Five international computer chip companies (including IBM and Intel) are set to invest $4.4 billion in New York State over the next five years, creating 7,000 jobs, according to an announcement by Gov. Andrew Cuomo made on Tuesday, Sept. 27.
Combined with the Capital District’s existing nanotechnology presence and development, GlobalFoundries in Malta and school district efforts to revamp education accordingly, the area’s economic and social landscape is poised to continue its forward-moving direction.
“I think we’re already seeing it and a lot of that is a result on the outgrowth of investment that’s been made over the last 15 years or so,” said Frank Murray, president and CEO of NYSERDA. “Take nanotech that’s been growing by leaps and bounds and marry that with investments in Malta only 30 miles north of here at GlobalFoundries and you add to that the decision by GE to build a battery manufacturing facility 15 miles west of here in Schenectady and you look at Hudson Valley’s investment in Tec-Smart … such a mix of resources in this Capital District, that’s what companies are looking for.”
Murray joined a panel of local figures, including Ballston Spa Central School District Superintendent Joseph Dragone, to discuss how technology and innovation are impacting the region’s economy and education for a special called “Transforming Tech Valley,” which aired on WMHT on Thursday, Sept. 29, and is part of the Innovation Trails series.
“It’s valuable obviously just getting the information out there to the public, letting people know what’s happening here in New York State,” said Murray.
Murray said touting the state and region’s successful transformation into a “global hub” for clean and nano technology is critical.
“I think one of the points I made is, we can’t expect California, Texas, New Jersey, to toot New York’s horn; we have to do that ourselves,” said Murray. “Success breeds success and there are a lot of wonderful things going on here.”
The effect of business investments and cutting edge technology on the Capital District’s economy is fairly obvious, said Murray, and is bound to have a positive effect.
What’s perhaps more interesting and imperative to note, he said, is the effect on how school districts approach higher education and prepare students for the changing workplace.
“Companies are looking to invest in an area where they have a talented, trained workforce, have intellectual resources and support from academia and governments that support investment in clean technology,” said Murray. “That’s exactly what you see in New York State and certainly in the Capital District area.”
Ballston Spa Central School District stands out in its efforts to incorporate STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning and offer higher education opportunities to its students that focus on clean energy and technology.
“It’s really understanding the role we play in public education as a regional effort and ultimately a statewide effort regarding economic development and understanding those relationships and partnerships between the business industry, higher ed and K-12,” said Dragone.
Ballston Spa High School is offering a new program called Clean Technologies & Sustainable Industries Early College High School at Hudson Valley’s Tec-Smart campus in Malta. A group of 25 students will gain classroom and hands-on experience in the very technologies that are becoming increasingly available to them as a career choice.
“[The panel] talked about the notion of college and career readiness and the notion of high school students co-enrolling in college and having those kinds of learning experience at that facility … is really helping redefine work that’s occurring in K-12 as we prepare kids for their futures,” said Dragone.
Once the program is stable at Ballston Spa High School, Dragone said the district envisions expanding it to other school districts in the area.
The school district is also expanding STEM opportunities beyond the high school with a new fifth-grade enrichment program in collaboration with Time Warner Cable and the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology that focuses on STEM teaching and learning.
“Our goal is to continue to push the experience down into elementary schools,” said Dragone.
Murray said Ballston Spa’s efforts to get high school students into a college and workforce environment is the right step.
“This is kind of the maiden voyage,” said Murray. “I look forward to the day … it becomes a genuine resource for high schools all across the Capital District where young men and women can take advantage of that research and learn about this technology and generally get excited about the possibilities.”
The emphasis is on STEM for educational transformations, said Murray, but liberal arts students are equally suited for careers in clean and nano technology.
“I talk to managers of these companies and they’ll tell you the skill they crave more than anything else is young men and women who can actually write,” said Murray. “It makes no difference how much you may know about a particular technology; if you can’t find a way to convey that knowledge, you’re limited in the capacity to grow.”
The WMHT program can be viewed online at www.innovationtrail.org/post/innovation-conversation-transforming-tech-valley.
