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Academic Affairs Signature Research Areas

I. Area of submission: Signature Research: Advanced Materials for Infrastructure and Energy

II. Applicant information: Lead Faculty/Researchers: Name: Dr. Habib Dagher, P.E. Title/Department: Director, University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center Phone: (207) 581-2123 E-mail: [email protected] Name: Dr. Stephen Shaler Title/Department: Director, School of Forest Resources and Assoc. Director, UMaine Composites Center Phone: (207) 581-2886 E-mail: [email protected] Name: Larry Parent Title/Department: A. Director, UMaine Advanved Structures and Composites Center Phone: (207) 581-2886 E-mail: [email protected] Name: Dr. Douglas Gardner Title/Department: Professor of Forest Operations, Bioproducts & Bioenergy, UMaine Composites Center Phone: (207) 581-2846 E-mail: [email protected] Name: Dr. William Davids Title: John C. Bridge Professor and Chair of Civil & Environmental Engineering, UMaine Composites Center Phone: (207) 581-2116 E-mail: [email protected] Name: Dr. Eric Landis Title/Department: Frank M. Taylor Professor of Civil Engineering, UMaine Composites Center Phone: (207) 581-2173 E-mail: [email protected] Name: Dr. Roberto Lopez-Anido Title/Department: Malcolm G. Long Professor of Civil & Env. Engineering, UMaine Composites Center Phone: (207) 581-2119 E-mail: [email protected] Name: Dr. Krish Thiagarajan Title/Department: Alson D. and Ada Lee Correll Presidential Chair in Energy & Professor, UMaine Composites Center Phone: (207) 581-2167 E-mail: [email protected] 1

INTRODUCTION The UMaine Composites Center is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to the development of novel advanced composite materials and technologies that rely on Maine’s manufacturing strengths and abundant natural resources. Novel advanced materials are applied in each of our six, world-renowned program areas (Figure 1): defense composites, industrial testing, nanocomposites, offshore wind, civil infrastructure, and advanced wood composites. Housed in a world-leading 87,000 ft2 laboratory, the Advanced Structures and Composites Center has attracted $138 million in research funding to UMaine, as well as $14 million in industrial contracts from over 300 clients. The Center has financially supported over 1,400 students, received 26 patents, received 29 national and global awards for research excellence, and collaborated with 31 units on campus. Established through the National Science Foundation in 1996, the Center has a paid staff of 180 annually, including typically 140 students. In the next decade, we plan to strengthen our world leadership in developing the use of advanced Figure 1 - Six research areas at the UMaine Composites Center. materials in civil infrastructure and energy applications, aerospace and defense applications, educating student leaders, as well as creating new Maine and US industries and jobs opportunities. The UMaine Composites Center has prepared this signature research area proposal entitled “Advanced Materials for Infrastructure and Energy” to build on our strong record of success as we plan the next decade of R&D.

FIT TO PLACE Maine has a thriving composites industry–spanning boat building civil infrastructure and aerospace. The State of Maine has targeted composite materials as one of seven key technology sectors important for investment and economic development. As the Maine Technology Institute points out: “The sector and its industries are grounded in a clearly defined set of knowledge and skills that are strongly identified with Maine... there is a substantial critical mass of commercially successful firms selling their products in global markets based on the knowledge and skills centered in Maine.” The expanding composites industry in Maine is already filling its workforce demand by hiring workers laid off from pulp and paper. The industry also demands skilled technicians and engineers, which the University of Maine supplies through the unique synergy of our engineering and forest resources programs and student opportunities at the UMaine Composites Center. By weaving together Maine’s natural resources with students, we are strengthening Maine’s workforce and economy. For example, offshore wind R&D is providing students learning opportunities in various fields like engineering, economics, and marine science, while advancing our use of wind as a natural energy resource and creating new manufacturing and construction jobs. The mission of the UMaine Composites Center is to apply the comparative advantages offered by Maine industry, labor, and natural resources to three goals: (1) conducting world leading research, (2) educating Maine students, and (3) developing Maine’s economy while encompassing the material science, manufacturing and engineering of composites and structures. 2

