President's Report Masthead
June 30, 2012
University celebrates two lab openings

Photo by Jonathan Cohen
U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey, center, speaks to a student researcher at the opening of the CASP Laboratory.

University celebrates two lab openings

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, who helped secure $8.5 million in federal funding for Binghamton’s Center for Autonomous Solar Power (CASP), were among the speakers at the May 3 opening of two laboratories.

The ceremony celebrated the opening of the CASP Laboratory and the co-location of the Integrated Electronics Engineering Center’s (IEEC) Reliability and Failure Analysis Laboratory. Both laboratories are housed in the Biotechnology Building at the Innovative Technologies Complex.

Schumer noted the economic potential of the new laboratories. “When we look to the future, we look to Binghamton University,” he said. “When we are looking for jobs in the Southern Tier, we often look to Binghamton University. Too often, New York institutions did research that did not create jobs. We are now focused on things that create jobs — and CASP is on top of the list.”

CASP is a national leader in the research and development of thin film solar cells. Its new laboratory will focus on using inexpensive, non-toxic and abundant materials to develop new solar cell and energy storage technologies. The IEEC conducts research in electronics packaging and provides the results to affiliated companies. The newly relocated Reliability and Failure Analysis Laboratory provides expertise in electronics packaging.

An integral part of the New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging (S3IP), the labs will bring together government, academia and industry partners to collaborate in areas such as electronics, healthcare and energy — all of which have national and global impact.

Hinchey said the CASP marks a step forward for renewable energy. “The research that will be done within these walls has the potential to reshape our energy future,” he said. “It is so important that our government makes substantial investment in laboratories like this.”

The ceremony also featured remarks from University President Harvey Stenger, Interim Vice President for Research Bahgat Sammakia and state Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo.

Read more about the lab openings here