The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Johns Hopkins APL researchers are accelerating multi-principal element alloy (MPEA) design by developing complex, high-strength microstructures that provide composition information from only a few samples. The researchers developed a design capability to synthesize 17 unique MPEA compositions and present characterization data on over 7,000 unique data points. https://jhuapl.link/u8g To predict which MPEA compositions to manufacture, APL partnered with Paulette Clancy and Maitreyee Sharma Priyadarshini at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering. With limited data, they used their physics-informed Bayesian optimization algorithm, PAL 2.0, to quickly sift through alloy possibilities and recommend MPEAs that maximize hardness and provide the widest sample of data for future development. After Clancy’s group provides recommendations on which alloys to test, the APL team creates the alloys and conducts arc melting, which sends an electronic current through the metal to melt it. Arc melting can be achieved with minimal material, making it a quick way to sample vastly different compositions. The technique is one of many APL is developing and testing to speed up materials discovery and understanding. #JHUAPL | #MaterialsScience | #AdvancedManufacturing | #EngineeringInnovation | #AIinScience | #MachineLearning

Johns Hopkins APL Director Ralph D. Semmel has announced that he will step down from his role in July 2025, marking the conclusion of 15 remarkable years leading the nation’s largest university affiliated research center. https://jhuapl.link/lf0 “Serving alongside APL’s dedicated staff members has been the greatest professional honor of my life,” said Semmel. “My colleagues have made amazing contributions to many of the most daunting challenges facing our nation, and taken what was already a remarkable organization to incredible new heights. That is what every APL director strives and hopes for during their tenure, and I could not be prouder of all we have achieved.”

NASA released a summary of the fifth iteration of a Planetary Defense U.S. Government Interagency Tabletop Exercise held at Johns Hopkins APL, which brought together domestic and international leaders to evaluate a global response to a simulated asteroid impact threat to Earth. https://jhuapl.link/iy3 Representatives from NASA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the United Nations and other domestic and international agencies were among the participants. Although no known significant asteroid impact threats exist in the foreseeable future, the exercise walked participants through a hypothetical scenario in which astronomers discover an asteroid with a significant chance of impacting Earth 14 years in the future. The situation required officials to discuss, coordinate and agree on courses of action, including timelines for potential space missions to gather more information about the asteroid and to possibly prevent its impact. Organizers plan to publicly release an after-action report for the tabletop exercise, detailing strengths and outstanding gaps for which future investments can be targeted. The report will also provide recommendations for future planetary defense exercises. #JHUAPL | #PlanetaryDefense | #AsteroidImpact | #SpaceSafety | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration | FEMA | European Space Agency - ESA

In celebration of Pride Month, Johns Hopkins APL’s Allies in the Workplace affinity group recently held the Lab’s first-ever Pride Festival. The event included festivities, music and games, as well as a market displaying offerings from local LGBTQ+ owned businesses. Family and friends were also welcome to join in on the fun. 🌈 ✨ #JHUAPL | #PrideMonth | #PrideFestival | #LGBTQ+ | #AlliesInTheWorkplace

Happy 4th of July from Johns Hopkins APL. Have a safe and memorable Independence Day. 🇺🇸🎆 #JHUAPL | #Happy4thofJuly | #IndependenceDay

Researchers from Johns Hopkins APL and Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering have developed an innovative navigation system designed to help blind or visually impaired users of prosthetic vision devices by improving their independence and mobility through enhanced environmental awareness and navigation support. https://jhuapl.link/o1a The system leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to map environments, track users’ locations and provide real-time guidance. This capability can enable users to query the system for guidance to specific objects or features within their surroundings, making navigation more intuitive and effective. Nicolas Norena Acosta, a robotics research software engineer at APL, and his team enhanced this basic visual feedback with additional haptic, visual and auditory sensory inputs to create a more comprehensive navigation system. The haptic feedback involves an APL-developed headband that vibrates in different places to indicate the direction of obstacles or the path the user should follow. The system is currently being tested in a clinical trial, with results expected this summer. #JHUAPL | #JohnsHopkinsEngineering | #ArtificialIntelligence | #AI | #InnovativeNavigation | #Accessibility | #TechForGood

