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Academic Capability Producing Economic Development: A Success Story

Abstract

This success story demonstrates the direct application of academic skills and capabilities to the growth and expansion of small Western North Carolina businesses while enhancing the educational experience for WCU engineering students. Watauga Opportunities Inc. (WOI) is a non-profit organization in Boone, NC that employs and trains people with disabilities to enter the workforce. Their company specializes in forming heated plastic sheets into a variety of packaging products. WOI turned to the Western Carolina University engineering team for assistance in securing a new business area: thermoformed packaging for Christmas tree ornaments. WCU engineering undergraduate students and professors generated a 3D parametric model that described the complex geometry. A high fidelity mold was then made from a high- heat resistant plastic called polyphenolsulfone (PPSF) which was used by WOI to generate thermoformed packaging prototypes directly from the rapid prototyped mold. Within two days of receiving the mold, WOI was able to thermoform parts in their plant delighting the surprised customer with prototypes four days after New Years Day. The successful outcome of the project opened the door to subsequent development work and led to orders valued at over $1M for products that had been previously manufactured in China. This paper discusses the challenges of the project and demonstrates an exciting application of graduate student and faculty talents to impact the economic development of the regional community.

Introduction

Over the past several years, Western Carolina University, under the leadership of Chancellor John Bardo, has championed the engagement of the WCU faculty, students, and resources with the economic growth of Western North Carolina. Western Carolina University is a regional comprehensive institution founded in 1889 with a distinguished history of teaching and learning for the region. Since research and development were not within the institution’s initial areas of focus, the infrastructure for applied research and supporting industry was limited. In a Regional Summit entitled “Meeting Western North Carolina’s Needs through Higher Education,” one of the recommendations was to explore “engagement in non-traditional and creative ways” providing new access by regional entities to the resources of the university1. The commitment to engagement is leading to its incorporation into the tenure and promotion process having importance equal to instruction and scholarship. The Kimmel School of Construction Management, Engineering and Technology has taken the lead in making WCU engagement a reality with the region and developing the needed performance metrics. The focus on engagement led to the creation in 2004 of the Center for Integrated Technologies (CIT) positioned within the Kimmel School. The mission of the CIT is to match the Kimmel School’s expertise and resources to Western North Carolina’s needs by forming effective partnerships to grow the region’s economy and improve the quality of life for its people. The dual goals of the CIT are: economic development and learning enhancement. Its mission comes to life through direct student/faculty projects and technical assistance to companies in our regions. At the time of this writing, 13 members out of the 21 faculty members have already been connected to engagement projects resulting in improvements to plant logistics, enhancements to productivity, ,

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Sanger, P., & Ball, A., & Clare, M., & Ferguson, C., & Graham, J. D. (2006, June), Academic Capability Producing Economic Development: A Success Story Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--876