All Over Albany

Looking through the federal and state accusations involving SUNY Poly and Alain Kaloyeros

Updated with details from the charges filed by the state Attorney General's office.

As you've probably heard by now, the office of US Attorney Preet Bharara announced public corruption charges against a group of people that includes Joe Percoco, a former top Andrew Cuomo aide, and Alain Kaloyeros, the head of SUNY Poly.

The charges cover allegations that broadly fall into two overlapping categories -- one focused on allegations that Percoco traded his influence inside in the Cuomo admin for bribes (or "ziti" as the money was allegedly referred to), and the other on allegations that Kaloyeros and Todd Howe, another longtime associate of the Cuomos, rigged the application process for large construction projects in Buffalo and Syracuse.

Bharara emphasized Thursday that the complaint includes no allegations against Andrew Cuomo.

The allegations against Kaloyeros are, of course, of great interest in this area because of the huge presence of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. So let's look at some of the bits related to those accusations.

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NANOvember 2015

It will be November soon, and that means the return of Nanovember. (It's not a month -- it's a temporal innovation ecosystem.)

SUNY Poly will be hosting a series of events at the Albany NanoTech campus during November. The schedule starts off with Community Day on November 7. Blurbage:

SUNY Poly will give people of all ages the chance to receive an up-close look at the exciting world of nanotechnology. Guests will experience hands-on activities, engaging demonstrations, and guided tours. Attendees will see how SUNY Poly and New York State have emerged as the epicenter for the nanotechnology-driven society of the 21st century!

Adults and children will have the opportunity to interact with SUNY Poly students, faculty and staff, and to participate in a variety of activities that promote a greater understanding of nanotechnology.

It's Saturday, November 7 from 11 am-3 pm. It's free -- here's how to pre-register.

Among the other events on the schedule:
+ CNSE CMOST Family Day on November 14 at the museum in the Rensselaer Technology Park.
+ "An Evening of Q & A With Dr. Alain Kaloyeros" on November 16: "Community members will have the opportunity to ask Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, about the growth of the nanotechnology industry across New York State, its impact on the Capital Region, pertinent educational and economic opportunities, as well as any other topics of relevance."

The character in the SUNY Poly CNSE seal?

JES emailed us recently:

Been noticing the new signs, etc. on the Nano [College] buildings. Do you know what the mythological character is that has been added to those signs?

The character in the logo seal is the god Hermes from Greek mythology.

And why did SUNY Poly CNSE pick Hermes?

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NANOvember 2014

The entity now known as the Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is taking over the month of November again and dubbing it NANOvember.

The series of events starts with the annual Community Day this Saturday, November 1, from 11 am-3 pm. It's free. Blurbage:

In addition to getting an up-close look at CNSE's ever-expanding 1.3 million-square-foot megaplex, both adults and children will have the opportunity to interact with CNSE students, faculty and staff, and to participate in a variety of activities that promote a greater understanding of nanotechnology, including:

+ Tours of the cutting-edge cleanroom facilities
+ Hands-on experiments
+ Cleanroom gowning demonstrations
+ A Kid's Corner featuring several kid-friendly activities relating to nanotechnology
+ Sustainable Energy Activities
+ Nanotechnology overview presentations
+ Displays and hands-on activities showcasing research in CNSE's constellations, including health care, energy, electronics and economics
+ Presentations on CNSE's undergraduate program

Among the other NANOvember events: A public Q&A with Alain Kaloyeros at the Albany NanoTech complex on November 17 "bout the growth of the nanotechnology industry across New York State, its impact on the Capital Region, pertinent educational and economic opportunities, as well as any other topics of relevance."

By the way: As we understand it, there is no truth to the rumor the CNSE/SUNY Poly/Nano Empire will be acquiring other months beyond November and incorporating their date-based distinctiveness into its globally recognized high tech temporal ecosystem.

How you know you're really broken up for real

When your ex takes your name off the chip fab.

Well, also, when they find someone new and together take a new name.

(Thanks, Fred.)

SUNY PI

Noted: There's a new(?) name for the merged College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology -- SUNY Polytechnic Institute, or just SUNY PI.

The name pops up in a recent press release from the NanoCollege about its efforts to establish its own police force. The little institution bio at the end also speaks to the "What is the NanoCollege?" question. A clip:

SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY PI) 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 PI 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 campus, and degrees in technology, professional studies, and the arts and sciences at its Utica/Rome campus. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY PI boasts more than $20 billion in high-tech investments, over 300 corporate partners, and maintains a statewide footprint.

"Educational ecosystem" is a new one to us.

Earlier on AOA: Three things about the latest big announcement about a new tech something

Three things about the latest big announcement about a new tech something

GE CEO Jeffery Immelt, Andrew Cuomo, Alain Kaloyeros, and a large portion of the Capital Region's state and local reps were at the GE Global Research Center in Niskayuna today for the announcement of a new $500 million consortium that's being touted as both a key part of the next era in electronics and a future generator of thousands of jobs (including "at least 500" in the Capital Region).

