Message by Joseph Sciabica, Director of AFRL Sensors Directorate
Groundbreaking of the IDCAST Collaborative Research Center
TechTown Campus, Dayton, Ohio
July 2, 2007
Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished guests from the State and Local government, fellow citizens. On behalf of the men and women of the Air Force Research Laboratory - I would like to begin by thanking the State of Ohio for the creation of the Institute for the Development and Commercialization of Advanced Sensor Technology, affectionately known as “IDCAST”. Without that we wouldn’t be here today.
I have come to understand in my short time here in Ohio that there is a budding industrial and academic base to support the development of sensing systems. This tied together with the Air Force’s decisions in 2005 to co-locate all of the Air Force’s sensors and aero-medical research work at WPAFB provides a critical mass that didn’t exist before. As we begin to understand the opportunities which are presenting themselves with respect to the intersection of aero-medicine and sensing systems we see that the through the IDCAST partnership and other 3rd Frontier initiatives like the Wright Center for Sensors and Systems Engineering (WCSSE) and initiatives already underway like daytaOhio, we will be able to create a world class advanced sensor technology institute here in the Dayton region that will benefit the entire State and nation. I see a future in this partnership between the academic, industrial and government sectors that goes well beyond what each of us can, or could do if we continued if we did not come together and join forces under this unique 3rd Frontier initiative.
The 3rd Frontier funding of IDCAST provides the necessary glue that pulls these three communities together into a “perfect storm”, if I can borrow that analogy from the movie industry. We expect to create a new industrial and academic base which is focused on developing sensing systems that will provide new remote sensing capabilities, and capabilities to detect chemical or biological agents to support homeland security and first responder missions. This funding positions our region and State to support not only the needs of the United States Air Force, but also the needs of our first responders and homeland security communities. As a member of the Air Force I’m excited about this partnership because if the same sensors system solutions I use to accomplish my military mission, can also address the needs of other missions I gain a “hot” industrial and academic base to supply my needs.
And of course, I’d like to thank CityWide Development and the City of Dayton for providing our team the opportunity to be the anchor tenants in Tech Town. As all can see from the architectural drawings we are poised to be housed in a world class research and development facility. This facility will act as a center of gravity, to not only incubate business and partnership ventures in our region, but to also reach out to the next generation of scientists and engineers to work in these exciting fields in the State of Ohio.
I simply believe that today we stand at a cross road in history – we’ve just broken the ground on what I expect to be the future industry of our region. Leveraging upon the successful innovation and industrial revolution led by the Wright Brother’s who gave us powered flight and folks like Charles F. Kettering who gave us the electric starter, anti-knock gasoline, amongst other mechanical devices and Frank M. Tait, the recognized dean of America’s electric industry. I suspect that Tech Town and IDCAST will become household names much as the previous products built on this old Frigidaire site were as people come to recognize that Sensors are an enabling technology that are utilized in every major industry today and that the future in this business is happening in Dayton Ohio!
Joseph Sciabica
Director, AFRL Sensors Directorate