Researchers from Johns Hopkins APL and Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering have developed an innovative navigation system designed to help blind or visually impaired users of prosthetic vision devices by improving their independence and mobility through enhanced environmental awareness and navigation support. https://jhuapl.link/o1a The system leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to map environments, track users’ locations and provide real-time guidance. This capability can enable users to query the system for guidance to specific objects or features within their surroundings, making navigation more intuitive and effective. Current prosthetic vision devices can only stimulate a small area of vision, providing minimal visual feedback that’s not robust enough for users to navigate their environment safely and independently. Nicolas Norena Acosta, a robotics research software engineer at APL, and his team enhanced this basic visual feedback with additional haptic, visual and auditory sensory inputs to create a more comprehensive navigation system. The haptic feedback involves an APL-developed headband that vibrates in different places to indicate the direction of obstacles or the path the user should follow. The system is currently being tested in a clinical trial, with results expected this summer. #JHUAPL | #JohnsHopkinsEngineering | #ArtificialIntelligence | #AI | #InnovativeNavigation | #Accessibility | #TechForGood

Johns Hopkins APL recently commemorated Juneteenth with an annual celebration held by the Lab’s African American Culture Club (AACC) and the Johns Hopkins Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA). The event included a block party with food, music, line dancing, double dutch, raffles and family fun. 🎉 The Juneteenth Block Party celebrated African American liberation and showcased a vendor market with products and services from black independent consultants and small businesses. #Juneteenth | #FreedomDay | #JHUAPL | #AfricanAmericanCultureClub

#AsteroidDay Johns Hopkins APL is committed to making an impact in planetary defense. Designed, built and managed by APL, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) changed the orbit of a celestial body for the first time in human history, demonstrating one possible capability to defend Earth from a future collision. ☄️ Learn more about the DART mission: https://dart.jhuapl.edu/ #JHUAPL | #DARTMission | #PlanetaryDefense | #SpaceScience | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

#PrideMonth 🏳️🌈 "When I graduated from college, accepted a job offer from APL and prepared to move across the country, I had a lot of questions. That was probably natural at such a seminal moment in my life. I had so many questions I couldn't even list them all here. I can tell you what that list didn't include, though. None of those questions were: is APL inclusive? Does the Lab value diversity? Will there be people there like me? At the time, I still thought I was a cisgender, straight, white man, and I very much took for granted that fitting in wouldn't be a concern. I thought the culture seemed generally positive in some nebulous way, but mostly I knew that there was a pathway to doing the kind of work I had long dreamed about. Almost nine years later, I have realized that most of the labels I used for myself were wrong. I am a trans woman and a lesbian. Figuring that out about myself has made me happier than I had ever imagined possible and given me a stronger appreciation for the questions I didn't think to ask. I realized how privileged I was that those questions didn’t occur to me. Outside of work too, I was never excluded from sports, always had access to health care, and didn't see my very existence debated by politicians. It never crossed my mind that these were things requiring my concern. Looking through the lens as an impacted party has made me so much more aware of the long history of similar experiences those from non-majority groups have faced. It's frustrating that as a society we are still not better than demonizing an underrepresented group. I have such great appreciation for how much easier I had it before I came out, but I wish it was that easy for everyone. It's important to me that people understand the challenges facing the trans and wider LGBTQ+ communities right now, and that what is happening to us mirrors the experience of so many other communities. No one should have their existence made into a talking point. Maybe with a better understanding, we will all show more compassion to our fellow humans, and make the world a better place for all of us." – Rylie Bull is a mission design and navigation engineer in #JHUAPL's Space Exploration Sector.