National Agency Honors RZ Director for Tech Transfer Success

  • Published
  • By Laura Dempsey
  • Air Force Research Laboratory
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio --  His name may be on the award, but Mr. Douglas Bowers is quick to downplay his role in winning it. As the newly crowned Federal Laboratory Consortium Laboratory Director of the Year, Mr. Bowers, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Propulsion Directorate, is quick to give credit to the entire staff.

"Let's be clear on this," he said. "This is definitely a Directorate award. The work we do here is why we got the award. I help set the environment, encourage the workforce and provide support, but it's the work they do that merits this attention."

The honor recognizes excellence in Technology Transfer, a valuable and essential part of AFRL's focus. Tech transfer ensures that research, facilities, systems, and personnel are shared among research labs, universities and industry; it's the system by which developing technologies become commercially viable. Tech transfer benefits all, and stretches research dollars by eliminating duplication and facilitating collaboration - a priority for today's AFRL.

Kristen Schario, RZ's Technology Transfer Manager, nominated Mr. Bowers for the award. The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) asked for the "best example of technology transfer," requiring Ms. Schario to narrow down RZ's contributions to the one she believes has the most impact - alternative fuels. Development of alternative fuels has far-reaching payoffs, and the Air Force, whose jet fuel consumption makes it the largest consumer of energy in the federal government, has an obvious vested interest -- as well as a public responsibility -- to pursue its development. Commercial airlines use far more jet fuel than the Air Force, however, so their engagement in alternative fuel research makes sense for all concerned. Through tech transfer programs such as those at AFRL/RZ, industry, government and academia come together to share resources and, ultimately, the spoils of research success.

Ms. Schario's nomination package makes note of Mr. Bowers' role in the approval of Hydroprocessed Estes and Fatty Acids for use as 50/50 blends by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). This significant achievement came on the heels of the success of Fischer-Tropsch, which, in September 2009, became the first class of alternative jet fuel blends to be approved by the ASTM.

Ric Trotta, who chairs the FLC's National Advisory Council, called the award "kind of a big deal. You have people on the advisory council who've been lab directors, senior people from government, industry and academia - it's a peer review."

"It's difficult to pick winners, because they're all excellent," Mr. Trotta continued. "The thing that stands out for Mr. Bowers is the work (in RZ) on alternative fuels. The economic impact was a big thing ... The President wrote a memo few months ago emphasizing tech transfer for improving the competitiveness of the United States. The economic impact on our competitive position is a very big deal."

This award, presented to Mr. Bowers for his work with the Propulsion Directorate, arrives in the midst of AFRL's merging of the Propulsion and Air Vehicles Directorates into one, with Mr. Bowers its director.

"It's an exciting time, a challenging time," he said. "We're looking at how we do everything and we're going to end up with the absolute best practices in the newly merged Directorate."