Mississippi State celebrates grand opening of Marvin B. Dow Stitched Composites Development Center
Contact: James Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.酴圖弝け celebrated Friday [April 12] the grand opening of a new research center that will continue to move the fields of composite materials and aerospace forward.
酴圖弝け hosted a grand opening ceremony for the Marvin B. Dow Stitched Composites Development Center at the 酴圖弝け Advanced Composites Institute. During Fridays ceremony, 酴圖弝け President Mark E. Keenum noted that the universitys research and development activities, often carried out with government and industry partners, have a substantial impact on Mississippis economy, leading to the development of new companies and new jobs.
Today, were celebrating the benefits of university and industry partnerships, Keenum said.
Boeing, the worlds largest aerospace company, selected 酴圖弝け to create a stitched, resin-infused composites lab that will advance the development of composite structures technology. Through an agreement with the university, Boeing donated lab equipment and provided 酴圖弝け researchers with additional resources to support the Advanced Composites Institute.
This center matches so well for the vision that we have for the university in terms of strategic partnerships, said 酴圖弝け Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw. Our best days for collaboration are definitely in our future, rather than in the rearview mirror.
The center is named after pioneering NASA scientist Marvin B. Dow. While working at NASA Langley Research Center, Dow worked with McDonnell Douglas, which is now part of The Boeing Company, to develop advanced stitched composite designs and manufacturing methods. On Friday, 酴圖弝け presented Dows daughter, Heather, with a plaque recognizing Marvins rich legacy in the field and his original vision to conduct stitched composites research that will revolutionize the way future aircraft are designed, built and flown.
Marvin Dows ideas have been a game-changer, said David E. Bowles, director of the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. When you look at composites today, they really have transformed the aerospace industry.
Housed at 酴圖弝けs Raspet Flight Research Laboratory in Starkville, the Advanced Composites Institute continues the land-grant universitys legacy of innovation in aerospace and materials research and development. ACI is led by director Dennis Smith, head of the 酴圖弝け Department of Chemistry. With a focus on applied inter-disciplinary research, the center has affiliated faculty members with expertise in chemistry and chemical, mechanical and aerospace engineering. The collaborative environment provides distinct opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, and enables 酴圖弝け to work with partners in government and industry to develop new knowledge in composites research and solve complex problems.
The Advanced Composites Institute is a member of the Federal Aviation Administrations Joint Advanced Materials and Structures (JAMS) Center of Excellence. The center works to maintain a global leadership position in the field of composite materials science, engineering and manufacturingincluding resin chemistry and infusion and stitched composites, followed by high temperature cure of large parts in ACIs new state-of-the-art oven, which measures 50 feet by 20 feet by 10 feet. ACI supports economic development by boosting collaboration, technology transfer and entrepreneurship, in addition to serving as a workforce development and training center for strategic partners and suppliers.
Its an honor to have Mississippi State as part of our JAMS Center of Excellence, and we look forward to building on our relationship in the future, said Ken Knopp, FAA manager of structures and propulsion research.
Raspet Flight Research Lab has served as an incubation space for multiple composite manufacturers that now have permanent Mississippi homes. The lab has served as an incubator for Mississippi-based manufacturing operations of several aerospace companies, including GE Aviation, Airbus Helicopters, Stark Aerospace and Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company.
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