Ohio Federal Research Network

Monthly Research Update
October / 2017
Greetings!
Ohio is home to thirteen research universities. Within those institutions are a wealth of world class research labs, facilities, faculty and other technical assets. 

While no single brochure could represent all the research assets available, we hope this monthly recap of selected updates will, over time, give you a sense of the breadth of capabilities within the Ohio research university system.

If you would like to discuss how to tap into this network to help your company solve a technical problem, identify qualified interns/full time hires, or simply locate technology-specific researchers in Ohio for potential partnerships - please contact me. OFRN has developed a simple, effective process to get your request to the right people at the right universities, generating responses in a timely manner.

I hope you find this month's update interesting and I look forward to hearing from you.

Dave Crain
Director – Innovation Development
Updates & Advancements
With help from a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, Ohio University Russ College Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Sumit Sharma’s newest research project will provide solutions to oil and gas pipeline corrosion issues by discovering the molecular-level details of common anti-corrosion materials.

The Ohio State University has been awarded a 5 year, $10M project by NASA as one of five teams to explore novel ideas for improving aeronautics, all in support of the agency’s strategic research goals. Once award details are finalized, the OSU-led project will address the “Transition to Low-Carbon Propulsion” strategic thrust, specifically the introduction of electric machines in the commercial aircraft fleet.

A Case Western Reserve University researcher has turned the origami she enjoyed as a child into a patent-pending soft robot that may one day be used on an assembly line, in surgery or even outer space. 

Researchers from Cleveland State University are developing new kinds of exercise machines for athletic conditioning, rehabilitation and exercise in space. The machines collect measurement data, which enable them to adapt to their users. The research team has collaborated with the NASA Glenn Research Center and its Exercise Countermeasures Program to design machines meeting the stringent specifications inherent in space travel equipment.

Breakthroughs & Accolades
World First! Scientists at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and Kent State Universit y have developed a new material that can undulate and therefore propel itself forward under the influence of light. The device, the size of a paperclip, is the world’s first machine to convert light directly into walking, simply using one fixed light source. 

Cleveland-based Theramalin Inc., a privately held company founded by a Case Western Reserve University diabetes researcher, has partnered with Sanofi, a multi-national pharmaceutical firm, in a collaboration that involves $17.5 million in venture-capital financing for new insulin therapies.

The Ohio State University’s Aerospace Research Center has set a world speed record for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of any size, pending verification. Ohio State’s UAV flew autonomously with sustained average speeds of 147 mph over an out-and-back course approximately 28 miles long, which also set a record for the longest UAV flight over an out-and-back course. 

The University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI), in conjunction with Youngstown State University (YSU) and Wright State University (WSU), have demonstrated two low cost methods to fabricate composite tooling for autoclave processing.  

UDRI has demonstrated the fabrication of low cost tooling from a polymer based additive manufacturing technique known as fused deposition.  Specialized tooling produced from the metal alloy “Invar” is of particular interest to the aerospace community. Invar has little thermal distortion and in the autoclave produces composite components with very low thermal stresses and high dimensional accuracy.  
Labs & Facilities
The National Polymer Innovation Center (NPIC) at The University of Akron is at the leading edge of polymer advanced manufacturing, specializing in functional film processing and advanced materials development for a wide range of applications. This facility is open to Industry and features cast film co-extrusion, electromagnetic processing, hybrid solution casting, electric injection molding, UV/IR curing, bi-axial stretching and more.

Beginning Oct. 24, 2017, Kent State will start enrolling patients in a clinical trial at the new Wound Care and Research Clinic inside the Cleveland Foot and Ankle Clinic in downtown Cleveland. The goal is to bring advance clinical trials and cutting-edge therapies to patients suffering with non-healing wounds. These advancements will be offered free of charge to patients who qualify.