ORONO, ME – Joined by federal officials, local business leaders and University of Maine leadership, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today helped officially unveil the Harold Alfond Ocean Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Laboratories. The new facility, which is part of UMaine’s national-recognized Advanced Structures and Composites Center, will assist businesses in developing products for the marine economy while also offering hands-on training for students.

“This remarkable grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation is an investment in Maine that demonstrates the pride and confidence people throughout our State have in our University,” said Senator Collins. “The world-class research capabilities this lab will provide in Ocean Engineering and Advanced Composites Manufacturing will help secure Maine's place as a national leader in the ocean economy of the future, help advance our industrial competitiveness in boatbuilding and renewable energy such as offshore wind, and help ensure the resiliency of our coastal communities.”

“The future belongs to those who innovate, and today, the University of Maine has once again proven that it is on the vanguard of 21^st century innovation,” Senator King said. “With this impressive facility and the generous support of the Harold Alfond Foundation, the University of Maine is poised to unlock incredible new advancements that will bolster our renewable energy future, strengthen our coastal communities and infrastructure, and ensure that the ocean remains a vital part of our economy.”

More specifically, the world-class ocean engineering facility will lead to the creation of products such as improved boat and ship hulls; renewable energy production devices from wind, wave, and tidal resources; oil and gas structures; waterfront infrastructure including more resilient bridges, piers, docks and port facilities; as well as new systems to protect coastal cities from the effects of erosion and extreme storms. The lab is the only facility in the country equipped with a high-performance rotating wind machine over a multidirectional wave basin, which will accurately simulate the harsh and variable conditions that ocean structures must withstand.

Federal funding, including $3 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, $983,977 from the National Science Foundation and $497,965 from the National Institute for Standards and Technology, was leveraged with state and private investments as well as donations, including the Alfond Foundation support that will help hire world-class engineers and fund graduate and undergraduate students over 3 years to launch the facility.

In addition to Senators Collins and King, other speakers included Congressman Bruce Poliquin, University of Maine President Susan Hunter, Director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Center Dr. Habib Dagher, Chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation Greg Powell, Cianbro President and CEO Peter Vigue, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Matt Erskine, and U.S. Department of Energy Wind and Water Program Director Jose Zayas.

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