MEETING MAINE’S CULTURAL, WORKFORCE, AND ECONOMIC NEEDS

Maine has a rich history, a skilled labor force, and vast natural resources, including 156 GW of untapped offshore wind; however its economy must be re-structured to take advantage of these valuable assets. It is losing its youth to out-of-state jobs, its traditional maritime industries to a changing climate, its traditional manufacturing industries to aging infrastructure, and demand for its exportable natural resources to international competition. If Maine is to have a sustainable way of life and a cultural identity, it needs to discover creative ways to harness its natural resources such as its ocean energy and cellulosic fibers to allow its culture, workforce, and economy to flourish. Our proposed solution is the application of advanced materials to infrastructure and energy technologies. Construction is the second largest industry in the US valued at $1 Trillion/year. Maine has a vast untapped ocean energy resource, with 156 GW of offshore wind capacity within 50 miles of our shores. Developing advanced, corrosion resistant materials to harness this vast resource can bring nearly $20 Million of investment into our state and create thousands of jobs. Maine has a skilled and underutilized labor force that is uniquely suited for the manufacturing of advanced materials but is in need of new technologies and companies. The UMaine Composites Center is working in tandem with others at the University and at the state and federal levels to make this happen. We conduct world-leading research to develop innovative technologies and services partnering with Maine’s existing businesses and help to build new ones. We also realize that a vibrant economy isn’t created with just one business, one product, and one generation; it’s an iterative process. This is why we bring business, technology, and the problems of today together, and our efforts during FY13 alone reflect that: 44 industrial contracts. Deployed the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in the US UMaine Composites Center, in partnership with 30 organizations including Cianbro, Maine Maritime Academy. We demonstrated through one year of testing off the coast that the deepwater offshore wind industry is technically viable, and can be developed here in Maine. Advanced Infrastructure Technologies (AIT), a UMaine spin-off company with ongoing research projects at the UMaine Composites Center, is now an international company after having exported and installed the first composite arch bridge system in Trinidad, and has been approved to install its bridges in all 50 states.

BUILDING ON MAINE’S EXISTING AND FUTURE RESOURCE BASE

When the UMaine Composites Center conducts research, we draw upon the knowledge, vision, and the cumulative work ethic of our faculty, staff and students, and the comparative advantages offered by Maine’s natural and economic resources. As seen in Figure 1, the UMaine Composites Center has six research areas: offshore wind, civil infrastructure, nanocomposites, advanced wood composites, and defense composites and industrial testing. Provided below are brief descriptions of how each of these research areas draw upon Maine’s skills and natural resources today and how they will continue to utilize what Maine has to offer in the future. Offshore Wind Offshore wind is Maine’s largest untapped renewable energy resource, with a capacity of 156 GW within 50 miles of the Maine coast. Developing new floating turbine technologies including advanced, corrosion resistant materials to harness this vast resource can bring nearly $20 Million of investment into our state by 3

2030 and create thousands of jobs. According to an analysis by prof. Todd Gabe (August 2013), creating such an industryi “indicates employment impacts of well over an estimated 10,000 full- and part time jobs in a scenario involving the installation of 5,000 MW of offshore wind power generation capacity in Maine.” Currently, the state of Maine does not use its greatest and potentially most valuable renewable energy resource, offshore wind. In the past, we used this resource to power global trade for economic benefit, and now we are conducting research to cut cost curves so that offshore wind can be used to power our State and northeast nation and once again provide economic benefits to the state of Maine. These benefits include the local sourcing of construction materials and labor for the manufacturing of offshore wind platforms and other components. The University of Maine is on the leading edge of offshore wind technology development. To date, UMaine has raised over $53 million over five years to develop breakthrough offshore wind technologies and the capital infrastructure required to support technology development. Figure 2 Deployment of the first grid- New materials are being developed for floating platforms, towers and connected offshore wind turbine in the wind turbine blades that will directly involve, mechanical, civil and US. Designed and built at UMaine, the patent-pending VolturnUS turbine environmental engineering research related to composite and concrete successfully performed through the materials science, material durability, and microstructures. More Maine winter off Castine, proving the broadly, floating offshore wind R&D encompasses design of Viability of the technology. mechanical systems, structural engineering, naval architecture, marine science, climate and environmental science, geotechnical engineering, and economics. Most recently, in partnership with Maine Maritime Academy, Sandia National Laboratories, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the UMaine Composites Center was awarded a $983,997 grant from the National Science Foundation to design, develop, and construct a unique, multi-directional wind-wave test basin in 2014 called “W2”. The wind- wave basin will simulate wave and wind conditions of the client’s choosing, whether it’s the Gulf of Maine or the Gulf of Mexico. By better understanding the effects of waves and winds, researchers will be Figure 3. New $8 Million Wave-Wind able to improve performance of marine structures ranging from oil W2 basin 130ft x 30ft x 15 ft basin slated for construction starting June platforms and offshore wind turbines to cruise ships through the use of 2014 scale models.

