Cadets2Vets contacted the head of an environmental science internship program at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Department of Fish and Wildlife. Mr. Dennis Buckingham is an environmental scientist who oversees the training of soldiers who are separating from the Army and volunteers looking to advance their careers in environmental science. The program provides hands-on experience that gets interns out in the fields of JBLM to work on projects involving ecological restoration, monitoring of rare, invasive, or endangered species, fire management, and other opportunities. Cadets2Vets presented our project to 1 environmental scientist, 3 infantrymen, 1 artilleryman, and 1 helicopter pilot. We got a lot of good feedback, both in terms of effective presentation skills for audiences who are unfamiliar with molecular biology as well as feedback on the ticket system.

They provided a lot of insights regarding how soldiers could use our sensor. They asked whether the ticket could be made larger, so that the readout could be read more easily; if we could integrate a smartwatch or develop a camera into a watch to reduce the number of items they would have to keep track of; and if we could change the GFP output into something that could be visualized using night vision goggles. They also strongly suggested that we talk to CBRN soldiers -- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear specialists who may know more about the current sensing technologies and how they are used. The soldiers did express concern about losing “sensitive items”, but we believe that because our technology will be low cost and available to consumers, that they wouldn’t have to worry about losing or breaking the device. We felt that it was very valuable to be able to talk to soldiers and understand how a biological sensor would fit into their duties.