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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Capt. Blake Gillund, AFWERX Spark Street booth exhibiitor, briefs Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and the Chief Commercialization Officer for the Department of the Air Force, at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 11, 2023. Spark, an AFWERX division, connects Airmen and Guardian operators to commercial innovators and acquisition processes. Spark Street, a custom set of four booth spaces, will showcase nearly 20 Spark Cells from around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)Capt. Blake Gillund, AFWERX Spark Street booth exhibitor, briefs Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and the Chief Commercialization Officer for the Department of the Air Force, at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 11, 2023. Spark, an AFWERX division, connects Airmen and Guardian operators to commercial innovators and acquisition processes. Spark Street, a custom set of four booth spaces, will showcase nearly 20 Spark Cells from around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)
                
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AFWERX 'Spark Street' takes over 2023 Air, Space and Cyber ConferencePublished Sept. 14, 2023
                    
                    By Matthew Clouse
                    
                    
                    Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs
            **NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AFNS) --****AFWERX******showcased the innovation from Spark Cells around the world at theAir and Space Forces Association’s Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Sept. 11-13. The aisle of four booth spaces at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center was called "Spark Street" where hundreds of attendees learned about ideas and projects from Airmen and Guardians that have improved and strengthened the Department of the Air Force.

“AFWERX invited Spark Cells to the conference to connect leadership and other Airmen with what's going on in the innovation space and how that can ignite ideas,” said Kathy Reid, AFWERX Spark branch chief. “There were times this week, when it was hard to walk through Spark Street because there were so many people visiting the booths. And you could hear the conversations, ‘my commander told me to come over here and take a look at this or have you heard about these ideas that they have?’So, the side conversations and the curiosity of our Airmen has been amazing.”

Tech. Sgt. Alberto Rodriguez, Spark Street booth exhibitor, gives a virtual reality demonstation to an Air, Space and Cyber Conference attendee at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 12, 2023. Spark Street, a custom set of four booth spaces, showcased nearly 20 Spark Cells from around the world. Spark, an AFWERX division, connects Airmen and Guardian operators to commercial innovators and acquisition processes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)Tech. Sgt. Alberto Rodriguez, Spark Street booth exhibitor, gives a virtual reality demonstration to an Air, Space and Cyber Conference attendee in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 12, 2023. Spark Street, a custom set of four booth spaces, showcased nearly 20 Spark Cells from around the world. Spark, an AFWERX division, connects Airmen and Guardian operators to commercial innovators and acquisition processes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)
            
            
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    Master Sgt. David Bunn, AFWERX Spark Street booth exhibiitor, briefs Col. Martin Salinas, AFWERX Spark division chief, at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 11, 2023. Spark, an AFWERX division, connects Airmen and Guardian operators to commercial innovators and acquisition processes. Spark Street, a custom set of four booth spaces, will showcase nearly 20 Spark Cells from around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)Master Sgt. David Bunn, AFWERX Spark Street booth exhibitor, briefs Col. Martin Salinas, AFWERX Spark division chief, at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 11, 2023. Spark, an AFWERX division, connects Airmen and Guardian operators to commercial innovators and acquisition processes. Spark Street, a custom set of four booth spaces, will showcase nearly 20 Spark Cells from around the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)
            
            
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    Tech. Sgt. Kristine Lopez, Spark Street LibertyWERX booth exhibitor, gives a technology demonstation to Gen. CQ Brown Jr., Air Force Chief of Staff, at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, Sept. 12, 2023. Spark Street, a custom set of four booth spaces, showcased nearly 20 Spark Cells from around the world. Spark, an AFWERX division, connects Airmen and Guardian operators to commercial innovators and acquisition processes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)Tech. Sgt. Kristine Lopez, Spark Street LibertyWERX booth exhibitor, gives a technology demonstration to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr. at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 12, 2023. Spark Street, a custom set of four booth spaces, showcased nearly 20 Spark Cells from around the world. Spark, an AFWERX division, connects Airmen and Guardian operators to commercial innovators and acquisition processes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Matthew Clouse)
            
            
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Spark Cells are a decentralized network of Airmen, Guardians and government civilians at Air Force bases around the world that execute locally generated ideas and projects to foster a results-driven culture of innovation.

Fifteen Spark Cells from**Whiteman Air Force Base**, Missouri,**Dover AFB**, Delaware and**Spangdahlem Air Base**, Germany, to name a few, attended the Air, Space and Cyber Conference to share their success stories.Tech. Sgt. Kristine Lopez, 48th Fighter Wing director of operations for the innovation office known asLibertyWERX, **RAF Lakenheath**,United Kingdom, was a Spark Street exhibitor informing attendees on their laser foreign object debris detection system. The system uses high-speed cameras, custom optics and laser line projectors to acquire both 2D images and high-resolution 3D profiles of airport runways, taxiways and aprons to automatically detect small objects at highway speeds.

The detection system has saved the base money by reducing foreign object debris damage to aircraft and has eliminated thousands of manhours spent on FOD walks, allowing Airmen to focus on their primary mission,

“We partnered with a small business in New Zealand and it's one of a kind,” Lopez said. “A lot of Air Force bases and the Navy are interested in this technology. There’sdefinitely a need out there, we just need a program office to pick it up.”

She even got the chance to share her success story with the Air Force Chief of Staff**Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.**when he visited Spark Street on Sept. 12.

I found out yesterday, so I was mentally preparing myself to not stumble,” Lopez added. “I really wanted to emphasize that we are trying to execute his action orders and also highlight some of ourAirmen and the amazing ideas that they have.”

To learn more about Spark Cells, connect with the team or findthe closest DAF Spark Cell, visit **AFWERX.com**or email**sparkcells@afwerxspark.com**.FS 



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