Tech Tidbits From Around New Hampshire

An engineering lab at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering has been awarded two grants totaling $1.25 million to conduct planetary science research relating to the geophysics and astrobiology of icy planets in the solar system. A grant for $750,000 from the NASA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) will support research into the biogeochemistry of planetary ices, complex ice/brine/sediment systems, and ice interactions with spacecraft materials. An additional $500,000 grant from the NASA Solar System Workings) program will fund a detailed geochemical investigation into ice cores grown from five distinct chemistries representing potential icy world oceans that will enable predictive simulation of the thermophysical and geochemical evolution of icy planetary systems.

BAE Systems in Nashua has won a $843 million contract from the U.S. Army to continue work on a missile warning system the company has developed. The system, used to protect aircraft and aircrews, was developed in 2017, and 400 of them were produced. The new contract will enable BAE Systems to support the 400 systems going forward, the company said. The newest contract is expected to be complete by February of 2026.

Plymouth State University has established the Col. Craig Souza ’87 Endowed Professorship in Meteorology, made possible through a gift from retired U.S. Air Force Co. Souza, who served most of his career supporting the U.S. Army, including serving as the senior Air Force meteorologist supporting the Army and its chief of staff’s weatherman. The endowment provides financial support to a faculty member who will research and present on the value of “functional meteorology,” which involves the use of meteorological information to support decision-making or add value to an automated process.

The Federal Communications Commission has awarded a $801,768 grant to Harbor Care Health and Wellness Center in Nashua to help strengthen the telehealth services it provides. The funding, announced by U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen and U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, will help the center obtain computers and telecommunications devices, as well as make improvements to its network and security, to provide enhanced telehealth services to patients, including those who identify as experiencing homelessness.

Bill Burke has been promoted to chief human resources officer at Novocure. Burke, who joined Novocure in 2014, most recently served as the senior vice president of global human resources. Novocure a global oncology company, has a U.S. operation in Portsmouth.

Microdesk of Nashua, a provider of business and technology services for the design and construction industry, has released version 3.0 of its BIMrx software suite for building information management lifecycle automation that it says further streamlines tasks associated with project setup, modeling and project management.