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Power of ERDC

Power of ERDC

By: U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)
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Summary

 Satisfy your curiosity and learn how some of our country’s smartest engineers and scientists are solving many of the toughest challenges facing the nation and the Warfighter. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is comprised of seven research laboratories across four states, and one of its greatest strengths is its ability to combine the expertise from multiple laboratories into powerful, cross-disciplinary projects. Each month, we dive into one of these complex problems across its broad civil works and military mission space and ask ERDC’s world-class researchers about how they are discovering, developing and delivering practical cutting-edge solutions that make the world safer and better.Copyright 2026 Power of ERDC Political Science Politics & Government Science
Episodes
  • #59: Expedition ARCHIE: Water resilience for Arctic installations

    #59: Expedition ARCHIE: Water resilience for Arctic installations
    May 19 2026
    Water is critical to life and essential for Warfighter operations. However, accessing it in frigid Arctic conditions can be a challenge. To meet this need, a portable water treatment system developed by ERDC was successfully demonstrated at the U.S. Department of War’s northernmost installation. The Deployable Resilient Installation water Purification and treatment System (DRIPS) supplied potable water at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. The test occurred during Expedition ARCHIE (the Arctic Resource Conservation Hydration Innovation Experiment), an international collaboration between ERDC, the U.S. Space Force and the Danish Defence Estate Agency. Joining us to discuss how DRIPS can improve water supply in the Arctic is Dr. Clint Smith, a senior research biologist at ERDC’s Geospatial Research Laboratory. Topics include the challenge of water resilience in the Arctic (1:28), the capabilities of the DRIPS system (9:12) and how it performed at Expedition ARCHIE (15:59). We also talk about ERDC’s participation in an international collaboration for Polar research (4:26), how DRIPS benefits from ERDC’s multidisciplinary expertise (20:47) and how the team is working with industry to rapidly transition the technology (24:00). Visit PowerofERDCPodcast.org/59-Expedition-ARCHIE_resources for more information about DRIPS and the experiment at Pituffik Space Base. Watch a video of this podcast at PowerofERDCPodcast.org/59-Expedition-ARCHIE_video.
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    29 mins
  • #58: Building Energy Resilience in the Arctic & Elsewhere

    #58: Building Energy Resilience in the Arctic & Elsewhere
    May 12 2026
    As the Department of War increases its focus on the Arctic, ensuring our forces can operate effectively in one of the world's harshest environments has become a critical priority. From energy and infrastructure to the simple challenge of keeping equipment from freezing, the region’s demands require new and creative solutions, including the Mobile Insulation System for Energy Reduction (MISER). Justine Yu, a research architect with ERDC’s Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, discusses MISER’s development, its deployment to the Army, and the impact it and similar technologies can have on maximizing and protecting energy in austere environments. Topics include how and why MISER was developed (4:23), the importance of a blanket-like system such as MISER for equipment operations in the Arctic (5:16), and results and feedback from MISER’s recent deployment and testing in Alaska (6:11). We also discuss the Arctic Infrastructure Research Group, of which Yu is a part (1:36), and some of the group’s shared solutions (2:28). Watch a video of this podcast on our website at PowerofERDCPodcast.org/58-Resilient-Energy-In-The-Arctic_video.
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    21 mins
  • #57: Transforming the Built Environment: ERDC team guides DOW, USCAE on cutting-edge techniques for building, maintaining facilities

    #57: Transforming the Built Environment: ERDC team guides DOW, USCAE on cutting-edge techniques for building, maintaining facilities
    May 5 2026
    Technological advancements are dramatically changing how facilities are designed, constructed and maintained. Given the rapid pace of change, it is important for the Department of War and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to stay updated on the latest advancements and promote consistent standards across their facilities, while also seeking new innovations to improve mission execution. The Tri-Services CAD/BIM Technical Center of Expertise (TCx), which is based at the ERDC Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), promotes cutting-edge engineering and design processes for military and civil works facilities. The team advises the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as USACE, on innovative uses of various technologies – from computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM) to virtual and augmented reality, digital twins, artificial intelligence, and more. We speak with Nathan Jones and Brandon Meinert about how the team is working to transform the built environment. Jones is chief of the Tri-Services CAD/BIM TCx, and Meinert is a research general engineer at ITL. Topics include why the center is needed (4:22), how it has evolved (5:38), the role it plays today (6:54) and how it is working with private industry (26:18). We also discuss how the center is serving as a digital advisor (30:41), the transformative potential offered by digital twins (12:02), and how the center is applying artificial intelligence (16:45). For more information about the CAD/BIM TCx, visit PowerofERDCPodcast.org/57-CAD-BIM-TCx_resources. Watch a video of this podcast at PowerofERDCPodcast.org/57-CAD-BIM-TCx_video.
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    37 mins
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