IACMI highlights new program, workforce developments

The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing (IACMI, Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) highlights several new developments and collaborations for the month of October, including a program IACMI members can participate in to tackle composite and hybrid material challenges, robust talent development strategy creation in New York and the criticality of the Cradle of Aviation Museum and Education Center’s exhibits, which serve as learning experiences in composites innovation for the Advanced Composites Career Pathways (ACCP) program.

IACMI reports that it is partnering with three research universities in a new, National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI) that intends to improve how composite and hybrid structures are joined and repaired.

Established with a five-year NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center grant and based at Georgia Institute of Technology, the CHMI center is a collaboration among Georgia Tech, University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Ohio-based Oakland University research teams; private companies, including IACMI’s 120-plus industry members; and government groups to conduct pre-competitive research all partners can benefit from.

The CHMI center’s success depends on financial buy-in from its membership, which is open to corporations and manufacturers of all sizes and types as well as government organizations. A $30,000-a-year Tier 1 membership gives a company a seat on the center’s Industry Advisory Board, a full vote on project selection, free access to center-produced research results and intellectual property, a high rate of return on investment due to jointly funded research and opportunities to connect with graduate students and early-career researchers entering the workforce.

For more information, contact IACMI's John Hopkins (CEO) and/or Uday Vaidya (CTO).

IACMI CTO Dr. Uday Vaidya and IACMI Workforce Director Joannie Harmon also traveled to New York to meet with the Institute for Workforce Advancement, local government, educational institution leaders and local stakeholders to discuss a regional collaboration to develop a robust talent development strategy aligned with industry’s current needs as well as the future

A separate visit was also made to the Cradle of Aviation Museum and Education Center in New York to see the progress being made on the new ACCP program lab and training space.

IACMI and collaborators are establishing ACCP’s learning network to develop a skilled advanced composites manufacturing workforce. The national workforce initiative is part of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOE) Office of Naval Research’s Manufacturing Engineering Education Program (MEEP). MEEP programs prepare current and next-generation manufacturing workers to produce military systems and components that assure defense technological leadership.

In partnership with the museum and IACMI partner, Institute for Workforce Advancement, the museum’s displays will serve to enhance the participants’ learning experience where they can see how composites have evolved from basic prop planes using canvas and glue to the advanced composites being used by NASA today.

Visit IACMI’s website for additional updates, including IACMI CEO John Hopkins’ keynote address at SPE ACCE and membership meetings.