“*We make ceramic coatings that can make a big difference for industries, and we hopefully have fun doing it.*”
– UWM professor Carolyn Aita

If all goes as planned, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee distinguished professor Carolyn Aita will solve a problem that has plagued automation systems since their conception: corrosion.

Aita’s ceramic coating, which she calls “smart ceramics,” has been applied to stainless steel in a layer only one atom thick. It has successfully prevented the metal from breaking down.

“I’m so excited with this thing,” said Aita. “We make ceramic coatings that can make a big difference for industries, and we hopefully have fun doing it.”

Working with a team of doctorate and master students and a large, computerized scientific tool named Dorothy residing in the basement of the EMS building, Aita seems to be doing just that.

On Jan. 1 of this year, Aita’s proposal to receive grant money from the Catalyst Grant Program in Advanced Automation was one of three proposals accepted out of a pool of 15. Her research on the coating will continue.

The Catalyst Program through Rockwell Automation is designed to seed promising early research in three areas: software and manufacturing informatics, sensors and devices, and Aita’s specialty, advanced materials.

Rockwell Automation, with its global headquarters located in Milwaukee, was the initial sponsor of the Catalyst program. The company committed $850,000 to the program last spring, with funds to be disbursed over the next four years. The goal of this partnership is to build research capabilities in advanced automation, strengthen corporate partnerships with the university, and create opportunities for internships and employment for UWM students and graduates.

The UWM Research Foundation was founded in 2006 to compliment the UWM Foundation. Chancellor Carlos Santiago came to UWM four years ago with the goal of making UWM a key player in innovation.

“Santiago came in and said, ‘I want to step it up here and do more research.’ His goal has been to increase the research program, and that is just what he has done,” said Brian Thompson, the UWM Research Foundation president.

The Research Foundation’s premise is that with grants funding research, the university can work with local industry and business and gain capitol from patents and from leasing those rights to business partners, making the process profitable for the university, its partners, and everyone else involved.

In Aita’s case, her ceramic coating could be used by many businesses in Milwaukee. Metal surfaces are used in machines that operate in many aspects of industrial business, from food service to medical operations. In local contexts, not only Rockwell Automation, but also Harley Davidson and others could use Aita’s coating.

“We would be remiss as an institution if we did not connect with these local companies,” said Thompson. “We currently have a whole portfolio of ideas, a lot of opportunity. It’s a matter of finding the right ones and helping the professors by protecting these ideas.”

Another $500,000 research grant will be awarded by summer 2008 through the Bradley Foundation, which is interested in aiding UWM’s goal of creating a strong research program and also in funding economic development in the area. This award will be broadly directed towards science and engineering, with Feb.15 as the deadline for proposals.

Thompson is enthusiastic and hopeful for the current and future recipients of the grants: “I wish them the best of luck,” he said. “The best part of my job is talking to the professors about their work. They love explaining it to others.”

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