New York's Senator
CHARLES E. SCHUMER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 12, 2001

SCHUMER SECURES $4 MILLION FOR OPTICS RESEARCH CENTER IN ROCHESTER

Funding is first federal contribution to high-tech Center of Excellence in Rochester

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee has approved $4 million for the proposed National Center of Excellence in Infotonics in Rochester to conduct research into optical technology. This funding, which Schumer personally requested, is the first federal contribution to the Center of Excellence since the project was announced earlier this year and will be used to further develop projects such as miniature cameras, faster computer chips, and wafer-thin video displays.

"Last year I said that I would be making a full court press to draw the hundreds of millions of dollars the federal government will spend on this new field of optics research into Rochester," said Schumer. "Well, today we are seeing the tip of that iceberg, and there should be plenty more to come."

The Center of Excellence is a collaborative effort with industry, academia, and government that is intended to create a high-tech hub in Western New York, increasing jobs and investment in the region and throughout the state. Schumer worked with businesses and state government agencies last year to draw up a 5-year, $300 million plan for the Center in order to take advantage of the region's u nrivaled expertise in optical data transmission, switching, data storage, and imaging. Kodak, Corning and Xerox have pledged $75 million for the Center, which will be matched by the state and help researchers leverage up to $150 million in federal funding.

Schumer said that federal research opportunities at the Center of Excellence will give students at Rochester universities the chance to work on cutting edge technology research while simultaneously giving companies like Kodak, Xerox and Corning the chance to be full partners in the broad-based opto-electronics research that is too generalized and expensive for them to conduct alone.

"The Center of Excellence will make Rochester the world leader in these optic technologies," said Schumer. "It will help bring high-tech jobs to Western New York while creating a facility for advancing important research."

Opto-electronic technologies have numerous practical applications, including:

1. Optical switches, smaller and cheaper than those used currently, will make the Internet much more powerful.
2. Intelligent printers and document systems will be able to sense and adapt to individual customer needs, leading to unprecedented productivity gains in offices and businesses.
3. New display devices thin enough to display an image virtually anywhere .
   
4. Micro-fluid systems that dispense drugs directly in the body will bring personalized treatment of diabetes, cancer and other diseases .

The Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which contains the $4 million, will now go to the full Appropriations Committee for approval before a final vote by the Senate. Once the Senate approves the bill, a conference committee will reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions before sending it to the President. Schumer said the $4 million for the Center will most likely be included in the final version of the bill.

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