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Newsletter from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Education - U. T. Dallas

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Senate Appropriations Committee Approves $142 Million For North Texas Projects

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the committee has approved the Fiscal Year 2006 Department of Defense (DOD) Appropriations bill. A significant boost for the Metroplex, the legislation includes $142 million requested by Sen. Hutchison for defense programs conducted in the region.

“This bill will meet important national security needs and enhance North Texas’ standing as a leader in defending America,” Sen. Hutchison said.  “We must marshal every necessary resource to help our troops win the War on Terror.”

The Pentagon will dedicate $90 million to build 10 HH-60L MedEvac helicopters to supplement the Army National Guard fleet. The HH-60L incorporates a fully integrated MEDEVAC interior into the able UH-60L airframe increasing the aircraft’s capability. The increased operational technology includes a Forward Looking Infrared Radar, rescue hoist, six litters, oxygen generation, suction and other critical resources to enable medics to treat patients while enroute to a hospital. 

Also approved was $15 million in new funding for the Strategic Partnership for Research in Nanotechnology (SPRING), a consortium comprised of University of Texas (UT) - Arlington, UT- Austin, UT-Brownsville, UT- Dallas, UT-Pan American and Rice University.  Nanotechnology, the art of manipulating materials on an atomic or molecular scale to develop lighter and more durable goods, is one of the fastest-growing areas of scientific research in the world.  Previously, at Sen. Hutchison’s request, Congress approved $10.5 million for SPRING for FY 2005, $10 million for FY 2004 and $6 million for the consortium in FY 2003.

“ Texas is leading the way in the fast-growing field of nanotechnology, pioneered by Rice professors Dr. Richard Smalley and Dr. Robert Curl,” said Sen. Hutchison, who has made elevating the national profile and federal funding for Texas higher education research a top priority.  “Through the application of stronger, lighter and more efficient materials, this emerging field can forever alter work in health care, transportation, defense and other sectors of our economy.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $10 million for the newly established Metroplex Comprehensive Medical Imaging Center, a collaborative effort between the UT Southwestern Medical Center, UT-Dallas and UT-Arlington.  Researchers hope to develop “functional” Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( fMRI) to bring new, three-dimensional detail to the diagnosis and treatment of Gulf War Syndrome as well as Down Syndrome, Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig and Parkinson’s diseases, in the same way MRIs have had a dramatic impact on health care. 

“This technology will give our researchers a new tool to make groundbreaking medical discoveries that can benefit our military and every American,” Sen. Hutchison said. Sen. Hutchison helped secure $10.7 million for the project in FY 2005. An additional $3 million secured by Sen. Hutchison is pending in the FY 2006 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill.

Other projects for the DFW area secured by Sen. Hutchison include:

The bill must pass the full Senate, be reconciled with the House of Representatives’ bill and signed into law by President Bush.

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NIAID and MedImmune Join Forces to Develop Potential Pandemic Influenza Vaccines

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and MedImmune Inc. have signed a cooperative research and development agreement for the development of vaccines against avian influenza viruses that have the potential to cause pandemics. Under the agreement, NIAID, part of the National Institutes of Health, and MedImmune of Gaithersburg, Md., will produce and test multiple vaccines against potential pandemic flu strains, including the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

Kanta Subbarao, M.D. M.P.H, and Brian Murphy, M.D., of NIAID’s Laboratory of Infectious Diseases will lead NIAID’s part in this collaboration. The agreement specifies that the scientists will add selected genes from avian flu viruses with pandemic potential into a weakened human flu virus to create several attenuated, live virus vaccines candidates.

Infectious disease experts worry that avian influenza viruses, which until recently have rarely infected people, could trigger a devastating global flu outbreak. The H5N1 avian influenza is especially troubling as it has spread rapidly among birds and other animals in Asia since late 2003, and more recently has been found in birds in Russia and Kazakhstan. According to the World Health Organization, of the 115 people in four Asian countries who have been infected with H5N1 from late 2003 through 2005, 59 have died. While this virus currently is not known to spread efficiently from person to person, it could trigger a human influenza pandemic if it acquires that ability.

NIAID and MedImmune will develop at least one vaccine for each of the 16 variations of a key influenza surface protein known as hemagglutinin (represented by the letter “H” in the names of influenza strains, such as H5N1).  NIAID and MedImmune will develop vaccines for the highest priority hemagglutinin subtypes first. The researchers say it will take years to systematically develop vaccines for all the hemagglutinin subtypes. Having effective vaccines against all subtypes will help us prepare for influenza pandemics in the future, explains NIAID’s Dr. Subbarao.