Industrial Testing Student, as in all functions at the UMaine Composites Center, are the key to success in providing industrial testing services (Figure 4). Students are Maine’s most valuable resource. These students will drive the economic engine of Maine’s future. We hire University of Maine students because they are skilled, competent, and have a desire to invest themselves in the University’s research. The UMaine Composites Center will continue to utilize UMaine students. The UMaine Composites Center’s capacity for industrial 4 cooperation has led to more than 300 product development and testing projects over the past five years as well as leading awards for innovation in the composite materials and civil engineering fields. The UMaine Composites Center has a very diverse list of industrial clients on state, national, and international levels – ranging from small, start- up companies to large, Fortune 500 corporations.

Nanocomposites Figure 4 First composites tower for an offshore wind turbine being test at the Nanocomposites research and development builds on research UMaine Composites Center, in partnership infrastructure at UMaine (UMaine Composites Center, FBRI, PDC, with Ershigs, the largest composites LASST) and partnerships within (USM) and outside the State (US fabricator in the US FPL, ERDC) to investigate and develop new nanocomposite materials containing ligno-cellulose derived high aspect-ratio nano-architectures within organic or inorganic matrices. These materials have a unique potential to impact next-generation applications including lightweight building construction materials, more durable composite windmill blades, lighter automotive and ship structures, improved ballistic materials for defense, smart papers, durable coatings, sensors, actuators, and biomimetic structures (Figure 5). To enable these applications, extensive science and engineering R&D need to be carried out with a focus on efficiently synthesizing ligno-cellulose Figure 5 UMaine is developing cellulose nanostructures, functionalizing their surfaces and interfaces, and nanocomposites with applications in wind energy for lightweight blades, and integrating them with organic or inorganic constituents to engineer lightweight vehicles for the automotive composite materials with unique properties Nanocomposite research industry and development results will be transitioned to applications through testing and evaluation of prototype structures and devices in collaboration with industrial partners (SAPPI, Verso). The innovations in ligno-cellulose derived nanomaterials research may have profound implications on Maine’s forest products industry, potentially transforming the “sawmills” of the past into the “nanomills” of the future. The pulp and paper industry has an extensive history in the state of Maine. In an effort to help this industry continue to utilize its existing capital infrastructure and Maine’s raw resources, the UMaine Composites Center is conducting research into how nanocellulose from trees can be processed and produced using Maine’s industrial base. This nanocellulose will then be used to make advanced materials for industrial application that will further support future research and manufacturing jobs in the state of Maine. Civil Infrastructure According to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2013 Report Card on the nation’s infrastructureii, an investment of $3.3 Trillion is needed to repair our infrastructure by 2020. With respect to bridges alone, the report card states: “In total, one in nine of the nation’s bridges are rated as structurally deficient, while the average age of the nation’s 607,380 bridges is currently 42 years. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates that to eliminate the nation’s bridge deficient backlog by 2028, we would need to invest $20.5 billion annually, while only $12.8 billion is being spent currently. The challenge for federal, state, and local governments is to increase bridge investments by $8 billion annually to address the identified $76 billion in needs for deficient bridges across the United States.” 5

UMaine is leading the way in developing advanced materials for bridge and building technologies that increase a bridge’s life, reduce corrosion and maintenance, and increase the speed of construction, such as the Bridge-In-a-BackpackTM technology shown in Figure 4. The relationship between the UMaine Composites Center and the very progressive Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) has resulted in several commercial technologies including the Composite Arch Bridge (known as Bridge-in-a-Backpack), HC Beam, composite culvert repair, bridge monitoring, and composites bridge drains.

