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University of Alaska Anchorage to launch corrosion laboratory With the help of a $1 million gift from
BP Exploration (Alaska), Inc., the Uni- versity of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) School of Engineering is launching its new BP Asset Integrity and Corrosion (AIC) Laboratory. Due to open around September 2012, the new corrosion lab, a full-service electrochemistry lab and the ÅZ[\ WN Q\[ SQVL QV )TI[SI _QTT WNNMZ \PM Alaskan industrial community a local source for corrosion testing and research while providing the university's engineer- ing students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with methods and techniques for corrosion analysis. Many industries in the area, particu- larly oil and gas, shipping, water and wastewater utilities, the military, and transportation infrastructure, have corro- sion engineering needs that are currently being met outside of the state. According to NACE International member Matt Cullin, mechanical engineering assistant professor with UAA and the principal faculty member driving the creation of the AIC Laboratory, the new corrosion lab will enable the university to meet in- dustry's needs in two ways—by providing corrosion testing and research capabilities with a quick turnaround time, and by creating a steady supply of locally edu- cated corrosion engineers who are knowl- edgeable about Alaska's corrosion issues. Currently UAA offers an upper level
corrosion course that covers basic corro- sion principles and fundamentals, and has plans on the drawing board for an addi- tional upper level corrosion science and engineering course that focuses on ana- lytical methods. The AIC Laboratory will support the school's expansion of its corrosion engineering curriculum by providing engineering students with op- portunities to conduct corrosion tests, experiments, and research projects and acquire more in-depth, practical knowl- edge of corrosion mechanisms and their impact on equipment, infrastructure, and the environment.
Continued on page 18 NACE International, Vol. 51, No. 4 April 2012 MATERIALS PERFORMANCE 17
The BP AIC Laboratory will provide corrosion research and testing for the oil and gas industry in Alaska, which will benefit Alaska's energy infrastructure. Photo courtesy of BP p.l.c.