Eng edge oct newsletter 2015

THE ENGINEERING EDGE EDGEWOOD CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL CENTER Volume 7, Issue 10 October 2015

How We Ensure Safety in Our Daily Operations PAGE 6

Helping Keep Warfighters Safe: Explosive Detection Kit Upgrade Interests Army Special Operations PAGE 4

Strategic Management Meeting Focuses on Aligning Strategy for the Future PAGE 5

To access the electronic version of this newsletter, visit: http://www.ecbc.army.mil/news/ENG/ APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

OPM Courses Help ECBC Employees Develop Leadership Skills PAGE 8

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THE ENGINEERING EDGE |October 2015| 3

INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE: pg.3|EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Ray Miller Teaches Science in Local Communities pg.4–5|DESIGN: Helping Keep Warfighters Safe: Explosive Detection Kit Upgrade Interests Army Special Operations

Microsoft Office 2013 Tips and Tricks: PowerPoint 2013

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Ray Miller Teaches Science in Local Communities

We hope you enjoyed our tips and tricks series for navigating Microsoft Office 2013!

Here are some of the more common tools and commands for Microsoft PowerPoint 2013: 3

2

5

1 4

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pg.5|STRATEGY IN FOCUS: Strategic Management Meeting Focuses on Aligning Strategy for the Future 7

pg.6|ENGINEERING ROUNDTABLE: How We Ensure Safety in Our Daily Operations pg.8|WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT: OPM Courses Help ECBC Employees Develop Leadership Skills

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1. Manage your presentations—click the File tab to open, save, print, and manage your presentations.

2. Find what you need—Click any tab on the ribbon to display its buttons and commands.

This newsletter was published through the Balanced Scorecard.

Hard copies are located in the Engineering Front Office, E3330, E3331, E3510, E3516, E3549 lobby A and C, E4301, E5102, E5165, and in Rock Island near the Deputy’s office.

For article suggestions, questions or comments, contact Ed Bowen at edward.c.bowen8.civ@mail.mil.

To access the electronic version, visit: http://www.ecbc.army.mil/news/ENG/

3. Use contextual tabs—Some ribbon tabs appear only when you need them. For example, when you insert or select a picture, the Picture Tools Format tab appears.

4. See more options—Click this arrow to see more options in a dialog box.

5. Need more space?—Click here or press CTRL+F1 to hide or show the ribbon. Get help—Click here or press F1.

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6. Use the Format pane—Use this handy pane to apply formatting to pictures, video, SmartArt, shapes, and other objects.

7. Show the content you want—Switch views or show or hide notes and comments.

8. Zoom in and out—Slide this bar to the left or right to zoom in or out on slide details.

For more tips and tricks, download the Microsoft Office Quick Start Guides at https://support.office.com/en-IN/article/ office-2013-quick-start-guides-4a8aa04af7f3-4a4d-823c-3dbc4b8672a1.

Ask a Tech Tip: Using Penetrating Oil for Rust and Corrosion Mike Kauzlarich, of the Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch, reveals how the techniques and lessons learned in labs can help solve your household problems. Submit a question to him at usarmy.APG.ecbc.mbx.engineering-directorate@mail.mil.

More than a few folks have had to deal with rust and corrosion this summer and asked about penetrating fluids and their uses. What makes penetrating oil/fluids work so well is their low viscosity―meaning they’re runny. Low viscosity allows the fluid to ease the disassembly of parts that are rusted together. It is also good at preventing corrosion, especially for items exposed to weather. And here is another trick that goes along with freeing rusted parts: After you apply penetrating fluid and have allowed it some time to soak in, try tapping the “stuck” part for a few minutes to help break up the rust and free the part. Works like a charm!

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Ray Miller (center) teaches interactive science lessons to students attending Hackerman Academy Saturday Morning Science at Towson University.

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hat started out as an extra source of income for his family has evolved into a passion for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

Ray Miller works in the Engineering Directorate’s Strategic Planning and Business Management Division, mostly with policies, procedures and contracts.

He began his career with ECBC in 1982 as a bench chemist, and has also worked in chemical detection and environmental compliance. Although Miller isn’t currently doing chemistry work at ECBC, he is passing along his knowledge to students of all ages through teaching and volunteering.

