GE Aerospace Foundation Launches Next Engineers with UAlbany, miSci and NY Creates

A man in a black suit, purple tie and glasses speaks at a podium on a stage in front of a screen that reads "Next Engineers"
On Oct. 7, 2025, GE Aerospace Foundation, UAlbany, NY Creates and miSci launched Next Engineers New York Capital Region. UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez, above, discusses the program to inspire a new generation of engineers. (Photos by Zach Durocher)

NISKAYUNA, N.Y. (Oct. 7, 2025) — The GE Aerospace Foundation announced Tuesday a partnership with the University at Albany, Schenectady’s Museum of Innovation & Science (miSci) and NY Creates to launch the Next Engineers program in New York’s Capital Region. As a key location in the continued expansion of Next Engineers, New York will play a vital role in inspiring and preparing the next generation of engineering leaders.

“We are proud to inspire and train the next generation of engineering professionals in the New York Capital Region, where GE Aerospace’s roots stretch back for over a century,” said Germaine Hunter, vice president of workplace and employee experience at GE Aerospace. “Nearly 1,000 employees help advance the future of flight at the GE Aerospace Research Center where ideas become reality, making it a fitting location as we continue growing our Next Engineers program — a key part of our philanthropic commitment to empowering and supporting the communities we serve.”

A man in a suit stands at a podium in front of a blue screen that reads "Next Engineers"
Joe Vinciquerra, general manager and senior executive director of research at GE Aerospace, speaks at GE Aerospace Research in Niskayuna, N.Y. for the launch of the Next Engineers program.

Next Engineers equips students ages 13 to 18 with hands-on learning experiences, career exposure and college preparation to encourage them to pursue engineering careers. With more than 26,000 students reached globally to date, the program aims to grow the pipeline of young talent entering the engineering field.

Programming in New York will include Engineering Discovery for early secondary school students and Engineering Academy for older students preparing for higher education. Students in the Academy will engage in immersive design challenges, career coaching and college-readiness workshops. Eligible participants who complete the Academy and pursue engineering degrees will also have access to scholarships. Programming begins in early 2026, with the goal of reaching 4,000 students in the Capital Region over four years.

The partnership will be led at UAlbany by the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE), which has for decades been a critical research, education and workforce development partner to the high-tech companies that helped make Albany a global hub for semiconductor and microelectronics R&D, materials science discoveries and biotech innovation.

“For nearly two centuries, the University at Albany has been a powerhouse of academic excellence, groundbreaking research and purposeful action,” said Havidán Rodríguez, president of UAlbany. “We are thrilled to partner with GE Aerospace to spark interest in STEM, and to help educate the next generation of engineers to tackle society’s toughest challenges, answer its most pressing questions and drive solutions to its most complex problems.”

“We’re incredibly proud to join with the University at Albany and the Museum of Innovation and Science in Schenectady, and NY Creates, the non-profit owner and operator of the Albany NanoTech Complex, to launch Next Engineers right here in New York’s Capital Region, where America’s first industrial research lab was established,” said Joe Vinciquerra, general manager and senior executive director of the GE Aerospace Research Center. “We know firsthand the impact thousands of engineers can have in changing people’s lives for the better and through Next Engineers, we will help cultivate talent to address the world’s biggest technological challenges.”

“NY Creates is excited to support this positive initiative enabling experiential learning for students in the Capital Region to expand the critical innovation-centered pipeline which underpins the growth of high-tech companies across New York State and beyond,” said Robert Geer, vice president for workforce development and education at NY Creates. “We are thrilled to partner with GE Aerospace, the University at Albany and MiSci to deliver programming that will lead to tangible results for countless students, unlocking lifelong career opportunities as we leverage our workforce development network with our partners to inspire the next generation of talent.”

“Schenectady’s Museum of Innovation & Science has been sparking curiosity and igniting innovation in local students for decades,” said Chris Hunter, president of miSci. “As a center for learning, imagination and creativity, miSci is excited to inspire the next generation of students through the Next Engineers program.”

“As an engineer, I know how life-changing it can be when young people see what’s possible,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “Programs like Next Engineers spark that curiosity — turning ideas into career paths and classrooms into launchpads for the future. It’s exciting to see this happening right here in Schenectady, a city built on innovation, where the next generation of engineers will write the next chapter of that story.”

Three men in suits are seated at a table in front of microphones. One of them is speaking and gesturing.
From left to right: New York Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, GE Aerospace Vice President of Human Resources Germaine Hunter, and UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez answer questions about the anticipated impact of the Next Engineers program in the Capital Region.

Next Engineers will help lay important groundwork for aspiring engineers before they dive into their majors in college, increasing their likelihood of success and helping alleviate the critical shortages of STEM professionals nationwide and in New York.

“In order to develop students who are most likely to succeed in engineering, we need to get them excited before high school and then maintain that level of enthusiasm,” said CNSE Dean Michele J. Grimm. “GE’s Next Engineers project does just that — making engineering fun, which in turn provides students with that extra incentive to keep going when the material that they are learning gets a bit tough. UAlbany and CNSE are proud to be partnering with GE to offer these programs in the Capital Region — and we are excited to see where these young scholars will choose to go next as they pursue their STEM dreams.”

Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and 75th anniversary at its Niskayuna research facility, the GE Aerospace Research Center carries forward a proud legacy of innovation that has helped to shape society. From Thomas Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb and pioneering advancements in medical imaging and power generation to advanced aircraft propulsion technologies, its scientists and engineers are the driving force behind technologies that change the world.

New York’s Capital Region is the latest location to join the Next Engineers initiative, following recent expansions to Bengaluru, India, and Warsaw, Poland. The original Next Engineers programs are in Cincinnati, Ohio; Greenville, South Carolina; Staffordshire, UK, and Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2024, the GE Aerospace Foundation committed $20 million through 2030 to expand Next Engineers and will add a final city in 2026.

Students, families and schools interested in learning more can visit: https://www.nextengineers.org/locations/newyork.