Entrepreneur, Inventor Andrew Green Donates $500,000 to Composites Program
Entrepreneur, Inventor Andrew Green Donates $500,000 to Composites Program
Monday, February 29, 2016
An early passion for developing ultra strong and lightweight materials set Andrew Green on a career path with lasting influence on aircraft, racecar and sailboat design, one that led him to become a giant in the field of composites.
Now Green, founder of his own engineering and manufacturing company, is sharing that passion with the next generation of materials engineers through a gift of $500,000 to the College of Engineering.
Ultimately, Green said, he wants to ensure that UTA becomes the premier institution for excellence in composite materials innovation and education.
“We have to teach young people to work with composite materials. Composites are a multi-billion-dollar industry with uses everywhere, and we have a great platform to start from at UTA,” Green said. “My goal would be for UTA to be known as the best place in the country to study materials – not just their esoteric aspect, but products that can be applied and used in everyday life.”
UTA President Vistasp M. Karbhari expressed appreciation for Green’s generosity and for his commitment to advancing composites studies at a time when the University is rapidly escalating high impact research under the Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact.
“UTA is attracting some of the world’s leading researchers and the best students in the area of advanced materials, composites, and mechanical and aerospace engineering, and Andrew Green’s investment will accelerate excellence in these critical areas,” President Karbhari said. “The Green gift opens new opportunities to UTA students and will enable the University to prepare a new generation of young engineers to succeed in this dynamic industry. It is a wonderful confirmation of the positive trajectory of our College of Engineering.”
Michael Kingan, UTA’s vice president for development and alumni affairs, noted Green’s illustrious career and said the gift will encourage students to pursued excellence in composites.
“Andy Green’s body of work in composites over several decades shows his commitment to his field, and we are pleased that he has chosen to become a partner in educating the next generation of materials engineers,” Kingan said. “His decision to help UTA become a national leader in composites manufacturing is a testament to the excellent work already being done by our faculty and students, and I am confident that his vision will be realized.”
Other recent developments that have strengthened UTA’s work in the area of materials science and composites engineering include:
- Kenneth Reifsnider, an internationally recognized expert in high temperature energy systems and composite materials, who joined UTA in January 2015 as a Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and as director for the Institute for Predictive Performance Materials. Reifsnider is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the National Academy of Inventors.
- In July, mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Andrew Makeev won a $1.35 million grand from the Army National Rotorcraft Technology Center to design more durable materials and speed up their implementation in composite aircraft. Makeev is director of UTA’s Advanced Materials and Structures Lab.
- In October, UTA recruited professor Endel Iavre to join the UTA Institute for Predicative Performance Methodologies. Iarve is an expert in discrete damage modeling methodologies for laminated composites under a broad range of loading conditions, including compression and fatigue. He also works in collaboration with the NASA Langley Research Center and the Skolkovo Institute of Technology in Moscow.
Erian Armanios, chair of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, said Green’s gift and the addition of Beyle to the UTA faculty will inspire students and colleagues alike.
“Our ability to address critical needs for the rapid implementation of composites is a hallmark of our department, and Mr. Green’s donation will support new perspectives in education and research,” Armanios said. “We will be able to strengthen and expand our existing collaborations with industry and play an integral role in maintaining our nation’s competitive edge in today’s global economy.”
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, a UTA alumnus and longtime friend to Green, said: “Andrew Green is a valued member of the North Texas business community. His entrepreneurial spirit and hard work served him well, and his gift to the University is a wonderful legacy to the next generation of UTA engineers.”
Green said he is anxious to see what kinds of materials students who benefit from his gift and from working with Beyle create.
“If my donation spurs someone from UTA to invent something big, I’ll be proud because I’ll feel like I had something to do with it,” he said.
About The University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a Carnegie “highest research activity” institution of more than 50,000 students in campus-based and online degree programs and is the second-largest institution in The University of Texas System. The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked UTA as one of the 20 fastest-growing public research universities in the nation in 2014. U.S. News & World Report ranks UTA fifth in the nation for undergraduate diversity. The University is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is ranked as the top four-year college in Texas for veterans on Military Times’ 2016 Best for Vets list. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at http://www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php.
To learn more about how to support UTA research and other strategic priorities, visit https://giving.uta.edu or call the Office Of Development at 817-272-2584.