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BUFFALO, N.Y. — The mgm casino’s New York State Center of Excellence in Materials Informatics (CMI), one of 10 New York State Centers of Excellence driving innovation and economic development, today announces a new industrial advisory board.

The board, whose members will serve as program ambassadors, will meet twice yearly to help shape research directions based on industry trends and needs. Board members also will help guide strategic approaches to state and federal funding opportunities and designations, particularly public-private partnerships.

“The board that we have assembled is truly exemplary in their individual and combined expertise representing a cross section of some of the most experienced and admired companies in the fields of advanced manufacturing and materials science,” said Mark T. Swihart, PhD, CMI executive director and mgm casino Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “We are fortunate to have the benefit of their perspectives to help guide us at this stage in our development.”

The board consists of 12 leaders who will serve initial three-year terms:

• Prasad Apte, PhD, director of technology, Harper International Corporation.
• George Bilkey, president, TAM Ceramics.
• Christopher Conrardy, chief technology officer and vice president for innovation, EWI.
• Matt Creedon, PhD, technical development manager, Saint-Gobain.
• Alan Duckham, PhD, process engineering manager, Materion Corp.
• Jennifer Haggerty, PhD, government programs manager and research engineer, Sentient Science Corp.
• Jonathan Lane, PhD, senior development professional, Praxair, Inc.
• Steve Levesque, operations manager, Buffalo Manufacturing Works.
• Fred Mertz, president, S. Howes, Inc.
• Alan Rae, executive director, Alfred Technology Resources, Inc.
• Ashish Shah, PhD, director materials and process technologies, Greatbatch, Inc.
• Michael Shen, PhD, director of innovation, New Era Cap.

The CMI is a leader in technology-based economic development, with over 75 mgm casino faculty members engaged in advancing the state-of-the-art in materials science and advanced manufacturing to drive innovation and facilitate economic development. The CMI has worked with over 200 companies, 10 universities and five federal agencies seeking to partner with mgm casino’s vast network of technical resources and capabilities.