The New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium will be anchored by GE and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, and will be backed in part by $135 million in funding from New York State. The consortium will focus on what Kaloyeros called the "next generation of semiconductors," with applications across many different industries.

Here are three things about this announcement -- involving the technology, New York State, and the NanoCollege...

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Architecture gawking: NanoCollege ZEN

In the future we will all ride beams of light on Washington Ave Ext. (Here's a larger version of the rendering.)

The rendering above is for the next major building planned for the NanoCollege empire's capital at Fuller Road and Washington Ave Ext in Albany. Specifically, it's the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's Zero Energy Nanotechnology building, or just "ZEN." The rendering is via Capital Albany, which posted it online today.

The project is expected to cost about $190 million, according to an application filed with the city of Albany's Industrial Development Agency (IDA). The planned building would be about 355,000 square feet, with space for:
+ A New York State agency data center
+ Tech Valley High School
+ A "DO-IT Center which will establish an environment with specialized infrastructure to educate Small, Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises and on-site partners on emerging technology platforms"
+ It will also "provide state-of-the-art premises for existing and new CNSE partners"

So, your basic leveraging of synergies while infrastructuring your platforms. (We think that's how it goes.)

Fuller Road Management Corporation, an arm of the NanoCollege, is looking for the IDA to issue $186 million in bonds for the project, and also cut it a break on $2.3 million in mortgage recording taxes.

The ZEN building is scheduled to be finished by the third quarter of 2015, according to the app (early work has already started). And the application forecasts the project will help create 1,000 new jobs.

rendering: EYP

NANOvember 2013

October is ending and that means it's time to turn the calendar page to, um, NANOvember.

The SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering has once again lined up a month of events focused on highlighting nanotechnology and what's going at the NanoCollege. The events start this Saturday (November 2) with the annual community day. Blurbage:

CNSE Community Day is a chance for people of all ages from the Capital Region and beyond to receive an up-close look at the exciting world of nanotechnology. Attendees will experience hands-on activities, engaging demonstrations, timely presentations, and guided tours of CNSE's unrivaled Albany NanoTech Complex. Attendees will see firsthand how CNSE and New York State have emerged as the epicenter for the nanotechnology-driven society of the 21st century!

Here's the full list of NANOvember events, many of which are free and open to the public. We've plucked a few that caught our eye -- they're after the jump.

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AP: NanoCollege could be spun off

Interesting report about the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering from the AP's Michael Gormley:

The State University at New York may soon create its 65th campus, spinning its fast-growing College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering away from the University at Albany under a plan that give more control to the governor. ...

The proposal calls for a two-phase approach to create a "freestanding SUNY 'specialized' college" with its own budget that would award doctoral degrees. It would be based on the model of the SUNY College of Forestry in Syracuse.

This wouldn't be all that surprising. The college's empire keeps growing -- it's piled up $14 billion in investment so far. It's finishing off construction of a $356 million building, with another planned. And in a lot of ways the college has seemed to be more like an economic development organization than a traditional college, with its many public-private partnerships for industries such as chip fabrication.

Also: as noted last month, the CNSE has started referring to itself as the SUNY NanoCollege (instead of UAlbany NanoCollege) -- see recent press release.

In other news: Your job is being folded under the management of Alain Kaloyeros.

By the way: A CNSE fact sheet reports the college's total enrollment for the spring 2013 semester is 261. And there "more than 3,100" employees on site.

NANOvember 2012

UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering has again decided to take over November (we're guessing self-replicating nanobots) and dub it NANOvember.

The series of events includes talks, symposia, and tours. This Saturday (November 3) is the annual community day:

CNSE will give people of all ages from the Capital Region and beyond to receive an up-close look at the exciting world of nanotechnology. Join us for hands-on activities, engaging demonstrations, timely presentations, and guided tours of CNSE's unrivalled Albany NanoTech Complex. You'll see firsthand how CNSE and New York State have emerged as the epicenter for the nanotechnology-driven society of the 21st century!

It's a $14 billion complex, so they must have one or two interesting things to see. Community day is from 11 am-3 pm.

A full list of NANOvember events is post jump. Nano emperor Alain Kaloyeros will be giving a public talk on November 26...

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Alain Kaloyeros at University Club

Alain Kaloyeros will be giving a talk at the University Club in Albany on August 23. The nano emperor will "discuss the groundbreaking research and development being carried out at the Albany NanoTech Complex."

Tickets for the event are $25 and reservations are required (463-1151). You don't need to be a member to attend. A pre-talk reception starts at 5:30 pm. The talk itself starts at 6:30 pm.

If you're curious about what's going at the rapidly expanding UAlbany College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering complex, this sounds like a good opportunity to hear about it directly. Presumably he also talk about partnerships with which CSNE is involved for the re-use of Kiernan Plaza in downtown Albany.

Yep, AOA is a media sponsor of the event.

photo: CNSE

Obama to visit UAlbany CNSE, not GlobalFoundries

Albany NanoTech.

Change of plan: the White House says Barack Obama will be visiting the Albany area next Tuesday, but it will be at UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering -- not GlobalFoundries as earlier indicated.

