ORONO — Maine manufacturers with products that have homeland security applications gathered Monday at the University of Maine to display their wares for Jay Cohen, the undersecretary of science and technology in the Department of Homeland Security.

The event was held at the University of Maine Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center, which is known for its work developing blast-resistant paneling that can be used in tents and temporary buildings used by the military in the field.

Among the products displayed by the 18 companies were biometric identification products, hand-held chemical detectors, digital maps, boat hull designs and threat-detection software. Some of the groups already have contracts with the Department of Homeland Security, while others said their products could be used by first responders and others involved in homeland security.

A handheld device developed by Sensor Research and Development Corp. will detect the presence of toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents such as nerve gas, according to its director of science and technology, Brent Marquis.

"We are about to ship 10 of these to the Department of Homeland Security," Marquis said, holding a device that looked like a slightly flattened flashlight. The department plans to test the device, and then ship it out for field testing in various cities, including Seattle and Los Angeles, he said.

Other manufacturers also had examples of their work, including a display by DeLorme of its digitized maps and a prototype boat hull designed by East Boothbay-based Hodgdon Yachts.

Center Director Habib Dagher also showed U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Cohen its work in creating shipping containers out of a composite material that is as strong as steel, but 15 percent lighter, and automatically provides an alert if it is opened or compromised.

He also discussed the center's research into "overwrapping" or wrapping new composite materials around existing concrete columns, such as those used in bridge and freeway construction, to extend the life of the structures.

"This is the future. This is exciting," said Cohen, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral. Overwrapping, he said, could save trillions of dollars in necessary upgrades to U.S. infrastructure.

Cohen speculated about possible applications of the technology, such as partnering with major airline manufacturers to use some of the center's composite materials on planes, or with shipping container manufacturers for the lightweight containers.

"This, we think, is the next generation," he said.

Collins said the tour and displays demonstrated Maine's ability to compete with Silicon Valley or anywhere else on these kinds of projects.

"Maine has both a proud tradition and a contemporary presence in design," she said. "It's vital that the Department (of Homeland Security) remain engaged with the high-tech community."

Collins is the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude called the center "one of the most creative places" on campus, and said the university was proud to work with businesses such as those at the event.

"You represent the leading edge of a growing cluster" of Maine companies developing and manufacturing homeland security products, he said.

Staff Writer Noel K. Gallagher can be contacted at 282-8226 or at:

ngallagher@pressherald.com