Let us reintroduce ourselves! Join Civilian Sydney hosts for this special episode about the origins of the Defense Tech Podcast, who NSTXL is, and why Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) are now at the forefront of innovation in the U.S.

NSTXL is focused on building a network of innovators and creators across the most sought-after emerging technology fields. As an open-source platform, our approach was designed to encourage network growth and collaboration without stifling change. We support our network by providing commercial-term contracting, open-source technology discovery, modern-day marketing outreach, a strongly interconnected network for easy teaming and cybersecurity compliance support.

Learn more about OTAs: https://nstxl.org/what-is-an-ota/

Interested in coming on the podcast? Fill out the interest form 

Connect with NSTXL on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-security-technology-accelerator/

Join Civilian Sydney in the newest Tech TALX episode, where she sits with Wyatt Taylor from Epiq Solutions to discuss successful prototype integrations.

The "Neptune" project was initially awarded in 2021 under the S2MARTS OTA to 3 performers to provide a radio frequency payload for implementation into unmanned maritime systems. The project was then down-selected to Epiq solutions. Their payload solution gained attention from many other DoD offices who have since integrated Neptune’s test assets into their own systems. In this episode, we’re going to discover the factors that led to this project’s success.

This week's guest, Mr. Wyatt Taylor, is the VP of Products and Technology at Epiq Solutions. Wyatt received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at Virginia Tech.

Learn more about Epiq Solutions

Follow NSTXL on LinkedIn

Civilian Sydney sat down with Jackie Janning-Lask and Dr. Matt Casto, who lead the Midwest Microelectronics Consortium, to discuss the origins of MMEC and how to define a vision for clearer mission goals. The group also did a deep dive into a few technologies, including Secure Edge and the Internet of Things. Jackie and Matt helped me better understand the criticality of collaboration to achieve common goals.

Jackie Janning-Lask serves as the Chief Executive Officer of MMEC. She retired from the Air Force in July of 2023, bringing 35 years of DoD service to the table, including time at the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Dr. Matt Casto currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer for MMEC. Dr. Casto has 20 years of experience in numerous DoD technical leadership positions, including roles at the Pentagon in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force.

Learn More About the MMEC Hub: https://mmeconsortium.org/

Connect with NSTXL on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-security-technology-accelerator/

In this week's episode Civilian Sydney sits with Stephen Crago and Mike Haney, who help lead the California Defense Ready Electronics and Microdevices, or California DREAMS, Superhub.

Stephen is the Director and Principal Investigator of CA DREAMS at the University of Southern California, and Mike is the Deputy Director of CA DREAMS and the Director of the MOSIS 2.0 initiative.

In this episode, we cover electromagnetic warfare, 5G/6G technologies, the CA DREAMS MOSIS 2.0 initiative, cross-hub collaboration, and more.

Please leave a review if you love the podcast! If you have a suggestion for a topic or a guest you’d like to hear from on the show, you can reach out to me at [email protected].

Learn more about CA DREAMS: https://ca-dreams.org/

Connect with NSTXL on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-security-technology-accelerator/

Tune in to this episode as Civilian Sydney sits down with the SWAP Hub's CTO, Krishnendu Chakrabarty.

Krishnendu is the Fulton Professor of Microelectronics in the school of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering at Arizona State University. He also acts as the Chief Technology Officer for the SWAP Hub.

In this episode, we discuss some of the projects that the SWAP Hub is currently focused on, as well as what the Hub's workforce development initiatives are accomplishing - further cementing our understanding of why building a pipeline of qualified microelectronics workers is so crucial for U.S. manufacturing independence.

Connect with the SWAP Hub: https://microelectronics.asu.edu/southwest-advanced-prototyping-hub/

Learn More About NSTXL: https://nstxl.org/

Join Civilian Sydney as she chats with Fred Kish and John Muth from the CLAWS Hub as they discuss commercial leap-ahead technologies, wide-bandgap semiconductors, access to cleanrooms, building a robust workforce pipeline and more. 

Fred Kish is a renowned engineer who has made significant contributions to the field of optoelectronics, particularly in the development of high-performance LEDs and integrated photonic circuits. He is currently a distinguished professor and NNF Director at North Carolina State University. 

John Muth is also a distinguished professor at North Carolina State University, and he specializes in wide bandgap semiconductors and their applications in various technologies, including LEDs, lasers, and power electronics.

To learn more about the CLAWS Hub, visit: https://claws.ncsu.edu/

Learn more about the Defense Tech Podcast: https://nstxl.org/the-defense-tech-podcast/

Civilian Sydney talks with Brett Hamilton and Jalen Rollins from the Applied Research Institute, also known as ARI, who help lead the Silicon Crossroads Microelectronics Commons Hub. In this episode, they dive into technologies such as electromagnetic warfare and discuss the foundational elements for the successful integration of technologies.

Brett serves as Senior Vice President of Microelectronics & Advanced Technology Strategy at ARI, and is a respected national microelectronics leader with a 27-career at the DoD. Jalen is the Innovation Program Manager for SCMC and leads impactful campaigns for ARI and the SCMC Hub, leveraging his expertise in innovation methodologies and industry trends to drive impactful initiatives.

Enjoy the episode!

Learn More About the SCMC Hub: https://microelectronicscommons.org/connect/silicon-crossroads-microelectronics-commons-hub/

Watch the Full Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wZgd28XRRNc

Connect with NSTXL on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-security-technology-accelerator/

This week on the DoD-Critical series, Civilian Sydney talks with H.S. Philip Wong and Tsu-Jae Liu, professors leading the California-Pacific-Northwest AI (NW AI) Hub, one of eight Hubs of Microelectronics Commons. The NW AI Hub is focused on the development energy-efficient AI hardware and "AI at the Edge" - enabling AI use in devices soldiers carry. 

Professor Liu currently serves as the Dean and the Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering at the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. Professor Wong is the Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering.

To learn more about the NW AI Hub: 

Welcome back! Season 3 of the podcast is kicking off with Nicholas Fahrenkopf of the NORDTECH Hub, one of eight Microelectronics Commons Hubs that was awarded in 2023. This season we are exploring the six technologies that are critical to the Department of Defense in the effort to re-onshore microelectronics manufacturing technologies, as well as ensure the security of our current technologies.

Nick is the Technical Director of NORDTECH, and earned his BS in Physics and PhD in Nanoscale Engineering from the University at Albany and has experience in integration engineering. In this episode, he walks us through the critical technologies that NORDTECH is focused on, including AI Hardware and Quantum Technologies. Wondering what these technology areas entail? Don't worry, I was too. Nick walks us through it all in this episode. Enjoy!

Get connected with the NORDTECH Hub: https://www.nordtechub.org/contact

Learn more about Microelectronics Commons: https://microelectronicscommons.org/

Get connected with NSTXL on LinkedIn

Join Civilian Sydney in this Tech TALX episode as she sits with John Cowles from Analog Devices to talk advanced packaging and System on a Chip (SOCs). In this tech deep dive, John walks us through what an SOC is as well as its history, and why the industry is moving towards advanced packaging as an effective solution.

John Cowles is the Senior Director of Technology at Analog. He has over 20 years of experience in the semiconductor industry in various specialties such as defense electronics, microwave radios, as well as power detectors, phase shifters and radar-focused products. He earned his PhD at the University of Michigan in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

Watch the full video version on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p15YeChMJdo

Find us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-security-technology-accelerator/