The University of Southern Maine is collaborating with composite manufacturers and boatbuilders in the state to develop a composite engineering research laboratory. It plans to bring $1.5 million in new equipment to the school’s Portland campus.
The new lab will be used by students who want degrees in engineering and digital sciences.
“Students will benefit, our faculty will benefit, the composite industry will benefit, Maine industry and future Maine employers and employees will benefit from this work and we’re delighted to be at the center of that,” USM president Glenn Cummings said in a statement on the Portland Fox affiliate website.
The program is intended to give students a real-world experience to prepare them for experiences outside the university. Composites are used in the marine industry in Maine as well as the manufacture of semiconductors, wind power, aerospace and construction.