Ongoing funded collaborations between the UMaine Composites Figure 6 UMaine’s patented "Bridge-in-a- Center and the MDOT on the field load testing and capacity Backpack" technology has been used in twelve bridges in the US and beyond. It reduces initial assessment of critical bridge infrastructure is saving the MDOT costs and life-cycle-costs. The technology has tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in construction costs. As received the top innovation award by the a result of this ongoing relationship, the technology produced by American Society of Civil Engineers, It is licensed to Advanced Infrastructure technologies who our laboratory creates significant demand for Maine concrete, design these bridges out of Orono, Maine. Maine composites, University of Maine engineers, and general Maine labor. The UMaine Composites Center is a world leader in developing new composite technologies for a range of civil infrastructure applications: in November 2013, the internationally renowned composite arch bridge technology received national certification from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, allowing national transportation departments to take advantage of this innovative civil infrastructure technology in all fifty states; a hybrid composite culvert rehabilitation system was developed and commercialized in partnership with Kenway Corporation, based in Augusta, Maine; and Harbor Technologies in Brunswick, Maine, commercialized the HC Beam, or hybrid concrete/composite bridge system–the UMaine Composites Center tested the prototype HC beam for fatigue loading, bending, and shear. The UMaine Composites Center is collaborating with the New England Transportation Consortium and composite manufacturers in the development of economical and durable FRP bridge drains for implementation by the regional DOTs. The UMaine Composites Center has also implemented a long-term monitoring system for the carbon composite strands in the Penobscot-Narrows bridge, which will reduce the maintenance cost and extend the service life of long-span cable-stayed bridges. Advanced Wood Composites Maine’s economy has always drawn upon its forests and our research into wood composites not only follows this tradition, it will also allow future generations to do so, as well. International timber competition has forced Maine industry to become smarter about the lumber goods it produces, which is why the UMaine Composites Center has been working with industry to produce value added wood products such as wood composite building materials. Two examples are Huber Engineered Woods, an oriented strand board (OSB) manufacturer in Easton - and Louisiana Pacific, who manufacturers Laminated Strand Lumber (LSL) at their plant in New Limerick. These mills have invested $170 and $39 million dollars, respectively, in upgrades to their Maine mills since 2007. During that time, the UMaine Composites Center has been contracted to conduct 27 trials for these two companies totaling over $295,000 of R&D contract work. 6

The UMaine Composites Center has world-class, near-industrial pilot line capabilities in strand composites manufacturing that ensures that R&D is focused and mimics closely what is done in manufacturer’s mills, making results more readily transferred to the mill environment. Examples of trial work include introduction of innovative bio-based resin systems, species diversification, steam-injection pressing optimization, and product benchmarking studies of their competitors’ products.

Composites for Defense and Homeland Security Defense research within the UMaine Composites Center utilizes local industry and Maine veteran student labor to ensure that our nation remains safe. Our laboratory has currently been working with Tex Tech Industries, as well as other local industry partners, to develop and improve on current defense projects. This work has given lead to many employment opportunities at the University of Maine for student veterans who know too well the importance of their work. Funded by the Department of Homeland Security, the UMaine Composites Center designed a shipping container that mitigates security risks associated with marine cargo. Approximately sixteen million, 20 ft shipping containers are used throughout the world. The composite shipping container features embedded sensors within all six faces to detect intrusions, has door opening sensors to monitor access to the container, and has a communication system capable of reporting the security status from anywhere in the world. The innovative shipping container design features a conventional steel container perimeter frame and corner castings, maintaining a standard appearance, but boasts 50% less weight than conventional containers through the use of composite materials, helping the industry significantly reduce associated fuel costs. Other large defense projects include the 83 ft long MAKO all-composite hull for the US Navy Seals, Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS), and Blast-Resistant Structures. MBPS was developed in partnership with the US Natick Army Soldier RD&E Center, provides soldiers with enhanced ballistic protection where it never existed before. MBPS is a quickly erectable, redeployable and lightweight ballistic protection system. MBPS provides ballistic protection for personnel and equipment in expeditionary base camps where mobility and rapid deployment requirements prevent the immediate use of heavyweight systems like sandbags and concrete barriers. In partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers R & Figure 7 Mako all-composites, 83ft long, impact-resistant D Center, the UMaine Composites Center developed hull developed by UMaine for the US Navy Seals, in blast-resistant structures with coated wood framing partnership with a spinoff company Hodgdon Defense Composites. This was a $15 Million R&D project that members, panels and subassemblies. These blast-resistant resulted in the first all-composites hull for the US Navy. materials are economically coated to enhance the construction material’s ductility and energy dissipation capacity. The next generation of carbon fiber reinforcement are being developed based on a three-dimensional fiber architecture, which has the promise to enhance the performance in the through the thickness direction. Albany Engineered Composites, which is one of the leading companies in the world in three-dimensional weaving technology for aerospace applications, has partnered with the UMaine Composites Center to characterize the response of these materials in fastened joints. 7

