Binghamton University professor Bahgat Sammakia writes about how the region is once again leading the way in advanced technologies. Amid all the talk of an upstate high-tech renaissance, the past can be prologue here in the Southern Tier. Once driven by institutions like IBM and Singer Link, our region has maintained its spirit of innovation even as the landscape has shifted, thanks in part to the long-standing commitment of the higher education community. The clean energy transition, for example, requires advances in battery technology pioneered by our own Nobel laureate M. Stanley Whittingham. SUNY Broome is a key partner in [...]

Stacey Duncan Special to the USA TODAY Network Walking into Maine-Endwell High School for a recent public hearing on the Broome Technology Park project was a full-circle moment for me. Growing up, my family was supported by the technology-related industries for which Binghamton was known throughout the 20th Century. My father was a mechanical engineer for Singer Link in Kirkwood – a job that, at the time, offered stability and fostered a close-knit, upwardly mobile community. I experienced first-hand the slow demise of Link and IBM and witnessed the negative ripple effect that had on our local economy. Sitting in my old high [...]

Stacey Duncan Special to the USA TODAY Network Recent high-tech growth across upstate has been driven by a variety of factors, including significant R & D investment by the state and the aggressive site preparedness work of counties and regional economic development organizations. But another key factor is often overlooked — the availability of an abundance of power, along with the water and wastewater capacity required by microchip fabs, life science manufacturing, data centers and related supply chain businesses. Like any other resource, energy is finite. If we want to continue our upward trajectory, we must ensure continued access to, and [...]