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U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce Patrick Gallagher To Kick Off Inaugural Rensselaer CATS/CEG Advanced Manufacturing Conference
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Center for
Economic Growth Partner To Drive Manufacturing Innovation in
New York State
Patrick D. Gallagher
U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and
Technology and Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology
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Patrick
D. Gallagher, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for
Standards and Technology and Director of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, will provide the keynote address
for the inaugural Advanced Manufacturing Conference.
The conference, a partnership between the Center for Automation
Technologies and Systems (CATS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
and the Center for Economic Growth
(CEG), will be held April 16-17 at the Hilton Garden Inn in
Troy, N.Y.
The first annual Advanced Manufacturing Conference, themed
“Think Smart, Make Value,” will bring together leaders
from industry, government, and academia to address challenges
facing regional manufacturers. It will provide small, medium,
and large manufacturers a strategic look at emerging ways to
leverage the power of automation technologies and business best
practices, and to take advantage of available state and
regional resources to better compete and succeed in the global
marketplace.
“The core expertise of the CATS is in innovative automation
systems. A key part of our mission is to leverage this
expertise to boost the regional and national economy by
reinvigorating manufacturing across New York and the United
States,” said CATS Director John Wen, a
faculty member in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and
Systems Engineering at Rensselaer. “Our new Advanced
Manufacturing Conference, in partnership with CEG, will
showcase successful collaborative projects, discuss current
trends and opportunities, and present ways that CATS, CEG, and
New York state can help manufacturers elevate their business to
the next level.”
“As Tech Valley’s New York State Regional Technology
Development Center (RTDC) and NIST MEP (Manufacturing Extension
Partnership) center, the Center for Economic Growth is pleased
to continue to leverage our very strong relationship with the
Center for Automation Technologies and Systems at Rensselaer
through co-sponsorship of our ‘Think Smart, Make Value’
Advanced Manufacturing Conference in April,” said Jeffrey
Lawrence, executive vice president of technology at CEG.
“Advanced manufacturing that leverages the superb workforce,
leading-edge research, and innovative programs available across
the region is essential to high-quality job creation,
investment, and sustainable growth in Tech Valley for future
generations.”
The CATS/CEG Advanced Manufacturing Conference builds upon
the past success of the CATS annual showcases. The new
conference will feature workshops and discussions on
leading-edge and emerging manufacturing topics including: smart
manufacturing, additive manufacturing, advanced composites,
biomimicry, and others. The conference will also feature
business-focused sessions and training on key manufacturing
business topics including: Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma,
Supply Chain Development, SME Funding Opportunities, and
Innovation Engineering.
Also planned for the conference are a CEO roundtable,
numerous networking opportunities, a Solutions Fair led by New
York State’s Empire State Development’s Division of Science,
Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), a panel discussion titled
“Industry Needs for Manufacturing Education,” guided tours of
Rensselaer laboratories and facilities, and a poster session
featuring a broad array of projects and areas of research and
offering an opportunity for one-on-one interaction with student
and faculty researchers.
Full Showcase agenda and event registration details are
available at: http://www.cats.rpi.edu
Patrick D. Gallagher
Dr. Patrick Gallagher was confirmed as the 14th
Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Nov. 5, 2009.
He also serves as Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and
Technology, a new position created in the America COMPETES
Reauthorization Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on Jan.
4, 2011.
Gallagher provides high-level oversight and direction for
NIST. The agency promotes U.S. innovation and industrial
competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards,
and technology. NIST’s FY 2012 resources total $750.8 million
from the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act
of 2012 (P.L. 112-55), with an estimated additional annual
income of $62.7 million in service fees, and $128.9 million
from other agencies. The agency employs about 2,900 scientists,
engineers, technicians, support staff, and administrative
personnel at two main locations in Gaithersburg, Md., and
Boulder, Colo.
Gallagher had served as Deputy Director since 2008. Prior to
that, he served for four years as Director of the NIST Center
for Neutron Research (NCNR), a national user facility for
neutron scattering on the NIST Gaithersburg, Md., campus. The
NCNR provides a broad range of neutron diffraction and
spectroscopy capability with thermal and cold neutron beams and
is presently the nation's most used facility of this type.
Gallagher received his Ph.D. in physics at the University of
Pittsburgh in 1991. His research interests include neutron and
X-ray instrumentation and studies of soft condensed matter
systems such as liquids, polymers, and gels. In 2000, Gallagher
was a NIST agency representative at the National Science and
Technology Council (NSTC). He has been active in the area of
U.S. policy for scientific user facilities and was chair of the
Interagency Working Group on neutron and light source
facilities under the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Currently, he serves as co-chair of the Standards Subcommittee
under the White House National Science and Technology
Council.
About Rensselaer CATS
The Rensselaer Center for Automation Technologies and
Systems (CATS) is supported by New York State through Empire State Development’s
Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR). The
CATS is one of 15 NYSTAR-designated Centers for Advanced
Technology with a mandate to advance economic development in
New York state through the transfer of high-technology academic
research from the state’s leading research universities to its
companies.
Rensselaer CATS focuses its research activities on all
aspects of automation and control in manufacturing and
operations. The center partners with companies, both large and
small, to develop systems-level solutions for high-impact,
industrially driven projects following a proven
university-industry collaboration model that delivers
technology-based solutions to real-world challenges with
tangible impact. Over the past six years, Rensselaer CATS has
helped its New York state partner companies realize nearly $305
million in non-job economic impact, and helped create or retain
over 787 jobs.
About the Center for Economic Growth
The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) is one of 10
Regional Technology Development Centers (RTDCs) in New York
state. It fosters economic growth throughout the 11-county
Capital Region, as well as a significant portion of the Tech
Valley corridor. As an independent, not-for-profit organization
CEG works with a diverse group of members and partners to
advance the ability of the region and its assets to succeed in
the global marketplace. In addition to NYSTAR funding, CEG is
supported by its dedicated members, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST) / Manufacturing Extension
Partnership (MEP), and National Grid.
For more information on the CATS at Rensselaer, visit:
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Published
March 11,
2013 |
Contact: Michael Mullaney
Phone: (518) 276-6161
E-mail: mullam@rpi.edu |
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