Knight became a believer in composites after hearing somebody explain the concept behind advanced composites materials and coming to the realization that they’re used in thousands and thousands of products, from cellphones and kitchen countertops to sporting goods, automotive parts and even aerospace components.
“These are products that are becoming more and more prevalent everywhere I turn,” he says.
Success is the top priority at SMCC. At our Midcoast Campus in Brunswick, our Composite Science program along with the Composites Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) are helping businesses compete, students succeed and the Maine economy prosper.
Harbor Technologies LLC is one of those businesses, turning to CERL on a regular basis when it needs to test the innovative composite materials it uses for beams, pilings and other products it manufactures for bridges, piers, marinas and other marine infrastructure. Located in the Maine Advanced Technology & Engineering Center on our Midcoast Campus, the lab operates as a partnership between SMCC and the Maine Composites Alliance. CERL’s precision analytical machines test materials for strength and analyze how they expand, contract, melt, decompose and otherwise behave under different conditions.
Harbor Technologies isn’t alone in using CERL. By our count, 34 companies and organizations have now utilized the lab since it opened 2 1/2 years ago; that’s more than triple the number that used it in its first year of operation.
CERL is an example of how SMCC is working to benefit students, businesses and the Maine economy at the same time. The lab works closely with businesses to address their research and engineering needs in composites science and make them more competitive and productive in the global marketplace. It’s also an essential part of SMCC’s Composite Science program, providing high- level training to students who are preparing for careers in composite manufacturing industries.
When you’re making products that hold up bridges or piers, it’s vital to know that the materials you’re using are going to stand the test and deliver results, says Harbor Technologies CEO Rob Fuller.
“Having that lab is critically important to us,” he says.
Word has been spreading about CERL and our Composite Science program. They were recently called a “poster child” of how a partnership between higher education and industry should operate.
Knight, who’s 31 and from Harpswell, is optimistic about his future. And why not? He recently landed an internship at a hightech renewable energy company that he connected with through the Composite Science program.
He’s not sure where he’ll work when he graduates this December, but he likes the idea of working with something that contributes to the good of the planet. In the meantime, he continues to learn new things while looking forward to a bright future.
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Ronald Cantor is president of Southern Maine Community College.
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