Human influenza viruses that have circulated in the last century contain one of three possible hemagglutinin proteins (H1, H2 and H3); potential pandemic viruses contain one of the others to which humans have never been exposed. Not having any prior exposure to the hemagglutinin in H5N1 avian influenza virus currently spreading in Asia, the human immune system is unprepared to fight it. For that reason, developing an H5N1 vaccine is a high priority for the NIAID/MedImmune collaboration.

Under the agreement, NIAID and MedImmune will use methods such as reverse genetics and classical reassortment to place hemagglutinin genes with pandemic potential into an attenuated human flu virus. Reverse genetics is a laboratory method by which researchers can custom make a flu vaccine by assembling genes that code for the desired features. Reassortment is the swapping and mixing of gene segments between two different viral strains inside a chicken cell to create a new vaccine.

The NIAID/MedImmune agreement builds on research pioneered by NIAID’s Dr. Murphy beginning in the 1970s. Working with the developer of the attenuated influenza virus—John Maassab, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan School of Public Health—Dr. Murphy and colleagues created a flu vaccine from a live flu virus weakened so that it would not cause disease. As an extra measure of safety, the researchers grew the live virus vaccine in progressively colder temperatures to prevent it from spreading beyond the relatively cool upper respiratory tract. This “cold-adapted” virus is proprietary to MedImmune and is the basis of MedImmune’s FluMist flu vaccine, also a product of a public-private partnership between NIAID and MedImmune. The researchers will use the same cold-adapted virus as the backbone for the pandemic influenza vaccines.

NIAID and MedImmune will generate many of the vaccines in NIAID’s Bethesda, Md., labs. Both NIAID and MedImmune will initially conduct laboratory studies of the vaccines. MedImmune then will manufacture the vaccines for human clinical trials, which NIAID will run through a contract facility, pending Food and Drug Administration approval. These studies will assess vaccine safety and immunogenicity. 

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Rockwell Collins Contracts with Sikorsky on Canadian Helicopter Program

Rockwell Collins has been selected by Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. to provide avionics, simulators, training and support on its S-92 platform for the Canadian Maritime Helicopter Program. The program has a potential value of more than US$100 million to Rockwell Collins over the 20-year life of the program.

Equipment selected for the program includes Rockwell Collins' integrated cockpit solution for the S-92, as well as the new Rockwell Collins EyeHUD™ helmet mounted display, two (2) Level D equivalent full-flight simulators and communications products.  The concurrent development of the simulator and aircraft systems will allow Rockwell Collins to integrate the simulation hooks into the avionics development to provide the end user an integrated training system that will maintain currency between the aircraft systems and full flight simulators.

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Lockheed Martin Receives $50 Million Contract for Laser-Guided Bomb Kits

Lockheed Martin has received a contract valued at approximately US$50 million to deliver laser-guided bomb (LGB) kits to the U.S. Air Force next year. The contract, for manufacture and delivery of GBU-12 kits, represents more than half of the U.S. Air Force's requirements for the current fiscal year.

Each guidance kit consists of a computer control group (CCG), which is the front-end guidance system, plus an air foil group (AFG), which includes flight fins providing lift and stability.  The CCG uses a semi-active laser seeker and pneumatically-controlled guidance canards along with the AFG to direct munition to the target. 

GBU-16 kits are used on 1,000-pound bombs, while GBU-10 and GBU-12 kits are used on 2,000- and 500-pound bombs, respectively.  Lockheed Martin kits can be used by all Air Force, Navy and international aircraft currently authorized to carry and release LGBs.  These kits have been used successfully in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war against terrorism.

As a qualified supplier of LGBs, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 25,000 kits to the Air Force, Navy and international customers.  The Lockheed Martin LGB can be upgraded from laser-terminal guidance to dual-mode guidance by adding an all-weather global positioning system and inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) capability providing an affordable alternative to single guidance-mode weapons.

Lockheed Martin’s facility in Archbald was awarded the 2005 Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence last March.  Referred to by BusinessWeek magazine as the “Nobel prize of manufacturing”, the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing is awarded annually to companies that demonstrate world-class business results through the implementation of Lean Manufacturing principles and practices.  The prize is administered by The College of Business, Utah State University, in cooperation with several nonprofit and corporate organizations.  The Archbald facility was also nominated one of 25 finalists of North America’s Best Plant competition in the July issue of Industry Week magazine. 

In addition to LGB kits and laser-guided training rounds, Lockheed Martin’s facility in Archbald produces specialized instrumentation and control systems, and manufacturing services such as state-of-the-art metal crafting and electro-mechanical assemblies.  The 350,000-square-foot facility, located in northeastern PA, designs, develops manufactures, tests and fields products for the U.S. Department of Defense, allied nations and industrial customers.

