WHO:: Dr. Rebekah Wilson
While attending graduate school, I started working with the Army Corps of Engineers developing sensor platforms. After obtaining my PhD in Analytical Chemistry, I took a post doc position with the Army Corps continuing my work on sensor platforms and surface analysis which led to a permanent federal position. In 2015, I was offered the opportunity to use my expertise and accepted the offer to fulfill the position left vacant when the director of the Paint Technology Center retired. While continuing to focus on our testing facility, I am initiating a basic research program within the Paint Technology Center to develop new and innovative coatings to fit the needs of the Army.
TITLE::Director, Paint technology Center, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) U.S. Army Construction, Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL).
MISSION::Our mission is to prove support and consulting services in matters relating to paint, protective coatings, cathodic protection and other methods of mitigating corrosion for civil works and military construction and maintenance, including research and development, formulation and testing of protective coatings and corrosion control; conducting educational programs for the Corps personnel and others in and paint and coatings corrosion control and providing technical support.
Tell us a little about your technology/science. We have a strong team dedicated to the development and testing of new/innovative coatings for the use of the Army Corp. We are dedicated to our customers to provide quality coatings and expertise.
My role is a lead PI; to help develop and implement research ideas which will advance the corrosion field while directing the routine paint testing facility
What is the goal/mission of this technology/science and what do you hope it will achieve? We are hope to continue to provide quality service; aiding others to continue to provide quality products. We also hope to develop newer technologies that would allow for coatings possessing a longer life span while being environmentally responsible.
In your own words, what is it about this technology/science that makes it so significant?
Corrosion costs A LOT!!! These funds can be used for other things if paints and coatings have longer lifespans. Our job is to provide the best coating system for the application
How could you use this technology/science to aid the military or help with military missions?
This technology is used on the civil works side of things on locks and dams as well as on military installations. Successful coating jobs mean less down town, less recoating/maintenance work, and less corrosion leading to military dollars being spent on what is really important, the warfighter.
What do you think is the most impressive/beneficial thing about this technology/science and why?The most beneficial aspect of the Paint Technology Center is our ability to support the field. We get painting and service preparation questions from around the country and serving as the Center of Expertise, we are here to answer them with decades of experience accompanied by cutting edge research on new technologies. Corrosion costs the DoD billions of dollars each year, and by using coatings as barrier protection, we can greatly reduce these costs. By interacting with the field, we get firsthand knowledge of the problems that the field is facing and can then address them in our research proposals to help find solutions. Another important responsibility of the Paint Technology Center is to maintain the Painting: Hydraulic Structures Guide Spec (UFGS 09 97 02). The Paint Technology Center also runs a Quality Assurance (QA) Paint Testing program that tests hundreds of batches of paint each year. By doing small scale testing, we can uncover failures on small laboratory coupons instead of large steel structures in the field.
What got you interested in this field of study? I love chemistry and every technology has a chemical basis. It was exciting when a new challenge came up to use my skills in a unique way in the Paint Technology Center. My dad has been a painter for over 30 years so I find it intriguing to now be working on the science that I have been exposed to my entire life.
Are you working on any other projects right now?
We have Civil Works funding to look at our vinyl resins in great depth in collaboration with the Bureau of Reclamation. Vinyls are our go-to coating for impacted immersion service and out perform any other coatings in this application. Unfortunately, the coatings are high in volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) making them an environmental concern. The use of vinyls is justified as over the lifetime of the vinyl coating (which can be over 50 years), the total VOCs is less that multiple coating jobs using a lower VOC coating. As regulations continue to get stricter, there may come a day when these are no longer available for use. When this time comes, the Paint Technology Center needs to be ready with a substitute that performs at the same caliber. We are doing a multi-year project to really dig into why the vinyl coating works so well, and to determine if any other coating can be formulated to mimic the performance but with less environmental concerns.
We also are initiating new basic research program within our lab to develop innovative coatings and techniques.
If you could go anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?
