Morgan State University’s 5th Innovation Day brought a host of professionals, government officials, students and alumni to the Miller Senate Building today in Annapolis.
This year’s gathering celebrated Morgan’s accomplishments in four thematic areas—the Morgan Community Mile, atmospheric science, environmental development and “The Next Big Thing.”
“Enjoy today’s exhibition and all that it offers you both professionally and personally,” said Morgan President David Wilson. “Take time to immerse yourself with our research principal investigators and their proteges. Even if it is just a brief exchange, you will find you will learn something new, and feel the excitement of the novelty of new knowledge.”
Lawmakers in attendance were particularly interested in a project by Morgan’s Department of Civil Engineering, which proposes efficiency in offshore wind turbines by using composite materials. The objective of the project is to improve upon current technology with innovative materials and sustainable alternatives that will reduce the cost of maintaining deep-water turbines.
This is our future. We are looking at creating jobs and an industry that will last generations.
“I just think it’s excellent that a university like Morgan is promoting that sort of thing. This is our future,” said Del. Eric Ebersole, who represents parts of Baltimore and Howard Counties in the 12th District. “We talk about getting energy out of the ground right now—and there’s a big debate about fracking—but that’s current, and it’s not looking forward. Those are jobs that will only last for a while. But if we start looking forward to wind power and solar power, and this is about wind power, then indeed we are really looking at the future. We’re looking at creating jobs and an industry that will last generations.”
Other exhibits included a survey for measuring user preference and willingness-to-pay for vehicles that are able to communicate with each other, a technology that researchers believe will prevent 80 percent of crashes involving non-impaired drivers. Another exhibit, by Morgan architecture students, showed a redesign of the section of Coldspring Lane that the university currently occupies.
“This is a very positive program,” said Del. Adrienne Jones of Baltimore County’s 10th District. “It’s very important to be in Annapolis, where Morgan gets its state funding for both operating and higher ed in terms of capitol budget, and it’s good that the senators and delegates can see first-hand one of the good things that Morgan does.”
The event comes two days after a double stabbing on Morgan’s campus, which resulted in one student being critically injured and another, Carlos Mars, facing assault and weapons charges. Last Thursday, a student was stabbed by his roommate with a pair of scissors in Rawlings Hall, an all-male dormitory on campus.
