• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded a $15 million contract to a consortium of traffic safety research organizations headed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Spanning a three-year period, the project will develop advanced automotive safety technology. Specific areas of research include antilock brakes, vehicle lighting, vehicle mirrors, vehicle visibility, vehicle sensors, advanced technologies, suspension, handling, braking, and displays and controls. Researchers also will examine driver-response measurement and instrumentation, heavy vehicles, simulator support, and device acquisition.
• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Hewlett-Packard Co. have formed a $25 million alliance to develop innovative ways to create and handle digital information. This five-year partnership will investigate new architectures, devices, and user interfaces in information-rich environments. It also will explore novel services for commerce, education, and personal use.
• University of Rochester scientists are hard at work on the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility (SIRTF). Its goal is the creation of a new infrared telescope capable of performing in the frozen vacuum of space. At its core is a $458 million instrument composed of infrared arrays. Each array contains over 65,000 detectors crammed into a space no larger than a fingernail. The instrument should provide scientists with the clearest view ever of the universe. Unlike most other telescopes, which can't see in infrared, the SIRTF detects objects within the infrared wavelength, which is invisible to the naked eye. The telescope is scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 14., 2001. The SIRTF Science Center is leading the project at the Caltech-NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.