Published: Saturday, 5/24/2014 - Updated: 7 hours ago

BY JON CHAVEZ BLADE BUSINESS WRITER

Sixteen Ohio and Michigan companies have been chosen to receive help from scientists and engineers from NASA in connection with an upcoming roadshow that the federal space agency will hold on June 12 at the University of Toledo.

The list includes an auto parts supplier, agri-businesses, a biotech firm, and a solar industry firm. But also chosen was a firm that makes hip clothing for young adults, a firm that makes food-cooking equipment, and a 4-year-old Toledo firm that makes packaging for relief supplies earmarked to be dropped over disaster zones.

I looked at each one of these proposals and sometimes Im scratching my head. But [NASA] engineers looked at them and decided theres something they can do to help each of them with their processes, said Keith Burwell, president of the Toledo Community Foundation, one of nine agencies and organizations staging the NASA Roadshow.

That was our biggest message to [applicants]: Dont limit yourself. If, for example, you just make rocket fuel, you should still apply because their technology can cover a vast array of industries, Mr. Burwell said.

They could see all the uses for Velcro and Super Glue. Youd never guess that NASA could use that, but they did.

NASA scientists, specifically engineers and technical specialists from the agencys Glenn Research Center in Cleveland will provide up to eight hours of free R&D consultation and, in some cases, will share declassified technologies at the June 12 event.

The roadshow, NASAs second such event in Ohio, is part of a federally funded, three-year experimental program to comply with a White House directive that NASA and other federal agencies accelerate their technology-transfer activities and make available to all the benefits of federally funded research and development investments.

Applicants submitted proposals in April listing issues that they thought NASA could help solve, and a committee and NASA officials looked over the applications and chose the ones most likely to be aided by NASA.

Read the original here:

NASA to advise area businesses