Metal corrosion cost the U.S. Department of Defense $20 billion last year, according to polymer science and engineering experts at the University of Southern Mississippi.
"That's staggering," said U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, who was named in December as an interim replacement for retired Sen. Trent Lott. Wicker is a candidate to complete Lott's term.
Wicker, a Republican, was in Hattiesburg Monday to hear a presentation from polymer science advocate Shelby Thames and other Southern Miss officials about defense contracts the school now has to research and develop products made from materials that don't corrode.
The meeting was in the Shelby Thames Polymer Science Center, the campus building named for the former Southern Miss president, who is now a research professor.
Large contractors such as Boeing and Northrop Grumman may soon be hiring more polymer scientists than metallurgists, said Jeff Wiggins, a polymer science and high performance materials professor.
Using composites, military contractors can build stronger, lighter and faster Air Force jets and Navy ships, he said.
Federal funding for research at Southern Miss increased in recent years.
"That's a dramatic investment of federal funds," Wicker said. "It will mean a safer country and more jobs for Missisippians."
Read More »
Posted on Tuesday, February 5, 2008
by Hattiesburg American