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Tech Valley News
River Research Center a First in U.S.
A $15 million river research center – a two-building complex with 11,000 square feet of research and education space – will be developed along the Hudson River in Troy at the site of the old Rensselaer Iron Works. The five-acre campus of The Upper Hudson Research Center will also include an amphitheater, public docks, a biking and hiking trail, sculpture garden and picnic area.
“It will be a destination point for tourists, for students, for anyone who wants to study this river,” said State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said. “It will be an economic boon for the area.”
The state is contributing $10 million to the project that will be a global model for river conservation.
“This project represents technological innovation at its best for the tremendous benefit of education, science and the public, as well as environmental protection and conservation,” Bruno said. “Last week, we talked about investing in nanotech, this week it is ‘Rivertech,’ and it will contribute greatly to Tech Valley’s growing worldwide reputation as a center for new technology.”
It is expected to open in October 2010. Within three to four years of opening, at least 100 researchers, engineers and others will be working at the facility.
“This will make New York state a leader in the 21st century environmental age," said John Cronin, director and CEO of The Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries. “This convergence of corporate and governmental partners and brilliant intellectual and technological capacity makes Tech Valley the perfect hub for in-depth study of the Upper Hudson.”
The Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries is providing $5 million to the project that aims to preserve the Hudson River ecosystem and make the river more accessible to the public.
IBM, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Tech Valley High School are also partners on the project, which will be a model of river monitoring and preservation for sites around the world.
Tech Valley High School students are already working with the Beacon Institute in a curriculum to produce real-time sensors for the river that will collect data on currents, fish species and pollution.
“It is important that the next generation of leadership already understands the river,” said Gov. David Patterson.
"It is not just about monitoring the river, but in then being able to model it, so you know what you should do in response," said RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson. "We will help educate our next generation of environmentally responsible scientists and engineers."
In August 2007, The Beacon Institute and IBM announced a plan to create the first technology-based monitoring and forecasting network for a major American river and estuary.
To monitor the river, the IBM Stream Computing system can capture data from a multitude of sensors that measure temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and pollution loading.
The River and Estuary Observatory Network will provide minute-to-minute monitoring of New York’s Hudson River via an integrated network of sensors, robotics and computational technology distributed throughout the 315-mile river. The research center in Troy will serve as a northern anchor for the REON initiative.
The system can also map fish populations via acoustical data and track particular fish species through radio “tagging.” Once completed, the institute and IBM anticipate the replication of the network on other river systems.
“Research institutions are blossoming throughout Tech Valley because the area offers a hard-working, well-educated work force and an exceptional quality of life,” Paterson said.
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