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Transportation Security Laboratory Visiting Scientist Program |
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Transportation Security Laboratory Visiting Scientist Program |
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The mission of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Security Laboratory (TSL) is to serve as the leading federal laboratory for the applied research, development, integration, and validation of cutting edge science and technology solutions for the detection and mitigation of explosives and conventional weapons threats in order to secure the homeland. The TSL has approximately 140 full time employees split amongst federal and contract staff members, with a wide variety of backgrounds, including chemists, physicists, engineers, research physiologists, and explosive specialists.
Established in 1992 at the William J. Hughes Technical Center, Atlantic City International Airport, the TSL’s 12 acre secure campus includes specialized explosive storage and handling areas and a multi-laboratory infrastructure designed for research, development, and test and evaluation of technology for explosives and weapon detection and blast mitigation. TSL’s team of physicists, chemists, engineers, research psychologists and mathematicians is internationally recognized for its unique ability to advance technology from conception to deployment through applied research, development, prototyping, test and evaluation, assessment, certification, and systems qualifications, and laboratory assessment testing. TSL is also internationally recognized for its role in the development of standards, protocols, and test articles for detection technology assessments.
The RDT&E programs conducted at the TSL have provided deployment ready explosive detection equipment, including explosive detection systems (EDS), explosive trace detectors (ETD), enhanced metal detectors, suicide bomb detection technology, hardened cargo containers for aircraft, RFID (radio frequency identification) tags, biometric standards, and a variety of ancillary products, such as modular bomb set training kits, high fidelity simulants for explosives, and quality control aides for EDSs, and K-9s. TSL’s product areas include:
Members of the TSL team serve as subject matter experts for U.S. and international researchers, and as technology developers in the following areas of focus:
TSL personnel work with universities and industry partners on grants and cooperative agreements to help move good ideas into the development pipeline.
The specially designed facilities at the TSL are used to perform research on explosives characteristics and chemistry, suicide detection imaging technology, human factor performance evaluations, and communications. Specialized blast resistant labs are used to evaluate explosive detection equipment and imaging equipment against an extensive library of domestic, foreign, and home-made explosive compounds. TSL’s core laboratory capabilities include:
TSL’s people and infrastructure provide the Department of Homeland Security with unparallelled capabilities to address the threat of weapons and explosives to homeland security - today and tomorrow.
TSL’s four enduring capabilities:
People.TSL is staffed with the world leaders in explosives detection, with over 1000 person-years of
experience in explosives detection and mitigation.
Property.TSL has specially designed facilities and infrastructure within a 12 acre secured campus.
Processes.100% of all security equipment presently deployed at U.S.airports has been developed, qualified,
or certified by the TSL for the Transportation Security Administration.
PartnershipsTSL maintains a vast network of established partners including other government agencies,
foreign governments, and industry.
With award-winning R&D and ISO 9001 Certified Independent Test and Evaluation, TSL proudly contributes to America’s Domestic Security.