Gov. Jack Markell and delegation visit Zinger Enterprizes in Laurel
A delegation led by Gov. Jack Markell and including Lt. Gov. Matt Denn and Economic Development Secretary Alan Levin recently visited 22nd century technology development being conducted in Laurel. Representatives from the federal government were also there.
The host was Carl Schirtzinger, mechanical and electrical engineer and founder of Zinger Enterprizes, which does highly sophisticated work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Geological Survey. Every member of Schirtzinger’s family - wife Lisa, son Skylar, and daughters Sierra and Salina - as well as students from Sussex Technical High School and Delaware Technical Community College, were involved in demonstrating one-of-a-kind technologies, some of which played a critical research role leading to a recent Nobel Peace Prize.
Schirtzinger has been called a modern-day Leonardo Da Vinci who shares vision and related practical applications with his family who assist his work, and with high school students from Sussex Tech and college students from Del Tech, whom he mentors.
On display for the governor’s visit was one of several unmanned, solar-powered, satellite-controlled Oceanic Atmospheric Sensor Integration System boats, which were built under contract to NASA for use by NOAA. These vessels can stay on the water for long periods without having to return to land and can monitor just about anything, including changes in the composition of water (e.g., pollutants), currents, weather (including riding out hurricanes in order to predict precise landfall of such storms) and shipping traffic. The boats can also serve in lifesaving, law enforcement and homeland security roles.
Other technology demonstrated during the governor’s tour included light detecting and ranging technology. Using a powerful laser, LIDAR mounted on planes and boats can immediately determine the presence of oil, toxins and dangerous organisms as well as their quantity and quality in water. This technology was deployed on board a NOAA vessel in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to determine the oil’s movement both horizontally and vertically.
Another technology shown in Laurel was the airborne topographic mapper, which has many applications, including pre- and post-storm damage assessments. ATM-generated data and maps can be used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance companies and other agencies, and the technology was sent to map coastlines before and after the hurricane which hit the gulf oil spill area.
Recently, a primary mission of the ATM has been monitoring the polar ice caps, glaciers and sea ice. This information has been instrumental in studies of global climate change and weather modeling and prediction. The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to Al Gore and the United Nations was based on information gathered by the ATM system developed and built in Laurel by Carl Schirtzinger. Additional technology developed by the ATM project was adapted into the Cryosatellite, which will map and monitor the ice caps of the world. This satellite is to be launched in 2016.
A further system in continuing development by Schirtzinger is the Experimental Advanced Airborne Research LIDAR being operated by the USGS for coastal and coral reef mapping and seafloor bathymetry mapping. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses these data to determine where to deploy resources.
