Play Video<\/title><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
To that end, a warmer climate may also only heighten the interest among industry partners in developing cutting-edge clothing that keeps the consumer cool in their day-to-day life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMost of the time when you\u2019re looking at the effects of comfort on clothing you\u2019re looking at temperature and humidity,\u201d Deaton points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That may well call for new and emerging technology to aid TPACC researchers, Barker adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe see a real role for TPACC that involves new-generation, instrumented manikins that are better able to operate at temperatures that are above normal,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond that? It\u2019s hard to get much more specific. After all, if there\u2019s been one constant over the past 30 years, it\u2019s been the ability of Barker and his team to adapt and respond in the wake of major global events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all driven by what\u2019s happening,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat we\u2019ve found is that we have to keep changing and evolving based on that need. There are always new hazards that are coming up. That\u2019s why the research has such a ring of currency to it. It\u2019s because we\u2019re responding.<\/strong>“<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n
For Wilson College of Textiles Professor Roger Barker, walking into the Textile Protection and Comfort Center<\/a> (TPACC) on NC State\u2019s Centennial Campus is something of a full-circle moment in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He finds reflection in watching teams develop new, cutting-edge ways to prevent heat strain in members of the Armed Forces \u2026 or in seeing researchers workshop test methods that might be the silver bullet for preventing cancer among firefighters \u2026 or, in collaborating with a major clothing retailer hoping to validate their claims about a new type of athletic wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m amazed,\u201d Barker says. \u201cI think the vision that I had for TPACC at the beginning has been realized, over and over. And it didn\u2019t occur overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"Roger$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a poignant assessment of the center Barker once founded \u2014 which is now set to celebrate 30 years operating at the crossroads of academia, government and industry in a way no other institutions do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve always known that we\u2019re kind of a unique institution: a center within an academic setting,\u201d Barker says. \u201cYou can find several of the things we do at different locations around the world. But you won\u2019t find all of it, like we have here, anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adapting over 30 years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The fact that TPACC boasts such a multi-faceted array of capabilities is, in many ways, a product of its growth over the last three decades \u2014 a trajectory defined by adaptability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the early 1990s, the center largely grew out of Barker\u2019s vision for a one-stop location that would marry his research into the push-and-pull of heat protection and comfort, recognizing the two go hand-in-hand; after all, a firefighter who forgoes some of their protective gear because it\u2019s uncomfortable faces a direct threat to their safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"Roger$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
But if TPACC\u2019s work protecting firefighters from flames and smoke was cutting edge in the late 20^{th<\/sup> century, it took on increased meaning following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which exposed the need for more robust chemical protections for first responders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n}
TPACC was among the first institutions to receive grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), itself created in the wake of 9\/11. The mission: to develop more user-friendly turnout suits for firefighters that would provide better protection not just from fires, but from chemical vapors and particles, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The center would later receive further DHS funding for what would become its Man-In-Simulant-Test, or MIST, facility, which helps TPACC researchers evaluate how toxic vapors can permeate garments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TPACC has also been at the heart of cutting-edge research developing suits to protect servicemembers from chemical exposures and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), research born from casualties sustained during U.S. involvement in Iraq.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe were already on the map,\u201d recalls Shawn Deaton, TPACC deputy director. \u201cBut our purpose took on new meaning following 9\/11, and with our subsequent military involvement overseas. It led to TPACC acquiring a lot more testing capabilities, and increasing our research as it relates to protective clothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the decades, the center has continually adapted with the help of new technologies. Its PyroMan manikin (more recently \u201cupgraded\u201d with the new Dynamic PyroMan) has proved integral to testing the durability and protective properties of thermal protective gear \u2014 critical garments to protect firefighters, members of the Armed Forces and industry workers facing potential heat exposures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"Roger$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Whatever the endeavor, TPACC\u2019s prowess helps equip industry and government partners with reliable, science-based data \u2014 not just on a single swatch or garment, but for full ensemble systems worn by first responders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it\u2019s a mission that resonates with every test or reading conducted by the dedicated scientists at the Centennial Campus facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe think we have a mission that extends beyond the walls of the university,\u201d Barker marvels. \u201cIt\u2019s so dear to our hearts in TPACC.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A valuable asset for industry partners<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
