'New Efforts To Detect Explosives Require Advances On Many Fronts', Science, 13 June 2008, Volume 320, Number 5882, p. 1416-1417

EXCERPT: "Faced with the ongoing threat from such improvised explosive devices (IEDs)--the notorious weapons of choice in Iraq and Afghanistan--governments around the world have stepped up efforts to detect them before they wreak havoc in crowded subways, stadiums, shopping malls, and other public settings. Last year, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $20 million for basic research on sensors, imaging tools, surveillance systems, and other techniques to detect explosives. And in February, the University of Rhode Island (URI) in Kingston and Northeastern University in Boston, each received the first $2 million of what could be $12 million grants from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create centers on explosives detection. 'We need to engage the academic community more fully to tackle the IED problem,' says Douglas Bauer, program manager for explosives research at DHS's science and technology directorate. The new approaches include sensors to pick up the faintest whiff of explosives in the air; imaging tools to detect, from afar, a bomb strapped to a person's body; and software to sift through video surveillance for suspicious behavior."

To continue reading the article, click here (subscription required).