DSO Overview

1. Good morning and welcome to the first of the technical sessions here at DARPATech 
99.  I will provide you with a brief overview of the breadth of the Defense Sciences 
Office and then you will hear in depth from several program managers.  You will hear 
both about some of the exciting efforts going on within our Office as well as several of 
the new directions that we are pursuing.

2. The philosopher Confucius once said: “If a man does not give thought to problems 
which are still distant, he will be worried by them when they come nearer.”

I view our role as “technology nurturing and technology harvesting” -- looking out into 
the future and identifying immature technologies which we believe will have a significant 
impact on the Department of Defense and turning them into a reality sooner rather than 
later. Our charter is purposefully broad and we put no bounds on the technical fields that 
we might pursue.

3. In order to accomplish this mission, program managers must be true “techno-scouts,” 
always on the prowl for the next miracle that might make a difference to our national 
defense.  In some cases we catalyze the creation of new technologies so that others may 
bring them to fruition.  In other cases, we work very closely with the military and 
intelligence communities and have brought technologies to the point of acquisition.

The Defense Sciences Office is the most technically diverse office here at DARPA.  The 
backgrounds of our program managers range from chemistry, physics, and materials 
science to engineering, mathematics, and biology and medicine. Since many of the most 
innovative approaches to problem solving do not fit neatly into a single field, our Office 
focuses on both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary efforts.  In order to bring together 
the expertise of such a diverse group of experts, we rely heavily on teaming between 
universities, Service and federal laboratories, small businesses and large industries.

4. As outlined in Dr. Fernandez’s overview, the work of the program managers in the 
Defense Sciences Office falls into four main thrust areas:  Biological Warfare Defense, 
Biology, Defense Applications of Advanced Mathematics, and Materials and Devices 
for New Military Capabilities.

5. As you heard from Dr. Alexander, Biological Warfare Defense is a critical focus area 
of DARPA and the Department of Defense.  Most of the work in this area takes place in 
the Defense Sciences Office.  Our efforts are focussed on broad spectrum therapeutics 
to target common mechanisms of pathogenesis and to modulate the human biological 
response to pathogens; advanced medical diagnostics -- allowing soldiers and sailors to 
determine the presence of pathogens in real time and in the absence of recognizable signs 
and symptoms (when pathogen numbers are still low and the prognosis for recovery is 
still good); novel methods of external protection including enhanced fabrics, methods 
for air filtration and water purification, and improved methods of environmentally sound 
decontamination; the ENCOMPASS system, a unique tool to manage the consequences 
of a biological or chemical warfare attack; and an emerging effort in genomic 
sequencing which will have an impact on the fundamental science underlying a number 
of our current projects.

I should note that we are working very closely with our colleagues in the military 
Services, the intelligence community, and the civilian health agencies to ensure 
coordination and that there is no duplication of effort.

6. Biology at DARPA is more than just Biological Warfare Defense.  Our work draws 
heavily from both biology and engineering.  In our program on tissue-based biosensors, 
we are learning how to grow and stabilize living cells and tissues on abiotic substrates to 
provide a physiological basis for the detection of pathogens and toxins.  An 
understanding of the interface between the biotic and abiotic worlds is critical to our 
ability to exploit the unique locomotion and chemical, visual, and aural sensing 
capabilities of animals.  Thus, we are also exploring methods to train and control insects 
and other small animals to find hazardous materials, including biological and chemical 
agents and explosives.  Finally, we are learning from nature and trying to imitate it in 
projects in bioinspired systems and biomaterials and processing.

7. Mathematics plays a critical role in a number of areas within the Defense Sciences 
Office.  Our efforts in signal and image processing, electromagnetic calculations, fast 
and scalable computational algorithms, and advanced mathematics for micro-
structural process control share a common feature: the development of mathematical 
paradigms that enable maximum performance at minimum cost.  In order to accomplish 
this, we leverage new mathematical representations that go far beyond what is possible 
through either the evolution of current methods or the development of advanced 
computer hardware.  The experiments and theory that we deal with are focussed on 
taking data with a very high degree of dimensionality and simplifying it into problems 
that are more rapidly and easily solved.  Key to the success of this program is its strong 
linkage between mathematical formalism and real-world testing.

8. Materials and materials processing have been the traditional strengths of the Defense 
Sciences Office and they continue to play a critical role in our future.  The efforts in this 
thrust are broken down into several key technology areas:  functional materials, which 
includes materials which rely on the spin degree of freedom for their unique properties 
(e.g., gigantic magnetoresistive materials and materials for advanced magnets), 
thermoelectric materials, materials for holographic data storage, and molecular 
electronics; smart materials which sense and respond to the environment around them 
(such as piezoelectric materials and electroactive polymers); structural materials such 
as ultralightweight metallic structures, body armor; and solid freeform fabrication 
strategies; mesoscopic-sized machines for soldier cooling, pumping, sampling, and air 
and water purification; and novel methods of power generation and energy storage 
(including small fuel cells and fuel processors and microturbines); unique ways to 
scavenge (or “harvest”) energy from the environment (e.g., solar photovoltaics, ocean 
sediments, and bio-fuel cells).

Key to the success of these efforts is not just the development and testing of new 
materials, but the demonstration of these materials in components and devices of interest 
to the Department of Defense.

9. None of these efforts work in isolation.  As I have indicated in this brief introduction 
and as you will hear in the next few presentations, there is a tremendous synergy between 
the thrust areas in the Defense Sciences Office.  Just as we develop a team of extramural 
researchers where the effort and output of the whole is much greater than that of the 
isolated parts, the same is true of DSO.  Our internal efforts are closely coordinated so 
that we bring a team approach to the solution of critical problems facing the Department 
of Defense and our nation.

10. Opportunities in the Defense Sciences Office will be expanding during the next fiscal 
year.  These include exploiting recent advances in genomic sequencing and therapeutic 
development to help solve problems in biological warfare defense; the development of 
biomolecular and biomimetic systems to enhance our ability to both use and learn from 
Mother Nature; the virtual electromagnetic test range to eliminate the need for repetitive 
designing, building, and testing of new stealth materials and antennas; new and expanded 
uses for mesoscopic machines and ultrahigh energy density power systems; and novel 
materials and materials processing concepts including combinatorial and 
computational guided synthesis and simulation, multifunctional materials, spins in 
semiconductors, nanoparticles, compact hybrid actuators and new methods for the 
assembly of micro- and nano- devices.

Finally, the Defense Sciences Office is always interested in new and cool stuff -- if you 
have an idea that will revolutionize the world (and does not violate the laws of physics), 
we want to hear about it!