National Security and Homeland Defense Challenges for the Chemical Sciences in the 21st Century (2002) / Chapter Skim
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3. Specific Challenges
3. Specific Challenges
Pages 18-25
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From page 18... ...
This system would be able to detect chemical and biological residues, and chemical and biological agents in sealed containers. Such a chemical detector could test for residues of weapons or their precursors on the hands of captured enemy soldiers, suspected criminals, suspicious dead bodies, or even airline passengers.
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From page 19... ...
For example, currently tank cars of chemicals that can react with each other to form a hazardous compound may be juxtaposed on trains. The chemical community could create guidelines, though the extra burden on the railroads due to the imposition of those guidelines may not be welcome and thus government regulation and enforcement may be required.
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From page 20... ...
Storage tanks may contain tens of thousands of gallons of flammable or toxic chemicals that can be stolen or released with little effort. Thus far, storage areas and tank farms have not been troublesome, but the potential exists for terrorist actions using such tanks.
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From page 21... ...
For both chemical and biological weapons, the process of molecular recognition by elements of the human body is of utmost importance. However, we do not have a clear understanding of protein surface interactions, the relationship of genes to protein function, and how viruses infect and replicate.
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From page 22... ...
Current intellectual property rules and regulations are hindering the progress of research that could be valuable to national security and homeland defense. One example, the inability to access internal IF, is a large barrier to development of basic scientific principles and related applied technology.
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From page 23... ...
has sponsored over 100 award sites through the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program that promotes cultural changes in education by providing "a fertile environment for collaborative [multidisciplinary] research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries."4 Nevertheless, graduate curricula do not usually reflect the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary nature of research that would impact the technology base, economy, and safety of our society.
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From page 24... ...
; and low-cost, real-time analysis of airborne particles are barriers to widespread monitoring of chemical and biological weapons in public areas. Other obstacles that need to be surmounted by chemists and chemical engineers include improved nanoscale fabrication methods, better microfluidics and macro-microscale interfaces, better highthroughput screening, more efficient heat exchangers, and lighter batteries.
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From page 25... ...
It has been made clear that civilian safety, too, is in jeopardy; hence scientists must become concerned with innovative and improved measures for collective protection (for example, filtration of chemical and biological agents from circulated air)
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