BY BILL FREEHLING

A science and technology center that would focus on training and educating the area's current and future high-tech workers is being planned for North Stafford.

The planned center is a partnership of George Mason University, the University of Mary Washington, Germanna Community College, MTCSC Inc. and Stafford County. The five partners have signed a memorandum of understanding laying out the center's vision and the role each one plays.

The center doesn't yet have an official name or physical location. Organizers are hoping to build a stand-alone facility for it, perhaps at the Quantico Corporate Center off U.S. 1. The Silver Cos. are developing QCC.

Plans for the center were announced officially for the first time publicly yesterday morning at the QCC office of MTCSC, a fast-growing defense contractor that has become one of Stafford's largest employers. George Hinckley, director of MTCSC's Center for Technology, has been pushing the idea for many years.

"Today is a major step toward that end," Hinckley said at yesterday's formal announcement, which took place amid an economic symposium for Stafford's defense contractors.

The partners' vision is for a cutting-edge facility that undertakes research, provides professional training and certification for the area's work force, offers graduate-level degrees and educates Stafford high school students in math and science. The idea is to prepare the current and future generations of Stafford workers, foster business and job growth, and attract research grants.

UMW is now assessing Stafford's academic needs to give the partners a specific idea of how much physical space is needed. UMW is also now building a graduate campus with a similar focus near Naval Support Facility Dahlgren in King George County.

Bill Freehling: 540/374-5405
Email: bfreehling@freelancestar.com