Last Night, the SUNY Board of Trustees voted to create the State University of New York Institute of Nanoscale Science, Engineering & Technology (SUNY INSET). It is being billed as a SUNY option to top caliber tech schools such as M.I.T. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
INSET is formed by a merger of the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CSNE - previously part of the University of Albany) and the SUNY Institute of Technology (Marcy Nanocenter site) in Utica-Rome, and will be headed by Alain E. Kaloyeros as CEO. It is scheduled to debut in January of 2015.
According to Assembly Higher Education Committiee Chairwoman Deborah Glick, "This new merger will allow SUNY INSET to market itself as a niche college that could attract tech students from far and wide".
Kaloyeros said that "Students admitted to SUNY INSET afer its creation will be awarded their degrees from SUNY INSET. Students would apply through SUNY INSET, but would attend Albany's or Utica's campus depending on their major.
SUNY officials say the "merged school is unique in the 64-campus SUNY system, offering the most advanced, extensive and complete nanotechnology research and development infrastructure and academic nanotechnology degree portfolio of any university in the world."
As stated in today's TimesUnion.Com article, "CNSE offers its nano chip fabricating clean rooms and facilities at Albany; photovoltaic and green energy plants in Malta; a Smart Systems Technology and Commercialization Center of Excellence and Solar Manufacturing and Development Facility in Rochester; the Computer Chip Commercialization Center and Marcy Nanocenter site in Utica-Rome; the Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub, the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend and the Buffalo Information Technologies Hub in Buffalo."
WAMC's (Northeast Public Radio) blog post from March 18th cites SUNY Spokesman David Doyle as saying, "You have two institutions with similar missions that already have extensive, existing partnerships. And this was a very natural evolution to bring these together to really produce what's ultimately going to be a juggernaut in high-tech, polytechnic education, job training, economic development..."
It will be interesting to watch and see where this development leads in the Upstate NY Tech Valley area.
Photo (1) by patrisyu & (2) by hyena reality & (3) by Victor Habbick on freedigitalphotos.net
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