Soldiers are protected from many conventional weapons of war, but the helmet they wear isn’t designed to protect them from the blast waves created by improvised explosive devices, known as IEDs. Soldiers caught in the path of an explosion could suffer a traumatic brain injury, even if they walk away without visible injury. At a one-of-a-kind research facility at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, engineers recreate and precisely measure shock waves created by an IED on the battlefield. This research will help understand what happens to the human body during these explosions and how to protect our service members and innocent civilians.

Jack F. McCaffery, former president and general manager of North Platte Feeders, has been remembered by his family and colleagues through the creation of a permanently endowed scholarship fund. The Jack McCaffery Memorial Scholarship has been established at the University of Nebraska Foundation to honor him while providing scholarships for one or more undergraduate students at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis.