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CLEARFIELD — The Beehive State's reputation as an aerospace and national defense hot spot was bolstered Wednesday as Weber State University opened the Miller Advanced Research and Solutions Center.
Also known as the MARS Center, the facility, located at the Falcon Hill Aerospace Research Park, will create opportunities for WSU students and faculty to research and apply innovative solutions to real-world problems in the realm of national defense and aerospace.
Thomas Lockhart, director of engineering and technical management for the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Hill Air Force Base, spoke about how important Utah is when it comes to national defense and security, especially considering the $96 billion intercontinental ballistic missile system, Sentinel.
"In order for us to be successful, we've got to be able to understand that material and we've got to actually produce it. That's very important for the nation," Lockhart said.
Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, described the MARS Center as "one-stop shopping to bring education together with employers, industry leaders and government" at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
"What we're doing here is not only putting future employees together with academics, we're actually protecting our national security," Adams said.
Other speakers spoke about the role the MARS Center will play in boosting Utah's already surging economy and growth, specifically in northern Utah.
"It creates, as we think about the hundreds of thousands of airmen (and) airwomen that are out serving our country and need the latest and the greatest innovation, the ability to bring academia, to bring industry, to bring small businesses together, to innovate and start getting after large systemic challenges that we face as a country," said Craig Rees, digital campaign director for Air Force Materiel Command.
Students were also on hand to speak of their excitement about working and learning at the MARS Center.
Elaine Cope is not only a WSU master's student in systems engineering working for BAE Systems, supporting the integrated support contract for Sentinel, she's also a business owner.
"As someone who owns a small business and aspires to bring some of my concepts and ideas to life, I truly cannot wait to use this facility to help achieve my dreams," Cope said. "There's a demand for smaller businesses to help support large projects, such as the Air Force's Sentinel Program. I believe the MARS building will create a pipeline to help fill that void."
WSU President Brad Mortensen said he believes that the opening of the MARS Center will bring the university "to the forefront" of northern Utah's aerospace ecosystem.
"Where there is this tremendous activity happening that will transform our country, transform our world in providing for our national defense, it's happening here in northern Utah," Mortensen said. "We at Weber State get to be and want to be a central part of that."
The opening of the facility was made possible due to a $3.5 million donation from the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation.
Gail Miller, while speaking at Wednesday's ceremony, reflected on the words of a former U.S. president.
"I think of John Kennedy (who) said, 'Let's go to the moon. We're going to the moon by this time, now you figure out how,' and that's what will happen here," Miller said.
