On January 15, the first and only patented indoor air quality product in America dedicated to improving the health of building occupants by using fresh, outside air was launched. Designed and manufactured by SyracuseCoE Silver Partner Air Innovations, the HEPAiRx® ventilating room air purifier quickly and effectively dilutes, filters and reduces the indoor pollutants that are often cited as causes of asthma, respiratory irritations and allergic reactions. This launch illustrates the impact of SyracuseCoE's "Innovation Ecosystem," as this project was supported through the research, demonstration, and commercialization phases by SyracuseCoE and its partners. For the full story, click here.

 
 

The SyracuseCoE Center for Sustainable Community Solutions (CSCS) has received an award through the Environmental Investment Program at Empire State Development to develop a program dedicated to promoting, supporting and addressing barriers to the growth of construction and demolition (C&D) recycling in NY. The program will be committed to diverting 7,672 tons of C&D materials from disposal to recycling and generate more than $650,000 of associated avoided disposal costs. The program will subcontract with WasteCap Resource Solutions (of Wisconsin) to help train contractors and haulers in C&D materials management over the two year period and to equip the program with the capability to continue to offer this training in the long-term. For the full story, click here.


 

Philip K. Hopke, of SyracuseCoE Platinum Partner Clarkson University, has been appointed to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Monitoring and Methods Subcommittee (AMMS) of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). The AMMS will provide independent peer review and advice to the EPA concerning technical issues related to ambient air monitoring methods for air pollutants as regulated under the Clean Air Act. CASAC was established under the Clean Air Act as an independent scientific advisory committee and provides advice, information and recommendations on the scientific and technical aspects of air quality criteria and National Ambient Air Quality Standards. For the full story, click here.

 
 

On January 4, NY Governor Andrew Cuomo nominated ESF alumnus Joseph Martens to be the next commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Martens has been working with various environmental agencies and non-profits since graduating SUNY-ESF's master's program in 1981, including deputy secretary to Governor Mario Cuomo for energy and the environment. Before officially taking office, Marten's appointment must be confirmed by the state Senate. For the full story, click here.

 
 

SeachDataCenter.com has awarded Tate's SmartAire variable-air-volume (VAV) damper the 2010 Product of the Year gold award. The gold award, the highest award available, was given to the SmartAire within the infrastructure systems category based on judgments of a products innovation, performance, ease of integration with the environment, ease of use and manageability, functionality and value. By eliminating over cooling racks with variable utilization rates, the SmartAire poses to save data center managers more than 40 percent in fan energy. Other data center products judged were enterprise systems management software and server hardware. For the full story, click here.     
 

SyracuseCoE Platinum Partner Herman Miller ended the year on a high note with their 2010 "Better World Report." The report focuses on the yearly performance against a comprehensive range of corporate social responsibility goals. This years report indicated various achievements within Diversity, Community Services and Environmental Advocacy. For more, click here.

 

Siemens Energy has received an order for the supply of a SPPA-T3000 instrumentation & controls (I&C) system and two steam turbine-generators for the Ivanpah solar
thermal power plant located in the Mojave desert in California. The purchaser is BrightSource Energy Inc., a developer of utility-scale solar thermal power plants headquartered in Oakland, California. Siemens will supply the SPPA-T3000 for all three units of the Ivanpah project with a combined installed capacity of approximately 400 megawatts (MW). This is the first deployment of the innovative I&C system in a solar tower power plant of this size. For the full article, click here.  
 

The Tech Garden was visited by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on January 10, where many local leaders joined the Senator for her visit and tour, including CenterState CEO President Rob Simpson and City of Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner. The days discussions primarily focused on Gillibrand's call for expanding the federal Research and Development Tax Credit. The R&D Tax Credit benefits companies specializing in technological research within the US. The Senator also is proposing to extend the credit permanently, as she had when she ran to serve the last two years of former Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's term, last fall. The R&D Tax Credit benefits companies specializing in technological research within the US. For the full story, click here.