Edward Reinfurt, executive director of the New York State Foundation for Science,
Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), will deliver the keynote address for the fifth
annual Fellows and Mentors Meeting of the Central New York-Puerto Rico Alliance
for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (CNY-PR AGEP). The conference,
sponsored by the Syracuse University Graduate School's Center for Graduate
Preparation and Achievement, will be held Aug. 14-16 at the Brookhaven National
Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, N.Y., and is themed "Innovation and Technology:
Stimulating an Entrepreneurial Environment to Accelerate Technical Discoveries."
"This conference represents an opportunity to encourage young people of diverse
backgrounds to pursue an exciting career in science and technology," Reinfurt says.
"Diversity is an asset that we as a nation need to nurture to support the next
generation of global leaders."
The CNY-PR AGEP was formed in 2002 when four educational institutions-
Syracuse University, Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez-stepped up to meet the challenge of
transforming institutional barriers for students from underrepresented populations to
pursue and complete doctoral studies in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM).
The CNY-PR AGEP is supported by the National Science Foundation and is under
the direction of principal investigator Gina Lee-Glauser, associate vice president for
research at SU and director of the Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering
(CASE). The CASE Center is a New York State Center of Advanced Technology
supported by NYSTAR, whose broad mission is to make New York a national leader
in high-technology academic research and economic development.
"Our industrial members are very supportive of the CNY-PR AGEP activities," says
Lee-Glauser. "They are very interested in having their workforce reflect the nation's
cultural and ethnic diversity, and CASE wholeheartedly supports all activities that
can increase underrepresented minority graduate student populations, including
women, in STEM disciplines."
The mission of the CASE Center is to be a key contributor to the state's high-
technology economy by providing access to the resources of Syracuse University
and collaborating with state businesses and economic development organizations.
CASE operates a high-technology incubator, manages joint university-industry
applied research projects, and provides workforce development educational
opportunities within a broad information technology focus area.
"BNL is delighted to serve as a host institution for this conference," says BNL
Director Sam Aronson. "Scientists from across the globe perform their research at
BNL. We welcome the opportunity to have a diverse group of talented young people
visit the lab to learn and share with the scientific community their knowledge about
science and technology."
This conference-additionally sponsored by the Office of Educational Programs at
BNL under the direction of Noel Blackburn, educational programs administrator-
has also been extended to other students and faculty from the two AGEP programs in
New York: the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of
New York (CUNY) systems.
"The inclusion of students and faculty from the SUNY and CUNY AGEP programs
clearly demonstrates the exemplary commitment of the CNY-PR AGEP to the
development of truly innovative collaborative models for broadening participation of
underrepresented minorities in science and engineering," says Roosevelt Johnson,
NSF AGEP program director.
The conference features a series of lectures and panel discussions by distinguished
faculty and executives who will provide advice and strategies to help members of the
young professoriate prepare for and excel at every stage of their professional careers.
Participants will also tour the Brookhaven labs and have many opportunities to
interact with STEM faculty members and mentors.
Established in 1947, BNL is a multi-program national laboratory operated by
Brookhaven Science Associates for the U.S. Department of Energy. Six Nobel Prizes
have been awarded for discoveries made at the Long Island lab. Brookhaven has a
staff of some 2,800 scientists, engineers, technicians and support staff and more than
5,000 guest researchers annually.
For more information on the conference, contact Sharon Russo at the CASE Center,
at (315) 443-1064, or slrusso@syr.edu.