Miller began teaching science at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) Essex campus to help pay for his son’s private schooling. He started out teaching general chemistry and admits that, “the first semester was difficult, but it has since become fun.” Eleven years later, he continues to teach general, organic

and biochemistry at the college. “I started teaching at CCBC for financial reasons, but have continued teaching there because I enjoy it. It helps to keep my skills and knowledge as a chemist fresh and so I don’t lose track of the basic functional skills.

Several of my students have even started working for organizations here at Aberdeen Proving Ground.”

Since he began teaching at CCBC, Miller’s son moved from private school to home schooling. As part of the home schooling, Miller got involved with several cooperatives and library programs. “There is not much chemistry in home schooling because it is a difficult subject to teach. I started helping out with the Harford County Public Library’s science program, Learn Educate and Play (LEAP), to help teach any kind of science to home-school students.”

Teaching and helping out with home schooling made Miller realize how much he enjoyed working with students. He started volunteering with a STEM program called Hackerman Academy Saturday Morning Science at Towson State University, facilitating hands-on science experiments.

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Miller managed the experiments and hands-on section of the program for eight years before the program ended in 2015.

“I tried to coordinate science experiments to match the topic of the guest speaker for that week. I came up with hands-on experiments that would get the students interested in STEM, and keep it interesting and fun. For example, we would use things like Three Musketeer bars to demonstrate the faults of the earth.”

Miller also serves as a merit badge counselor for chemistry for the Boy Scouts of America. “I started out when my son was a scout, and have continued on in the role.” As a merit badge counselor, Miller helps scouts demonstrate that they have built their knowledge and skill in chemistry enough to get a merit badge.

Volunteering in STEM education has become a passion for Miller as he continues to provide his support throughout the community. “I get personal satisfaction out of teaching science. I have liked chemistry since I was nine years old, and hope that I can make students excited about it and inspire them to want to learn more.”

THE ENGINEERING EDGE |October 2015| 5

4 | EDGEWOOD CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL CENTER

DESIGN

STRATEGY IN FOCUS

Helping Keep Warfighters Safe: Explosive Detection Kit Upgrade Interests Army Special Operations

Strategic Management Meeting Focuses on Aligning Strategy for the Future

T

A Soldier uses ECBC’s CRESS kit to rapidly screen a suspicious powder for homemade explosive materials. Credit: ECBC Public Affairs

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he Chemical Reconnaissance and Explosives Screening Set (CRESS) has proven itself as a valuable tool used by Warfighters to detect homemade explosives in the field. Researchers and engineers at ECBC first created the CRESS in 2010 as part of the effort to protect the Warfighter from improvised explosive devices. Now, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has selected CRESS for potential further development to detect finished explosives such as TNT, dynamite and black powder.

Showtime for the CRESS Kit SOCOM sees CRESS as a technology that can be used for sensitive-site exploitation, in which Warfighters search suspect sites for chemical weapons agents, explosives and illicit drug production and storage. The ECBC

team of engineers and scientists who helped develop the earlier homemade explosive and drug screening versions of CRESS spent two days demonstrating the technology’s potential to screen for finished explosives to SOCOM Warfighters at the National Forensic Science Technology Center in Largo, Florida, in early December.

The demonstration took place as part of SOCOM’s 16th Technical Experimentation Combat Medicine and Sensitive Site Exploitation. The event provided a unique opportunity for developers to interact with the Special Operations Forces community in a collaborative environment.

How CRESS Works ECBC first began developing the CRESS in 2010 as a screening device to enable Warfighters to detect homemade explosive ingredients in-theater in mere minutes. It uses a simple plastic case and colorimetric chemistry which makes the kit compact enough to fit in a pocket and simple enough to train a Warfighter to use within 20 minutes. It only needs about a half gram of a suspect substance to yield a color change.

A later version can detect for drugs such as morphine, methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl. The explosives version became a Program of Record in October 2013, and APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

was patented in early 2015. ECBC has also made progress developing an Android app to automate color identification and reporting.

