The College on Friday is to receive support from IBM aimed
at helping undergraduate students gain access to
cutting-edge technology.
The support – available for a wide array of academic disciplines – is to be announced Friday at IBM @Union Day by President
Roger Hull, who called the support “a sign of recognition for Union's
unique liberal arts and engineering tradition reflecting an
interdisciplinary approach to education.”
Hull said the IBM educational support package is unique for
two reasons. “While many such programs are aimed at
graduate students, this one is aimed at our undergraduate community.
It builds on our groundbreaking Converging Technologies
program, and makes it possible for a larger number of undergraduates to
gain classroom and laboratory experiences that expose them
to, and teache them about, the impact of technology across
multiple disciplines.”
Intersection of Disciplines
“Knowledge is increasingly occurring at the intersection
of disciplines,” Hull said. “Whether you are an undergraduate
student in biology, chemistry, engineering, economics, physics, philosophy
or psychology, you need to understand both the
interrelationship between disciplines and the importance of technology
in furthering knowledge.”
Dr. John E. Kelly III, senior vice president and group executive
of IBM Technology Group, said the support is part of IBM's
ongoing desire to enhance a strong technical presence at select leading
colleges and universities. “This is an investment in the future of the College, the Capital District
and New York State,” he said.
Kelly said the partnership with Union will further promote
the sharing of technical knowledge and the formation of joint
programs between RPI in Troy and the University at Albany.
Smaller and Faster
Nanotechnology – technology at the molecular level- is
a fast-growing field focused on creating chips, and systems that
go with them that are much smaller and faster. IBM is a leader in
this field, having, for instance, built the world's first array of transistors
out of carbon nanotubes – miniscule cylinders as small as 10
atoms across, 500 times smaller than today's silicon-based transistors
The supercomputer at University at Albany is an IBM
RS/6000, a system extensively used by university researchers as
they confront the daunting science and technology challenges
associated with the development of new generations of computer chips.
The targeted portfolio of computer devices ranges from the
more “traditional” microprocessor and memory type computer chips
to the emerging areas of biochips, micro- and nano-systems
and ultra-high frequency communication devices and
associated equipment.
IBM has deep roots in NYS. It is headquartered in Armonk, NY,
in lower Westchester County with several factories in the state
(East Fishkill, Endicott, Poughkeepsie). The company also has a large
sales office in Albany. Last year, revenue from sales and services
totaled approximately $85 billion worldwide. The Technology
Group, which Kelly oversees, represents about $10 billion of this total
and includes the microelectronics and storage technology divisions.
Union's Converging Technologies curriculum integrates topics
in bioengineering, nanotechnology, mechatronics and
pervasive computing into the undergraduate engineering and liberal
arts programs. Various engineering and liberal arts courses from
the freshman through the senior years touch on elements of these
new emerging technologies, providing enhanced exposure to the
digital computer, industrial internships, and internationalism
throughout Union's curricula.