MATTERS OF STATE

The Engineering Research Center

'That place over in the technology park . . .'

By Steven Aukstakalnis

I recently attended a rather large social function where I was introduced to a number of Mississippi State alumni. During the course of the afternoon, my place of employment at MSU was often referred to in a variety of humorous ways. "That place across Highway 82 with all the computers," "That building across from where they make the wine," and simply, "That place over in the technology park." What was rather interesting was that no one knew what actually goes on in the building.

So, let me tell you about that place "where they sometimes cook the pigs." You know, "the one with the big parking lot . . ."

The National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Computational Field Simulation located at Mississippi State is one of only 25 in the nation.

It so happens that the building, all 44,000 square feet of it, houses one of the world's foremost research centers in the area of computational field simulation. In other words, the work carried out in the center focuses on simulating, with computers, complex physical phenomena like air flowing over an aircraft wing, thrust from a rocket engine, electromagnetic fields around high-tension power lines, water movement through man-made canals, flow around the outside of a submarine, and many others.

For numerous industries including aerospace, marine engineering, oil and gas, nuclear energy, and automotive design, the ability to carry out these simulations can have a dramatic impact on the quality and cost effectiveness of literally all phases of engineering efforts, from design and analysis all the way through to manufacturing. This is due to the reduced need for costly physical experimentation and equipment such as wind tunnels and other large testing facilities. In terms of the bottom line, those corporations and organizations which utilize field simulation in their operations experience a reduction of design cycle time, clock hours, and overall costs.

But despite long held leads, the technological edge maintained by U.S. industry in this area has been increasingly eroded due to the prowess and growth of technical capabilities within other industrialized nations in Asia and Europe. Further, the situation is made more pronounced due to an increasing need for engineering graduates with a quality, cross-disciplinary education to continually contribute to the industrial knowledge base.

In 1990, as a response to these critical needs, the science and technology policy arm of the federal government, the National Science Foundation, established the NSF Engineering Research Center for Computational Field Simulation (ERC), located adjacent to the MSU campus in the Mississippi Research and Technology Park. One of 25 ERCs in the country, the functional mission of the center is to provide U.S. industry with the capability to simulate complex physical and mechanical phenomena encountered in large engineering efforts, and to allow them to do it better and more cost effectively.

Examples of the impact the MSU/NSF Engineering Research Center has had on U.S. industry, and in turn, the taxpayer, are numerous. For instance, ERC researchers have developed software which enables extremely accurate simulation of turbine engine performance under conditions specified by the user. Now the de facto standard for the U.S. turbomachinery industry, the use of this package is resulting in the development of higher performance, more fuel efficient, quieter, and safer turbine engines. Organizations which utilize the software include the who's who in U.S. aircraft engine manufacturing: United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, and NASA Lewis Research Center.

Other current impact examples include development of tools and techniques used by Texaco to enhance simulation of oil recovery operations, simulations of flow around submarines, as well as visualization of complex oceanographic data for the U.S. Navy, and numerous instances of contract simulation work which enables a reduction in design cycle time.

The direct impact the ERC has on Mississippi and the region is also impressive. These activities range from economic development, collaborative educational efforts, and outreach with a variety of schools and universities-including the K-12 sector-to research and development activities with various groups at the Stennis Space Center and the Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg.

The ERC is also a significant asset for MSU. Benefits can be seen in terms of the high quality research staff and faculty attracted to the university, unique and highly effective educational efforts with various departments, extensive education and training of graduate and undergraduate students in a number of technical fields, and a world-class collection of state-of-the-art computational resources.

Having recently completed a successful sixth-year critical operations review by the National Science Foundation, the ERC will continue to serve as one of Mississippi's, and the nation's, great treasures. The ERC is not only an important "matter of state," but also a powerful resource for the nation's industrial base.