UAlbany to Host Tokyo Electron R&D Center
Gov. George E. Pataki, Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver were joined November 21 by Tetsuro “Terry” Higashi, president and CEO of Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL), to announce that a $300 million research and development facility will be established at the Albany Center of Excellence -- a step that will create more than 300 high-tech jobs.

The state and TEL have also begun discussions to establish future manufacturing facilities for TEL in New York, a development that holds the potential to generate hundreds of additional jobs. The combined research and manufacturing investment in total has the potential to generate four times the research employment.“TEL is a worldwide leader in the semiconductor industry and we’re proud that they’re making this major new investment and bringing hundreds of high-tech jobs to upstate New York,” Pataki said. “With the Albany Center of Excellence, International SEMATECH North and IBM’s new chip-fab in East Fishkill, we’re creating a powerful semiconductor industry cluster that will transform the upstate economy and help create thousands of new high-tech jobs for New Yorkers. This announcement is another key step in the creation of our Empire State High-Tech Corridor and I want to thank Terry Higashi and TEL for their vote of confidence in New York State.”

Bruno said, “The announcement that TEL is making a major investment here and creating 300 new jobs is an excellent example of how the word is spreading around the country and the world that the Capital Region is the best place to locate a high-tech business. Over the last eight years we have laid the groundwork for high-tech and biotech economic growth and job creation, and we are seeing the results throughout the Capital Region and across the state. I congratulate the governor for his leadership and look forward to future announcements about more businesses and more jobs.”

Silver said, “Today’s announcement is exceedingly gratifying because it was the Assembly Majority - led by our local delegation members Ron Canestrari, Jack McEneny and Paul Tonko - that laid the foundation for it with our commitment four years ago to fund the National Focus Center for Interconnects here in the Capital Region. Since then, our continued investments in other outstanding initiatives at SUNY Albany have set the stage for this new TEL facility to add its luster to the bright high-tech future of New York State.”

Higashi said, “TEL is thankful to the commitments provided by the governor and is very pleased for the opportunity to participate in Albany NanoTech’s 300mm research facility at UAlbany. As a global leader in the semiconductor equipment industry, we constantly strive to find new and innovative ways to advance the science of semiconductor fabrication.”

Higashi continued, “By participating in this center, we will significantly enhance our internal development efforts, ultimately allowing us to shorten the time required to bring critical technology from the research lab to the production floor. This partnership with New York State exemplifies our commitment to providing our customers with production-worthy, enabling technology according to the requirements and timing of their roadmaps.”

The agreement between New York and TEL includes approximately $300 million in state and industry support over the next seven years. The $100 million state investment will be primarily for capital construction, equipment and specialized tools for research. The facility will be used by TEL to perform advanced tool design and prototyping for future generations of computer chips.

The TEL Albany R&D Facility, to open in the spring of 2003, will complement and expand current TEL global research and development activities, as well as manufacturing capabilities in Austin, Texas; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Boston, Mass. It will also supplement TEL’s participation in leading industry consortia, such as International SEMATECH.

TEL, established in 1963, is the world’s second largest manufacturer of semiconductor manufacturing tools, with annual worldwide revenues in excess of $5.8 billion in 2001 and more than 10,500 employees. TEL is headquartered in Tokyo and has 80 offices in 16 countries that engineer, manufacture, sell and service wafer processing equipment. To support this diverse product base, TEL has strategically located research and development, manufacturing, sales and service locations all over the world. TEL is a publicly held company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings said, “From our revitalized downtown and new Hudson River Way, to attracting International SEMATECH, to today’s announcement that TEL is bringing hundreds of high-tech jobs to New York, the City of Albany is experiencing one of the brightest, most exciting periods in its long history. I thank Governor Pataki, Senator Bruno and Speaker Silver for their leadership in attracting this major new investment and we welcome TEL and its employees to New York’s great Capital City.”

