Technology

Tech industry calls STEM jobs report flawed

Ryan Delaney — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:34:00 +0000

A recent report claiming there are enough qualified Americans to work in the tech industry without expanding current work visa programs, has drawn criticism.

New water treatment technology holds many possibilities

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 21:21:05 +0000

A new water treatment technology has applications ranging from purification in African and Indian coastal slums, to decontamination of water produced in gas and oil wells.

Advanced video processing could help law enforcement

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:31:59 +0000

Investigators in Boston this week quickly began sifting through more than two thousand videos and still images of the marathon route looking for potential suspects in bombing, with crowd sourcing becoming the newest tool in the arsenal of law enforcement agencies.

Home monitoring device aims to prevent property damage

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 16:09:07 +0000

An upstate New York company has created a small plug-in device that could help home-owners avoid costly problems. The MarCELL monitoring device works on a cellular connection and can alert homeowners to problems like a power failure or a broken pipe.

New window coating allows sunlight but filters heat

Ashley Hassett — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:41:17 +0000

It’s a creation expected to reduce the cost of heating and cooling for homes and businesses. It took five years for University at Buffalo Professor Sarbajit Banerjee and his students to invent a window film that repels heat from the sun.

Hanna optimistic upstate New York will land drone test site

Ryan Delaney — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:39:35 +0000

Upstate New York has a good chance of becoming one of six federally designated drone testing sites to be named later this year, says Rep. Richard Hanna.

Israeli companies will use UAlbany's nanotech school

Ryan Delaney — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:12:07 +0000

The state of Israel will spend up to $300 million a year in a new partnership with the University at Albany for Israeli companies to use the school's nanotechnology facilities.

3D printing replaces 75 percent of man's skull

Kate O'Connell — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 10:48:00 +0000

3D printing technology has been working its way into a multitude of sectors - from manufacturing, to printable electronic circuits.

Domestic drone industry may bring $443 million to New York

Ryan Delaney — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:04:35 +0000

New York state is poised to become one of the nation's leading economic beneficiaries of a burgeoning domestic drone industry, according to a new report from an industry trade group.

RIT students invent new luggage tracking device

Kate O'Connell — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:59:19 +0000

A team of Rochester Institute of Technology students has created a system that allows travelers to get real-time updates on the location of their luggage by way of an embedded device in their suitcase.

$25 million goes to expand broadband access in New York

Matt Richmond — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:01:07 +0000

The state's Connect NY Broadband Grant program awarded $25 million to 18 projects on Tuesday.

Researchers conduct first major earthquake simulation in New York state

Ashley Hassett — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:52:35 +0000

Researchers from the University at Buffalo conducted the state's first large-scale earthquake simulation on Tuesday to determine how prone unreinforced masonry walls are to quake damage.

Rochester remains strong center for patents; Albany rising

Ryan Delaney — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:20:00 +0000

Patent activity - an indicator of economic ingenuity - has been on a steady rise for the past three decades, a report by the Brookings Institution has found, but innovation is shifting to high-tech sectors and the highly educated.

Watson the supercomputer heads to RPI

Marie Cusick — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:43:05 +0000

Nearly two years after an IBM supercomputer named Watson stole the spotlight on Jeopardy! by beating two human champions, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy will become the first university in the world to receive its own version of Watson, to help further computer science research.

We now go live on scene to... our drone?

Ryan Delaney — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:03:11 +0000

Dan Pacheco is able to steer a small drone above a group of students with just a WiFi connection and his iPad. What the drone sees is projected onto a big screen in front of them.

Buffalo foundation says solar is no-brainer for rebuilding Haiti

Kate O'Connell — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:59:25 +0000

This weekend marked the third anniversary of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the nation of Haiti. Three years on and the recovery process still has a long way to go, but one organization in western New York has been helping to bring renewable energy to Haitians still living without power.

New technologies can help seniors "age in place"

Catherine Loper — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:05:07 +0000

As the number of seniors citizens in America grows each year, the issue of how to make life easier for older people is growing in importance as well. One researcher, Joe Coughlin, has made it his passion to use technology to help people live longer and live better. WRVO's Catherine Loper spoke with Coughlin, who has roots in upstate New York, when he was in Syracuse this fall.

Smart phones of the future may be able to identify human emotions

Kate O'Connell — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:18:47 +0000

Remember the mood ring? Well the smart phone of the future may be able to identify your mood based on the sound of your voice.

Nearing fiscal cliff, wind industry waits

Sarah Harris — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:50:41 +0000

For wind energy producers, the looming expiration date for the production tax credits, or PTCs, is getting even closer.

Locally developed GE prototype goes to Smithsonian

Randy Wenner — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 14:28:24 +0000

In the 1950s there were no MP3 players. In fact, there was no way to slip your favorite music into your pocket. But that all changed, thanks to a scientific breakthrough that revolutionized development at one of central New York's largest manufacturers. And the result of that development will now be forever remembered at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

RIT invests in technology improvements for the disabled

Kate O'Connell — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:06:51 +0000

Fifteen teams of students from the Rochester Institute of Technology, led by faculty, will develop technologies for assisting people with disabilities in the region.

Seeking more women for computer sciences

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:08:52 +0000

The number of women graduating from computer science degrees has more than halved since the 1980s. One computer scientists recently spoke to students at the Rochester Institute of Technology and told them that women have to be included in the field to boost the economy, and to encourage equality.

Optics & photonics Industry growing in upstate NY

Kate O'Connell — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 10:57:00 +0000

The industry around the scientific fields of optics and photonics has a strong presence in upstate New York. Monroe County alone is home to around 50 companies working in the field that is behind things like lasers, smart phones, and the Internet.

Roadkill + technology = new app to track wildlife

Sarah Harris — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 14:42:09 +0000

We’ve all seen or experienced it – unfortunate wildlife dashes in front of a car at just the wrong time - and its remains splatter across the road. But Danielle Garneau, a wildlife ecologist at SUNY Plattsburgh, says the roadkill we’re likely to see on roads can teach us a lot. She’s using a new smartphone app for citizen scientists.

Expiring tax credits for renewables blow an ill wind

Sarah Harris — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Over the last decade, new wind farms have changed America’s landscapes – and its power sources. The growth has been spurred by a production tax credit wind companies get in exchange for producing energy. But the credit is due to expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t renew it.

IBM grant recognizes Clarkson smart grid researcher

Joanna Richards — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced New York would invest $250 million to develop smart grid technologies to modernize the state's energy grid. At Clarkson University, the highly regarded science and engineering school in St. Lawrence County, a professor working on smart energy grid systems was just awarded a grant by IBM. The $10,000 prize will help him continue his research, and develop coursework for students to train the next generation to use this hot technology.

Law school program helps bring research to the market, for free

Ryan Delaney — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Law students have often been used to help solve so-called "cold-cases," but criminal law isn’t the only place their skills are being put to use. Syracuse University law school professor Ted Hagelin's class focuses on the cutting edge of technology.

Biotech company will bring $72 million expansion to the Capital Region

Marie Cusick — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 21:33:20 +0000

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a Tarrytown-based biotech company, has announced a $72 million expansion in the Capital Region, which is expected to add 300 new jobs.

HackerFest highlights new cybersecurity technologies

Kate O'Connell — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:39:59 +0000

Cybersecurity and technology companies have converged on upstate New York for the HackerFest technology trade show this week. And new technologies are emerging to step up security and pre-empt the strategies of cyber criminals.

Kodak app aims to attract new users to old technology

Kate O'Connell — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:54:03 +0000

Kodak has launched a free iPhone app to help photography enthusiasts in the U.S and Europe work with their film stock.