Lancaster, Pa. -- As part of its commitment to forward-thinking design excellence, Armstrong Flooring recently collaborated with Jefferson’s Surface Imaging Master’s program to explore future flooring and surface trends.

This is the fourth year the company has partnered with the Philadelphia-based university to investigate new technologies and forecast emergent design pathways. Students began the project in January, learning about the design and manufacturing elements related to resilient flooring.

“Just as Armstrong Flooring is focused on the customer, the students also started with the customer in mind to lead their research,” said Morgan Lucente, Armstrong Flooring design manager. “They took the time to understand specific segment needs, how design plays an integral role in that, and finally how technology can deliver solutions.”

Students spent the semester working on their own flooring project, with milestone reviews and mentoring sessions with members of Armstrong Flooring’s design team. In May, students presented their final projects and accompanying research at the company’s headquarters in Lancaster, Pa.

“It is inspirational to see the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the students’ research and their application of the leading printing technologies in their projects,” Lucente said. “Every year the students surpass our expectations with the innovative solutions they come up with. We want to sincerely thank Jefferson for this valuable relationship.”

Jefferson’s Center for Excellence in Surface Imaging conducts research projects and educational events related to design, applied engineering, and business aspects of surface imaging technologies.

“This has been a great learning experience for our students in the Master of Science in Surface Imaging program at Jefferson,” said Hitoshi Ujiie, director and professor, Surface Imaging. “This is a part of our essential trans-disciplinary course work, in which students combine design, engineering and business skills into real-life industry experiences. We are honored to be able to work with great companies such as Armstrong Flooring.”