If could go anywhere in time and space I would choose to travel to the moon. I think it would be such an incredible perspective to have.
from Armed with Science http://ift.tt/1UyB7Ku
WHO:: Dr. Rebekah Wilson
While attending graduate school, I started working with the Army Corps of Engineers developing sensor platforms. After obtaining my PhD in Analytical Chemistry, I took a post doc position with the Army Corps continuing my work on sensor platforms and surface analysis which led to a permanent federal position. In 2015, I was offered the opportunity to use my expertise and accepted the offer to fulfill the position left vacant when the director of the Paint Technology Center retired. While continuing to focus on our testing facility, I am initiating a basic research program within the Paint Technology Center to develop new and innovative coatings to fit the needs of the Army.
TITLE::Director, Paint technology Center, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) U.S. Army Construction, Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL).
MISSION::Our mission is to prove support and consulting services in matters relating to paint, protective coatings, cathodic protection and other methods of mitigating corrosion for civil works and military construction and maintenance, including research and development, formulation and testing of protective coatings and corrosion control; conducting educational programs for the Corps personnel and others in and paint and coatings corrosion control and providing technical support.
Tell us a little about your technology/science. We have a strong team dedicated to the development and testing of new/innovative coatings for the use of the Army Corp. We are dedicated to our customers to provide quality coatings and expertise.
My role is a lead PI; to help develop and implement research ideas which will advance the corrosion field while directing the routine paint testing facility
What is the goal/mission of this technology/science and what do you hope it will achieve? We are hope to continue to provide quality service; aiding others to continue to provide quality products. We also hope to develop newer technologies that would allow for coatings possessing a longer life span while being environmentally responsible.
In your own words, what is it about this technology/science that makes it so significant?
Corrosion costs A LOT!!! These funds can be used for other things if paints and coatings have longer lifespans. Our job is to provide the best coating system for the application
How could you use this technology/science to aid the military or help with military missions?
This technology is used on the civil works side of things on locks and dams as well as on military installations. Successful coating jobs mean less down town, less recoating/maintenance work, and less corrosion leading to military dollars being spent on what is really important, the warfighter.
What do you think is the most impressive/beneficial thing about this technology/science and why?The most beneficial aspect of the Paint Technology Center is our ability to support the field. We get painting and service preparation questions from around the country and serving as the Center of Expertise, we are here to answer them with decades of experience accompanied by cutting edge research on new technologies. Corrosion costs the DoD billions of dollars each year, and by using coatings as barrier protection, we can greatly reduce these costs. By interacting with the field, we get firsthand knowledge of the problems that the field is facing and can then address them in our research proposals to help find solutions. Another important responsibility of the Paint Technology Center is to maintain the Painting: Hydraulic Structures Guide Spec (UFGS 09 97 02). The Paint Technology Center also runs a Quality Assurance (QA) Paint Testing program that tests hundreds of batches of paint each year. By doing small scale testing, we can uncover failures on small laboratory coupons instead of large steel structures in the field.
What got you interested in this field of study? I love chemistry and every technology has a chemical basis. It was exciting when a new challenge came up to use my skills in a unique way in the Paint Technology Center. My dad has been a painter for over 30 years so I find it intriguing to now be working on the science that I have been exposed to my entire life.
Are you working on any other projects right now?
We have Civil Works funding to look at our vinyl resins in great depth in collaboration with the Bureau of Reclamation. Vinyls are our go-to coating for impacted immersion service and out perform any other coatings in this application. Unfortunately, the coatings are high in volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) making them an environmental concern. The use of vinyls is justified as over the lifetime of the vinyl coating (which can be over 50 years), the total VOCs is less that multiple coating jobs using a lower VOC coating. As regulations continue to get stricter, there may come a day when these are no longer available for use. When this time comes, the Paint Technology Center needs to be ready with a substitute that performs at the same caliber. We are doing a multi-year project to really dig into why the vinyl coating works so well, and to determine if any other coating can be formulated to mimic the performance but with less environmental concerns.
We also are initiating new basic research program within our lab to develop innovative coatings and techniques.
If you could go anywhere in time and space, where would you go and why?
If could go anywhere in time and space I would choose to travel to the moon. I think it would be such an incredible perspective to have.
from Armed with Science http://ift.tt/1UyB7Ku
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