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Following is a brief timeline of major events in the
history of the AEWC Center
1991: The University Begins a
Small Pilot Study with Large Implications for Maine
The ASC
Laboratory/AEWC Center began in 1991 as a small pilot study (2% of a
National Science Foundation [NSF] - Experimental Program to Stimulate
Competitive Research [EPSCoR] grant to the University of Maine). The
success of this study culminated in 1995, when the University developed
the first Fiber-Reinforced-Polymer (FRP)-reinforced timber ocean pier in
the world. Featured in national publications, this 124-foot-long
experimental pier used native Maine timbers and was 25% less expensive
than steel.
The success of this pilot project and its potential
economic benefits for Maine attracted the attention of the US composites
and wood industries, state and national media, the Maine legislature,
the Maine Science and Technology Foundation
(MSTF) , and Maine Governor Angus King. While Maine is the most heavily
forested state in the nation, much of the available wood resource is lower
grade timber. The ability to reinforce these timbers with FRPs such that
they can be used in heavy construction has significant commercial
potential.
1991-1998: The University Attracts
over $5 Million for 14 Demonstration Projects in Maine
University of Maine researchers worked with the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA),
the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Maine's Congressional
delegation to attract construction funding for innovative demonstration
projects. These projects utilized advanced-wood-composites technologies
designed and developed by University faculty and students. In all,
fourteen
bridges and a pier, ranging between 22 to 192 feet long, were
constructed and monitored between 1991 and 1998.
1996: The NSF Awards $2.1 Million
to the University to Establish the ASC Laboratory/AEWC Center
In 1996, the
NSF EPSCoR program awarded the University a $2.1 million grant in the area
of FRP-wood hybrids. The Composites Institute (representing nearly 400
composites companies in the US) and Brunswick Technologies, Inc., of
Brunswick, Maine, cost-shared this project with support of $1.1 million.
The University and state also cost-shared the project with $0.9 million,
for a project total of $4.1 million. As part of the NSF-EPSCoR grant, the
University committed to construct an ASC laboratory within five years and
to form a new research center on campus.
1997-1998: $4.2 Million are Raised
to Construct the ASC Laboratory
The ASC laboratory was funded primarily by a $2.1
million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce - Economic Development
Administration. An additional $2.1 million were raised by the University
through a variety of public and private sources, including $350,000 from
Governor Angus King and the Maine State Legislature. Ground was broken for
construction of the new laboratory on May 26, 1998.
1998: The NSF Awards a $700,000
Equipment Grant for the New ASC Laboratory
In August 1998, the NSF awarded the University
a $700,000 competitive equipment grant for the new ASC Laboratory. This
was the largest NSF equipment grant in the University's history. As
required by the grant, the University matched the grant such that the
total amount reached $1.1 million. This funding was used to equip the AEWC
Center's
Composite Materials Manufacturing
Science Laboratory.
1998: 41 Students Funded by the
AEWC Center through Outside Grants
In the 1997-98 academic year,
41
graduate and undergraduate students
were on the AEWC Center payroll.
In addition to their normal coursework, these students participated in research
projects and design work. They also offered presentations at local,
national and international conferences.
1998: ASC/AEWC Staff Increases
From 1991 to 1998, the
AEWC
research team grew from a core
team of researchers to 21 faculty,
professionals and support staff from within and outside the University.
These researchers came from a variety of departments and specialties. In
1998 alone, three outstanding new faculty members were added in the fields
of composite materials engineering, polymer science and computational
mechanics.
2000: The ASC Laboratory/AEWC
Center Officially Opens
The 30,000-ft2 ASC Laboratory/AEWC Center
officially opened its doors with a
Grand
Opening Ceremony held on June
1, 2000. The event was well attended by members of Maine's state and
federal Congressional delegations, public and private benefactors, the
press, representatives of private industry and University officials. The
Center includes
nine discrete laboratories
under one roof for rapid product development.
2001 - 2004: Growth
and Accomplishments
Since 2001, the Center has received over $17 million
in research funding from government agencies including the Federal Highway
Administration, the National Science Foundation and the Maine Technology
Institute; has done R & D work for over 150 private companies; has
employed over 300 UMaine student research assistants; has published over
400 articles and reports; has been awarded 8 patents; has received several
prestigious national awards; and has hosted over 1,000 visitors each year.
Other accomplishments during this period include the initiation of the
Graduate Certificate in Advanced Engineered Wood Composites; certification
as an ISO 17025 research and development lab; establishment of a research
exchange with Chilean universities; and, with support from a Maine
economic development bond, expanded facilities from 33,000 ft2 to 48,000
ft2 to provide a new Resin Infusion Composites Reliability Laboratory,
expanded extrusion process development space and an area for special
product development projects.
2005: Expanded Facilities
Awarded
$6.2 million multi-year contract with U.S. Army to develop high-strength
structures for military applications; opened 15,000 sq ft of new facilities;
major expansion of Wood Plastic Composites Pilot Plant with funding from
Maine industry and the Maine Technology Institute; formed partnership with
Hodgdon Yachts (East Boothbay, ME) to build a prototype special operations
craft fro the U.S. Navy.
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An
ISO 17025 Accredited Laboratory