Proven Technology The homemade explosive version of the CRESS has been successfully used by U.S. Warfighters in Afghanistan to provide evidence to detain suspects who would otherwise go free. CRESS can currently distinguish between urea (a safe fertilizer) and urea nitrate (a powerful homemade explosive). Ammonium is another fuel that the CRESS detects, along with dangerous perchlorate and nitrate oxidizer chemicals often used in homemade explosive production. A version that can screen for finished explosives will supplement the homemade explosive version, providing Warfighters with the ability to detect a wider range of threats.

“Everybody on ECBC’s CRESS development team is very pleased to have the opportunity to demonstrate how we can expand this technology to yet another set of threat substances,” said Kevin Fritz, Chief of the Obscuration and Nonlethal Engineering Branch.

“The ability to identify and remove additional threat substances from the battlefield will further enhance Warfighter safety.”

he Engineering Directorate held its Strategic Management Meeting (SMM) on Monday, October 5, 2015. The meeting spoke to the continuing importance of the Directorate’s strategic management system while providing updates on the business development process and communications efforts, as well as several other initiatives including human capital, customer service and infrastructure.

become their own business developers. This was reinforced throughout the meeting as each division spoke to its accomplishments and how its experience sets ECBC apart from its competitors.

This meeting was the 17th Directoratewide meeting since its inception in 2007 as part of the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) strategic planning process. More than 60 ECBC Engineering employees attended both in-person at Edgewood, and through video teleconference at ECBC-Rock Island.

Jim Duhala, Chief of the Strategic Planning and Business Management Division, spoke to the External Communication Initiative, stating that, “The Engineering Edge is being written and designed to strive for a balance. The newsletter will be focused on production and services, but on our employees as well.” Employee- and divisionfocused accomplishments and successes will be highlighted in the newsletter, as well as suggestions and tips on how to improve overall employee performance.

Engineering Deputy Director Bill Klein opened the meeting with a discussion of alignment between Engineering’s strategy map and the new ECBC pillar chart. As one of the five principles of a strategy-focused organization, successfully aligning the strategy with the parent organization (as well as other stakeholders), is critical. This successful strategic alignment has been a key feature of Engineering’s strategy since its creation and the presentation showed that it is continuing.

During the meeting, attendees heard how the Directorate’s business development process has become more integrated and produced an overlap with the Directorate’s communications strategy. With the support of Engineering’s senior leadership, the Business Development Initiative has implemented a process that has educated employees and empowered them to

The themes of total workforce involvement and leadership working together to accomplish the goals were noted throughout the rest of the SMM. All 11 divisions shared their involvement with each of the five initiatives: Business Development, Human Capital, External Communication, Customer Service and Infrastructure.

The Business Development Initiative team presented the upcoming stand-up of the engineering business process group, which will be comprised of employees representing not only their divisions, but the initiatives they represent. This group will be tasked with analyzing the data call information and help shape both the strategic and business plan for this year and the next five years. This initiative is also preparing for the fall data call.

Additional initiatives presented at the 17th SMM included the Customer Service Initiative. The team is putting the final touches on a reference guide, in two versions, that can be distributed throughout the Directorate to empower employees to

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excel and surpass competitors in overall customer satisfaction. Anthony Salvatore, from the Engineering Support Division, concluded the initiative presentations by challenging all employees to “look at what you’re doing and identify your accomplishments and gains.”

Closing out the meeting, Bill Klein, thanked all the presenters for their input and congratulated the divisions and initiative teams on their many successes and accomplishments. He said, “Progress with the five initiatives are beginning to intertwine. The overarching goal is for all initiatives to come together and bring about one overall theme and strategy for the entire Directorate.” Klein was pleased at the progress and movement towards this goal.

Michael Abaie, Director of Engineering, also commented that he is “impressed that a bottom-up and not a top-down approach is being used to include everyone in the strategic planning process.” He looks forward to seeing the outcome and involvement from all employees.

The next SMM will take place in January/ February 2016.

