The White House Announced that MPI at WPI

The White House Announced that MPI at WPI is one of four core academic facilities for the American Lightweight and Modern Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (LM3I)!

The new $148 million initiative is aimed at helping to revitalize the nation's manufacturing capabilities and competitiveness. LM3I is expected to create more than 10,000 new metals manufacturing jobs, spur innovative research and development of lightweight metals processing and manufacturing, and help train hundreds of engineering professionals and skilled trade workers in the most advanced skills.

"The Metal Processing Institute's mission is to solve problems identified by industry and develop new technologies, materials and techniques that make companies more competive," explains Diran Apelian, MPI Director.  "And we see our role in LM3I very much as an extension of that mission ... as an opportunity to continue to help revitalize and renew America's manufacturing might."

LM3I is part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, an initiative launched by President Barack Obama in 2013 to bolster the innovation, performance, competitiveness and job-creating power of American manufacturing.

WPI awarded $7.4 million in funding by Army Research Lab!

This research will help improve performance in a wide range of military functions and enhance the operational capability of America's ground forces. Advanced materials are critical to technological improvements in survivability, mobility, life extension, affordability, and other functional areas of current and next-generation military systems.  And this  same research in thermomechanical processing science technologies will have dual use for the aircraft, automotive and electronics industries to resolve the fundamental barriers to achieving a reliable domestic supply chain for critical heavy rare earth elements, reduce the content of rare-earth metals in active material systems and reduce materials criticality risk.