CoBRA Teams with University of Virginia Students to Develop Dirty Bomb Response Tool for Homeland Defense.Business Editors ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2003 Defense Group Inc. has collaborated with four undergraduates at the University of Virginia to develop a software tool designed for use by public safety personnel responding to terrorist attacks that involve radiological radiological pertaining to radiology. radiological diagnosis see radiological diagnosis. mobile radiological apparatus x-ray machines that can be moved but are not portable because of their weight. contamination. This radiological tool will expand the capabilities of the Chemical Biological Response Aide (CoBRA(R)), software that is in wide use by almost 2,000 first responder first responder First response personnel Emergency medicine A person employed in the public sector–EMT, fire fighter, police, volunteer EMS–whose duties include provision of immediate medical care in the event of an emergency; FRs have basic emergency agencies across the country. The tool addresses terrorist use of hazardous radioactive materials radioactive material Radiation A substance that contains unstable–radioactive–atoms that give off radiation as they decay. See Radioactive decay. in a so-called "dirty bomb," conventional explosives wrapped with radiological waste; a spill of radioactive materials; or an industrial accident involving medical equipment that uses radioactive materials for purposes of diagnosis, measurement, or treatment. "This is an extremely important effort to give first responders the capability they've lacked in an area that represents a significant threat," said Donald Brown Donald E. Brown is an American professor of anthropology (emeritus). He worked at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is best known for his theoretical work regarding the existence, characteristics and relevance of universals of human nature. , chairman of the department of systems engineering at U.Va. "Our students learned a lot about systems engineering, but they also worked on an important project that will benefit society as a whole." The new CoBRA(R) Radiological Tool will enable first responders quickly to analyze the extent of the hazard to the public. The tool uses sophisticated calculation methods developed by the Department of Energy lab at Livermore, Calif., and incorporates exposure guidance developed by radiation health physicists Below is a list of famous physicists. Many of these from the 20th and 21st centuries are found on the list of recipients of the Nobel Prize in physics. A
The CoBRA(R) 'Rad Tool' calculates the downwind down·wind adv. In the direction in which the wind blows. down  wind hazard to exposed personnel, based on the size of the release and the weather conditions at the time of the incident, and predicts the anticipated number of casualties. It also provides emergency response guidelines guidelines,n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. tailored to each incident. The contribution of the fourth-year U.Va. systems engineering students involved designing an intuitive user interface and building the connections between the new tool and the existing CoBRA(R) software. The 'Rad Tool' will soon be available to all current users of CoBRA(R) software. The students will present their "capstone project" -- similar to a senior thesis and required of all graduating systems engineering students at U.Va. -- to the University community on April 25 in Charlottesville. About DGI DGI Direction Générale des Impôts (French: Department of Revenue) DGI Dirección General Impositiva (Argentina) DGI Danske Gymnastik- & Idrætsforeninger (Denmark) DGI Drummond Group Inc. Since 1987, DGI has been assisting government agencies in their response to potential incidents involving biological and chemical agents, nuclear weapons, radiological materials, and conventional explosives. |
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