EVENT: University Showcase Highlights Emerging Technologies

WHAT: The University of Rochester's Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS) will host its 14th Annual University Technology Showcase on the afternoon of April 10. The half-day event will consist of a panel discussion with leaders in industry, government, and academia, focusing on how universities and companies can work together to rebuild manufacturing, followed by a poster session of industry-relevant university research from the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Cornell University, and SUNY Buffalo.

TIME, DATE AND PLACE: 1-5:30 p.m., April 10 at the Theater on the Ridge, Eastman Business Park, 200 Ridge Road West, Rochester.

ADMISSION: Free and open to the public. Please register at the door.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Melissa Higgins (melissa.higgins@rochester.edu, (585) 275-2104), or visit www.ceis.rochester.edu.

PANEL DISCUSSION: The topic for the discussion will be "Industry-University Collaborations and Economic Development: How can universities and companies work together to rebuild manufacturing in the US?" Panelists include Stephen Fantone, Ph.D., president and CEO of Optiks; Julie Gerstenberger, co-founder & CEO of Moondog Labs; Matt Watson, director of Empire State Development; Bill Bond, director of the intellectual property management office at RIT; Scott Catlin, associate vice president of technology at UR Ventures; and Charles Philip, manager of government and university relations at Corning Incorporated. The panel will be moderated by Robert Clark, senior vice president for research and dean of the Hajim School of Engineering.

POSTER SESSION: The poster presentations will cover four broad fields: optics, photonics, and imaging; biomedical technology; mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and materials science; and electrical engineering and computer science. Examples of topics covered include freeform optics manufacturing – a new, growing area of research represented in Rochester by the recent Center for Freeform Optics that integrates mathematics, optics, materials science, precision optical manufacturing and testing – and projects on terahertz technology, which can be applied in diverse ways from the study of cultural heritage objects to explosives.

BACKGROUND: CEIS brings together universities, companies, government agencies, and economic development organizations to promote technology-driven economic development in the Finger Lakes region. CEIS' primary technology focus is on optics, photonics, and imaging in support of the regional cluster of companies in those industries. They also support projects in the biomedical, energy, and electronics areas in response to the ongoing diversification of the Finger Lakes regional area economy.

Headquartered at the University of Rochester, CEIS is funded by the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) through its Center for Advanced Technology program, as well as grants from the US Economic Development Agency and Department of Labor. It draws participation from a number of additional universities, including the Rochester Institute of Technology, Cornell University, the University of Buffalo, and Columbia University, some of which will also participate in the showcase.