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Youngstown NASA Roadshow to return
YOUNGSTOWN
The Youngstown NASA Roadshow will return to offer assistance again to local manufacturers at Youngstown State University this summer.
The event is hosted by the Manufacturing Advocacy & Growth Network and the NASA Glenn Research Center, both based in Cleveland. The event features NASA Glenn’s experts to provide solutions to manufacturers in the Youngstown-Warren region.
“This is a unique opportunity for manufacturers to access the brainpower, research capabilities and resources of NASA,” MAGNET President Daniel E. Berry said in a statement.
Similar road shows already were completed in Cleveland and Toledo. The last road show in Youngstown was December 2013.
Eric Baumann of NASA Glenn, who’s coordinating the event, said the road show is another way NASA can be accessible to small manufacturers. It’s often a misconception that NASA is not approachable, he added.
“The challenge is companies are afraid to pick up the phone and call NASA,” he said.
But Baumann said the road show is strictly eight hours of free consultation for selected companies to provide assistance with technical issues or manufacturing processes.
“It’s always nice to have a second set of eyes,” he said.
The expertise of NASA experts cover basic engineering disciplines and its core competencies: propulsion systems, communications technology and development, cryogenics, materials and structure for extreme environments, physical sciences and biomedical technologies, and power, energy storage and conversion.
Five local organizations are partnering with MAGNET and NASA Glenn: YSU College of STEM, Youngstown Business Incubator, Tech Belt Energy Innovation Center, Mahoning Valley Manufacturing Coalition and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
Their primary goal is to help connect manufacturers with the roadshow, Barb Ewing, chief operating officer of YBI, said.
The road show will have Bahman Taheri, CEO of Kent-based AlphaMicron, which specializes in applications for electronically controllable eye wear. The road show will take place Aug. 7. The application deadline is midnight Monday.