President Jackson Joins Government and Research Leaders To Announce New River Research Center

“The Upper Hudson Research Center represents an important collaboration that will improve the health and maintenance of vital waterways and resources, such as our historic Hudson, around the world,” said President Shirley Ann Jackson. “The center will combine the technology platforms and scientific expertise of Rensselaer and the Beacon Institute with the dedication of our leadership in government to make Troy a global hub for water-based environmental research.”

The facility will be located on the Hudson River waterfront at the mouth of the Poesten Kill and the site of the former Rensselaer Iron Works in South Troy. Expected to be completed in 2010, the facility will include state-of-the-art laboratories, a five-acre campus, and public docks and pathways, bringing scientists, students of all ages, and the public together to understand and appreciate the river.

“We have the support of the local community as well as the global research community to develop a state-of-the-art research facility that will break new ground in our understanding and conservation of vital rivers, estuaries, and watersheds, will help to educate our next generation of environmentally responsible scientists and engineers, and will continue to bring economic and cultural revitalization to the Hudson waterfront,” President Jackson said.

The Upper Hudson Research Center expands on previous collaborations between Rensselaer, the Beacon Institute, the city, and the state. In August 2007, Arthur Sanderson, Rensselaer professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering and senior science adviser for the Beacon Institute, joined researchers from Rensselaer, IBM, and the Beacon Institute to literally “wire” the Hudson River. The researchers developed and implemented a first-of-its-kind monitoring network in the river that continuously evaluates the real-time environmental health of the river, helping to predict and stop environmental impacts and learn, as we could never before, what the life of a massive river system looks like in real time. Called the River and Estuary Observatory Network (REON), the research partnership now includes an integrated network of sensor, robotics, and computational technology along a 315-mile stretch of the river and has made headlines around the country.

The new research center will continue to expand upon this and other research, by fostering these types of collaborations with industry, academia, and government to solve some of the greatest challenges facing the Hudson River and waterways around the globe. It will also be a hub for local university, high school, and elementary school students to gain insight into careers in science, engineering, and environmental conservation.

“The center will take advantage of Rensselaer’s global reputation for excellence in science, technology, and interdisciplinary studies, as well as our major research platforms, including the largest university-based supercomputing center in the world, the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations, and one of the most advanced biotechnology research facilities in the world, the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies,” President Jackson said. “It will build on the research and development efforts of the Beacon Institute and bolster the continued economic and cultural revitalization of Troy’s waterfront.”