OSU Wins #6.9 Million in TRP Grants

OHIO STATE WINS TECHNOLOGY REINVESTMENT GRANTS WORTH $6.9 MILLION

     COLUMBUS -- The Ohio State University was a big winner in
the first round of grants awarded in the new federal Technology
Reinvestment Project.  The university has leading roles in two
engineering education projects which received a total of $6.9
million in federal matching grants.  The Ohio State grants were
among 41 first-round TRP grants announced Oct. 22 by President
Clinton.

     TRP grants are designed help firms and individuals convert
from defense contract work to commercial applications.  Clinton
said they will "create jobs by encouraging the development of
'dual-use' technologies for commercial and defense needs in the
post-Cold War economy."  More than 2,800 proposals were entered
in competition for $472 million in federal matching funds.
Approximately one-fourth of these funds were awarded in this
round, and the next group will be announced in November.

     Ohio State's projects are NEMJET (National Excellence in
Materials Joining Education and Training), a joint project with
the Edison Welding Institute and the American Welding Society,
which received a $4.6 million grant; and POMEP (Practice-Oriented
Manufacturing Engineering Program), a collaboration with Drexel
University in Philadelphia, which received a $2.3 million grant.
Ohio State worked closely with the Ohio Board of Regents and the
Ohio Department of Development in formulating the proposals.

     NEMJET will offer a comprehensive education program for
retraining engineers and technologists who have lost or may lose
their jobs in defense manufacturing.  They will be educated and
trained in the area of materials joining.

     According to William Baeslack III, chairperson of Ohio
State's Department of Welding Engineering and leader of the
NEMJET project, "Materials joining is integral to the
manufacturing of the future, and it is an area where Ohio and
U.S. industries are deficient.  We need engineers who are highly
educated and trained in materials joining if we are to be
competitive in the global marketplace.

     NEMJET courses will be offered in modules at four levels,
offering great flexibility, Baeslack said.  The first two levels
are classroom based, the third level includes hands-on laboratory
work, and the fourth level provides extensive design and
application experiences in industrial settings.  The program will
build on existing programs and the strong regional network in
academia and industry.  Students will be able to take just a few
courses or work all the way to a master's degree or certification
as a Professional Engineer.

     POMEP is a master's degree program for engineers already in
practice as well as traditional students that focuses on
developing expertise in manufacturing, in contrast to traditional
master's programs in engineering which tend to have a research
perspective.  It is interdisciplinary, involving many areas of
engineering and business, said R. Allen Miller, professor of
industrial and systems engineering and project leader.  Like
NEMJET, it is open to persons with varying levels of previous
engineering education and experience.

     "We had lots of advice, suggestions and help from industry
around the state in developing this program," Miller said.
Industry experts also are involved in developing the curriculum,
providing practicum experience and as guest lecturers in the
classroom.

     POMEP also offers a traineeship program for displaced
defense industry workers that provides free tuition and a stipend
for living expenses while they pursue graduate study.

     "We are delighted that Ohio State was chosen to play a key
role in this program," said Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee.
"These awards underscore the quality of our academic programs and
the part they paly in the education and training of engineers in
Ohio and the nation."
                                #

Contacts: William Baeslack III, (614) 292-2570.
          R. Allen Miller, (614) 292-7067


[Submitted by: REIDV  (reidv@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu)
               
Thu, 28 Oct 93 09:11:37 EST]
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