SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY


SPOTLIGHT: DR. TONY THAMPAN


Supporting CERDEC’s ‘whiz-bang stuff’ DR. TONY THAMPAN


COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Power Division, Command, Power and Integration Directorate, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center


TITLE: Subject-matter expert, tactical power


DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Level II in engineering YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 4 EDUCATION:


Ph.D. and M.S. in chemical engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; B.S in biochemical and chemical engineering, University of Iowa


AWARDS: DOD Scientist of the Quarter S


oldiers could one day be carrying less weight


in the field, thanks


in part to two things: Dr. Tony Tampan’s desire to stick close


to home and a chance conversation at a conference. “I was working for Air Liq- uide [an industrial gas company], and the company wanted to send me on an over- seas assignment, which I wasn’t excited about,” said Tampan, now a research chemical engineer at the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development


and Engineering Center


(CERDEC). “I met someone from ARL [the U.S. Army Research Laboratory] at a conference, and he encouraged me to reach out to CERDEC.” In exploring the organization, he found that it “worked on some whiz-bang stuff,” which he found appealing.


He started on laboratory development of small power systems for CERDEC’s


PACKED WITH POWER At CERDEC, Thampan looks at advanced technologies to increase the amount of power a Soldier can carry without adding too much weight. Private-sector R&D and government R&D aren’t that different, says Thampan; they share a focus on creating value for the share- holder or customer who is driving exploration. (Photo by Allison Barrow, CERDEC)


Command, Power and Integration Direc- torate, and progressed into wearable power systems with a focus on wearable fuel cells.


“We work on advanced technology that’s application-driven and high-risk: We are attempting to develop technologies to meet our requirements that haven’t been used before, at least not in the published literature or in patents. But we use our expertise to choose a developmental plan to maximize the probability of success.”


Tampan noted that the most important component of his work “is interactions with Soldiers, Marines and other war- fighters and the feedback from various demonstrations and field exercises. Tis facilitates better understanding of the challenges and issues encountered, which helps to define the problem clearly, and that results in appropriate development of a technical solution.”


Tat feedback was a vital part of his work on a wearable power system that uses a fuel cell membrane to improve power efficiency while cutting the Soldier’s weight burden. CERDEC tested the system during sum- mer 2015, collecting user feedback. Te system has been endorsed for transition to Project Manager Soldier Warrior under the Program Executive Office for Sol- dier, and Tampan was chosen as DOD’s Scientist of the Quarter in late 2015 as a result of his work on the project.


66


Army AL&T Magazine


January-March 2016


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