Charles A. Gargano, chairman of Empire State Development, said, “Thanks to Governor Pataki’s leadership, New York State is now at the forefront of cutting-edge, high-tech job creation and economic development. We welcome TEL to the Capital District and to the Empire State.”

State University of New York Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas F. Egan said, “This major announcement of new high-tech jobs is possible because of Governor Pataki’s visionary and unprecedented $1 billion high-tech and biotechnology plan to build university-based Centers of Excellence, which opened the door to New York becoming a worldwide leader in university-based research, job creation and economic development. The governor is to be commended for his unparalleled leadership and unwavering support for public higher education and the SUNY system.”

University at Albany President Karen R. Hitchcock said, “We are delighted with the governor’s announcement that Tokyo Electron Limited is coming to the University at Albany. We are extremely grateful to the state and our private sector partners like TEL and International SEMATECH for their unprecedented investment in our high-technology programs. These investments would not have been possible without the proactive leadership that Governor Pataki, Majority Leader Bruno and Speaker Silver continue to provide in support of universities and high-tech industry in New York.”

Alain Kaloyeros, executive director of Albany NanoTech of the University at Albany said, “Clearly, the state-of-the-art resources of the governor’s Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics are helping to launch a new era for New York and UAlbany, and we welcome this major new investment from our friends at TEL. This announcement is a glowing testimony to the vision and leadership of Governor Pataki and his successful strategy in turning New York into an international high-technology magnet.”

Russell W. Bessette, M.D., executive director of NYSTAR, said, “It was Governor Pataki’s vision and determination that led to the creation of the Albany Center of Excellence. Following on the heels of the recent International SEMATECH announcement, TEL’s decision to make this major investment at the Albany Center of Excellence is a clear indication that New York has secured its place as an international leader in high technology.”

The state has already committed $300 million toward micro- and nanoelectronics for the University at Albany’s CESTM building (Center for Environmental Sciences and Technology Management). This includes the $50 million previously announced for the Albany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics for 300 millimeter research in the 2002-03 state budget and $160 million for International SEMATECH North over five years.

It also includes $5 million annually to the National Interconnect Focus Center in Interconnect Technologies, jointly operated by UAlbany and RPI along with Stanford, MIT and Georgia Tech, and sponsored by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the top semiconductor industry equipment suppliers. Total state support for the Focus Center will reach $35 million by 2005.

The governor also recently announced the creation of a new technology park at the 300-acre W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus adjacent to the University at Albany. It is anticipated that spin-off companies and existing companies that will locate near the International SEMATECH North research center will be able to use this valuable resource for economic development purposes.

The November 21 announcement is a direct result of the governor’s efforts in the establishment of “Centers of Excellence” throughout the state, including the Albany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics. Centers of Excellence are unique collaborations among industry, universities and the state to take ideas generated in academic labs and rapidly prototype new products and commercialize them. Centers of Excellence include critical workforce development programs, so companies have access to the skilled workers that can produce the new products in New York.

Other Centers of Excellence have been announced in Buffalo in Bioinformatics, in greater Rochester in Photonics, in Syracuse in Environmental Systems and on Long Island in Information Technology. Already, more than $750 million in private sector and federal investments have been pledged for Centers statewide, including the private sector funding announced November 21.

Editor’s note: The information above is from a press release from the governor’s office.

Eric Block Receives SUNY’s Highest Honor
By Lisa James Goldsberry
The State University Board of Trustees has appointed Professor of Chemistry Eric Block a Distinguished Professor -- the highest rank that can be achieved by a SUNY educator.

Block, a chemist actively involved in research on the organic chemistry of the elements sulfur and selenium, is particularly well known for his work on Allium chemistry, e.g., study of the chemistry of garlic, onions, and related economically important plants of the genus Allium. He has spent more than 25 years exploring the chemical basis of a vast, worldwide tradition of folk medicine based on garlic and onions.

