RALEIGH, N.C. -- January 28, 2003 -- Since Sept. 11, 2001, Americans have been, more than ever, concerned with future acts of terrorism. In addition to common acts of destruction, the fear of the use of biological weapons has increased greatly. The fear is greatest among those who would be exposed to such hazards, such as police officers, firefighters and hospital workers.

To help those first responders, the North Carolina State College of Textiles has led the nation in the research of gear to keep these critical individuals safe. The college is developing such defenses as a "smart suit" that incorporates electronic devices into the fiber of the clothing.

The devices would aid in two things. They help to keep an accurate location of the wearer and sense bodily changes when exposed to certain biological agents.

Making such important garments is not an easy task. The testing of the gear has to be meticulous and foolproof. Different types of garments require different types of testing to adequately determine their durability, impermeability and even comfort level.

One of the initial tests is to test the garment's resilience to fire. The gear is put on a dummy belonging to the College of Textiles, dubbed Pyro-Man. However, chemical and biological weapons are not tested on Pyro-Man.

The college also has another mannequin called Sweaty-Man. Sweaty-Man is used to simulate how much a human will sweat wearing certain gear. This is an important thing to research because certain garments can be rendered ineffective by human perspiration.

Other tests include a test to determine the garment's reaction to blood and other bodily functions besides sweat. The college explains that viruses in liquid form can penetrate in such minuscule proportions that they become undetectable.

While the work at the College of Textiles is relatively new news to students, many of them had opinions on the work that goes on there.

"I think that it is a good idea to develop this defense, but seeing how American culture is, it might cause hysteria or make people panic to think that they will have to have these clothes if they want to survive just everyday life," said freshman Tiffany Evans.

"I think that the cotton candy-like spray is really cool because it might be able to be really inconspicuous if needed, and it kind of makes me want some cotton candy," said freshman Travis Little.

Textile students, who got wind of the project before many others, also acknowledged the cutting-edge work going on at the College of Textiles.

"This is a great thing for the College of Textiles. To me, there is no bad side," said textiles junior James Damon. "With this development there will be grants given, there will be more student enrollment for people interested in this new innovation, and there will be more professors that would want to come to the college to work on this project."

There is no question that biological and chemical warfare are on the minds of many Americans today, especially with the current conflict between President Bush and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But for many locally and nationally, the work of the NCSU College of Textiles has helped to lessen the fear and increase the hopes of an end to such conflicts.