Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash, on Monday outlined a proposal for a Federal Aviation Administration center that would focus on research and development of advanced materials for aircraft. The proposal was introduced in Congress earlier this month as part legislation for FAA reauthorization and aviation research.

Earlier in the day, Cantwell and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., held a field hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on ways to stimulate growth in biotechnology and manufacturing in the Northwest. The region has been hard hit by massive aerospace and technology layoffs and is coping with some of the highest unemployment rates in the country.

The proposed center, with initial federal funding of $500,000, would be at the University of Washington in Seattle. It would focus on studying the durability of new, stronger and lighter materials, such as aluminum alloys and composites; training engineers and technicians specializing in such materials; and helping companies, researchers and the government find new ways to use the research.

Boeing is relying on such new materials to help provide 30 percent of the efficiency and performance boosts in its proposed new mid-sized jet, targeted for service in 2008, according to Frank Statkus, Boeing vice president for advanced technology.

If approved later this year, the center would be one of five FAA "Centers of Excellence" that specialize in aviation issues, Cantwell said. Besides the UW, Washington State University, Oregon State University and Edmonds Community College would also serve as founding members of the Seattle center.

The center also is designed to encourage Boeing to build its new, super fuel-efficient jet, dubbed the 7E7, in the Puget Sound region where it has built nearly every other Boeing jetliner. While there are no guarantees Boeing will assemble the 7E7 here, Cantwell said, the center "certainly keeps our competitive edge."

Although Statkus applauded the proposal, he declined to comment on whether it would be enough to persuade Boeing, now headquartered in Chicago, to build the new jet in its home town. Boeing has long complained about the Puget Sound region's traffic and tax structure, and is working up criteria to present to Washington state and other locations that want to work on the new jet.

"We will build the airplane where the technology adds the greatest value," Statkus said.

For the Machinists union, hard hit by layoffs over the past few years, the proposed center would help keep manufacturing - in aerospace or elsewhere - in the region, said Connie Kelliher, a spokeswoman for the Machinists District 751.

Composites can and are being applied in fields outside of aviation, she said, adding that, "This center provides long-term economic growth for the future and future generations of skilled workers."

Among other ideas for reinvigorating the listless economy, panelists suggested more federal spending on biotechnology research, better training, and recruiting potential engineers, particularly women and minorities.