Contact: Bob Ratliff
Though there were no caps and gowns or diplomas in sight, Mississippi State recently held an important graduation ceremony.
The university celebrated both the 10th year of its National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center and the center's "graduation" from fixed federal funding.
Created in 1990 as one of the NSF's first 18 engineering research centers, the facility's mission is to find new ways to reduce the time and cost of complex engineering analysis and design problems. Currently, 37 engineering research centers operate nationwide, each pursuing that same mission in its own high-technology specialty.
When the first centers were established, the United States "was losing the technology race" to Japan and other overseas competitors, said Bruce M. Kramer, NSF director for engineering education and centers.
Speaking at the graduation celebration, Kramer called the university's facility a "shining star" and "prime example of how the nation has regained its international technology edge through the cooperation of state and national government agencies, universities and industry."
In his remarks, MSU President Malcolm Portera said availability of expertise from a range of the center's academic disciplines is beneficial for both the university and the state.
"Nissan Motor's investment in Mississippi and the new Viking Range research and development facility to be built near the ERC in the Mississippi Research Park are just two examples of how the center is helping grow the Mississippi economy," Portera said.
"Mississippi State will become a top 50 public research university by 2004, in large part because of the talent and commitment of the staff and students involved in the work of the ERC," Portera added.
An interdisciplinary effort, the ERC involves scientists from engineering, computer science, mathematics, the biosciences, and other MSU programs. Each year, about 100 undergraduate and graduate students are selected to participate in the research projects.
For 2001, MSU's ERC has attracted nearly $17 million in research projects funded primarily by industry and federal agencies. Much of the work involves a center specialty, the use of high-speed computers to improve designs and solve design problems for military and civilian vehicles.
Several current and former ERC staff members were honored at the anniversary event. Among those receiving special recognition were three faculty members who made the original proposal for an engineering research center at MSU. They include:
--Joe Thompson, distinguished professor of aerospace engineering and ERC research leader;
--Don Trotter, associate vice president for strategic initiatives and interim director of the new Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems that was created to help attract Nissan to Mississippi; and
--David Whitfield, Giles Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Engineering and director of the Computational Simulation and Design Center.