Press Release
Issued By Defense Metals Technology Center (DMTC)
June 22, 2009
For Immediate Release
The Defense Metals Technology Center to Fund a Specialty Metals Course at Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio — The Defense Metals Technology Center (DMTC) of North Canton is funding the development of a course at Case Western Reserve University aimed at explaining the sources and applications of Specialty Materials that are important to the defense of the United States. It will be offered starting this fall.
"The idea is to expand the knowledge of such metals, especially titanium, which can be used in protective military applications, because it is oxidation-resistant, and stronger and lighter than steel," says Charles D. Clark, executive director of the DMTC.
Clark says that the DMTC chose Case Western Reserve because the University has a history of distinguished teaching in metals' capabilities.
Dr. James D. McGuffin-Cawley, Chairman, Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Arthur S. Holden Professor of Engineering at Case Western Reserve, will design and teach the upper-level undergraduate and graduate course called Strategic Materials in the 21st Century.
"The course will look forward, not back, about the uses and promises of specialty metals and materials," says Dr. McGuffin-Cawley.
Another aim of the $35,000 grant is to expand the course to other institutions through televised distance learning and eventually to develop it at other universities in America's Metals Heartland, which encompasses the industrial belt between Cleveland and Pittsburgh," says Clark.
Clark adds that the grant is the first outreach in a budding relationship between Case Western Reserve and the DMTC. Earlier this spring, the DMTC hosted a Strategic Materials Conference in Cleveland, at which Barbara Snyder, president of Case Western Reserve University, delivered the welcoming address. Since then, Dr. McGuffin-Cawley has addressed a DMTC industry roundtable and worked with the DMTC on the new course.
In 2007, Congress funded creation of the DMTC as a Center of Excellence and located it at Stark State College. Among the DMTC efforts is coordination of academic, government, and industrial entities involved with highly specialized strategic materials.
"We are the broker between the military's specific specialty-metals needs and academia and industry in America's Metals Heartland," says Clark, who defines this region as Ohio and adjoining parts of surrounding states.
Clark points out that economic globalization has led to increased competition for the defense supplier base, particularly from abroad. Accordingly, there is a growing concern in government and industry that certain specialty metals used in military applications — such as titanium — come too frequently from countries that compete with the United States, mainly Russia and China.
Case Western Reserve University is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning.
Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dentistry, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.
For more information, Contact:
Charles D. Clark
Executive Director, Defense Metals Technology Center
6200 Frank Avenue NW
North Canton, Ohio 44720
330-305-6605
info@defensemetals.org
www.defensemetals.org
Dr. James D. McGuffin-Cawley
Chairman, Department Materials Science and Engineering
Case Western Reserve University
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland OH 44120-7204
216-368-6482
cawley@case.edu