Research or Regress
What if small towns built big tech?
When manufacturing jobs leave, so do the dreams of hardworking families in rural communities. Penn State research is fueling innovation for new ultrasound technology that saves lives—and livelihoods.
Jerry 'Cork' Gramley has worked on a manufacturing line for nearly forty years. In 1985, he needed a stable job that provided for his young family. After several major employers had recently closed, he accepted a job at a small local company building medical ultrasound transducers.
All that time, he knew in theory that the devices he built saved lives, but the work turned personal when doctors found a tumor on his son’s heart. As surgeons prepared his son for open heart surgery, Gramley learned they would use the exact transducer model he built, tested, and shipped all over the world. The surgery was successful, and his son now has a family of his own.
“What we build saves lives,” Gramley said. “It’s more than just a job—it means doing our absolute best every day.”
Thanks in part to Penn State, Philips continues to lead the cutting edge of medical ultrasound and employ a growing, skilled workforce that takes immense pride in what they do.
What we build saves lives. It’s more than just a job—it means doing our absolute best every day.”
Jerry 'Cork' Gramley
The Challenge: Bringing Skilled Jobs Back to Small Towns
For decades, rural towns across Pennsylvania have felt the sting of industries leaving. Factories closed, good-paying manufacturing jobs disappeared, and families struggled to find stable work. This was more than losing paychecks; it was about losing a proud legacy of skilled labor.
In Reedsville, Pennsylvania, the Philips Ultrasound plant is reversing that trend. The high-tech facility that produces lifesaving medical equipment is expanding, bringing back local jobs, thanks in part to foundational research and a strong technology development partnership with Penn State. Their long-standing relationship has cultivated a deep culture of innovation, influencing everything from factory design to new product development. Moreover, Penn State actively fuels Philips's workforce: seven out of ten engineers at the plant are Penn State graduates.
The Science Behind Ultrasound
The relationship goes back to the 1960s when Penn State scientists Robert Newnham and Eric Cross discovered how to use crystals to “see” through deep ocean water for the first time. Originally developed for the United States Navy, their discovery would lead to both sonar and ultrasound technology–allowing doctors to see inside the human body in real time without invasive surgery or radiation. From monitoring fetal development to finding blood clots, ultrasound is now a crucial medical tool that has saved millions of lives worldwide.
“They developed what are called composite piezoelectrics, the basis for medical transducers,” said Susan Trolier-McKinstry, who was mentored by Newnham and Cross and serves as the director of Penn State’s Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics. “The geometry that's used for every medical transducer today came from Penn State.”
Cross and Newnham’s research changed medicine, and, in doing so, helped bring advanced manufacturing jobs to rural American towns. To keep up with the growing demand for the technology, the Reedsville plant has grown to be one of the county’s largest employers.
Research Fortifies America’s Future
The future of ultrasound technology may come from the very lab that invented it. Trolier-McKinstry knows this firsthand as she and her team to push it into never-before-seen applications.
“Penn State continues to lead the world in research and innovation in transducer technology,” states Troiler-McKinstry. “We’re constantly at the forefront of discovery.”
For example, Penn State researchers are developing tiny ultrasound systems that can be embedded under a patient’s skull to detect, and, one day, treat chronic pain and psychiatric disorders. They’re also building miniaturized, pill-sized ultrasound systems that can be swallowed, allowing physicians to see places inside the human body that have been inaccessible until now.
By connecting cutting-edge research with dedicated people working in communities like Reedsville, Penn State has helped secure futures for families and brings renewed purpose to the phrase, “made in America.”
This is Penn State Research
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