News Articles
Applied Research Associates Scientist to be Featured
on the National Geographic Channel
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — On Jan. 26, Tim Samaras, a senior research engineer at Applied Research Associates, Inc., will be featured on Disaster Labs, a new National Geographic series. Samaras and his team of ARA scientists will re-create a terrorist crime scene, pick it apart piece by piece, then analyze their data in an effort to develop groundbreaking emergency response plans.
The first show will feature a suicide bus bomb blast, something that has never happened in the United States. Regardless, experts believe that such an attack could happen in any city at any given moment. Samaras' series of Disaster Labs episodes, called "Blast Force," focus on human lethality — what it would take for a human to survive a car or bus bombing.
"Terrorism affects everyone. The effects of 9/11 touched everyone and is on everyone's mind." he said. "Our research team from ARA Rocky Mountain Division was looking into human lethality and overall blast effects and blast pressure to see what exactly is survivable."
The team's efforts will help U.S. authorities better prepare for and respond to potential future disasters.
Disaster Labs is a series of four National Geographic TV shows that demonstrate Samaras' ability to apply innovative technology to help understand natural and man-made disasters. The first episode of "Blast Force" Disaster Labs will air on the National Geographic Channel beginning Jan. 26.
Tim Samaras is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. For more information on his research, visit Applied Research Associates or National Geographic's Emerging Explorers.
Applied Research Associates, Inc. is an international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically excellent solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. Our mission is to provide in-depth and diversified research, engineering and technical support services. We have a broad range of technical expertise in defense technologies, civil engineering, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies and blast testing and measurement. We also provide sophisticated technical products for environmental site characterization, pavement evaluation and specialized robotic vehicles.
