Science Cheerleader

From Dr. John: Last week, David Meerman Scott, marketing guru and author of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” visited the Pentagon to discuss the importance of social media in the Defense Department’s communications arsenal.  He spent two hours with the All Services Social Media Council, comprised of people from across the Department (ten points if you can find my forehead), and led a very interesting discussion about social media strategy and brand journalism.

I had the opportunity to chat with David during a 30-minute car ride, and I couldn’t help but detail all of the social media strategies we use to operate Armed with Science, the Defense Department’s weekly science podcast.  He was so impressed with our efforts to provide meaningful information about science and technology through social media that he even mentioned us in a blog entry, Brand Journalism in US Military Humanizes Large Organization.

Pretty cool!  Maybe his next book will be titled, “The New Rules of Science Marketing and PR”!

A brief, “edutaining” first-person account on the Science of Lying, from our own Dr. John Ohab.

This Pentagon Channel report investigates whether neuroimaging techniques can be used to detect deception. Dr. Bhatt previously appeared as a guest on the weekly science and technology podcast, “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military”.

The report also features my award-winning acting skills and demonstrates the razor-sharp wit and decision-making savvy required to answer personal questions under pressure.

Dr. Bhatt: Were you born in 1980?
John: Yes.

Virtually no hesitation.

Special invitation from an inside-source at the Department of Defense…our very own Dr. John Ohab:
Here’s a great opportunity to engage the highest ranking U.S. military officer in a dialogue about science: Admiral Mullen, The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is taking YOUR video questions over YouTube through midnight on Monday, August 31st. He’ll select his favorite questions and answer them directly on the Defense Department’s YouTube page.

The Department of Defense (DoD) will spend more than $75 billion on research, development, testing, and evaluation in fiscal year 2009; that is, more than the entire budgets of the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation COMBINED. Much of this will directly support our warfighters by providing revolutionary, superior capabilities needed to accomplish DoD’s mission. However, this investment also includes research in biomedicine, earth and environmental sciences, information technology, and many other disciplines that extend beyond military applications into the civilian world.

Do you have a question about DoD’s efforts to reduce energy consumption, their research on climate change and retreating Artic sea ice, medical care for servicemembers and their families, or how Recovery funds will impact DoD scientific pursuits?

Submit your YouTube video questions before midnight on Monday, AUGUST 31!   Don’t miss your chance to get answers straight from the top!

From Science Cheerleader report, Dr. Ohab:

On Saturday, July 11, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA), the Defense Agency responsible for protecting the Pentagon, conducted an operational response test to a simulated outdoor airborne biological attack on the Pentagon grounds. The study consisted of the release of a harmless gardening powder into the Pentagon parking area, where nearly 100 citizen volunteers were positioned, followed by subsequent decontamination and surface sampling of the volunteers. The results will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of various emergency personnel and guide future operational responses to attacks on the Pentagon.

Best of all, Pentagon security relaxed its usual restrictions on photography and permitted media to film virtually all aspects of the operation. I had an opportunity to interview various subject matter experts, including Mr. Paul Benda and Dr. Christina Murata, Director and Deputy Director of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives Directorate at the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, as well as some of the volunteers for a SciCheer video report.

If you’re interested in learning more about the operational response test, check out “Armed with Science”, the Defense Department’s weekly science podcast, this Wednesday at 2pm ET on Pentagon Web Radio. I’ll be interviewing Mr. Benda and Dr. Murata live, and anyone can submit questions before or during the show by posting to the Armed with Science podcast or the Twitter page.