Today’s epidemiological and medical studies suggest that individuals regularly consuming garlic and other Alliums show a lower incidence of stomach and prostate cancer, have longer blood clotting times and show lower lipid levels (which indirectly translates into reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease).

“Professor Eric Block is one of the world’s leading scholars in organosulfur and organoselenium chemistry. His studies of Allium are recognized as among the most fundamental to date. His scholarship includes three books, four U.S. or world patents and 194 articles in refereed journals,” said UAlbany President Karen R. Hitchcock. “Additionally, he is an excellent teacher and mentor, and has made strong and lasting service contributions at all levels of the academy. Simply put, Professor Block has all the requisite qualities we look for in that unique cadre of faculty who are elevated to the State University of New York’s most senior academic rank.”

Block served as co-chair of an international meeting of scientists recently convened by the NIH in Washington, D.C., to discuss the cardiovascular effects of botanicals and is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at an international symposium on genus Allium plants to be held in Beijing next April. Block, a former Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of several national and international awards in chemistry, is an editorial board member for several chemistry journals.

Block joined the UAlbany faculty in 1981, serving as chair of Chemistry from 1985-1991. Prior to coming to Albany, he was a professor at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. He earned his B.S. from Queens College of CUNY and both his master’s and Ph.D. from Harvard University as a student of 1990 Nobel Laureate E.J. Corey.

Events and Happenings
Commencement on December 8, 2002
Photos by Jeff Guntert

William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Fund
In December 2001, the William Randolph Hearst Foundation awarded a $500,000 grant to establish the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Fund for Master’s Degree Social Workers in Aging at the University’s School of Social Welfare. Elizabeth Strabo and Toni Marion, both master’s-level students, received the first stipends awarded in the fall of 2002. They were chosen for their commitment to improving the lives of the elderly and for their academic excellence. The endowment enables students to provide social work services for older adults and gain leadership skills that will foster innovative practice. It also enhances the school’s ability to form partnerships with government, corporations, and human services organizations in order to work together in addressing the needs of the aging and their caregivers. These funds give the School of Social Welfare the opportunity to provide students with an unsurpassed educational experience. The school appreciates the generous award and is most grateful to the foundation for its support of this important community initiative.

From the left, George Hearst, Toni Marion, Elizabeth Strabo, and Dean Katharine Briar-Lawson.
Photo by Mark Schmidt

Barnes & Noble Scholarship Winners
Administrators from Barnes & Noble College Bookstores were honored this fall for their generosity and partnership with the University at Albany. Through the annual book scholarship endowment program, which Barnes & Noble established in 1998, the University offers whole or partial book scholarships to undergraduate students. This year, 21 students were selected through the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Office of Financial Aid, and University Athletics. Jen Cho, regional manager for Barnes & Noble College Bookstores (back row, second from left), who played an instrumental role in establishing these book scholarships, is invited to campus each year to meet the recipients. The event also offers the recipients the opportunity to thank Cho in person for his support and that of Barnes & Noble.

Pictured from the left, (front row): Timothy O’Riley, Joshua Merlis, Christos Shiamptanis, Nicole Savvides, Ryan MacLean, and Lori Smith. Back: Brian Barnes, Jen Cho, Carol VanDenBurgh of the UAlbany Barnes & Noble Bookstore, Jamie McNamara, Matthew Hesse, Toni Zlomek of the bookstore, Bill Motel of the bookstore, and Julia Filippone, executive director of University Auxiliary Services. Photo by Mark Schmidt

McGovern on Women and AIDs
Theresa McGovern, J.D., assistant professor of clinical health at the Mailman School at Columbia University, spoke at a lecture November 14 at the Rockefeller Institute to raise money for the Joan E. Schulz Endowment Fund. A 1983 summa cum laude graduate of UAlbany, McGovern discussed how her education in women’s studies and literature helped shape her career as an activist attorney and educator. Photo by Suzanne Kawola