THE ENGINEERING EDGE |October 2015| 7

6 | EDGEWOOD CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL CENTER

ENGINEERING ROUNDTABLE

How We Ensure Safety in Our Daily Operations

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n this month’s Engineering Roundtable, we asked a few members of the Engineering workforce, “What type of safety standards do you incorporate into daily operations? How are these specific to your role in Engineering, and how do they impact your job?”

JOANI ENG, Chemist, Protective Equipment Test Branch (PETB), Engineering Test Division

What type of safety standards do you incorporate into daily operations?

“The most prevalent standard in daily operations is the use of protective equipment and engineering controls. Lab coats, safety glasses, butyl gloves, safety shoes―these things are not only mandated in standard operating procedures (SOPs), but also necessary to prevent harm to myself and others. Maintaining working fume hoods also ensures that risk is reduced for the operator. SOP checklists are a useful reminder of background processes: operational safety showers, up-to-date training and immediate housekeeping, for example.”

How are these specific to your role in Engineering?

goes into them, risking particulate inhalation and exposure to toxic industrial chemicals.

Hoods and gear keep me safe. I recently began training on permeation testing, so SOP checklists keep me on track as to what tools and gear I need to be available.”

How do these safety precautions impact your job?

“Renewing SOPs annually, with multiple reviews by several offices and the litany of signatures required, can be time-consuming.

The paperwork that comes along with safety can be tedious, but documentation has its place, and putting on the uniform and taking the time to be aware of my surroundings is important to the mission.”

BRYAN BATEY, General Engineer, Sustainment Engineering Branch, Sustainment Engineering Division

“Currently, the decon team is conducting testing to validate two potential engine replacements for the M12A1 Diesel Engine Driven, Engine Replacement Program. It is important that each of the daily operations is analyzed and that specific safety standards are tailored to the task. A safety analysis identifies what potential hazards are going to be present. We use that analysis to devise a plan to mitigate those hazards by incorporating engineering safety into the project and by the type of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or other safety equipment that is selected to complete the task. Since safety is ever-changing, we must be vigilant in our safety practices.”

What type of safety standards do you incorporate into daily operations?

How do these safety precautions impact your job?

“We incorporate Army safety standards, with strong input from the civilian side whose work mirrors our own.”

“Safety standards impact us at the ground level. All of our work is built upon a strong and secure cornerstone from which the work develops. It is incremental and continuous in nature without shortcuts or time pressures.

There are no do-overs in this work, so it is imperative that we maintain a questioning attitude, understand the risk and challenge any abnormal circumstances.”

How are these specific to your role in Engineering?

“Our work and our facility is very unique to the Army and Department of Defense at large. As such, we are constantly reviewing our processes to take advantage of any new or novel ideas that could make our work safer. Peer review, self-check and three-way communication are fundamental to our safety standards.”

CHAD E. GROSS, Engineering Technician, PETB What type of safety standards do you incorporate into daily operations?

“I perform lot acceptance testing on airpurifying filters and the activated carbon that

What type of safety standards do you incorporate into daily operations?

MIKE KAUZLARICH, Engineering Technician, Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch, Engineering

Support Division

How are these specific to your role in Engineering?

“As the lead engineer on the test, I am responsible for ensuring that everyone has the appropriate PPE necessary for the testing that is being conducted. It is also my responsibility to ensure that the test site is set up appropriately and adheres to Rock Island Arsenal’s and ECBC’s safety protocols.”

How do these safety precautions impact your job?

“Although safety planning and execution does take additional time and effort, taking the necessary safety precautions ensures that the job is completed safely and effectively.

At the end of the day, there is no job or task that should take precedence over the safety requirements to complete it.”

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“A chemical laboratory presents a myriad of unique hazards to those working in it. To ensure the safety of those working around hazards, we follow safety standards such as engineering controls, administrative controls, personal protective equipment, safe-work practices and emergency/evacuation procedures.”

How are these specific to your role in Engineering?

“Because most of our work involves chemical surety operations, all employees are required to complete training. This training is either in-person or computer-based, and requires a certificate of completion. All training is monitored and must be completed within the recertification period. Failure to complete it in the scheduled timeframe can result in the suspension of that person’s ability to work in the laboratory. Laboratory workers must complete training with minimum impact to the work schedule, which can be challenging.