DISTINCTIVE INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL REPUTATION The UMaine Composites Center has established itself as a global leader in the application of advanced materials for use in the infrastructure and energy. Our faculty and students have gained notoriety as a result of their research, which routinely wins national and international awards for papers through organizations such as the American Society of Civil Engineers, Society of Plastics Engineers, American Composites Manufacturers Association, and the Society of Wood Science & Technology, among others. Additionally, the University of Maine has gained a reputation in industry thanks to the infrastructure technologies developed at the UMaine Composites Center, such as VolturnUS 1:8, Disaster-resistant Panels, Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS) and others which have received a number of international awards such as the Charles Pankow Award for the Composite Arch Bridge, the highest innovation award provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Finally, and more generally, within the past year alone, research efforts at the UMaine Composites Center have been featured in over 520 individual articles in major daily newspapers, trade publications, blogs, and magazines. These outlets include the nationally and internationally regarded New York Times, CNN, AP Newswire, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Shanghai Daily, and the Huffington Post. Our research has also been featured prominently in local publications including the Bangor Daily News, Portland Press Herald, MaineBiz, Lewiston Sun Journal, WLBZ, WABI, MPBN, and others. All of these publications speak to the reputation that the University of Maine has gained, and the majority of these media responses correspond specifically to the Universities research into advanced materials for infrastructure and energy.

HIGH LEVEL OF PRODUCTIVITY Table 1 Productivity metrics over the past 10 years The productivity of the UMaine Composites Center can Research funding awarded $138 million be measured in a number of ways: scholarly research, educational activities, economic development, and return Industrial contracts awarded $14 million on investment (Table 1). Research activity has grown Industrial Clients >300 companies consistently since the founding of the Center. Our Personnel: faculty, staff, and commitment to supporting industry has also grown as 200 students evidenced by twofold increase in industrial support over Laboratory space ($100 Million the past four years. Our patent portfolio has grown to 26, 87,000 ft2 several of which have resulted in licensing agreements value) with industry partners. Recent activity in offshore wind Patents awarded 26 has spurred several new patent applications. Peer- Papers published 447 reviewed publications and conference presentations are National and international also growing; however, their growth is somewhat 29 constrained by lack of growth in our engineering faculty. excellence awards Numbers of supported graduate students is also Graduate and undergraduate 1,400+ constrained by available faculty, despite leveraging students supported financially research staff to offer additional student support. Research units and Academic Opportunities for undergraduate research complimenting 31 departments collaborated with academics continue to grow with over 100 National and international media paid/participating undergraduate students this year. >500 stories in 2013 alone

