Laboratory simulants allow scientists to study the impossible—and the impossibly dangerous.

In HEMI’s Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE URA), scientists from universities and labs across the country work together to understand the basic science needed to mitigate the effects of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.

Chemical and biological agents can be difficult and dangerous (if not impossible) to study in laboratory conditions, which is why researchers often use simulants to take the place of these warfare agents. Simulants can allow scientists to study the way these compounds move, react, and degrade.

Researchers in MSEE share data, facilities, and research methods, furthering their collective knowledge base through constant collaboration. Sharing information about which laboratory simulants to use and how to use them safely, effectively, and efficiently was the goal of MSEE’s Simulants Workshop.

Held at the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus the week of October 3, the three-day workshop was organized by Hergen Eilers, a professor of physics at Washington State University and coordinator of MSEE’s Research Area 3 – Focus Area 2: High-Temperature Properties and Chemistry of Agents and Simulants.

The workshop’s 35 in-person guests and 20 virtual attendees were treated to introductory remarks from Eilers, MSEE Director Tim Weihs, and MSEE Technical Point of Contact Jeff Davis. Lee Nelson, Technical Director of DTRA’s Counterforce Systems Division, gave a presentation on the agency’s interests in chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and their simulants.

The workshop featured 29 presentations and a slew of informative activities. Each event was focused on simulants of CWAs, their relation to the agents of interest, various testing methods and results, and computational modeling of simulant and agent data. Open discussions were held to explore experimental and modeling techniques, as well as the pros and cons of specific CWA simulants. A poster and networking session fostered discussion and community among attendees.

This workshop was the latest of many organized by MSEE researchers and staff. In the last 18-months alone, MSEE has hosted six workshops and five short courses. Past topics include uncertainty quantification, impact research experiments, and optical spectroscopy.

The Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE URA), one of HEMI’s major research centers, is a consortium that aims to understand and mitigate the effects of weapons of mass destruction. The alliance works closely with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and features collaborators from all kinds of backgrounds. As a basic research consortium, workforce development is a key driver of the MSEE URA. Many MSEE participants are students or postdoctoral researchers.

In the first week of September, MSEE held two events for their graduate students and postdocs in support of the alliance’s workforce development goals. Both events took place at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida, where attendees were able to network and explore the facilities and career opportunities available at an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

The first of these events was the second annual Student Symposium. On September 5 and 6, attendees of the student-organized symposium participated in a full slate of networking, mentorship, and educational opportunities.

The symposium’s first day featured a discussion with Kyle Overdeep, an AFRL technical program manager. Overdeep, a former DTRA-funded graduate student, discussed his journey from PhD student to technical program manager. After hearing from Overdeep, students presented their MSEE research through oral talks and a poster session, followed by tours of some of the facilities within the Advanced Munitions Technology Complex at Eglin AFB.

Day two of the symposium continued with a networking session and tours of the Terminal Engagement Research Facility and the McKinley Climatic Laboratory. Throughout the symposium, MSEE students and postdocs were able to engage with AFRL researchers and scientists, including the Branch Chief of the Energetics Materials Branch, Jacob Morris.

Following the student symposium, AFRL researchers and MSEE students and postdocs participated in a two-day short course on uncertainty quantification (UQ) in physics-based modeling using Python. The UQ Short Course was held at AFRL’s off-site facility, the Doolittle Institute.

Participants in the short course were introduced to uncertainty quantification (UQ) in computational modeling using the Python programming language and a variety of UQ methods, including forward propagation of uncertainty, surrogate modelling, and Bayesian inference using the UQpy toolbox.

The short course was led by Dimitris Giovanis, a HEMI fellow and assistant research professor of civil and systems engineering, and Dimitrios Tsapetis, a postdoctoral fellow in the Whiting School of Engineering.

Over 500 visitors filled the Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building on June 7 for Hopkins on the Hill, a biennial event showcasing some of the federally funded research taking place at Johns Hopkins University. Congressional staffers and government officials mingled with Johns Hopkins researchers, staff, and alumni.

Of the programs highlighted at the event, two are housed within the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute. Both HEMI-affiliated programs strive to make the world a safer place by expanding the horizons of materials science in extreme environments. Knowledge gained from both programs has the potential to bolster national defense, making them particularly valuable to government partners and collaborators.

The MEDE+ program, within HEMI’s Center on Artificial Intelligence for Materials in Extreme Environments (CAIMEE), aims to explore the possibilities of AI in materials design. By utilizing AI, machine learning, and automation, researchers hope to create a facility that can accelerate the modelling, production, and testing of materials. The program has the potential to revolutionize high-throughput materials design, facilitating the creation of materials with tailored properties for use in extreme environments, with a focus on materials of interest to its partners at DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory.

