Innovation yields potential in homeland security

By U.S. Sen. Susan Collins
(R-Maine)
    The creativity of the people and businesses of Maine in the development of advanced technologies is playing a vital role in the challenge of strengthening America’s homeland security. Those not from Maine might suppose the natural venue for an advanced-technology fair might be Silicon Valley, or a campus like MIT. Mainers, however, know that our State has both a proud tradition and a powerful contemporary presence in technology.    Mainers designed clipper ships, steam-powered autos, automated weaponry, and a papermaking process that made use of native wood. Today, our state is host to world-class shipbuilders, electronics firms, computerized mapping companies, and sensor firms as well as a state university conducting research into cellulosic ethanol, off-shore wind power, and tidal energy, all of which could help end our nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
    I recently organized a Homeland Security Technology Fair hosted by the University of Maine to showcase Maine’s homegrown technologies. More than twenty Maine research and technology companies and institutions were on-hand with exhibits displaying their cutting-edge work with advanced technologies. I saw first hand how truly impressive were the variety and the substance of the displays and demonstrations. What I saw was also very encouraging, both for the potential to promote the national interest and to expand economic opportunity for Mainers. A state like Maine, largely rural and distant from major urban centers, can benefit greatly from the growth of knowledge- and technology-based business to supplement traditional industries.
    To showcase the great work being done in Maine, I invited the Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Admiral Jay Cohen. Admiral Cohen heads the primary research and development arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which partners with the private sector and universities to develop new technologies for use by Border Patrol agents, Coast Guard members, and state and local first responders. Much of the work being done by high-tech Maine companies and institutions is being used or has the potential for use by local, state, and federal governments.    
    University of Maine Professor Habib Dagher led Admiral Cohen and me on a tour of The University’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Lab, where the Homeland Security Technology Fair was being held. The lab is an amazing institution that has won national recognition. Among the fruits of the research and development conducted here are lightweight panels that can help Army tents resist blasts, panels and joint inserts to help framed structures resist hurricanes, and an advanced-materials Navy patrol boat co-developed with Hodgdon Yachts that is lighter, stronger, and easier on crews than the traditional craft used by Navy Seals.
    The work of the Composites Lab under the leadership of Professor Dagher and the demonstrations on hand at the fair illustrate the great potential of advanced technologies to help the Department of Homeland Security carry out its mission while benefiting the Maine economy. For example, the composite cargo-container prototype under development in cooperation with the DHS Science and Technology Directorate could improve the security and integrity of the supply chain while offering shippers a lighter and longer-lasting container.
    Admiral Cohen was extremely impressed with the work being done at the University, stating, “This is the future. This is exciting,” and noting that the composites being developed the “next generation” of technology.
    It is vital that the Department remain engaged with America’s high-tech community and take full advantage of the breakthroughs it produces. Our country is working on great challenges in security, energy, environmental issues, and more. Some of those challenges will last for many years. Some of those that are resolved will be replaced by new challenges. I have confidence that American technical and intellectual resources such as those displayed at the Homeland Security Technology Innovation Fair in Orono will enable us to prevail, no matter what challenges we face.
    From the clipper ship to the silicon chip and beyond, creative Mainers are pressing forward with cutting-edge research and development, with innovative products and with new thinking.