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The UMaine Composites Center is a world leader in developing new composite technologies for a range of civil infrastructure applications. In 2013, the internationally renowned composite arch bridge technology received national certification from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, allowing national transportation departments to take advantage of this innovative civil infrastructure. A hybrid composite culvert rehabilitation system was developed and commercialized in partnership with Kenway Corporation, based in Augusta, and Harbor Technologies in Brunswick commercialized the HC Beam, or hybrid concrete/composite bridge system. Figure 8: VolturnUS 1:8 designed by UMaine Composites The longest composites highway bridge in the world Center, built in our labs assembled at Cianbro in Brewer, (540 ft long) was built in Maine in 2012. deployed down the Penobscot River to Castine in 2013. It is the first offshore wind turbine in the Americas. The UMaine Composites Center has pioneered and patented many new technologies and processes in the wood plastics composites (WPC) industry. Internationally respected WPC scientists work with conventional thermoplastics and specialty reinforced composites incorporating wood with other to promote strength, longevity, and cost-effectiveness. The UMaine Composites Center is on the leading edge of offshore wind technology development. To date, UMaine has raised and spent more $53 million over five years in developing breakthrough offshore wind technologies and the capital infrastructure required to support technology development. New materials are under development for floating platforms, towers, and wind blades that will directly involve mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering research related to composite and concrete materials science, material durability, and structures. As seen in Figure 8 the VolturnUS 1:8, the first grid-connected floating offshore wind turbine in the Americas, is a culmination of much of this research. Funded by the Department of Homeland Security, the UMaine Composites Center developed a shipping container that mitigates security risks associated with marine cargo. The composite shipping container features embedded sensors within all six faces to detect intrusions, has door opening sensors to monitor access to the container, and has a communication system capable of reporting the security status from anywhere in the world. This manufacturing process has been certified and the technology is now ready for field trials toward commercialization.

PROVEN RECORD OF SUSTAINABILITY RE: PERSONNEL, FACILITIES, AND FUNDING The UMaine Composites Center is a multidisciplinary research facility where faculty can find a wealth of opportunity to pursue their research interests as well as participate in large research programs of global significance. To ensure that this opportunity always exists on the University of Maine’s campus, the UMaine Composites Centers management team has sought to make sure that laboratory not only runs efficiently, but also stays relevant. To accomplish and sustain research of a scale and quality that is nationally and internationally recognized five elements are necessary: leading faculty, top students, competitive funding, world-class research facilities, and personnel for operations. Figure 9 illustrates the sustained growth enjoyed by the UMaine Composites Center since 2000. This growth is the result of our management team’s ability to target strategic laboratory space additions and laboratory equipment acquisitions. As a result, the laboratory as a whole been able to expand the scope of applicable research opportunities and support this steady growth. 9

Figure 9 - UMaine Composites Center's Growth Measure

An example of one of these strategic laboratory expansions is the addition of a wind-wave facility that will be constructed in 2014 to provide additional support for offshore infrastructure and renewable energy research. The wind-wave laboratory will be the most advanced wind wave coupled testing facility in the world, capable of accurately simulating metocean conditions for a myriad of marine commercial and naval applications. Within the current 87,000 ft2 laboratory, the following laboratory areas are dedicated to industrial testing and research support: Offshore Wind Laboratory, Structural Testing Laboratory, Mechanical Testing Laboratory, Microscopy Laboratory, Kenway Composites Materials Laboratory, Environmental Testing Laboratory, Polymer and Interface Science Laboratory, Nano Processing and Analytics Laboratory, and the Strand Composites Pilot Line.

LEVERAGING EXISTING RESOURCES The UMaine Composites Center currently employs nearly 180 personnel, inclusive of undergraduate students (52%), graduate students (9%), and faculty and staff (38%). With a comprehensive support system, extensive facilities, and instrumentation, faculty’s efforts are leveraged allowing them to focus on research and mentoring students. 2 The Center’s 87,000-ft facility supports an array of research areas, including offshore renewable energy, civil infrastructure, defense and aerospace composites, nanocomposites, wood composites and industrial testing. Our laboratories support research in each of these areas. A wave basin and articulating wind tunnel will be constructed in 2014 to provide additional support for offshore renewable energy research. Operationally, research is supported, enabled, and facilitated through various functions such as communications and proposal development support, grants and fiscal management, an ISO 17025 quality system, full time safety management, and technical staff. This integrated support system ensures consistently high-quality deliverables are produced for clients, industrial partners, academic partners, and state and federal agencies. The UMaine Composites Center has identified three major internal investment and development goals that will not only add value to our own research, but to the university as a whole as well. These goals are as follows: 10

