Today's Date:
Become a fan on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Connect with us on LinkedIn Bookmark and Share
Site Navigation:

USACE - ERDC - Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory

Laboratory Information:

USACE - ERDC - Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
72 Lyme Road
Hanover, NH 03755-1290
Website: http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil
Technology Transfer Website: http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/home-opportunities.html
Agency/Department: Dept. of Defense - Army
Region: Northeast

FLC Laboratory Representative:

Ms. Johnette Shockley
Phone: 402-554-4979
Fax: 402-554-3284
Email: Johnette.C.Shockley@usace.army.mil

Background/History of the Laboratory:

The ERDC is a Major Subordinate Command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that develops and applies innovative science and technology solutions to support warfighting, infrastructure, environment, water resources, and disaster operations. The ERDC consists of 2000 employees working in seven laboratories at four sites. The ERDC headquarters is located at the Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in Vicksburg, Miss. The operating elements at that site are the Coastal and Hydraulics, Environmental, Geotechnical and Structures, and the Information Technology Laboratories. The Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) is located in Hanover, N.H. The Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) is located in Champaign, Ill. The Topographic Engineering Center (TEC) is located in Alexandria, Va.

The origins of CRREL can be traced to 1867, the year that the United States purchased the Alaska territory from Russia. At that time, the Corps began stages of exploration and development, building early trails, roads and port facilities. World War II provided the catalyst to establish more organized research and engineering efforts in cold regions, to include military construction in Alaska, Greenland, and activities in other cold regions. The challenges of construction and operations in the arctic and subarctic regions and the need to maintain strategic superiority in the arctic resulted in the eventual establishment of organized research and engineering organizations. Major research and engineering activities included testing on permafrost, airfields in the arctic and antarctic, and glacial ice and snow properties to support the Distant Early Warning Line network of radar stations in Greenland, Canada and Alaska. Eventually, these organizations were combined in 1961 to establish CRREL in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Mission of the Laboratory:

The mission of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is to provide quality, responsive engineering and environmental research and development support to the Army and the Nation.

CRREL conducts research to:

  • Characterize the constraints placed on Army materiel and operations in a realistic winter battlefield environment.
  • Develop techniques and equipment to mitigate those effects.
  • Provide engineering and consultant services on cold related problems to developers of Army doctrine and materiel.
  • Characterize the nature and the impact of cold effects on construction, operations and maintenance of Army and civil works facilities and activities.
  • Develop new procedures and equipment to minimize costs.
  • Provide environmental services on cold related problems to developers of equipment, managers of Army and civil works facilities and other field users.
  • Recommend mitigative measures on the impact of human activity on the environment in cold regions.
  • Understand the nature and characteristics of snow, ice, frozen ground and other materials in cold environments including their inter-relationships with other environmental factors.

Technology Transfer Mechanisms:

  • Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs)
  • Education Partnership Agreements
  • Facility Sharing
  • Interagency Agreements
  • Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreements
  • Patents and Licensing
  • Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)
  • Technical Assistance

Technology Areas of Expertise:

  • Agriculture & Food Processing
  • Biotechnology & Medicine
  • Chemical
  • Computers and Software
  • Environmental
  • Materials
  • Sensors
  • Transportation

Click here to return to the top of the page