Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) - Profiles

The Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC), also known as Natick Labs, operates under the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM).

The Expeditionary Basing & Collective Protection (EB&CP) unit provides shelter systems for various environments including for chemical and biological risk environments. Teams within the EB&CP include Composite Structures, Fabric Structures, Collective Protection Systems, Special Projects, Large Area Maintenance Shelters, and Design Engineering & Fabrication.

Within the Combat Feeding Directorate is the Performance Enhancement and Food Safety Team. This team conducts basic and applied research to validate and optimize biosensor technologies and systems to detect foodborne pathogens. They develop food components which are nutrient dense in support of enhanced performance for the soldiers. The group tests all ration components for microbiological stability prior to them being utilized in the field. NSRDC provides microbiology and chemistry support to all the teams within the armed services responsible for feeding military personnel.

The Biotechnology Laboratory has various instruments for the synthesis and analysis of genetic material and peptides/proteins including: Class II fermentation facility; Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) capability; DNA sequencing gel system; peptide synthesizer; Advance Chemtech STORM system; Perkin Elmer Fluorimeter; Water Alliance High Performance Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC); and a Pharmacia BIAcore Processing Unit.

The NSRDEC’s Chemical and Material Analysis Laboratory capabilities include a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR); Gas Chromatograph – Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS); GC systems with selective detectors; Multi-pump Liquid Chromatography (LC); Residual Gas Analyzer (RGA) mass spectrometer with flows down to 1 ml per; Thermo-mechanical analyzer; Differential scanning calorimeters; High-resolution thermo-gravimetric analyzer; Dynamic mechanical analyzer; and a Dielectric analyzer.

Additional specialized facilities at NSRDEC include a Microscopy Laboratory, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrophotometer, and a Laser and Electro-Optical Test Facility, Doriot Climatic Chambers, Clothing and Individual Equipment Obstacle Course, Thermal Test Facility, and a Certified Textiles and Fabric Testing and Evaluation Facility.