University of Notre Dame researchers plan to integrate a system for materials analysis from the U.S. Navy into several existing research projects.
The Navy transferred the NAUTILUS, or NAval Ultra-Trace Isotope Laboratory Universal Spectrometer, to the university in an Aug. 18 ceremony at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C.
“We are so grateful for our long-standing relationship with the United States Navy,” said Jeffrey Rhoads, vice president for research and professor in the department of aerospace and mechanical engineering, in a press release. “For over 80 years, we have worked together with a shared mission to serve our country and its people, and today is just another example of Notre Dame and the Navy working together to drive innovation for the betterment of the U.S.”
The Navy will collaborate with Notre Dame faculty members, as well as other universities that now will have access to the equipment. The NAUTILUS measures nuclear, cosmo-geo-chemical and electronic materials.
“This transfer, authorized by Congress and facilitated through educational partnership agreements, is more than a mere exchange of equipment,” said Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a 1984 Notre Dame graduate. “It is a commitment to fostering further innovation and research that can be applied to Naval and national security challenges, enhancing collaboration between government and academia and strengthening America’s competitive advantage in the global scientific arena.”
Caption: Capt. Jesse Black (right), U.S. Naval Research Laboratory commanding officer; Bruce Danly (left), NRL director of research, Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus (center-left); Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher W. Grady (center); and Jeff Rhoads (center-right), University of Notre Dame vice president for research, during an event to transfer NRL’s NAUTILUS instrument to Notre Dame in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18. (U.S. Navy photo by Sarah Peterson)
