Mickey McCabe Named Director of UDRI

Michael V. McCabe has been named as director of the University of Dayton Research Institute, a 44 year-old institution that has grown from a math professor's sideline to one of the region's leading not-for-profit research-and-development organizations.

In these days of stagnant, if not declining, federal defense budgets for science and technology research, it's a position of many challenges -- which energizes McCabe as much as word of the latest contract does. UDRI will open a satellite office in Utah sometime in the next three months as part of a new five-year $450 million program to increase readiness and reduce costs for the Air Force.

"This is a great opportunity with a great organization," said McCabe, who starts the new position on Feb. 7. "We face many challenges, but I'm confident about our ability to succeed. And it's going to be a lot of fun."

"Dr. McCabe brings (to the position) enthusiasm, excellent communication skills, administrative experience and a capacity to develop an exciting vision for the Research Institute," said John O. Geiger, provost, in announcing the appointment.

McCabe came to UDRI in 1993 as associate director of operations and financial planning after 18 years in industry with Armco Inc., General Electric Aircraft Engines and SP Systems Inc. McCabe, who generally goes by the nickname Mickey, has a broad background in the materials industry, particularly in polymers, ceramics and composite materials.

He is the sole inventor named in U.S. Patent #4,661,336, which describes an improved process for producing advanced carbon fibers.

"I am pleased to be able to continue working with Mickey in his new responsibility," said Gordon A. Sargent, dean of the Graduate School and vice president for graduate studies and research. "I am confident that he can lead UDRI's talented associates to new heights in research and development for the benefit of society."

For the Research Institute, McCabe can tick off the challenges as well as the solutions.

"Just like our central customer, the U.S. Air Force, we're a mature organization," he said. "As good as that is in terms of our experience and knowledge, it's also bad from the perspective that a lot of our people will retire over the next five years. So we need to maintain our expertise and do it in a tough market, when unemployment is at an all-time low."

One solution may result from the permeable border that exists between the walls of the research institute and the academic operations of the University. Undergraduate and graduate students work side by side with UDRI researchers on funded projects, complementing their studies with hands-on experience that can entice them to continue with the institute after graduation.

The nature of the Research Institute is also attractive, McCabe believes. "Younger people today have a real entrepreneurial bent, and we are an organization of technology entrepreneurs," he said. "Our job is to support the champions of ideas. A researcher can join our organization, get support for his or her work and take that idea as far as they can. They can grow their own research business as part of UDRI."

He doesn't see the constraints on federal funds for science and technology research lifting over the next four or five years. "In order for us to grow, we have to take away funding from some other Department of Defense customers. We have to have expertise and enthusiasm. We have to be extremely competent."

Competence is a mild word to describe UDRI researchers. They have saved lives, redesigning Air Force jet windshields to better withstand deadly bird strikes, creating a glass "heart cup" that keeps hearts beating during surgery and improving the armor used in security cars and military craft. They have saved money, improving the performance of jet fuel, producing industrial parts through rapid prototyping and safely detoxifying hazardous wastes. And they have improved life, providing even heating and therapeutic cooling with phase change materials, improving the magnets used in watches and high-fidelity speakers, and creating ceramic implants that help broken bones heal.

Researchers have worked toward developing bridges that won't freeze, diesel trucks that start on demand, batteries that last longer and are safer for the environment, crash dummies that improve air bag design and better communication between pilots and the air traffic controllers who direct them.

Transfer of the technology developed at UDRI to the private sector has been notably successful. UDRI researchers hold 152 patents. There are 103 licensing agreements and about $500,000 annual income from royalty agreements. Some examples of technology transfer are:

• The Dayton Process is fluorocarbon cleaning of nickel-base alloys and stainless steel that enables repair of damaged gas-turbine engine parts to avoid high replacement costs. Obtained in 1982, it was the first non-software license awarded to UDRI.
• Phase change materials, which are chemically designed to sustain hot or cold temperatures, can be found in products that range from microwavable coffee cups and ear muffs to pizza delivery containers.
• Smart dipstick technology measures the remaining useful life of aircraft oil as well as automotive oil and cooking oil used to fry foods.

Under McCabe's direction, UDRI will continue to value the Air Force as its main sponsor but also make inroads into Army and Navy sponsorship. "We'll also continue to market our great technical resources to other federal agencies, such as the departments of energy, transportation and commerce, the FAA, NASA and the National Science Foundation," McCabe said. "In addition, we continue to value the industry relationships we've been able to build, with companies like Delphi, GM and General Electric, just to mention a few."

The future will hold expansion into new areas of expertise -- Web technology and e-business applications are possibilities -- as well as new applications for UDRI's traditional areas of expertise. McCabe views collaborative partnerships between UDRI researchers and UD faculty as a necessary element for future success. "The wealth of creativity that exists among the UD faculty will certainly produce brand new areas of growth for the Research Institute as well as the University," he said.

"Our bread and butter will forever be materials and structural technology, and we'll continue to be strong in those fields," McCabe said. "Along the way we've also gotten more diverse and developed strong programs in environmental science, human factors and ergonomics.

"Recently, we've taken our areas of expertise and expanded their applications. For instance, all of the research we've developed for new aircraft over the years, we've started applying to ongoing systems which are flying longer than ever anticipated -- helping the Air Force and the FAA assure airworthiness of older planes. We evaluate materials and structures for weakness due to age, wear and tear and then develop ways to repair them."

The mission hasn't changed much since 1956 when math professor "Doc" Shraut put 10 UD students to work using scales, slide rules and magnifying glasses to analyze data about aircraft wear and tear under a $10,200 contract from the Air Force. But the scope has. Today UDRI employs more than 350 employees and conducts more than $40 million in sponsored research annually through some 750 contracts.

UDRI plays key roles in a number of notable partnerships, including the FAA's Airworthiness Assurance Center of Excellence, the National Composites Center, the Ohio Aerospace Institute, the Edison Materials Technology Center, the Center for Information Technology in the Miami Valley and the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute.

McCabe earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Capital University. He holds a master's degree and doctorate in chemistry from the University of Cincinnati and also earned his MBA there in 1980.

UDRI is a nonprofit organization specializing in research and technology development in aerospace engineering, automotive technologies, materials research, information technology and environmental science and engineering.

Previous UDRI directors are John R. Westerheide (1956-83), George Noland (1983-91), John Wurst (1991-92, interim), Joseph Rowe (1992-97) and Gordon Sargent (1998-2000).

February 3, 2000

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