One of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s premier events – AFRL Inspire – took place Thursday, April 28, after responding to pandemic restrictions with a “Greatest Hits” last year. This year AFRL Inspire was livestreamed via Facebook Live, with a smattering of in-person attendees at the various locations.
This ambitious event began in 2015 as a way to highlight some of the best, most interesting and thought-provoking stories drawn from the AFRL workforce. A call goes out for submissions, auditions are held, and those chosen to present are coached by professionals, the goal being to give a crisp, engaging and informative presentation.
Once the sound issues that plagued the first few minutes were resolved, the event was seamless. The audience heard from Lt. Col. Olivia “Pi” Elliott, who recounted what might be her only failure as a fighter pilot, stressing that while her mistake (shooting a herd of goats mistakenly ID’d as the enemy) was hard to take, she gained a new, more humble attitude. Lt. Col. Elliott is currently the test lead at AFRL’s Munitions Directorate at Eglin AFB, Florida. Her talk was titled, fittingly, “The GOAT Mindset.”
Capt. Tylor Rathsack, an engineer and combustion researcher at the Aerospace Systems Directorate at Edwards AFB, Calif., demonstrated why he loves his job with a hands-on demonstration that involved fire, safety glasses, and ear protection. Capt. Rathsack’s talk was called “Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine,” and suffice it to say that despite the cold, hard title, it was a wholly engaging speech complete with an explosion. (A little one!)
Dr. Nia Peters, of the Airman Systems Directorate, 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson, was joined onstage by a conversational computer screen. Her talk “Toward Natural Human-Machine Communication,” illustrated some of the challenges faced in the field. Dr. James Christensen of the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson showed how he and his team found a way to monitor the health and safety of maintenance workers in unbelievably tight quarters with wearable sensors. His talk was called “Inside the Wing, Outside the Box.”
The other speakers were: Dr. James Sumpter, senior scientist and program manager for the Weapons Digital Enterprise / Digital Twin Lab, Munitions Directorate at Eglin. (“Accelerate, Change and Win with Digital Twins”); Ms. Sara Telano, contract specialist in the Space Vehicles Directorate at Kirtland AFB, N.M. who spoke on “Thinking Differently About Sustainability: People. Planet. Profit”; and Mr. John Henry Williams, materials engineer and assistant to the chief scientist of AFRL’s Munitions Directorate in Eglin, who discussed “Organic, Free-Range Innovation.”
This year’s event also welcomed Dr. James Mozer, chief scientist of Space Operations Command and opening and closing comments from AFRL Commander, Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle.
The possibilities are nearly endless for future AFRL Inspire programs, as research expands into innovative technologies we can only now imagine.