the last 31 years. We perform basic and applied research, and develop technologies that become mature enough for procurement. We have delivered many sensors to space, into the ocean, to medical devices, and to the factory floor. We have delivered instruments and materials to the largest companies and to some of the smallest. We have delivered items from only a few nanometers to many meters in size. Our business model may appear complex to those outside the company. We often transfer technology to a skilled manufacturer, rather than set up a production facility, so that our staff can then create the next invention. When a partner cannot be found, we create a new company around key PSI personnel. This model continually stimulates our research staff while permitting PSI to remain a resource for national defense, aerospace, health care, and energy programs. We need to create, but we also want to see that creation applied and find uses that benefit our families and our nation. Our employees are our future. Their talents, interests and accomplishments guide our growth. We will remain diverse in our technical skills combining the efforts of scientists and engineers necessary for multidisciplinary projects such as the development of new lasers, the application of novel sensors to improve processes, or the creation of materials that perform with great strength or at high temperatures. PSI has been in existence under seven Presidential administrations. National priorities have changed often, but we have consistently grown over 35 years. While a new President and Congress will bring new priorities, our talented staff will find opportunities to apply their skills to advance America's technology in these new directions. Technical Achievement AwardsPSI's annual Technical Achievement Awards were recently presented in recognition of some of the company's most important technical accomplishments during the past year. David Green, PSI's President and Chief Executive Officer, presented the awards to this year's winners.
Dr. Michael White, Group Leader of the Control and Automation Group, and Jay Rushforth, Project Specialist, received Achievement Awards for their efforts on the Autogrape Aviation Fuel Contamination Monitor, which culminated in its successful First Article Test. They played an essential role in this project through the critical design and a full set of qualification tests to meet the rigorous requirements established by the U.S. Navy.
The successful completion of these tests has led to the certification of the Autogrape for shipboard use; the incorporation of the Autogrape in the Ship's Specification for the next class of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, the CVN 78; and an anticipated order of approximately 40 Autogrape units. Additional orders for use aboard U.S. Coast Guard and Military Sea Lift Command vessels, and in the civilian aviation and energy industries, are also being pursued. This significant technical achievement positions PSI to develop a commercial business to manufacture Autogrape units for both military and civilian use, and has been cited by the U.S. Navy as an SBIR success. Dr. Nicusor Iftimia, Principal Research Scientist, received an Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding work to develop a portable, non-invasive near-infrared technology to detect spreading depression waves in the cortex of subjects with traumatic brain injury. This technology is significant to the U.S. Army for its potential to monitor and improve the health of the increased number of soldiers who survive head injuries on today's battlefield.
In an SBIR Phase 2, we are developing a clinical probe for a compact, portable system that will speed the transition of this important technology to hospitals, and permit treatment of our injured soldiers and other patients who suffer trauma that affects cortical metabolic processes. Nic has also made impressive contributions to the development of fine needle aspiration and Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography. Dr. Donna Smatlak, Principal Research Scientist; Ms. Joy Stafford-Evans, Senior Project Specialist; and Ms. Mary DeLeo, Assistant Contracts Manager, were presented with Achievement Awards in recognition of their great dedication to the successful completion of high energy particle detector programs. PSI has a long history in particle detectors and our team raised performance to a higher level by providing the best possible sensor, balancing the de-mands of our partner, the sponsor, and vendors.
Donna and Mary conducted focused discussions to provide the customer with essential features and eliminate sidetracks. They displayed a clear understanding of the specifications and program goals. When flaws in the existing designs emerged through testing, Joy and Donna moved rapidly to diagnose the failures and create an excellent remedial plan verified through testing. Donna, in a careful analysis of calibration data, revised the onboard algorithms to achieve better performance than on any prior sensor. The team won customer confidence during reviews and completed the project by delivering a sensor on schedule that met specifications and was accepted. As PSI increases its emphasis on deliverable programs, these individuals teach our staff by example how to maintain customer respect and make progress through technical and schedule difficulties. Contract NewsPSI received the following government research contracts: -"Low-energy Particle Spectrometer Radiation Sensor" from the Air Force Research Laboratory -"Solar Thermal System for Oxygen Production from Lunar Regolith-Grouped-Based Demonstration System" from NASA Glenn Research Center -"Composite Case Improvement for Solid Rocket Motors" from the Missile Defense Agency. Upcoming Presentations- M. White, M. Druy, J. Rushforth, J. Glynn and B.D. Green, "From SBIR Phase I to Phase III Fleet Insertion: A Case Study on the Development of an In-Line Fuel Contamination Sensor for the US Navy", NDIA - 9th Annual Science and Engineering Technology Conference, April, 2008, North Charleston, SC. - D. Sonnenfroh, K. Parameswaran, M. Allen, "Diode Laser-based Sensor for High Precision Measurements of Ambient CO2", LACSEA Meeting, March, 2008, St. Petersburg, FL. Editor Donna Lamb lamb@psicorp.com Contributors David Green and Bob Weiss A publication of
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