Invest in new research faculty at the UMaine Composites Center o Engage additional faculty to resolve research and advisory needs created by faculty who have moved on to administrative positions and have less time available for research. o Engage additional faculty to grow thermoplastic composites expertise. o Engage additional faculty in the field of robotics manufacturing for composites. Invest in robotics composites manufacturing equipment for the UMaine Composites Center. Develop industrial utility at the University of Maine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test site at Monhegan Island. The narrative associated with Figure 9 above best represents how the UMaine Composites Center has been leveraging research faculty to add value to our own research and to the University of Maine as a whole. The UMaine Composites Center has enjoyed healthy growth in the areas of funding, physical area, and equipment acquisition; however even with all of this growth, the number of research faculty has remained relatively constant. Clearly, research faculty are central to fulfilling the mission of the Center, therefore it is critical to maintain capacity, and moreover grow faculty numbers to support the growth potential at the Center. As long-time cooperating faculty have taken on more administrative roles (e.g. Stephen Shaler, Eric Landis, Bill Davids), the need for more cooperating faculty has increased in the traditional areas of structures and composites. The UMaine Composites Center has recognized this organizational weakness and has used it as an opportunity to leverage the skills and knowledge of research staff. By incorporating staff we have been able to more efficiently advance the efforts of faculty. Yet, if the UMaine Composites Center is to continue its healthy growth additional faculty will be needed, specifically in the areas of thermoplastic composites and composites manufacturing. Additionally, as research grows into new areas it is vital that we add faculty expertise in key strategic areas such as thermoplastic composites and robotic manufacturing of composites. These research focus areas will be important to the establishment of a robust composites industry in Maine to support wind industry growth. Automated manufacturing of thermoplastic composites can establish UMaine and Maine industry as leaders in the manufacture of environmentally friendly recyclable composite wind turbine blades, towers and other non-wind related products. Automated manufacturing is key to sustaining and growing manufacturing jobs in Maine. An investment in resources is planned to support the research in automated manufacturing of composites. In early summer 2014 we will break ground on a building addition to house future robotics manufacturing equipment alongside a wind wave basin. Funding for the robotics equipment will be sought through various sources include a State bond proposal for $10 million. The Governors Ocean Energy Task Force has left a lasting impact upon research and development into offshore wind. This task force in conjunction with the state of Maine and the University of Maine helped to create the University of Maine’s Deepwater Offshore Wind Test and a fund to assist in its activities. The UMaine Composites Center has is building upon these assets by utilizing UMaine’s test site as the location for its pilot offshore wind farm, Maine Aqua Ventus I. In addition, the UMaine Composites Center is activity seeking matching funds, competitive grants, and other funding opportunities from federal, state and private sources to grow the test site’s fund to further facilitate research, development, and product innovation associated with Maine’s offshore wind resource. As the University of Maine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site at Monhegan Island is constructed in 2015 through 2017 and connected to the electrical power grid financial operational support will needed. A State appropriation of $3 million per year for seven years to the existing fund for the test site created by the Maine Legislature is requested.

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Table 3: Existing and Proposed Internal Investment

Wind-Wave Basin Enhance faculty in Operational and Automated Robotics thermoplastic Support for Type of Investment Manufacturing Manufacturing composites and Deepwater Laboraties Equipment robotics Offshore Wind expansion manufacturing Test Site Existing Financial $8,000,000 $2 million from N/A N/A Support EDA/NSF/bond existing bond State Proposed New $2 million State bond for $10 appropriation $3 Financial $750,000/year Competitive grant million million/year for Investment for equipment seven years Timeline for 2014-2015 2015-2016 2015-2016 2015-2022 Execution