Additionally, administrative controls such as SOPs are employed for every operation

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within the laboratory that presents a work hazard. Included in the SOPs are checklists, which must be completed before each operation and signed by the operators.

The checklist covers all safety concerns inherent in the operation, such as checking certification dates and current functionality of engineering controls; ensuring proper PPE is being used and isn’t expired; and making sure that the working environment is free of extraneous hazards.”

How do these safety precautions impact your job?

“Taking safety precautions requires that employees allow extra time to complete test operations. Often this means that operations are carefully planned and timed in a manner that allows that the work be completed within the agreed completion dates―sometimes requiring operators to reconfigure and combine methodologies to allow for greater test efficiency by either increasing the number of samples or combining processes. In addition to proper planning, communication between operators is key to ensuring all safety requirements are addressed and employed before, during and after operations are complete.”

8 WORKFORCE | EDGEWOOD CHEMICAL BIOLOGICAL CENTER DEVELOPMENT

OPM Courses Help ECBC Employees Develop Leadership Skills

Bob Pazda (second from left) gave a presentation to his executive development classmates as part of the course curriculum.

O

ver the summer, several employees in the Engineering Directorate had the opportunity to broaden skills that will help them in their day-to-day jobs at ECBC by participating in courses sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

One course focused on team development, and the other on executive development.

These courses were offered to acquisition employees through Section 852, the Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund.

Team Development Course The team development course, offered to GS-13 level employees, consisted of a week of in-resident training at APG– Edgewood Area, followed by five weeks of online classes. The course was designed for students to develop fundamental skills for effective team participation and acquire a deeper understanding of teams, including their types, uses and interpersonal dynamics. The course design focused on three leadership areas: self-awareness, vision, and competency.

Zachary Chadwick, a chemist matrixed to the Joint Project Manager for Protection, took the team development course. “I took the course to deepen my understanding of teamwork and strengthen my team leadership skills,” he explained. “I was interested in learning more about the different types of teams and team behavior as it related to goal-setting, decisionmaking, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. I also wanted to identify my own personal leadership style and how it affects my interactions with other team members.”

Chadwick found the course valuable; he was able to learn about his own team’s behavior and has been able to apply skills learned in the course to his work at ECBC. Kelly Zimmerman, who works as a general engineer for the Design Engineering and Test Facility Branch in Rock Island, also took the course. He found it beneficial that the in-person training portion of the class was held at Edgewood, so that he and the other Rock Island employees who took the class were able to fully immerse themselves in the course by being removed from their daily work. “Applying the in-class learning to actual teams that we are on provided an opportunity to reflect on how we handle situations and how we can improve as leaders,” Zimmerman reflected.

Executive Development Course The second course, on executive development, was offered to GS-14 and GS-15 level employees, and started with an eight-week online portion that ended with a three-day in-resident class at APG– Edgewood Area. This course was offered to employees across APG, and was intended to introduce senior federal and other publicsector managers to leading change in government at a macro perspective.

Robert Pazda, Chief of the Electronic Design and Integration Branch in Engineering’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Production Realization Division, found out about the class online and decided to take it since one of his goals is to take more APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

active ownership of his leadership growth.

“The seminar focused on developmental activities that transition senior managers from technical, division-level activities to strategic agency-level leadership positions.

Participants were challenged to think more globally about policy, leadership and change. They learned to enhance their ability to act strategically, communicate verbally and interact positively with constituencies,” Pazda explained.

Pazda was one of only two ECBC employees in the course, and he was honored to receive an award for graduating first in his class. “This is certainly a great accomplishment considering the caliber of the group and the demands of the coursework,” said Kim Hoffman, Chief of ECBC Workforce Management Office Training and Professional Development.

One of the highlights for Pazda was reading a leadership book that discussed how successful people think. He also enjoyed how experts from a variety of backgrounds and experiences within the federal government were invited to speak to the participants. “The most important thing I learned during the course was the ability to work with a variety of people from a number of different cultures and beliefs to achieve a common goal,” Pazda explained.

All participants interviewed recommend the courses to others who are interested in learning more about how teams can work more efficiently, and how to grow as leaders.