About 150 employees and guests gathered for the grand opening of the ECBC Visitors Center. Center Director Joseph Corriveau, Ph.D., officiated a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the newly renovated facility immediately after the premiere showing of the video, “ECBC: A Century of Solutions.” The video highlights ECBC’s accomplishments through major global events and showcases its historic roots as a leader in developing innovative solutions to chemical and biological threats.

“I’m so proud of all the work that’s done by the people who work here,” Corriveau told the gathered audience of ECBC employees. “You have a very important job, protecting the warfighter against chemical and biological warfare.”

After the video premiere, guests toured the Visitors Center, which features exhibits representing the full range of the ECBC’s capabilities. The facility highlights key projects that demonstrate ECBC’s role as a world leader in chemical and biological defense solutions.

“This has been a long time coming,” Corriveau said while touring the Visitors Center. “What’s wonderful is that we have a conference center in which we can host visitors and hold meetings, where our history and innovation are on display.”

Pausing at an exhibit, he added, “I hope when our visitors walk through this building, our story will inspire their innovative spirit.”

During the tour, Corriveau pointed to two items on display – a drone-mounted chemical and biological sensor system called the Array Configurable of Remote Network Sensors and the currently fielded M50 joint service protective mask – as example items that were designed and produced by the ingenuity of ECBC scientists and engineers.

“This Visitors Center tells the amazing stories of real people doing tremendous work to come up with new capabilities to defend our warfighters and our nation against weapons of mass destruction,” Corriveau said.

The Visitors Center and video were both created in celebration of ECBC’s 100th anniversary. The organization traces its lineage back to Aberdeen Proving Ground’s original designation as a filling plant for chemical shells when it was opened in October 1917 under executive order by President Woodrow Wilson during World War I.

Reflecting on the first 100 years of ECBC history, Corriveau told the audience that the same chemical warfare agents that were used during the First World War are still being used today by countries and clandestine groups.

“The threat is real,” he said. “The danger of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction still exists. As we go into the future, we’re living in a more complicated world and the need for this organization continues.”

The new video and the Visitor’s Center will help ECBC to tell that story.

ECBC’s centennial celebration continues throughout 2017 with several special events planned, including a 5K run in April and a 100th anniversary celebration in June. The full list of events and information about ECBC’s centennial celebration can be found online at https://www.cbc.devcom.army.mil/100.