MULTIDISCIPLINARY While pursuing research and development of new technologies, the UMaine Composites Center actively cooperates with many University of Maine schools and departments, as well as external academic and industrial partners, to supplement understanding of crucial concepts involved. The UMaine Composites Center leads the DeepCwind Consortium’s endeavors in development of floating offshore wind farm technologies at the University of Maine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site at Monhegan Island. The consortium’s mission is to establish the State of Maine as a national leader in deepwater offshore wind technology through a research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and others. The University of Maine-led consortium includes universities, nonprofits, and utilities; a wide range of industry leaders in offshore design, offshore construction, and marine structures manufacturing; firms with expertise in wind project siting, environmental analysis, environmental law, composites materials to assist in corrosion-resistant material design and selection, and energy investment; and industry organizations to assist with education and tech transfer activities. The UMaine Composites Center-led DeepCwind Consortium consisted of the University of Maine’s College of Engineering, School of Biology and Ecology, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, School of Marine Sciences, and Physical Oceanography Group in addition to academic and industrial partners American Composites Manufacturers Association, Ashland Incorporated, Bangor Hydro Electric Company, Central Maine Power Company, Cianbro Corporation, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Harbor Technologies, HDR/DTA, Island Institute, James W. Sewall Company, Kenway Corporation, Kleisnchmidt Assoications, Maine Composites Alliance, Maine Maritime Academy, Maine Wind Industry Initiative, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, New Jersey Audubon Society, Northern Maine Community College, Owens Corning, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Polystrand Incorporated, PPG Industries, Reed & Reed, Sandia National Labs, SGC Engineering, Technip USA, University of Western Australia Center for Offshore Foundation Research, and Zoltek.

TEACHING AND SERVICE MISSIONS Each of the aforementioned research program areas augment traditional academics by creating opportunities for undergraduate students to work in the various laboratories doing research directly related and, in some cases, indirectly related to their field of study. Annually, students from a wide range of both STEM and non- 12

STEM majors work at the UMaine Composites Center. Public outreach focuses on economic development and showcases the leadership of UMaine in a variety of engineering and scientific fields. Students and staff at the UMaine Composites Center are committed to inspiring students at all levels through participation in classroom-based activities, community fairs, conferences, seminars, tours, public speaking engagements, and teacher workshops. The education and training model of the UMaine Composites Center is focused on research activities as a means to integrate the research into pedagogical foundations. Research activities group teams of undergraduates with graduate students and post-docs in an effort to broaden the impact of knowledge generation during the performance of research. Involving undergraduates in research contributes to a rich educational experience that often provides students with an impetus to attend graduate school. When appropriate, both undergraduate and graduate students will attend professional meetings to present results of their research work. As new knowledge is discovered, results will be incorporated into existing lecture materials for undergraduate and graduate courses. Development of instructional materials and hands-on activities for K-12 tour groups and for outreach activities such as school talks and exhibits and of ongoing relationships with K-12 teachers in the greater Bangor-Orono metropolitan area help diffuse new knowledge into science curricula in local public schools. In 2013, the UMaine Composites Center Figure 10 - A Maine high hosted the 5th Annual Maine Composites Alliance’s Maine Wind Blade school student with the Challenge and 3rd Annual DeepCwind Consortium’s Windstorm Challenge, scale-model floating wind turbine designed to bringing over 500 students to the University of Maine on one day. Figure 10 compete against other shows a student-designed and built floating wind turbine for the Windstorm student’s floating platforms. Challenge. Undergraduate work experience has always been emphasized as a major component of the UMaine Composites Center programs. Undergraduate research positions give students: (1) an interdisciplinary, experiential learning environment; (2) an industrial laboratory which introduces students to issues of safety, regulation, cost efficiencies, project management, human relations, and leadership; (3) daily contact with faculty mentors; (4) skills to develop teamwork focusing on goals and deliverables; (5) role models and an introduction to the wider scientific and technical community through frequent contact with industrial partners including small companies as well as large multi-national corporations. Center undergraduates have opportunities to become full research partners including being named authors on journal articles, named inventors on patents, and attending national and international conferences and meetings. Graduate education is one of the Center’s educational highlights. Nearly 125 graduate students have been affiliated with the UMaine Composites Center since its opening in 2000; 62% have majored in civil engineering and 28% have majored in forest resources or wood science. Like undergraduates, graduate students gain hands-on experience and professional training in research ethics, industrial safety, supervision and leadership, equipment operation, and ISO 17025 quality management. Graduate students are expected to become full research partners and are encouraged to develop professionally not only in the classroom but also through writing, conference presentations, networking with academic and industrial colleagues, and production of intellectual property. i “Economic Impacts of the New England Aqua Ventus Offshore Wind Power Program in Maine”, Report, Prof. Todd Gabe, University of Maine School of Economics, August 30, 2013, 38pp. ii http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/bridges/