 Hello, my name is David Pittman and I'm the Director of the Engineer Research and Development Center and Director of Research and Development for the Army Corps of Engineers. And we're celebrating Earth Day. This is the 50th year of Earth Day around the world. And the ERDIC, the research labs, have been supporting the Earth ever since we were formed back in 1929 for over 50 years. So we started by studying the water. That's how we were born actually, the Waterways Experiment Station, studying the rivers and hydrology. And now today at our office in Champaign, Illinois, we're studying the environmental military installations around the world, all of our Army and Air Force installations. At our co-reasons lab, we're studying ice in the Arctic. At our geospatial research lab, we're looking at terrestrial and terrain and mapping around the world. And finally in Vicksburg, we also have an environmental lab that studies all aspects of the environment from our civil works program to our military programs. So we're very proud to support the Corps of Engineers in the nation and all the environmental operating principles. And glad to show you the kind of things that we're doing to support the warfighter in the nation. Harmful algal blooms have impacted human and animal health, aquatic ecosystems, and the economy of all 50 states. Arctic researchers and collaborators recently discovered a new method to remove blue-green algae from large bodies of water. Even better, their system can break down algae and its toxins into useful products like biofuels and fertilizer. A challenging problem facing our military is the impact caused by the foam that has been used to control aviation fires at military bases since the 1970s. It contains a substance called PFAS, which has been discovered at hundreds of installations around the world. And Department of Defense leadership is committed to further studying the issue. Arctic is now leading a collaborative effort to address the legacy issues of PFAS and subsequent replacement compounds as they seek cost-effective and environmentally protective solutions. The Corps' Engineering with Nature initiative integrates natural processes into engineering strategies that support sustainable water resource practices, navigation, flood risk management, and ecosystem restoration. One example of this can be found in IRDIC's research into the beneficial use of dredge sediment to nourish our nation's wetlands. A recent effort created a 73-foot-long submerged canopy in a wave flume to improve understanding of how sediment moves through underwater vegetation. This research will ultimately lead to healthier wetlands and increased protection along our coasts. As the Army moves towards smarter and more resilient installations, IRDIC is paving the way with our virtual testbed for installation mission effectiveness, or VTIME system. VTIME incorporates raw data into a common operating picture, using AI and machine learning to combine systems that were not originally built to be integrated. Among its many outcomes is the ability to better manage installation energy use and enable more environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies for the Army. Our nation and world are dealing with an increasing frequency of wildfires, and that destruction also comes with a little known side effect. The lost vegetation and changes to soil that result from a wildfire also create the potential for high-intensity debris flows and floods that can be 1,000 times larger than prefire floods. IRDIC researchers are improving models to better understand and manage the impact of debris flow, and help planners to better prepare for these tragic events. So that's just a few examples of some of the game-changing world-class research we do at IRDIC. You know at IRDIC we say we discover, develop and deliver new ways to make the world safer and better every day, and we're definitely committed to sustaining this environment around us.