Rayna Mehta, a graduate student studying materials science in the Whiting School of Engineering, explained some of the cutting-edge work being done in the MEDE+ program while Bess Bieluczyk, CAIMEE’s program manager, presented information about the program’s new state-of-the-art materials fabrication facility. This facility, the Artificial Intelligence for Materials Design (AIMD) Laboratory, is currently being built in the historic Stieff Silver Building and is set to open this fall.

Representatives from the Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE URA) were also in attendance. MSEE’s research covers a wide range of topics, from neutralizing chemical weapons to studying the effects of nuclear blasts. Researchers studying reactive materials—in this case, substances designed to defeat chemical and biological weapons—showed samples of their work. Among these researchers was Kyle Fisher, an ROTC cadet and the only undergraduate student presenting research at the event.

For Andrew Proulx, the program manager of MSEE, Hopkins on the Hill was a chance to show off not only the group’s groundbreaking research, but also MSEE’s workforce development potential. “Hopkins on the Hill was an exciting opportunity to showcase the great research being performed in MSEE to a number of stakeholders,” said Proulx. “From congressional aides and DOD partners to Hopkins alumni, everyone was engaged and excited to meet with our students and learn about our critical research and workforce development activities. I am proud to be a member of MSEE and appreciative of the opportunity to talk with so many folks about the program’s impact.”

MSEE and CAIMEE researchers and staff at Hopkins on the Hill 2023 (image: Will Kirk)

Bess Bieluczyk (left) and Rayna Mehta (second from left) discuss CAIMEE’s MEDE+ program with guests. (image: Will Kirk)

MSEE and CAIMEE researchers used material samples and images to give attendees a glimpse into the compelling work they do every day. (image: Will Kirk)

Despite restrictions due to COVID-19, summer 2021 was an exciting time for HEMI, with five different internship and apprenticeship programs highlighting a diverse array of research opportunities.

The High School Apprenticeship Program (formerly known as REAP), sponsored by the Army Educational Outreach Program, sought out high school students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields. Working with a mentor, these students pursued research into topics ranging from breaking bonds in crystal quartz, to the development of 3D models simulating surface growth.

The Undergraduate Apprenticeship Program (formerly known as URAP), provided undergraduate researchers with the resources to develop and pursue individual research projects. Sponsored by the Army Educational Outreach Program and CMEDE, this program provided valuable Army research, as well as experience that will prepare these students for careers in science and engineering.

Students participating in the HEMI/MICA Extreme Arts Summer Project/Internship had the opportunity to artistically engage with HEMI research and projects. They translated scientific research into expressive, thought-provoking art, as well as to research and develop new materials.

Students in the Morgan State Extreme Science Internship (ESI) participate in both internal and external internships associated with the CMEDE. ESI opportunities are STEM-focused with a particular emphasis on providing research opportunities related to MEDE. Internal ESI are hosted by MSU faculty on the campus of Morgan State University. External ESI are conducted at one of the CMEDE university and research institutions located across the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.

Finally, with the addition of the Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE URA) to HEMI, the Undergraduate Research Award program was offered this summer for the first time. In this program, students work under the mentorship of an MSEE URA principal investigator within the technical areas of chemical and biological agent defeat, and nuclear blast.

If you would like to read more about our summer programs and the research completed by this year’s participants, click here.

Andrew Proulx, former senior grants & contracts analyst with the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), has been named as program manager for the Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE URA).

Building off his prior experience, Proulx now will be responsible for planning, budgeting, contracting, subawarding, and reporting on behalf of the MSEE URA. He will work closely with PIs from each of MSEE’s 18 research institutions, individuals from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and personnel from Johns Hopkins University to develop solutions to program challenges and ensure compliance with federal and university policies.

“I am excited to expand my role within HEMI by taking on the responsibilities of MSEE Program Manager. I look forward to building relationships with both internal and external partners and helping to guide the MSEE URA as it grows over the coming years.”

Proulx was hired in 2018 and received a Staff Excellence award in 2020 from the Whiting School of Engineering.

The MSEE URA was established in 2020 with a $35 million, five-year grant to Johns Hopkins from the U.S. Department of Defense. The award was given to lead an alliance of major research institutions in an effort to understand, predict, and control the behavior of materials in extreme conditions caused by weapons of mass destruction. The MSEE URA is housed within HEMI.