For Release:       Immediate ­ October 30, 2015

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

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

SUNY Polytechnic Institute Invites the Public to Attend its Exciting 'NANOvember' Series of Educational Outreach Events

Albany, NY – 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 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'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 SUNY Poly's Utica location 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 location 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, the SUNY Poly Smart System Technology & Commercialization Center (SUNY Poly 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 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 - “SUNY Poly CMOST Family Day” at the SUNY Poly Children’s Museum of Science and Technology, 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 Albany site 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.

For a complete list of events and activities planned for NANOvember, and to pre-register, please visit www.sunycnse.com/NANOvember.aspx.

####################

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 and www.sunypoly.edu.

####

Media Contact: Jerry Gretzinger, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations (518) 956-7359 | jgretzinger@sunypoly.edu