Beck Receives $105,000 Unrestricted Grant From Rockwell Collins

The UI Center for Computer-Aided Design (CCAD) has received a six-month,
$105,000 unrestricted grant from Rockwell Collins of Cedar Rapids for
virtual-manufacturing research.

Steve Beck, CCAD researcher and project leader, said that the grant will enable
CCAD to explore one of its primary interests -- the creation of virtual design
systems that save time and money.

"It is very exciting to be collaborating with one of the nation's leading
defense manufacturers in the development of next-generation product and process
design technologies," Beck said. "We feel privileged to be working with them on
this project."

Jack Harris, Rockwell Collins director of manufacturing technology, said, "CCAD
has proven capabilities in simulation research and development of technology,
which when applied, can make a major impact to our industry's ability to design
and manufacture effectively. The results from this grant will put Rockwell
Collins on a path to significantly improve design cycle time and enhance the
bottom line."

CCAD was founded in 1982 to coordinate and promote research in multi-body
(vehicle) dynamics. Today, the center conducts basic and applied research in
design, optimization, modeling and simulation of materials, structures,
vehicles, and mechanical and biomechanical systems, to advance the educational
and research mission of the College of Engineering, and to transfer research
results to a broad spectrum of academic, industrial and government
constituencies.

Among the many projects housed within CCAD is the two-and-a-half-year-old, 
nationally-acclaimed UI Virtual Soldier Research Program, which has won nearly
$10 million in funding to use computer-generated humans for projects ranging
from clothing design to vehicle design and analysis.

.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2004-06 The University of Iowa                                 Main Page