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NSF PR 98-73 - November 2, 1998
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NSF Invests $10 Million in New Engineering Research
Centers
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has invested
$10 million to fund the first year of new Engineering
Research Centers (ERCs) in Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland,
South Carolina and Virginia.
The five new centers are pioneering fields such as
tissue engineering, computer assisted surgery, computer
modeling and visualization of industrial materials,
power electronics and marine bioproducts.
"As research expands knowledge, the perceived boundaries
between the classic disciplines of engineering and
science are beginning to blur," said Eugene Wong,
NSF assistant director for engineering. "The Engineering
Research Centers not only expand the frontiers of
engineering technology, they prepare the next generation
of engineering leaders."
Each of the five new centers will receive $2 million
in the first year from the NSF, leveraged by support
from industry, state governments and partnering universities.
NSF will support the centers for five years, after
which the support agreement is subject to renewal.
The NSF has established 34 ERCs nationwide since 1985.
NSF created the ERC program to foster partnerships
between government, industry and universities in research
and engineering. The purpose of these partnerships
is to strengthen U.S. industry's position in the global
economy. ERC partnerships work to solve crucial research
issues that could hinder advances in emerging technologies.
As the ERCs develop advanced technologies, they also
prepare the next generation of engineers with practical
experience in leadership and team-building skills.
Attachment: NEW NSF ENGINEERING
RESEARCH CENTERS
Attachment
New NSF Engineering Research Centers
- Research Center for the Engineering of Living
Tissues at Georgia Institute of Technology: Robert
M. Nerem, director. Core partner: Emory University
School of Medicine.
The Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues
will focus on the development of substitutes,
both natural and synthetic, for lost or damaged
living tissue, a mission driven by overwhelming
patient need. Tissue engineering as a viable source
for new medical products depends on the ability
of the industry to integrate engineering with
molecular and cell biology. This integration depends
on developing ways to engineer cells that can
respond to physical demands and materials that
can respond to biological demands. So, the center
must not only create a new breed of tissue substitutes,
but also a new breed of engineer to conduct research
in this unique field.
The center's industrial partners include: Advanced
Tissue Sciences, Baxter Healthcare, Johnson &
Johnson, Proctor & Gamble, Sulzer CarboMedics,
AtheroGenics, and others.
Program Contact: Victor Rogers
(404) 894-6016/victor.rogers@vpea.gatech.edu
- The Marine Bioproducts Engineering Center (MarBEC)
at the University of Hawaii: Oskar R. Zaborsky,
director. Core partner: University of California-Berkeley.
MarBEC's mission is to lay the groundwork for
future use of marine biotechnology products in
the chemical, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and
life sciences industries. MarBEC will incorporate
expertise from many different fields of ocean
science and engineering to develop the basis of
a working marine biotechnology industry. Priority
marine bioproducts include carotenoid pigments,
polyunsaturated fatty acids, biocatalysts and
UV-absorbing agents. MarBEC will involve students
from chemical engineering, marine biology and
ocean science to create a new, interdisciplinary
curriculum. MarBEC seeks to capture the vast biodiversity
of the Pacific Ocean and bring about new bioproducts,
technologies and business opportunities.
The center's industrial partners include: Eastman
Chemical Company, Aquasearch Inc., Aquatic Farms,
Cyanotech Corporation, Genencor International,
Hawaiian Electric Company, Monsanto Company, Precision
Systems Science Co., and others.
Program Contact: James Manke (808) 956-6106/manke@hawaii.edu
- Engineering Research Center for Computer-Integrated
Surgical Systems and Technology (CISST) at Johns
Hopkins University: Russell Taylor, director.
Core partners: Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, Brigham & Women's Hospital
(Boston) and Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore).
CISST will develop a new generation of computer-integrated
surgical systems and incorporate advanced imaging,
robotics, computer and biomedical engineering
technologies to create systems and devices to
assist doctors in carrying out precise surgical
procedures. Hospitals affiliated with the program
will provide CISST with the clinical environment
and practical expertise for refining computer-assisted
surgical systems. The goal: to reduce the healthcare
cost related to surgery while improving patient
care. The center will impact the education of
both engineers and medical students.
The center's industrial partners include: AT&T,
Circon Corporation, Elekta Instruments, Inc.,
Hewlett-Packard Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation,
Mitsubishi Electronic Information Technology Center
America, Inc., MRJ Technology Solutions, and others.
Program Contact: Phil Sneiderman (410) 516-7907/prs@jhu.edu
- Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films
(CAEFF) at Clemson University: Dan D. Edie, director.
Core partner: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
CAEFF will explore how fiber and film industries,
a crucial component of the U.S. manufacturing
base, can speed development of new products through
innovative computer modeling. The center strives
to make it easier for engineers to visualize film
and fiber design on a molecular level, and then
plan a clear developmental pathway to manufacture
the finished product. Chief among the center's
goals is to explore new methods of processing
that are more economical and environmentally friendly
than current methods. In order to change the current
paradigm of computer-based product development
and design, CAEFF will create a new model for
collaboration between engineers and computational
scientists.
The center's industrial partners include: 3M,
Amoco Performance Products, Clark-Schwebel, Dow,
DuPont, PPG, Shell, Owens Corning, and others.
Program Contact: Jane E. Jacobi
(864) 656-1050/Jane.Jacobi@ces.clemson.edu
- Center for Power Electronics Systems (C-PES)
at Virginia Polytechnic Institute: Fred C. Lee,
director. Core partners: University of Wisconsin-Madison,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the North Carolina
A&T State University, and the University of Puerto
Rico at Mayaguez.
Power electronics is the engineering discipline
that deals with converting electrical power to
another form of energy, such as when electricity
powers a motor to move a car. The discipline is
important to research in energy efficiency, pollution
reduction, energy storage and transmission. C-PES
plans to integrate components of power electronics-devices,
circuits, controls, sensors and actuators-into
modular systems customizable for industrial applications.
C-PES will use a modular approach to meet modern
industry's increasing demand for precision, reliability
and versatility in power electronics, while decreasing
costs and energy consumption. The center will
have joint educational components and will contribute
to the development of a new Ph.D. program at NCA&T.
The center's industrial partners include: Ford
Research Laboratory, GM Advanced Technology Vehicles,
National Semiconductor, Texas Instruments, Inc.,
Intel Corporation, Motorola, Inc., and others.
Program Contact: Lynn Nystrom (540) 231-4371/tansy@vt.edu
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