TPACC\u2019s focus on how a garment or \u201censemble\u201d fares under the stress of fire, heat or human movement has brought the center plenty of valuable partnerships beyond the front lines, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Companies regularly harness the expertise of the Wilson College of Textiles in developing and improving cutting-edge apparel and gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt's been great to work with all the partners that we have. Without them, we don\u2019t exist. We\u2019re a self supporting institution,\u201d Deaton points out. \u201cIt is critical, and with their advancements and them using us to evaluate or help improve their products, it certainly helps us out as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That symbiotic relationship has proven useful for companies in search of science-based conclusions to test their products, workshopped through test methods TPACC researchers regularly develop through the center\u2019s deep ties to internationally-recognized standards organizations like ASTM, the National Fire Protection Association, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists and the International Organization for Standardization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wilson College Dean David Hinks specifically cites TPACC\u2019s early-century research support for Under Armour, at the time a young company, as a key factor in the company becoming a force in the athletic wear industry \u2014 today worth some $2.85 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"While TPACC is internationally renowned for its work in protecting and saving lives, its research is equally relevant to areas of functional garments such as sports apparel,\u201d Hinks points out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related<\/h2>
$\"Chancellor$ <\/div><\/div>
Under Armour Founder, CEO Visit NC\u00a0State<\/h3>
In December 2022, NC\u00a0State and Under Armour cosigned a five-year master research agreement to accelerate bringing new discoveries to market. Under Armour also opened its innovation center on Centennial Campus.<\/p>
Learn <\/span>More <\/span>
It\u2019s also merely one example of the cutting edge research happening on NC State\u2019s Centennial Campus, where researchers come together with industry partners to foster innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To that end, TPACC is a big factor, Hinks adds, in the university routinely ranking among the nation\u2019s best in all metrics of innovation, from accumulating patents to launching startup companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTPACC is a major contributor to not only the education and research inside Wilson College, but also the innovation that is the translation of creative ideas into commercial success,\u201d Hinks notes, while staying true to perhaps the center\u2019s most solemn purpose:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the case of TPACC,\u201d Hinks says, \u201cthat commercial success, at its core, is about saving lives.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Staying true to its core mission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
But even as TPACC has showcased its versatility in collaborating with companies across the commercial spectrum, its focus on the health of firefighters and members of the Armed Forces has remained central to its mission \u2014 albeit with an adapting focus as needs change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For instance, in recent years, research teams have honed in on so-called \u201cforever chemicals\u201d in developing fire protective equipment aimed not just at protecting firefighters from heat \u2014 but from carcinogens, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, no facility in the U.S. conducts vapor protective suit testing at the level TPACC does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The center\u2019s research has led to innovative firefighting suits now worn by multiple fire departments \u2014 including some close to home, in NC State\u2019s Research Triangle region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related<\/h2>
$\"Bryan$ <\/div><\/div>
Ormond\u2019s Career Protecting Firefighters Through TPACC Earns Him Faculty Honors<\/h3>
The Wilson College of Textiles faculty member received the 2023 Goodnight Early Career Innovators Award.<\/p>
Read <\/span>more <\/span>
The significance of that work is never lost on the team \u2014 particularly with the firefighting industry, in recent years, having been identified by the Centers for Disease Control as a known cancer risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re looking at it from the standpoint of firefighters and the epidemic of cancer that they have, anything we can do to lessen that is critical,\u201d says Wilson College assistant professor Bryan Ormond, a TPACC researcher with extensive work in the realm of fire protection, dating back two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s one firefighter\u2019s family that doesn\u2019t have to hear that diagnosis,\u201d Ormond adds, \u201cEverything that we\u2019ve done has been worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next 30 years<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What do the next 30 years have in store for TPACC?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Climate change will surely be a big part of the center\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After all, the likelihood of more wildfires will likely only underscore the need for equipment that protects firefighters from heat and cancer risks \u2014 while simultaneously being functional enough to avoid the dangers of heat stroke on a warming planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div><\/div> $\"Photo$

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For Wilson College of Textiles Professor Roger Barker, walking into the Textile Protection and Comfort Center<\/a> (TPACC) on NC State\u2019s Centennial Campus is something of a full-circle moment in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He finds reflection in watching teams develop new, cutting-edge ways to prevent heat strain in members of the Armed Forces \u2026 or in seeing researchers workshop test methods that might be the silver bullet for preventing cancer among firefighters \u2026 or, in collaborating with a major clothing retailer hoping to validate their claims about a new type of athletic wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m amazed,\u201d Barker says. \u201cI think the vision that I had for TPACC at the beginning has been realized, over and over. And it didn\u2019t occur overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n