News from the CECD

Dr. Jim Short ME), the deputy director of the Center for Energetic Concepts Development (CECD), has been named the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Energetic Materials. Short succeeds Dr. Paul Marinkas, the founder of the journal, who will retire in December.

The journal, which Marinkas founded 25 years ago, publishes quarterly and covers topics including molecular orbital calculations, synthetic and analytical chemistry, formulation, ignition and detonation properties, thermal decomposition, hazards testing, biotechnology and the toxicological and environmental aspects of energetic materials production. It serves as a forum for scientific and technical interchange in the disciplines of explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics.

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Professors S.K. Gupta (ME) and D.K. Anand (ME) co-authored the recent book Training in Virtual Environments: A Safe, Cost-Effective, and Engaging Approach to Training. The book details the research completed by both the CECD and the Energetics Technology Center in La Plata, Md., on developing methodologies for training in virtual environments.

The book seeks to help readers understand different technology choices in constructing virtual environments and their advantages and disadvantages in training applications. It covers technologies such as displays, tracking systems and user interaction devices while providing an overview of the basic modeling framework for creating objects in the virtual environment and manipulating them.

Published August 20, 2008