Auburn University awarded $24 million contract from US Department of Homeland Security

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Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine has been gifted a five-year, 24-million-dollar contract by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science Technology Directorate (S&T). This new contract will help Auburn and DHS advance the science behind canine detection while helping operational threat detection abilities.

“Auburn has long been recognized for its world-class detection canine sciences research, and this funding from the Department of Homeland Security will allow significant enhancement and expansion of this critically important work,” said James Weyhenmeyer, PhD, Auburn vice president for research and economic development, in a university release.¹

The contract will help support Auburn’s new transdisciplinary Detection Canine Science, Innovation, Technology, and Education (DCSITE) program. DCSITE will be the primary academic resource for expertise within every area of canine detection science for the DHS S&T.

“Our DCSITE program will promote continual improvement and best practices for domestic production of detection canines to respond to evolving Homeland Security priorities,” said Frank “Skip” Bartol, MS, PhD, College of Veterinary Medicine associate dean for research and graduate studies and DCSITE program project investigator.

“It will foster technological innovation, sharpen responsiveness to emerging threats, create formal educational programs and provide a centralized hub for expertise and knowledge in the field of canine detection,” he continued.

The DCSITE program aims to accelerate detection dog science through incorporating the best practices in analytical chemistry, genetics, olfactory neuroscience, behavior and cognition, reproduction, and more.

According to the release, the program will also promote interdepartmental interagency collaboration to develop scientifically validated procedures, training, and canine mobile sensing technology with broad applications to the Homeland Security mission.

Reference

$24 million Homeland Security contract to advance detection canine science; research contract largest in Auburn history. News release. The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. March 10, 2022. Accessed March 10, 2022. https://ocm.auburn.edu/newsroom/news_articles/2022/03/100841-homeland-security-contract.php