Changes

The most current projects of the Advanced Materials Lab[[#_ftn18|<supref>[18]http://research.vancouver.wsu.edu/dave-kim</supref>]] include the development of advanced tool for drilling composite/titanium stacks, structural integrity evaluation for marine/wind energy system structures, and the interference-fit process development of the composite joints. These projects are funded by a wide range of agencies and industries, including Boeing, NSF I/UCRC ACTT, US Army Research Lab, SME Education Foundation, Fatigue Technologies, Phygen Coatings, Christensen Shipyards and WSU Vancouver. The Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Lab has been actively participated in collaborative research with global companies (Boeing Co., Freightliner, etc.), local industries (Stresswave, Fatigue Technologies, Christensen Shipyards, etc.), and other universities (UW, MSU, FSU, etc.). They are always looking for dedicated students and volunteers for their research and collaborative projects.

CMDC students are encouraged to work with their faculty on research and creative projects.&nbsp; According to the official CMDC site current faculty research includes: Dene Grigar's "The Electronic Literature Showcase" for the Library of Congress, April 3-5, 2013, funded by a $5000 Meyer Award; John Barber's "Brautigan.net" , the internationally recognized online bibliography and archive for Washington-born author Richard Brautigan; Grigar and Brett Oppegaard's "A Villager's Tale" for funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities ($50,000), and "The Grand Emporium of the West" for EDSITEment!, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities ($19,418); Will Luers' "Plotting the Database, a multimedia essay produced for the Scalar platform; Michael Rabby and Oppegaard's "The Old Apple Tree App," a comparative analysis focusing on user experience; Brenda Grell's 3D abstract animations and full dome design and development aimed for OMSI's Kendall Planetarium; Nicholas Schiller's article on Search Engine Optimization, knowledge, and information literacy; and Clare Wilkinson-Weber's book, ''Fashioning Bollywood: The Making and Meaning of Hindi Film Costume Berg, 2013''.”[[#_ftn19|<supref>[19]http://www.dtc-wsuv.org/cmdc/research.html</supref>]]

The faculty at WSUV have multiple resources for their entrepreneurial endeavors.&nbsp; WSUV offers a Research Mini-Grant[[#_ftn20|<supref>[20]https://research.vancouver.wsu.edu/sites/research.vancouver.wsu.edu/files/wsuv-minigrant-application.pdf</supref>]] to stimulate research productivity and provide “seed” funds for projects. WSU wide also offers a program called WSU Scholars[[#_ftn21|<supref>[21]http://experts.scival.com/wsu/default.asp</supref>]] a program that works closely with private industry and national labs to support the translation of basic research to innovative applications that benefit society.

Currently the Vancouver campus of Washington State University doesn’t have their own technology transfer function.&nbsp; The main WSU campus in Pullman, Washington has experienced tremendous success with their program through the Office of Commercialization[[#_ftn22|<supref>[22]http://commercialization.wsu.edu/</supref>]].&nbsp; The long term plan through the Campaign for Washington State[[#_ftn23|<supref>[23]http://admin.vancouver.wsu.edu/campaign</supref>]] includes the construction of an Innovation Research Park[[#_ftn24|<supref>[24]http://admin.vancouver.wsu.edu/campaign/facilities</supref>]].&nbsp; The Innovation Research Park is a high-priority project to help support southwest Washington’s growing technology center and bring long-term benefits to the region.&nbsp; The projected date for the Campaign for Washington State is 2015.

A relatively new service at WSUV, the Cougar Business Alliance[[#_ftn25|<supref>[25]http://admin.vancouver.wsu.edu/cba</supref>]] seeks to facilitate continued alumni participation with current students. Participation includes quarterly meetings to provide an opportunity to meet area Cougar business owners and improve camaraderie and business. Members include small business entrepreneurs that have successfully started their own business or franchise and want to stay connected to the greater entrepreneurial mind of WSUV

Through funding from the M.J. Murcock Charitable Trust[[#_ftn26|<supref>[26]http://www.murdock-trust.org/</supref>]] the robotics lab at WSUV is developing an interdisciplinary renewable energy option track[[#_ftn27|<supref>[27]http://research.vancouver.wsu.edu/dr-hakan-gurocak</supref>]] in the robotics program to bring together students from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and computer science to study the future of renewable energy.&nbsp;

In October of 2013 Washington State University Vancouver helped the city of Vancouver receive a designation as an Innovation Partnership Zone. “The state Department of Commerce named portions of Vancouver and Camas as an Innovation Partnership Zone, or IPZ. It's an important designation, in part, because it gives the region additional leverage in seeking grant dollars to help pay for projects aimed at growing digital technology industries.”[[#_ftn28|<supref>[28]http://www.columbian.com/news/2013/oct/01/innovative-partnership-zone-vancouver-camas/</supref>]]&nbsp; A possibility of this designation is the opportunity to develop incubator space for grad students to come work with new companies.&nbsp; The IPZ’s overall goal is to establish a framework for collaboration between higher learning institutions and industry, particularly new companies.&nbsp;

A collaboration between the CMDC program and the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site allowed for students and faculty to create a mobile storytelling project.[[#_ftn29|<supref>[29]http://fortvancouvermobilesubrosa.blogspot.com/</supref>]]