DHS to brief industry 19 Dec. on plans for detecting home-made explosives in air cargo

WASHINGTON, 15 Nov. 2012.Explosives-detection experts at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Washington will brief industry next month on the department's progress and plans for detecting and analyzing traces of potential home-made explosives in air cargo.

The half-day DHS industry briefings will begin at 10 a.m. on 19 Dec. 2012 at MIT Lincoln Laboratory at Hanscom Air Force Base in Lexington, Mass. Pre-registration is required and the number of attendees is limited to 50 who are U.S. citizens and hold appropriate security clearances.

The briefings are entitled Trace Signature Analysis in Support of Air Cargo Security, and the sponsor is the DHS Science and Technology Directorate.

Discussions will revolve around DHS-funded trace explosives signature analysis efforts at the MIT Lincoln Lab and the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

Those who would like to attend should have technical expertise with trace explosives detection methods in air cargo screening. DHS officials are asking representatives from industry as well as from government to attend.

Briefings will include sessions on background chemical measurements in support of air cargo security; measurements in support of trace detection of homemade explosives; and ambient ionization techniques for detecting ammonium nitrate.

Presenters will be from the DHS; Transportation Security Administration (TSA); MIT Lincoln Lab; and the Army Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center.

Those who would like to attend must register no later than 5 Dec. online at https://conferences.ll.mit.edu/gr81workshops.

For questions or concerns contact the DHS's Malisa Dorn by e-mail at [email protected]. For help registering contact MIT Lincoln Lab's Ann Spanos by phone at 781-981-7810, or by e-mail at [email protected].

More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/OCPO/DHS-OCPO/19December2012_Industry_Day/listing.html.