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YSU initiative puts focus on energizing the economy
Photo
Virgil Solomon
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Imagine a fragment so small it fits on the head of a pin.
Now imagine if you had to determine its composition.
The Center for Advanced Materials at Youngstown State University, which opened last April, allows students to conduct research on such tiny materials.
It’s equipped with two electron microscopes, one of which is capable of 1.5 million magnification, allowing researchers to analyze the chemical structures of advanced materials.
Tim Wagner, a YSU chemistry professor and center director, said the project came about through a $2.1 million grant from Ohio’s Third Frontier program.
The initiative is aimed at re-energizing Ohio’s economy by investing in emerging technologies and building new and existing companies, according to a news release from Gov. Ted Strickland’s office. Ultimately, the program seeks to create jobs in the state.
YSU is working with Fireline TCON Inc., Youngstown, which is developing lightweight brake rotors and body and vehicle armor for the military.
“This really is a true partnership,” Wagner said.
Student researchers analyze the materials produced by Fireline TCON to improve the performance of those ceramic-metallic composite materials.
Virgil Solomon, an assistant professor and an expert in electron microscopy techniques, formerly worked at Arizona State University and said YSU’s lab is comparable to that of much larger universities.
Graduate students Anthony Yurcho of Youngstown and Dominic Loiacona of Boardman conduct their research in the lab as part of their thesis work.
Using such advanced equipment provides them an edge in their respective job searches, they said.
Solomon said that the lab is available to all YSU students, not just those in the graduate program.
“It’s open to us to use whenever it’s available,” Yurcho said.
And unlike some other universities, YSU students aren’t charged a fee to use the facility, Loiacona said.