This year, for the first time, we are presenting CCM’s Annual Report in three distinct volumes, to better tailor the dissemination of information to meet the needs of our readers and constituents. Volume 1, the Executive Summary, provides an overview of the Center, including major programs, financial status, sponsors, facilities, and people. Volume 2, the Poster Book, includes one and two--page posters on each of our research projects. Volume 3, Success Stories, which is not yet available, will comprise short narratives on research projects and programs that have been successfully transitioned to industry and government. We recommend that you review the Executive Summary to learn about the state of the Center, scan the Poster Book for projects of interest, and when it is available, read the Success Stories to see how the results of our integrated research programs are transferred to the user community.

Additional information about the Center can be found within this website. This comprehensive site covers our research, education, and technology transfer programs and our industrial consortium. It also includes publications lists and a news section with both current and archived newsletters. Finally, this web site also features information about events, such as seminars and research reviews; opportunities for collaboration and internships; and Center personnel.

This year's Annual Report Executive Summary is aimed at providing a high-level view of the Center’s myriad research, education, and technology transfer activities. Statistics about our funding and our personnel tell part of that story. In Fiscal Years 2004-05 and 05-06, research funding from federal, state, and industry sources approached $17 million, reflecting the high level of productivity of the 254 faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, students, and interns involved in our programs. This number includes 45 faculty from all departments in the College of Engineering as well as physics, chemistry, math, and business. The remaining personnel comprise two visiting faculty, 38 research professionals, 13 postdocs, 32 visiting scholars, 51 graduate and 63 undergraduate research assistants, and a 15-member administrative team.

All of these people—and the hundreds who came before them—are the reason for the national and international reputation we have achieved. Our status as a national center of excellence (COE) began more than two decades ago, in 1985, when CCM was named an Engineering Research Center for Composites Manufacturing Science by the National Science Foundation. Following on the heels of that success were a number of other COE programs funded by the Department of Defense. These currently include centers supported by the Office of Naval Research, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Army Research Laboratory.

The ARL programs epitomize CCM’s success as a COE: First funded by the Army Research Office in 1986, the ARL Composite Materials Research (CMR) Center is now entering its third phase and will take CCM to the end of its third decade as a national COE. Slated for funding at a maximum level of $20.9M for nine years, the program focuses on multifunctional composite materials and structures for lightweight vehicle protection.

In 1978 CCM established an industrial consortium to enable collaboration between university and industry researchers on relevant problems of mutual interest. Throughout the past 28 years, a vast array of industrial organizations, ranging from small startup firms to major corporations, have benefited from their affiliation with the Center through the consortium by gaining access to CCM’s facilities and expertise. More than 80 companies were members during FY 04-06.

With government and industrial partnerships being key to our success, we are continuously upgrading and expanding our facilities to enable us to better serve our partners while also providing our students with state-of-the art laboratories for their research. The most recent addition to the Composites Manufacturing Science Laboratory is the Application Technology Transfer Lab, which opened in 2005 and adds 10,000 square feet of space to our facilities.

All of our government and industrial partners benefit from CCM’s unique environment, which fosters team-oriented multidisciplinary research. This environment is based on a vertical integration theme that has at its foundation the facilities and expertise needed to synthesize new resins, fibers, and sizings; develop new processes; and characterize the thermo-chemical, mechanical, and durability properties of these materials from the nano- to the macro-level. We build on that foundation with manufacturing and prototyping capabilities to satisfy application requirements. At the highest level, we have full CAD/CAM design and manufacturing capabilities to turn our customers’ concepts into reality using the latest materials and processing technologies. Our capabilities in multi-scale materials, process, and performance modeling enable accelerated insertion of materials into evolving and new applications.

The entire effort, from design and analysis to manufacturing, is supported by a robust suite of software tools referred to as CDS (Composite Design Software) and other simulations such as LIMS, a powerful virtual manufacturing program for liquid injection molding processes.

We are as dedicated to educating next-generation composites scientists and engineers as we are to developing new technology through our collaborations with industry and government. The 100+ students affiliated with the Center each year have access to the same physical and human resources as our partners. The high quality of our affiliated faculty is evidenced in many ways including their being selected for prestigious awards, serving on nationally recognized boards and committees, authoring textbooks, and serving as editors of the principal composite journals. Many also hold named professorships, including three who received this recognition during the past year.

CCM has been referred to as “the top nationally and internationally recognized academic research center for composite materials.” We offer a broad variety of opportunities, including collaborative research, internships, undergraduate research, education, postdoctoral fellowships, and industrial and government exchanges. We encourage you to learn more about us through all three of the volumes in our Annual Report as well as our web site, and we invite you to contact us or visit us to learn more about these opportunities and how we might meet your needs in the field of advanced composite materials.

John (Jack) Gillespie, Jr.
Director