News
Donor Makes $500,000 Gift to Materials Science and Engineering Program at Portland State
Portland State University has received a $500,000 gift from Sue D. Cooley for "The Edward H. Cooley Memorial Research Grant" to the Materials Science and Engineering Program in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Mrs. Cooley is the widow of Edward H. Cooley, the founder and longtime head of Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC).
These funds, payable over five years, will be used in partnership with PCC Structurals (PCC), an operating business of Precision Castparts Corp., and, depending on funds available, may be matched by the Oregon Metals Initiative, Inc. (OMI). PCC Structurals is the world's leader in large, complex structural investment castings for aircraft engines and an emerging supplier of castings for industrial gas turbine and airframe applications. OMI is a consortium of metals industry companies and research institutions that pursue research to improve the long-term competitiveness of the metals industry and research infrastructure in Oregon.
The objectives of the research funded by Mrs. Cooley include using fundamental materials science and engineering principles and knowledge to develop computational capabilities that will enable Precision Castparts Corp. to predict, engineer and optimize the three-dimensional properties of complexly shaped cast parts in alloy systems important to PCC.
Mrs. Cooley made the gift in support of the collaborative work of PCC and PSU Professor William E. Wood and his colleagues in the Materials Science and Engineering Program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "Ed worked with Bill Wood for over 27 years, previously at the Oregon Graduate Institute," said Mrs. Cooley, whose wish is to support the metals research that can materially help the manufacturing technology at PCC. "Metals research is an area my husband would have wanted to support," she said.
"Ed Cooley knew the value of metals research and education. He believed it was a critical component of maintaining a competitive manufacturing technology," said Wood, a research professor in the Materials Science Group.
In 1990 Edward H. Cooley retired as chief operating officer of PCC, continuing as chairman of the board and CEO until 1994. Originally the in-house mechanical casting shop of Oregon Saw Chain (later Omark Industries), PCC became a separate company in 1953 with just 11 employees. Cooley bought the company in 1957 and molded it into an innovative manufacturer that pioneered investment casting technologies for complex mechanical parts for the aircraft industry as well as others. PCC was named to the Fortune 500 in 1992. Cooley was a major contributor to the economic, cultural and educational health of Oregon and the Northwest, including the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology (OGI), where he was chairman of the board.
OMI was founded in 1990 and has supported research and development activities in Oregon's higher education and research institutions with a cumulative value of over $9 million. Industry provides half the funding with the other half coming from the Oregon Joint Graduate School of Engineering, the Oregon Economic Development Department and the Federal government. Managed by a ten-member board of directors, OMI focuses on pursuing specific research for industry at the state of Oregon's research institutes, currently Portland State University and Oregon State University. These institutes train students to work with industry, develop faculty to work on research projects, add essential laboratory equipment and update curriculum in keeping with the state of developed science and technology.
Participating OMI companies include Advanced Surfaces and Processes Inc., The Boeing Company, Durametal Corporation, Eagle Foundry Company, Electroslag Systems Technology and Development, Entek Corporation, ESCO Corporation, Freightliner LLC, Gunderson Rail Services, Marks Metals Technology, Northwest Aluminum Company, Northwest Pipe Company, Oregon Cutting Systems (Blount Inc.), Oregon Metallurgical Corporation, Oregon Steel Mills Inc., Precision Castparts Corp. and Wah Chang (Albany).
Located in the heart of Oregon's Silicon Forest, the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University is uniquely positioned to deliver progressive engineering education. By teaming with regional industry and government, the College's faculty members keep the curriculum current and prepare PSU students to make an immediate contribution to the workforce through participation in capstone design projects, internships, and research opportunities. During the 2002-03 academic year, the College had a total enrollment of 1,964 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs.
These funds, payable over five years, will be used in partnership with PCC Structurals (PCC), an operating business of Precision Castparts Corp., and, depending on funds available, may be matched by the Oregon Metals Initiative, Inc. (OMI). PCC Structurals is the world's leader in large, complex structural investment castings for aircraft engines and an emerging supplier of castings for industrial gas turbine and airframe applications. OMI is a consortium of metals industry companies and research institutions that pursue research to improve the long-term competitiveness of the metals industry and research infrastructure in Oregon.
The objectives of the research funded by Mrs. Cooley include using fundamental materials science and engineering principles and knowledge to develop computational capabilities that will enable Precision Castparts Corp. to predict, engineer and optimize the three-dimensional properties of complexly shaped cast parts in alloy systems important to PCC.
Mrs. Cooley made the gift in support of the collaborative work of PCC and PSU Professor William E. Wood and his colleagues in the Materials Science and Engineering Program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. "Ed worked with Bill Wood for over 27 years, previously at the Oregon Graduate Institute," said Mrs. Cooley, whose wish is to support the metals research that can materially help the manufacturing technology at PCC. "Metals research is an area my husband would have wanted to support," she said.
"Ed Cooley knew the value of metals research and education. He believed it was a critical component of maintaining a competitive manufacturing technology," said Wood, a research professor in the Materials Science Group.
In 1990 Edward H. Cooley retired as chief operating officer of PCC, continuing as chairman of the board and CEO until 1994. Originally the in-house mechanical casting shop of Oregon Saw Chain (later Omark Industries), PCC became a separate company in 1953 with just 11 employees. Cooley bought the company in 1957 and molded it into an innovative manufacturer that pioneered investment casting technologies for complex mechanical parts for the aircraft industry as well as others. PCC was named to the Fortune 500 in 1992. Cooley was a major contributor to the economic, cultural and educational health of Oregon and the Northwest, including the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology (OGI), where he was chairman of the board.
OMI was founded in 1990 and has supported research and development activities in Oregon's higher education and research institutions with a cumulative value of over $9 million. Industry provides half the funding with the other half coming from the Oregon Joint Graduate School of Engineering, the Oregon Economic Development Department and the Federal government. Managed by a ten-member board of directors, OMI focuses on pursuing specific research for industry at the state of Oregon's research institutes, currently Portland State University and Oregon State University. These institutes train students to work with industry, develop faculty to work on research projects, add essential laboratory equipment and update curriculum in keeping with the state of developed science and technology.
Participating OMI companies include Advanced Surfaces and Processes Inc., The Boeing Company, Durametal Corporation, Eagle Foundry Company, Electroslag Systems Technology and Development, Entek Corporation, ESCO Corporation, Freightliner LLC, Gunderson Rail Services, Marks Metals Technology, Northwest Aluminum Company, Northwest Pipe Company, Oregon Cutting Systems (Blount Inc.), Oregon Metallurgical Corporation, Oregon Steel Mills Inc., Precision Castparts Corp. and Wah Chang (Albany).
Located in the heart of Oregon's Silicon Forest, the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University is uniquely positioned to deliver progressive engineering education. By teaming with regional industry and government, the College's faculty members keep the curriculum current and prepare PSU students to make an immediate contribution to the workforce through participation in capstone design projects, internships, and research opportunities. During the 2002-03 academic year, the College had a total enrollment of 1,964 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs.
