Technologically Speaking

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. 

In the Mindset of the Reporter

Technologically Speaking Host John Verrico, who retires this week after 15 years as S&T’s chief of Media and Community Relations, takes a surprising turn in the hot seat as a guest—talking with co-host Dee Saini about what it takes to make sure audiences know about the great work being accomplished at S&T. The innovation and research happening across the many diverse and varied S&T programs rely on skilled and dedicated media specialists who connect scientists and administrators to the public in a way that resonates and makes sense in their daily lives. 

It’s Brownfield, Not Greenfield

In this episode, host John Verrico sits down with identity technologies expert Jon Prisby of S&T’s Biometric and Identity Technology Center. Jon touches on the future of digital credentials and discusses how biometrics may influence deep fakes. You’ll hear about the role digital credentials play in our daily lives, learn about how mobile driver’s licenses (a future digital credential) work, and discover why biometrics can be both the solution to deep fakes and also part of the problem. Also: find out why the title’s real estate analogy is used to describe the digital identity space. 

The Increasing Pace of Disasters

In this episode, host John Verrico is joined by Dan Cotter, executive director of S&T’s Office of Science and Engineering and DHS Scientific Integrity Officer, for a wide-ranging discussion of the complex world of emergency management. Learn how a hydrology major wound up helping ensure government research is free of political interference and discover some of the many S&T efforts to enhance preparedness for individual citizens and their families, state and local first responders, and the nation. 

Science Is Messy

Host John Verrico sits down with Dr. Nick Bergman, director of S&T’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC). Dr. Bergman is a bit of a germaphobe, but it’s hard not to be when you run a Biosecurity Level 4 lab that studies pathogens for which no vaccine or treatment exists. Hear an insider’s perspective of the COVID pandemic, find out how NBACC regularly helps the FBI, and meet a guy living a “pretty typical life” of helping save us all from superbugs.