National Instruments donates $400K in equipment, software to SUNY Poly

MARCY, N.Y. — A Texas company is providing the Marcy campus of SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) with $400,000 worth of tools and software.

The donation from Austin, Texas–based National Instruments (NASDAQ: NATI) is “dramatically enhancing electrical and mechanical-lab capabilities,” at the school, SUNY Poly said in a news release.

National Instruments is a producer of automated test equipment and virtual instrumentation software.

The donation will provide students with access to “cutting-edge, industry standard” toolsets and “further their preparedness to join” the engineering workforce, according to SUNY Poly.

National Instruments in 2014 first approached SUNY Poly about a partnership that would allow SUNY Poly engineering students to use the company’s equipment and tools, which “led to the institution’s original acquisition of hardware.” 

The resulting research and workforce training opportunities led to National Instruments’ decision to provide an additional $400,000 worth of tools and software, SUNY Poly said.

“This generous gift from National Instruments significantly enhances SUNY Poly’s electrical and mechanical engineering labs and further expands” its research and educational capabilities,” Robert Geer, senior VP and COO at SUNY Poly, said.

About the equipment
The new equipment and software that National Instruments is providing enables students to conduct virtual testing on equipment and products without the need for manual measurement of things like temperature, stress, strain, and electrical current. 

Virtual-instrumentation software allows students to use their computers to simulate all the instruments they would normally find in an electronics lab, meaning they can bring these virtual tools anywhere to diagnose problems and design solutions. 

It also enables students to collect “significant” amounts of data about a test subject to determine responses to a variety of different conditions.

Most of the equipment and software is “completely new” to SUNY Poly, but some of it will represent an “upgrade” of current equipment, providing students with technology that they can use to monitor, measure, and test projects and research, the school said.

SUNY Poly’s Center for Global Advanced Manufacturing (CGAM), which will be located on the Marcy site, will house the equipment, enabling student and faculty access for research and related projects. 

CGAM “promotes the formation” of industrial and academic partnerships, providing space and equipment for workforce training and research.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com