Congressman offers ideas for creating jobs

Universities and colleges will drive communities this century, Ryan said.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CAMPBELL -- Focusing on research and development of new products and getting in front of a growing industry are the ways to bring jobs and a positive economy back to the Mahoning Valley, says U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles.
During a town hall meeting Saturday afternoon at the Campbell Municipal Building, Ryan, D-17th, met with about 50 people who were eager to congratulate him on the work he's done so far and listen to his plans.
Pointing out there are three universities and a medical school -- Youngstown State University, Kent State University, University of Akron and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine -- in the congressional district, Ryan said the only way for the area to survive and grow is to work with those educational centers.
"They are the hub of research and development," he said of colleges and universities throughout the country. "They are the centers of information. They are what's going to drive a community forward in the 21st century."
Ryan noted his major concerns are keeping the Youngstown Air Reserve Station at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport open and securing funding for research and development projects at local universities.
By partnering local universities with major corporations in the creation of new products, he said, companies will be more likely to locate near the universities, thereby creating new jobs and a new income tax base in the area.
An example
For instance, he said, YSU was recently awarded a $500,000 grant toward a materials engineering program to develop steel foam, which could have major applications in the military.
"There are some major possibilities for steel foam, but right now no one in the country is really doing anything with it," he said.
If practical, cost-effective means are found to produce steel foam -- which has all the strength of steel but the weight of foam -- there are companies who are willing to refurbish abandoned steel mills for manufacturing the material, Ryan said.
"This is not something that will happen in the next few weeks, but could eventually become a reality," he added.
Similarly, KSU's Trumbull campus recently was chosen to house a bioterrorism program, he said.
The university received a $750,000 grant to research and develop an antidote for biological warfare, which again could be used by the military.
Ryan said by working with universities and colleges, communities can create an environment where people will want to come to produce and manufacture the products being dreamed up inside the classroom.
"The goal is to get us in front of an industry that is on the rise and that is going to be growing," he said. "Too many times we have caught the tail end of a dying industry. We need to be out front."
slshaulis@vindy.com