NYSTAR Executive Director Edward Reinfurt to Keynote Annual CNY-PR AGEP Meeting

August 8, 2008

On August 14-16, the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory is hosting a conference for educators and graduate students, with a special focus on encouraging young people of diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in science and technology.

The following press release, issued today by NYSTAR, the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation, describes the conference, titled "Innovation and Technology: Stimulating an Entrepreneurial Environment to Accelerate Technical Discoveries."

Edward Reinfurt, Executive Director of the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR)

Edward Reinfurt, executive director of the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), will deliver the keynote address for the fifth annual Fellows and Mentors Meeting of the Central New York-Puerto Rico Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (CNY-PR AGEP). The conference, sponsored by the Graduate School’s Center for Graduate Preparation and Achievement at Syracuse University, will be held Aug. 14-16 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y. and is themed "Innovation and Technology: Stimulating an Entrepreneurial Environment to Accelerate Technical Discoveries."

Reinfurt, executive director of NYSTAR, said: “This conference represents an opportunity to encourage young people of diverse backgrounds to pursue an exciting career in science and technology. Diversity is an asset that we as a nation need to nurture to support the next generation of global leaders.”

The CNY-PR AGEP was formed in 2002 when four educational institutions—Syracuse University, Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez—stepped up to meet the challenge of transforming institutional barriers for underrepresented minority students to pursue and complete doctoral studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The CNY-PR AGEP is supported by the National Science Foundation and is under the direction of principal investigator Gina Lee-Glauser, associate vice president for research at SU and director at the Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering (CASE). The CASE Center is a New York State Center of Advanced Technology supported by NYSTAR, whose broad mission is to make New York State a national leader in high-technology academic research and economic development.

“Our industrial members are very supportive of the CNY-PR AGEP activities," said Lee-Glauser. "They are very interested in having their workforce reflect the nation’s cultural and ethnic diversity, and CASE wholeheartedly supports all activities, which can increase underrepresented minority graduate student population that include women in STEM disciplines.”

The mission of the CASE Center is to be a key contributor to the state's high-technology economy by providing access to the resources of Syracuse University and collaborating with state businesses and economic development organizations. CASE operates a high-technology incubator, manages joint university-industry applied research projects and provides workforce development educational opportunities within a broad information technology focus area.

Dr. Sam Aronson, director of Brookhaven National Lab (BNL), says: "BNL is delighted to serve as a host institution for this conference. Scientists from across the globe perform their research at BNL. We welcome the opportunity to have a diverse group of talented young people visit the Lab to learn and share with the scientific community their knowledge about science and technology.”

This conference—additionally sponsored by the Office of Educational Programs at BNL under the direction of Noel Blackburn, educational programs administrator—has also been extended to other students and faculty from the two AGEP programs in New York: the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY) systems.

Dr. Roosevelt Johnson, NSF AGEP program director, commented: “The inclusion of students and faculty from the SUNY and CUNY AGEP programs clearly demonstrates the exemplary commitment of the CNY-PR AGEP to the development of truly innovative collaborative models for broadening participation of underrepresented minorities in science and engineering.”

The conference features a series of lectures and panel discussions by distinguished faculty and executives who will provide advice and strategies to help members of the young professoriate prepare for and excel at every stage of their professional careers. Participants will also tour the Brookhaven labs and have many opportunities to interact with STEM faculty members and mentors.

Established in 1947, BNL is a multi-program national laboratory operated by Brookhaven Science Associates for the U.S. Department of Energy. Six Nobel Prizes have been awarded for discoveries made at the Long Island lab. Brookhaven has a staff of approximately 2,800 scientists, engineers, technicians and support staff and over 5,000 guest researchers annually.

For more information on the conference, contact Sharon Russo at the CASE Center, at 315-443-1064, or slrusso@syr.edu.

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