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NYU-Poly to Benefit from Towns Funding for Groundbreaking Naval Research

WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative Edolphus “Ed” Towns (NY-10) today announced that he secured approximately $2 million for an innovative research initiative at Polytechnic Institute of New York University in Brooklyn (NYU-Ploy) that could protect naval vessels from catastrophic damage and save taxpayers billions of dollars. The funding secured by Rep. Towns was included in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2010 that President Barack Obama signed into law in December 2009.

“The Navy is relying on critical research conducted right here in Brooklyn to protect our naval fleet,” said Rep. Towns. “Every day I am reminded of the tremendous sacrifices our Navy makes to defend our country. I am proud to secure funding for this promising research that will yield significant military and civilian benefits for our country, and protect the lives of our men and women serving in the Navy.”

Rep. Towns secured $2.4 million for the U.S. Navy RDT&E Shock and Vibration Modeling of Marine Composites program at NYU-Poly. The funding will allow NYU-Poly scientists to investigate and develop new composite materials, analytical tools and processing methods, that can be used on all types of naval vessels. 

Recent breakthroughs will allow scientists to create lightweight, durable materials with greater vibration dampening capacities crucial to building safer marine structures. NYU-Poly students and faculty will also use these funds to develop advanced composite materials that increase naval vessels damage tolerance and structural weight, a major goal of the U.S. Navy that could save billions of taxpayer dollars. 

“Rep. Towns’ support for this research comes as the U.S. Navy is transitioning to a greater reliance on advanced composite materials for its ships, submarines and aircraft,” said NYU-Poly President Jerry Hultin. “Shock and vibration modeling is a core competency of NYU-Poly, and this funding will allow our faculty and students to continue to support the Navy's future research and development requirements. We are very grateful for Chairman Towns' continuing support of NYU-Poly.”

The project will also lay the groundwork for many civilian applications, according to lead researchers Dr. Nikhil Gupta and Dr. Maurizio Porfiri, assistant professors in NYU-Poly’s Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. They expect the results will be helpful to engineers involved in the construction of civilian boats, airplanes, vehicles and buildings constructed with composite materials.  Additionally, their research on the impact of shock waves on composites will be helpful to scientists studying the effects on human tissue, bones and the brain, they said.

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