Maglev Milestone Is Reminder of Role of Universities

Earlier this week, Old Dominion researchers reached a major milestone in the university's storied maglev vehicle research project.

Led by aerospace engineering Professor Thomas Alberts and Director of Transportation Research Jerry Creedon, the team levitated and moved at several miles per hour a 12-foot-long train base car on 50 feet of elevated track on the south side of campus Feb. 17. The demonstration, for school officials and local media, indicated that some of the problems that have arisen with slower-speed maglev transportation have been solved.

And while newspapers celebrated with headlines like "ODU scientists have liftoff on maglev experiment," many of us on campus were reminded of the vitally important role universities play in challenging conventional wisdom to create new opportunities, innovative technologies and fresh ideas.

You see, it was not so long ago that the project had hit a wall and seemed doomed. "Problems with Old Dominion University's maglev train raises red flags," said one headline. "Maglev train hits bumps," declared another.

But the university - in the form of its talented faculty researchers and determined students - persevered in a project it believed to have great potential for society. And this week, Alberts, Creedon and their students tasted the sweet victory that comes from more than three years of largely unnoticed toil in a machinery shop in the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology.

Don't get me wrong, there are still many miles to go before maglev is a qualified success. But their accomplishment this week teaches us all why universities should continue leading the way in cutting-edge research, even when the way isn't so easy.