For Release:         Immediate – March 28, 2016

Contact:                Jerry Gretzinger, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations ­

(518) 956-7359 | jgretzinger@sunypoly.edu

SUNY Poly to Engage Children and Adults with Nanoscience-Based Activities as Part of National ‘NanoDays’ 2016

SUNY Poly CMOST and SUNY Poly in Partnership with Center for Disability Services to Offer Exciting Weeklong Series of Nanotechnology-Related Programs to Introduce Exciting Scientific Concepts

Albany, NY — Supporting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s educational blueprint for spurring high-tech careers and reaching underserved communities in New York State, SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) has announced a series of engaging, hands-on programs to enable children and their families who visit the SUNY Poly Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (SUNY Poly CMOST) as well as children and adults with disabilities at Center for Disability Services facilities to experience the exciting world of nanotechnology as they take part in the national celebration of “NanoDays 2016.”

“SUNY Poly is proud to play a role in further strengthening Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s education-to-career pipeline, which is critical as New York State’s high-tech economy continues to offer a growing number of opportunities for future scientists who can begin to see a bright path in front of them as they celebrate national ‘Nanodays’ 2016,” said Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, President and CEO of SUNY Poly. “SUNY Polytechnic Institute is proud to continue reaching out to the community, and we hope that the exciting 21^st Century science that is powering innovation-based growth across New York State will also inspire children and adults with disabilities to see nanotechnology as enabling a world with no limits.”

The series of educational programs planned by SUNY Poly for “NanoDays” 2016 got underway March 26 and runs through March 31 and provides both children and adults with the opportunity to become immersed in the fascinating world of nanoscience-based concepts. National “NanoDays” events got off to a super start Saturday with the second annual superhero-themed exploration of nanotechnology at SUNY Poly CMOST’s Troy. Those attending the event dressed up as their favorite superheroes and investigated flight currents, the amazing powers of water, and the surprising array of superhero gadgets. SUNY Poly CMOST will also host up to 50 Girl Scouts from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30 when they will be able to learn about “nano in nature” by exploring gecko feet and butterfly wings, for example.

Additionally, more than fifty children and adults at three Center for Disability Services locations will receive a gentle introduction to nanotechnology by seeing a wafer first-hand and learning how it is used as the platform for building computer chips. They will also take part in hands-on activities where they can make simple circuits, explore solar grasshoppers and robots, create polymer snow and worms, and investigate UV beads. Activities will take place Tuesday, March 29, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at St. Margaret’s Center, a Division of Center for Disability Services, at 27 Hackett Blvd. in Albany; Wednesday, March 30, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Center for Disability Services Langan School at 314 South Manning Boulevard in Albany, and Thursday, March 31, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. at Center for Disability Services Vocational and Adult Services at 700 South Pearl Street in Albany.

National “NanoDays” 2016 is part of a focused national effort to increase awareness and understanding of the growing nanotechnology-related area of science. Organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), “NanoDays” 2016 is supported with funding from the National Science Foundation and features events planned to take place at more than 250 science museums, research centers, and universities across the country, from Puerto Rico to Hawaii.

For a complete list of the events and activities that are planned for SUNY Poly’s “NanoDays” 2016, please visit http://www.sunycnse.com/Outreach/NanoDays2016.aspx.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York’s globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. Thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world’s most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts more than $43 billion in high-tech investments, over 300 corporate partners, and maintains a statewide footprint. The 1.3 million-square-foot Albany NanoTech megaplex is home to more than 4,000 scientists, researchers, engineers, students, faculty, and staff, in addition to Tech Valley High School. SUNY Poly operates the Smart Cities Technology Innovation Center (SCiTI) at Kiernan Plaza in Albany, the Solar Energy Development Center in Halfmoon, the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST) in Troy, the Central New York Hub for Emerging Nano Industries in Syracuse, the Smart System Technology and Commercialization Center (STC) in Canandaigua, and the Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Technology Development Facility in Rochester where SUNY Poly also leads the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics. SUNY Poly founded and manages the Computer Chip Commercialization Center (Quad-C) at its Utica location and also manages the $500 million New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium, with nodes in Albany and Rochester, as well as the Buffalo High-Tech Manufacturing Innovation Hub at RiverBend, Buffalo Information Technologies Innovation and Commercialization Hub, and Buffalo Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub. For information visit www.sunycnse.com andwww.sunypoly.edu.