Technologically Speaking

Get Back Up and Continue On

Just in time for National Preparedness Month, S&T Community and Infrastructure Resilience lead Ron Langhelm joins host Dee Saini to chat about the work S&T is doing to ensure communities are prepared for natural and manmade disasters. S&T is not only delivering the tools and technology they need to respond to and recover from catastrophic events, but we’re also helping them understand where critical infrastructure may be vulnerable and how to bolster it. Along the way, Ron talks about his long career in emergency management and his many brushes with history, including 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

It's a Global Problem

The Technologically Speaking Podcast sits down with Lindsay Gabbert, a microbiologist at the S&T Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC). Lindsay and her colleagues at PIADC are on the front lines keeping dangerous animal diseases at bay and away from our farms. She talks about what the greatest threats are and what S&T and PIADC are doing to thwart them. She also shares anecdotes about her time working at PIADC, one of the most interesting and unique labs in the United States, nestled on a small and historic island in the Long Island Sound.

They're All Chemicals

S&T Senior Science Advisor Dr. Laura Parker joins Technologically Speaking’s Brittany Greco for an insightful interview on the science behind explosives detection, the way the technology is used at the airport, and potential advancements for the future that will make the screening process easier. She explains how a career in explosives equipped her with the expertise in chemical detection necessary to help address the fentanyl problem and the scientific nexus between explosives and fentanyl detection.

Telling Our Impact, Telling Our Story

In this episode, host Brittany Greco sits down with Julie Brewer, S&T’s Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to discuss all things S&T. During the conversation, Julie talks about S&T’s efforts to support the first responder community, discusses the organization’s new Frontier Campaigns, and goes over S&T’s mission and how the Directorate is able to accomplish it. Julie also shares her unique career journey through S&T, talks about her first project building the National Bio and Agro-Defense building—a $1.2 billion facility in Manhattan, Kansas, and shares why she decided to pursue management and which leadership style resonates with her most.

Where the Literal Hot Spots Are

Join the kick-off event as S&T and our partners at the U.S. Fire Administration and across Hawai’i announce a new round of beta testing for wildfire sensors. These devices can detect smoke and use artificial intelligence to distinguish between normal activities (such as barbeques) and smoldering fires, automatically alerting officials to give them more time to coordinate response or evacuation efforts. 
Hear from leaders across federal, state and local levels as they outline the important role these wildfire sensors will play in protecting Maui and communities across the Hawaiian Islands from future tragedies like the 2023 Lahaina fires. Guests include S&T Under Secretary Dr. Dimitri Kusnezov, U.S. Fire Administrator Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, Hawai’i Governor Josh Green, Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura, Chief of Planning and Operation for the Hawaii Office of Homeland Security Jimmy Collins, S&T Program Manager Ron Langhelm, and N5 Sensors Chief Revenue Officer Deborah Deininger.

Season 4 Trailer

Season 4 of Technologically Speaking launches Wednesday, August 7! We’re gearing up for another great round of conversations with experts from across the DHS Science and Technology Directorate. Tune in and subscribe today!

A Little More Sophisticated Technology

In this Tech Speak minisode, we recorded live in Indianapolis, where S&T, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) deployed the DETER hostile vehicle mitigation barrier at this year’s Indy 500 race. DETER (Deployable Expedient Traffic Entry Regulator) is a portable vehicle barrier capable of withstanding a box truck moving at 30 miles per hour. It can also be lowered in a matter of seconds to allow emergency or official vehicles to pass through. Hear from S&T’s Ali Fadel and ERDC’s August Johnson about the need for this type of technology and what’s next.

A Fairly Straightforward Security Screening

In this episode of Tech Speak, our podcast team travels to Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, as S&T, the Transportation Security Administration, and regional partners introduce a new cutting-edge self-service screening technology to the media. Listen as former Season 2 guest, Dr. John Fortune, and the Transportation Security Administration’s Christina Peach and Karen Burke talk about how the Screening at Speed Program team is working to change the airport screening experience for the traveling public and transportation security officers.

Learn, Grow, Advocate for Yourself

In our special Women’s History Month Tech Speak minisode, S&T Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Technology Julie Brewer and Season 3 guests, LaTasha Thompson and Brannan Villee, offer advice, give their perspectives on science and technology, and talk about how their careers in STEM took off.

Space Is the Next Big Expansion

The final episode of Technologically Speaking Season 3 is out of this world! Host Deepak Saini is joined by Technical Manager Ernest Wong of S&T’s Technology Centers for a discussion about critical infrastructure resiliency. Learn about position, navigation, and timing and how it impacts numerous aspects of everyday life on Earth. And find out what the future may hold when it comes to research and development in outer space.