Dr. Dan Bowen, Dr. Neiko Levenhagen, and Dr. Holly Weber – How a National Defense Organization Helped Tortellini the Sea Turtle
How can an organization whose mission is the defense of our nation, help a sea turtle at the Kansas City Zoo, overcome a serious condition with a less than serious name, Bubble Butt? This talk will explore how the Kansas City National Security Campus, who uses advanced manufacturing techniques in pursuit of its national defense mission, helped improve a sea turtle’s life with a little ingenuity and creativity. In partnership with the Kansas City Zoo, a team of KCNSC engineers and scientists used their problem-solving skills and their advanced manufacturing capabilities to build a weighted harness that allows Tortellini to swim normally and live her best life! The audience will learn of the many steps needed to ensure Tortellini is comfortable now, and well into the future.
Holly is a Principal R&D Scientist in Materials Engineering at KCNSC, leading the materials aging and compatibility initiative. She completed her B.S. in Chemistry at Northeast Missouri State University and earned her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Iowa. Holly’s career began with a 7-year stint at Eastman Chemical in Arkansas, where she worked in the analytical lab. She then moved to Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City, leading government and industry-sponsored projects. Since 2018, Holly has led KCNSC’s materials aging and compatibility efforts, expanding KCNSC’s capabilities and growing its presence within the broader materials aging community. Holly initiated and led the KCNSC/Zoo collaboration to design and manufacture a custom, weighted harness for Tortellini, the green sea turtle.
Dan is the Chief Scientist at the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) and a Honeywell Aerospace Senior Fellow. Dan leads KCNSC’s Technology Council, co-leads the Chiefs Council with the Chief Engineer, and collaborates with technology Partners (National Laboratories, academia, and industry) to develop and deploy an agile and applied science-based manufacturing capability able to accomplish the KCNSC’s demanding mission set. As Senior Fellow, Dan provides technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to KCNSC’s annual RDT&E (Research, Development, Technology, & Engineering) Portfolio and Senior Leadership. Dan worked with KCNSC Sr. Leadership to develop a path forward supporting a weighted harness for Tortellini.
Neiko Levenhagen leads the polymer additive manufacturing efforts at KCNSC as the Additive Manufacturing and Polymer Development (AMPD) focus area lead. His work spans the breadth of the 7 additive manufacturing families and includes the development of novel polymers and 3D printing techniques. He led the technical team in the design, fabrication, and assembly of Tortellini’s custom weighted harness.