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U.S. Navy Awards General Dynamics $8.4 Million Planning Contract For Submarine Repair Work

The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat an US$8.4 million contract to begin advanced planning for maintenance, repair and alterations on the USS Augusta (SSN-710).  Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics.

The work – known as a Pre-Inactivation Restricted Availability – will be performed at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton and will comprise alternations, repairs, maintenance and testing.  The contract has a total potential value of $43.2 million, and is scheduled for completion by March 31, 2006.

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Telefónica Móviles Mexico Converges Internal Voice, Data Traffic Using Nortel Multiservice Platform to Boost Capacity, Deliver Advanced Services

Telefónica Móviles Mexico, S.A. de C.V, an affiliate of the Telefónica Moviles Group has deployed a packet voice backbone network from Nortel designed to significantly increase internal network capacity and support future delivery of sophisticated mobile data services.

Telefónica Móviles Mexico has moved all of its national and international voice and data traffic onto a single multiservice platform that allows the operator to drive network efficiency and operational savings.

Nortel's Communication Server (CS) 2000, Multiservice Switch (MSS) 7400 series and Media Gateway (MG) 15000 are being used to converge network traffic and increase network capacity, positioning Telefónica Móviles México to significantly reduce the cost of 'backhauling' voice and data traffic from base stations to switching centers.

Nortel's CS 2000 Superclass Softswitch enables service providers to deliver the full suite of traditional voice services to business and residential customers on a packetized network, with voice and data sharing the same communications lines to provide more efficient and cost-effective use of existing transmission capacity.

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Huawei and Ubiquity Software Sign Partnership Agreement

Representatives of Ubiquity Software announced that it has signed a global partnership agreement with Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., one of the world's leading networking and communications equipment suppliers to incorporate its Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP") Application Server ("AS") as an embedded part of Huawei's IP Multimedia Subsystem ("IMS") portfolio of products, where Huawei can provide tailor-made state-of-the-art End-to-End  IMS solution to customers. Huawei is utilizing Ubiquity's Application Creation Environment to develop and deliver wireless, wireline, and converged, SIP-based applications to its customers worldwide who are service providers.  The first extended Ubiquity SIP AS platform based application solution is expected to be generally available to customers later this year.  Ubiquity is also enabling Huawei with IMS proof of concept applications such as video See What I See (SWIS), Multiplayer Gaming, Chat Room and Multimedia Conferencing.

Ubiquity's SIP Application Server is comprised of both a carrier-grade runtime server and a robust Application Creation Environment, which in combination reduces the time, effort and knowledge needed to rapidly build and deploy SIP-based applications across next-generation IP networks.

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Ericsson Signs HSDPA and Managed Services Extension Contract with Maxis

Malaysian operator Maxis has selected Ericsson to expand its 3G network and upgrade it to HSDPA. The contract also includes an extension of Maxis' and Ericsson's Managed Services contract, signed earlier this year. Under the contract, Ericsson will be responsible for the entire operation and management of the 3G-radio network.

With this agreement, identified under Phase II of Maxis' 3G plans, Ericsson will supply a significant part of Maxis' radio network infrastructure.

Ericsson's work will take Maxis' 3G network to a large portion of the Klang Valley and to the southern city of Johor Baru in Malaysia. Ericsson will also provide Maxis with an HSDPA upgrade that will enable Maxis to offer more advanced mobile broadband services focusing on user experience and enhanced systems capacity.

Ericsson deployed the first phase of Maxis' 3G network in the Klang Valley and is already operating and maintaining its existing 3G network.

HSDPA is the next evolutionary step of WCDMA, offering peak data downlink rates of up to 14 Mbps and more than twice the system capacity, without requiring additional radio spectrum or radio coverage.

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EDS Names Storrow Gordon General Counsel

Representatives EDS announced it has appointed Storrow Gordon as executive vice president and general counsel, effective immediately. Gordon will report directly to Chairman and CEO Mike Jordan and serve as a member of EDS' Executive Committee. She replaces Bruce Hawthorne who has left the company.

Gordon will be responsible for directing all aspects of EDS' global legal operations.

Gordon joined EDS in 1991 and has served as deputy general counsel since 2000. Gordon began her career with the law firm of Johnson & Wortley, P.C., where she rose to the position of partner, corporate section.

Gordon, who was chosen as “Super Lawyer” by Texas Monthly magazine for the past two years, earned her law degree from Southern Methodist University and holds a BA from the University of Texas.

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