From the White House press release:

On Tuesday, May 8, the President will travel to the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's (CNSE) Albany NanoTech Complex at the State University of New York in Albany, New York for an event on the economy. CNSE's Albany NanoTech Complex is a fully-integrated research, development, prototyping, and educational facility that provides strategic support through outreach, technology acceleration, business incubation, pilot prototyping, and test-based integration support for onsite corporate partners, including IBM, Intel, GlobalFoundries, Applied Materials, as well as other next generation nanotechnology research activities. Due to logistical reasons, the President's event will no longer be held at GlobalFoundries in Malta, New York but representatives from GlobalFoundries will join the President at CNSE. Governor Cuomo will also join the President at Tuesday's event.

Even though the specific venue is changing, the setting will still project the same message: Hey, look, there's sophisticated manufacturing in the United States.

And, logistically, Albany Nanotech is a lot closer to ALB than GloFo. (It really is the most efficient option for getting complicated machinery in front of the POTUS so he can feign interest in it.)

"The recession seems to be every place but here"

UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering was featured on the CBS Evening News last night. The angle: how the public/private partnership there is creating jobs -- "even for a blue collar guy." (It should be noted the "here" in the title quote refers to CSNE.)

The package was better than ABC's GlobalFoundries story from earlier this week. (Thankfully, Jim Axelrod did not feel the need the wear a clean room suit.) But, oddly, the CBS package didn't mention the GlobalFoundries chip fab. Maybe the two segments can be stuck together using some sort of cross-network nanotechnology.

Even though these sorts of stories often miss the mark, they're still spreading word of some of the stuff going on here. The same goes for the Obama visit next week. That's worth something -- how much is hard to say -- but something.

(Thanks, Fred! Thanks, John!)

The NanoBridge over Washington Ave Ext

We'd say the bridge changes the character of that stretch, but it didn't have a lot of character to begin with.

Washington Ave Extension was closed this past weekend for the construction of a bridge connecting Albany NanoTech to its new building, the "NanoFab Xtension," across the road. For the infrastructure enthusiast, a few more large format photos are after the jump.

The Washington Ave Ext/Fuller Road re-alignment project will move Washington to the north so that it routes around UAlbany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering campus. The bridge will then span a parking lot for the college.

Seeing the bridge spanning the two buildings made us think back to a joke NanoEmperor Alain Kaloyeros made a few years back in Businessweek about expanding the campus so that he could walk to the Starbucks at Stuyvesant Plaza without going outside. What's a few more bridges...

Earlier on AOA: NANOvember

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NANOvember

Not content to only colonize the western reaches of Albany, the Nano Empire has also staked a claim to the month of November -- er, NANOvember.

The month-long series of events includes talks, tours, and demos at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. A few of the events:

November 5: CNSE Community Day
Tours of the facilities and hands-on demos for kids. Also: information about the "NanoFab Xtension," the new building going up along Washington Ave Ext.

November 14: CNSE Community Lecture Series featuring Dr. Alain Kaloyeros
The Nano Emperor himself on "the emergence of nanotechnology, its growing impact on all facets of society, and the growing global leadership of CNSE and New York State in the science that is 'leading to the next Industrial Revolution.'"

November 21: CNSE Community Lecture Series featuring Dr. Laura Schultz
"Dr. Laura Schultz, CNSE Assistant Professor of Nanoeconomics, along with Dr. David Hochfelder, UAlbany Assistant Professor of History, will discuss the rapid development of the region's nanotechnology economy. Their presentation will also touch on the initiative's role in building on the Capital Region's strong history of innovation leadership, as well as expectations for how nanotechnology will help shape the region's economy over the next decade."

And there are more. Some of the events have pre-registration, so if you're interested in going it's probably worth signing up ahead of time.

Earlier on AOA: Section of Washington Ave Ext to close Nov 5-6 (for Nano Bridge construction)

photo: University at Albany CNSE

Section of Washington Ave Ext to close Nov 5-6

For a bridge?

Update: Albany police say Washington Ave Ext will closed from 10 pm Friday (November 4) to 6 am Monday (November 7).

Washington Ave Extension will be closed from Fuller Road to the Crossgates Mall entrance November 5-6 (a Saturday and Sunday), according to an electronic sign posted along the road (map). The mall entrance off Washington Ave Ext will remain open those days.

We have heard, unofficially, that the road will be closed for the construction of the bridge connecting the new Albany NanoTech building with the existing building to the south of the road. There's already what looks like a support standing in the road's median, and there are pre-assembled structures for what looks like a bridge sitting behind Albany NanoTech. (We have a call in to confirm this. If we hear back, we'll update.)

It looks like the new NanoTech building is coming along quickly. Its structure now stands tall against Washington, and forms a sort of short corridor with the other College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering building. Washington Ave will eventually be moved north of the new building as part of the Washington/Fuller re-alignment, opening more space for Albany NanoTech.

The new building will house facilities that are part of the $4.4 billion chip-manufacturing research project the state recently announced. It will also reportedly provide space for a solar energy research consortium.

Earlier on AOA: What's up at Washington and Fuller?