Preventing Head Trauma from Football Field to Shop Floor to Battlefield
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HEAD HEALTH CHALLENGE: PREVENTING HEAD TRAUMA FROM FOOTBALL FIELD TO SHOP FLOOR TO BATTLEFIELD HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION DECEMBER 13, 2017 Serial No. 115–42 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 28–412PDF WASHINGTON : 2018 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas, Chair FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas DANA ROHRABACHER, California ZOE LOFGREN, California MO BROOKS, Alabama DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon BILL POSEY, Florida AMI BERA, California THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma MARC A. VEASEY, Texas RANDY K. WEBER, Texas DONALD S. BEYER, JR., Virginia STEPHEN KNIGHT, California JACKY ROSEN, Nevada BRIAN BABIN, Texas JERRY MCNERNEY, California BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia PAUL TONKO, New York RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana BILL FOSTER, Illinois DRAIN LAHOOD, Illinois MARK TAKANO, California DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida COLLEEN HANABUSA, Hawaii JIM BANKS, Indiana CHARLIE CRIST, Florida ANDY BIGGS, Arizona ROGER W. MARSHALL, Kansas NEAL P. DUNN, Florida CLAY HIGGINS, Louisiana RALPH NORMAN, South Carolina SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HON. BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia, Chair FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut STEPHEN KNIGHT, California JACKY ROSEN, Nevada DARIN LAHOOD, Illinois SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana AMI BERA, California DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida DONALD S. BEYER, JR., Virginia JIM BANKS, Indiana EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas ROGER W. MARSHALL, Kansas LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas (II) C O N T E N T S December 13, 2017 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Lamar S. Smith, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ..................... 4 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 6 Statement by Representative Daniel Lipinski, Ranking Member, Sub- committee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ....................................................... 8 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 10 Statement by Representative Barbara Comstock, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Research and Technology, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................................ 12 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 14 Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ranking Member, Com- mittee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives 16 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 17 Witnesses: Dr. Michael Fasolka, Acting Director, Material Measurement Lab, NIST Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 20 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 22 Mr. Scott A. Kebschull, Vice President and Technical Director, Dynamic Re- search, Inc. Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 31 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 33 Dr. Alex O. Dehgan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Conservation X Labs Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 39 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 41 Mr. Shawn Springs, Chief Executive Officer, Windpact Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 55 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 57 Robert Daniel Reisinger, Director of Engineering, 6D Helmets, LLC. Written Statement ............................................................................................ 62 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 69 Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Dr. Michael Fasolka, Acting Director, Material Measurement Lab, NIST ......... 82 Mr. Scott A. Kebschull, Vice President and Technical Director, Dynamic Re- search, Inc. ............................................................................................................ 87 Dr. Alex O. Dehgan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Conservation X Labs ....................................................................................................................... 88 Mr. Shawn Springs, Chief Executive Officer, Windpact ...................................... 96 (III) HEAD HEALTH CHALLENGE: PREVENTING HEAD TRAUMA FROM FOOTBALL FIELD TO SHOP FLOOR TO BATTLEFIELD Wednesday, December 13, 2017 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, D.C. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:07 a.m., in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Barbara Com- stock [Chairwoman of the Subcommittee] presiding. (1) 2 Head Health Challenge: Preventing Head Trauma from Football Field to Shop Floor to Battlefield Wednesday, December 13, 2017 10:00 a.m. 2318 Rayburn House Office Building Witnesses Dr. Michael Fasolka, Acting Director, Material Measurement Lab, NIST Mr. Scott A. Kebschull, Vice President and Technical Director, Dynamic Research, Inc. Dr. Alex 0. Dehgan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Conservation X Labs Mr. Shawn Springs, Chief Executive Officer, Windpact 3 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HEARING CHARTER December 13,2017 TO: Members, Subcommittee on Research and Tecbnology FROM: Majority Staff, Committee on Science, Space, and Teebno!ogy SUBJECT: Research and Technology Subcommittee Hearing: "Head Health Challenge: Preventing Head Trauma from Football Field to Shop Floor to Battlefield'' The Subcommittee on Research and Techno!ogy of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a hearing titled Head Health Challenge: Preventing Head Trauma fi'om Football Field to Shop F1oor to Battlqfield on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 2318 of the Raybum House Office Building. Hearing Purpose: The purpose of the hearing is to review this science prize competition and its goal of spun·ing the development of advanced materials that will improve the performance of protective equipment not only for athletes, but also first responders, military personnel and others who face head injmy from impact events. 1 Witness List Dr. Michael Fasolka, Acting Director, Material Measurement Lab, NIST • Mr. Scott A. Kebscbull, Vice President and Tecbnical Director, Dynamic Research, Inc. • Dr. Alex 0. Debgan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Conservation X Labs • Mr. Shawn Springs, Chief Executive Officer, Windpact Staff Contact For questions related to the hearing, please contact Cliff Shannon of the Majority Staff at 202-225-6371. 4 Chairwoman COMSTOCK. The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will come to order. Without objection, the Chair is au- thorized to declare recesses of the Committee at any time. Good morning, and welcome to today’s hearing entitled ‘‘Head Health Challenge: Preventing Head Trauma from Football Field to Shop Floor to Battlefield.’’ I now recognize Chairman Smith, who has another hearing right now, to give his statement first as he has another obligation in Ju- diciary Committee that he needs to get to. Chairman Smith. Chairman SMITH. Yes, I appreciate your recognizing me out of order. I do have to shuttle between hearings, so that will be help- ful. And thank you to Chairwoman Comstock for holding today’s hearing. The Science Committee has a longstanding, bipartisan interest in the use of science prizes and challenge competitions to address dif- ficult national problems. The American Innovation and Competi- tiveness Act, signed into law in January of this year, included pro- visions from our Committee that streamlined and improved how federal agencies participate in science prize competitions. Our Committee is particularly supportive of the Head Health Challenge due to the involvement of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, over which this Committee has jurisdiction. NIST has been a leader among federal science agencies in challenge prizes and science competitions, including private-public and multi-agency initiatives. Science prizes aren’t new. At a Science Committee hearing last Congress, curators from the Smithsonian brought