Biotechnology to aide in
military
By Ian Clift
Summer Reporter
Experts brought together from around the nation
by the National Research Council and the Board on Army Science and Technology
released a report on June 20, which highlighted the potential
use of biotechnology in Army defense.
Michael Ladisch, professor of agricultural and
biological engineering at Purdue, was chosen to chair the 16-member
committee.
Some of the areas addressed in the 27 page report
entitled, "Opportunities in Biotechnology for Future Army Applications,"
were biotechnology's impacts on food safety, information storage, computer
chip technology, detection of illness and innovative fuel sources.
Ladisch, a member of the national academy of engineering,
said that the committee was formed to answer questions about the industry.
"We gathered and published information," he said. "We came up with what
the trends will be in biotechnology."
The primary sponsor for this project was the assistant
secretary of the army for acquisition, said associate director of the
Board on Army Science and Technology Michael Clarke.
"We do studies for the government, but are independent
of the government." He said that the council does not have to accept
the studies they are asked to do, but do so on an unbiased and voluntary
basis.
"The Army hasn't done a lot in biotechnology and
that is why we did the report," said Clarke.
The board is responsible for releasing a report
every year or so, said Clarke. "Next year, it's going to be uninhabited
ground vehicles." This year's report was conducted over a period of15
months.
Ladisch said that the biotechnology field is moving
fast. "The Army should try to establish a cadre of experts, both military
and civilian, knowledgeable in both biology and engineering," he said.
"So that they could advise the Army on how new advances would impact
the Army."
Clarke said that he wanted to thank Purdue University.
We choose a lot of our committee members from Purdue, he said, "We think
a lot of the people there."
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