Framingham University Alumni Magazine Winter 2010

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localtechnology
impact
global
alumni on a mission at the natick soldier systems center
by tracey palmer
In the high elevations of Afghanistan the weather is bad—
Nicole Killian ‘09, shown left, works with others in the textiles lab to design patterns
and prototypes of clothing worn by soldiers. Killian began her career at NSSC as a
student intern and accepted a full-time position upon completion of her Consumer
Sciences degree in Fashion Design and Retailing.
driving snow and bitter-cold wind—but U.S. soldiers there pray
for worse because they know it will drive the enemy out of their
hiding places in the mountains. And because the troops are
wearing high-tech cold-weather suits, they know they can
outlast opposition forces and beat them on their own terrain.
It might sound like a scene from a
sci-fi action movie, but it’s not. The
cold-weather suit and the many other
leading-edge advances like it are all in
a day’s work for a group of dedicated
Framingham State College alumni
who work at the U.S. Army Soldier
Systems Center in Natick (NSSC),
a Department of Defense installation
winter 2010 framingham state college
responsible for researching, developing,
fielding and managing food,
clothing, shelters and airdrop systems
for the military. Whether it’s the gear
they use, the clothes they wear or the
food they eat, the safety and morale
of the soldiers is everyone’s priority
at NSSC.
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