OSU-Tulsa Opens Doors To Helmerich Research Center

Tuesday, Oklahoma State University in Tulsa opened the doors on its Helmerich Research Center. It's part of an effort to showcase what's possible now and with a potential expansion.

The lab carries out research for the university and for business that, in some cases, can't be done anywhere else in the state.

The research center blends into the OSU-Tulsa campus, except for the laboratory-grade vents on the roof, but what's inside is far from ordinary.

The labs focus, generally, on the science of materials, but more importantly, on how to make Oklahoma competitive, according to Dr. Raman Singh.

“We represent a great intellectual resource, both in terms of capabilities that are not found anywhere else in the state, in terms of faculty, in terms of students,” he said.

Singh oversees the research center and wants innovators and entrepreneurs to take advantage of what's there.

“So, the invitation is to come and use our resources, take our help,” he said.

The Helmerich Center has everything from powerful microscopes to clean rooms that don't exist anywhere else in the state.

The labs and testing rooms are available for faculty, graduate students and businesses.

OSU-Tulsa President Dr. Howard Barnett, said, “There's a lot of companies in Tulsa doing a lot of research on materials for their own use, and what they need is some of the very sophisticated testing equipment that we have.”

By giving private companies access to research equipment, and they pay for it, the center can help them develop products or processes they couldn't do on their own.

Michael Carolina and the Oklahoma Center for Advancement and Technology believe that builds up high-tech jobs in Oklahoma.

“The technology companies are here, so the question becomes, how do we better support them? How do we support start-up companies and existing companies? With innovation,” Carolina said.

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OSU-Tulsa has also made a pitch under the vision plan to expand their research to a new building.