America’s Cutting Edge adds two more universities to its network
Mississippi State and Penn State Behrend join program that has trained more than 13,000 students in 50 states either virtually or in-person.
The Knoxville-based Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation® (IACMI) has announced two new partnerships, both designed to revitalize U.S. manufacturing with a focus on the machining industry. One is with Mississippi State University, while the other is with Penn State Behrend in Erie, PA.
As noted in the news release announcing the new partnerships, machining and machine tools are a foundational element of America’s advanced manufacturing capabilities, which are essential to the country’s national security and continued economic vitality. The new partnerships will advance America’s Cutting Edge (ACE), a joint Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) initiative launched in 2020 to reestablish American leadership in the machining industry through transformative thinking, technology innovation, and workforce development.
Expanding the number of training centers is a key part of ACENet, a national network of 39 machine tool workforce development sites across 14 states.
“Being established as an ACE Hub through the IDEELab at Mississippi State University is an extraordinary achievement, not only for the university but also for the entire state of Mississippi,” said Ross Smith, IDEELab Director. “This partnership solidifies Mississippi’s critical role in advancing America’s cutting-edge manufacturing capabilities. The IDEELab at Mississippi State University’s involvement in the ACE initiative will help revitalize the U.S. machining industry by fostering innovative technology development and workforce training that will have a profound and lasting impact on the state’s economic future. By positioning Mississippi as a leader in this national effort, the IDEELab at Mississippi State University ensures that our state will play a key role in strengthening American manufacturing and supporting the nation’s long-term security and prosperity.”
“Penn State Behrend is proud to offer the ACE CNC machining program. This training program will be a tremendous benefit to our students, local manufacturers, and the community,” said Mark Rubeo, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. “We are very appreciative to our sponsors, friends, and collaborators at IACMI – The Composites Institute for this opportunity, and we look forward to helping address the nationwide shortage of skilled machinists by delivering high-quality hands-on training.”
ACE uses free online and in-person, hands-on training to connect top national experts with students and incumbent industrial workers from all backgrounds, levels of education, and work experience to catalyze awareness and interest in all facets of machining, including software development, metrology, design, operation, and entrepreneurship. To date, ACE has delivered online courses in CNC machining to more than 11,000 students from all 50 states and in-person bootcamp-style training to more than 2,000 students, all at no cost to participants.
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