Oct 31 2015
Highlighting Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s high-tech investment strategy which has made New York State a global leader in technology innovation, SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) today announced plans for the eighth annual celebration of NANOvember, a month-long series of fun and engaging events that seek to showcase the state’s burgeoning nanoscale science-related educational, business, and workforce opportunities that are driving leading-edge research, development, and commercialization.
“SUNY Polytechnic Institute is thrilled to host these “NANOvember” events to share the success of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s unique public-private investment model, which has led to billions of dollars in investments and thousands of new jobs throughout New York State’s high-tech corridor,” said SUNY Poly President and CEO Dr. Alain Kaloyeros. “As these events get underway at several of our SUNY Poly locations, we hope that they will inspire New York State residents of all ages and provide a better understanding of how the Governor’s innovation-based strategy is powering growth and high-tech development while acting as a national example of progress.”
NANOvember will officially begin with SUNY Poly’s Community Day on Saturday, November 7, and will feature Open House programs in separate SUNY Poly locations. At SUNY Poly CNSE’s $24 billion Albany NanoTech Complex, visitors will be able to take part in guided tours of NanoFab Xtension (NFX), the 500,000 square foot headquarters of the Global 450mm Consortium (G450C), which is spearheading creation of the next computer chip platform to create faster, more cost-effective chips. The event, which is geared toward adults and children alike and typically attracts thousands of people, will also feature hands-on activities and fascinating demonstrations, including vanishing jelly marbles, a levitation station, Buckyball fabrication for children, and the chance to gown up in a cleanroom “bunny” suit or make your own play dough and bouncing balls, among other activities meant to impart a better understanding of the science that is driving the everyday technological changes that we see around us.
Visitors to the Utica campus will be able to tour parts of the SUNY Poly Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C), which Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced will be the site of a Power Electronics packaging facility, featuring GE’s robust silicon carbide technology that will serve to advance New York State’s leadership in next-generation semiconductor research. Quad-C is part of the game-changing $1.5 billion ‘Nano Utica’ initiative, which also includes the nearby Marcy Nanocenter site where the governor recently announced sensor maker AMS will establish a state-of-the-art 200/300 mm wafer fabrication facility in support of the company’s high-performance analog semiconductor operations. Visitors to SUNY Poly’s Utica campus will also have the opportunity to take part in a number of fun, hands-on nanotechnology-based activities and presentations to better understand the science that underpins regional and statewide high-tech, nano-inspired growth.
Prior to the concurrent Community Day events held in Albany and Utica, CNSE's Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center (CNSE STC) in Canandaigua will provide area high school students an immersive experience designed to introduce them to the concepts of fabricating 21st century nano and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Utilizing this world-class MEMS foundry and packaging infrastructure, students will be provided with facility tours and take part in hands-on activities designed to simulate processes such as mask design, photolithography, etch, and strip processes used to manufacture microelectronics devices. Students will also be introduced to the wide array of career opportunities and educational resources that are available to them and see through technology demonstrations how nanotechnology is impacting our world in new and exciting ways.
Additionally, a number of events will take place during NANOvember, including the Entrepreneurship Forum on November 12, which will provide critical information and valuable connections for startup businesses, enabling them to connect with client companies and advisory members of Incubators for Collaborating & Leveraging Energy and Nanotechnology (iCLEAN) and the Tech Valley Business Incubator to learn about what it takes to build a successful enterprise and obtain information about local investment funds. The event will be hosted by SUNY Poly CNSE and the Energy and Environmental Technology Applications Center (E2TAC), and is part the institution’s Advancing Research & Commercialization (SPARC) initiative.
On November 25, 300 middle and high school students will take part in hands-on nanotechnology-inspired activities and presentations as part of the institution’s popular “NanoCareer Day,” where attendees from selected schools across New York State will learn about the numerous high-tech career opportunities that are increasingly available throughout New York’s high-tech corridor.
Other exciting nanosciences-based events for the month of NANOvember include:
- November 14 - “CNSE CMOST Family Day” at the CNSE Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CNSE CMOST), where children will be able to experience age-appropriate nanotechnology exhibits and other family-based activities to explore the science behind Star Wars, including the chance to experiment with magnetism and how forces behave differently at the nanoscale; the opportunity to learn about circuits and small machines to engineer brush bot droids to take home; and the ability to create flat “light saber” flashlights, among other activities and presentations taking place at this free event.
- November 16 - “An Evening of Q & A with Dr. Alain Kaloyeros” at the SUNY Poly CNSE NanoCollege, where SUNY Poly’s President and CEO will discuss nanotechnology’s growing impact on New York State—and societies around the globe—as a result of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s high-tech growth investment strategy.
In addition, SUNY Poly students, faculty, and staff will help prepare the Equinox Thanksgiving Day Dinner for some of the more than 10,000 Capital Region community members who rely on the traditional meal, by slicing turkey and preparing potatoes, beans, and other foods so that they are ready for those most in need on Thanksgiving Day.