Mississippi State has expanded the university's research and education programs at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Hancock County.

The newly designated Engineering Research Center-Stennis is designed to build on MSU's internationally recognized expertise in high-end computing technologies and enhance the school's research contributions to the state.

Joining MSU President Malcolm Portera at the September dedication ceremonies were Stennis Center director Roy Estess, Rear Adm. Kenneth Barbor, and Don Durham of the Stennis-based U.S. Naval Meteorological and Oceanographic Command, and representatives of Litton Industries and Pascagoula-based Ingalls Shipbuilding.

Established in 1990, MSU's National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Computational Field Simulation is one of only 27 in the United States. Conducting approximately $12 million in research annually, its multidisciplinary teams focus on reducing engineering time and costs in areas requiring complex computational problem solving.

The MSU/ERC is recognized for computational engineering research focused on the design of aerospace vehicles, missiles, submarines, surface ships, automobiles, and turbomachinery.

"The efforts at ERC-Stennis will focus on research directly related to the agencies located there," said ERC director J. Donald Trotter.

The work of ERC-Stennis will be coordinated by associate ERC director Joseph McCaffrey, while Jim Corbin directs the new Integrated Data Systems Laboratory, one of five ERC laboratories.