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MSU, Composites Manufacturers Propose Partnership

March 25, 2013

Researchers and leaders in the transportation industry gathered recently at Mississippi State University for the Composites in Transportation Symposium to explore the possibilities of a technology that is revolutionizing the design, production and use of land, air and sea vehicles.

Participants were eager to discuss how to overcome barriers using composite materials by creating partnerships that serve manufacturing needs and research interests. Composites are making transportation modes more efficient, said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. James O. Poss, director of strategic initiatives for MSU's High Performance Computing Collaboratory. "Although I was an early skeptic, I now understand that composites are literally the fuel upon which all our modern vehicle systems are going to be made," Poss said.

"The low end of the job market for unmanned vehicles will be somewhere around 90,000 jobs and $40 billion; the high end is hundreds of thousands of jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars." Composite materials offer a range of advantages for industries, including lighter weight, higher strength, corrosion resistance and more flexible design capabilities, he said. Not only can they improve transportation modes' performance immediately, they can lower costs over time, Poss emphasized.

To view the full article, please see: Mississippi State University News.