Governor Pataki announces creation of STAR center at RIT

RIT will be home to one of New York state's STAR (strategically targeted academic research) Centers.

At a May 3 press conference, Gov. George Pataki announced that the IT Collaboratory at RIT will be designated as one of the new centers. Accompanied by Russell Bessette, executive director of the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR), Sen. James Alesi, Assemblymen Joseph Morelle and Joseph Robach, and RIT President Albert Simone, Pataki announced that NYSTAR will fund the center with $14 million.

"We will no longer only think of the Silicon Valley when we think of high technology � we'll think of Rochester, N.Y.," said Pataki.

"We look forward to working with our industry partners, including Global Crossing, Frontier, Corning, Kodak, Xerox and IBM, as well as the many other companies that are such an important part of the IT/telecommunications sector in this community," said Simone. "A number of these companies have already made significant commitments of support for this initiative. The STAR Center at RIT, called the Information Technology (IT) Collaboratory, will be a vital resource to the recently designated Rochester Center of Excellence in Photonics and Microsystems, and will draw on and complement the students, programs and research in the newly established B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences."

Bessette praised RIT for its winning proposal to become a STAR Center. "RIT's proposal had what we were looking for: It cited scientific innovation, collaboration and economic potential."

"This is not only important for RIT, it's also important for economic growth in the community and the region," says First in Class Director Donald Boyd. "Our work will fuel huge business and job opportunities in Western New York. Microsystems technology will lead to many new products ranging from information and telecommunication devices to health and safety applications to consumer electronics."