WAYNESBURG -- Thanks to two innovative local research companies,
Greene County is making a national name for itself as a place for cutting-edge science and science education.

On May 18-21, Waynesburg based Separation Design Group and RJ Lee Education (a branch of RJ LeeGroup) presented their ongoing research projects in Louisville, Ky., as part of a select group of 200 companies funded by the National Science Foundation through its Small Business Innovation Research program.

NSF is a federal agency created by Congress to promote science and thereby strengthen the nation's economic and defense capabilities.

The 200 companies that attended this year's conference represent all the NSF awards for Phase II and Phase IIB prototype development projects nationwide at the present time.

"These things are incredibly competitive," SDGroup CEO Doug Galbraith said. "Out of 72 proposals submitted in Pennsylvania for 2004, for example, only five were funded. It's something the community can be proud of that two of these companies operate in Greene County."

SDGroup caught NSF's eye in 2004 when it received a SBIR Phase I grant to prove the feasibility of modular oxygen concentration. In July 2005, NSF awarded the company $500,000 to develop a prototype.

"Previously, I had to travel to other states and sometimes internationally to find such leading edge projects. This is the most significant project I've ever worked on during my career as a research physicist," said project principal investigator Dr. Dave Walker, who, along with project director Galbraith, attended the Louisville conference and spoke to potential investors.

The prototype is designed to improve fuel efficiency. Each module is a complete unit that can be joined, Lego-like, to accommodate varying sized application processes. The research is designing modules that are faster, smaller and use fewer materials than conventional systems.

"These modules will become components of the next generation of robotic manufacturing systems," Galbraith said. "We can't influence the cost of fuel, but we can improve fuel efficiency."

At first glance, the projects presented by SDGroup and RJ Lee Education might not seem to have much in common. But education and research go hand in hand when one company can train local high school students to use high-tech tools and the other company has the jobs waiting to use these home-grown skills.

"We've hired two of the graduates of the RJ Lee program to run our electron microscope," SDGroup associate manager Judith Galbraith said. "It's been very beneficial to us to have this trained labor force here."

When RJ LeeGroup saw the need to get students involved with hands-on science at the earliest possible age, they realized a new curriculum was needed, one that would bring American education into the 21st century.

"You need to start at younger grades and get them excited about science. Once you capture their imaginations and creativity, the program can expand with them into middle and high school," company vice president and project principal investigator Gary Casuccio said. "Technology needs to be tied into the curriculum, and teachers need the extra training as well. We can supply that."

The company began designing computer simulation science based on microscopy, and placing the actual tools of the science trade in the hands of local students.

West Greene High School became a test case in 1998 when the company placed an electron microscope in the school and teachers and students began using it for both classroom projects and data gathering for RJ LeeGroup.

Several Appalachian Regional Commission grants have allowed West Greene to set up a laboratory, purchase an electron microscope and continue operating a state-of-the -art lab for student use. Waynesburg College students intern as assistants and RJ LeeGroup oversees the project.

The added opportunity to be employed after-school doing microscopy for RJ LeeGroup is the kind of incentive that can lead to careers in science and stints in the SDGroup research lab.

RJ Lee Education now is working with ASSET Inc., an independent, nonprofit education reform initiative school, and as part of this partnership, they have developed The Properties of Rocks. To complement earth science curricula for grades three, four or five, it allows students to try using computer simulation based on optical microscopes to study the structure of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks by examining grain structure.

Presently, RJ Lee Education is working to bring its new curriculum and tools to local educators.

A workshop -- Using Microscopy to Teach Science in Elementary, Middle and High School -- will be held Aug. 1 at Waynesburg College. Registration deadline is July 14.

This workshop is part of Intermediate Unit 1 continuing education units and is worth one credit. It is open to educators in Greene, Washington and Fayette counties.

Teachers who take the training will be able to use the online curriculum in their classroom, including web simulation. Contact ldoody@waynesburg.edu, or call 724-852-3379.

For more information, go online to separationdesign.com, rjlgeducation.com, or nsf.gov/about

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