http://hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071020/NEWS01/710200304/1002/NEWS17

Polymer school gets $8.2M grant

The University of Southern Mississippi School of Polymers and High Performance Materials has received an $8.2 million grant to establish a national composites research and development center.

One of the largest ever awarded to the university, the grant will go toward researching materials to be used in place of steel in the manufacture of the next generation of ships and aircraft, officials said.

The grant, from the U.S. Department of Defense, is the result of the work of both Shelby F. Thames, Southern Miss president emeritus, and James Rawlins, assistant professor of polymers and high performance materials....

STORYCHAT

...I wonder what the USM faculty have to say about that? Years of hateful blogs and questioning his ingetrity. I hope this will shut them up!! The American should call Dr. Joe Parker and ask for a quote. They should be embarrassed-...

...Err, better look it up: a university starts w/a community of scholars. It is NOT the military, top-down and all in step. Thames lost much of that community, especially after the spying incident, because of his rigid style....

...The USM faculty were in favor of Dr. Thames returning to his area of expertise in polymer science. Being successful in science has no bearing on his performance as president....