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SRC wins $60 million U.S. Air Force contract for cyber, electronic-warfare technologies R&D
CICERO — SRC, Inc. announced on June 10 that it has been awarded a $60 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Sensors Directorate, Spectrum Warfare Systems Engineering Branch. Under the pact, Cicero–based SRC will explore new and emerging concepts related to the development, integration, assessment, evaluation and demonstration of cybersecurity, open-system architecture, […]
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CICERO — SRC, Inc. announced on June 10 that it has been awarded a $60 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Sensors Directorate, Spectrum Warfare Systems Engineering Branch.
Under the pact, Cicero–based SRC will explore new and emerging concepts related to the development, integration, assessment, evaluation and demonstration of cybersecurity, open-system architecture, novel avionics, and sensor technologies, as well as multi-domain electronic-warfare technologies.
SRC will provide Next Generation Electronic Warfare Environment Generator equipment and engineering staff to perform testing of Air Force and Space Force technologies. The contract is estimated to run through April 2031.
“We are proud to support AFRL with cutting-edge research and development,” Kevin Hair, president and CEO of SRC, said in a statement. “Our products and services will help advance technology for the warfighter, aiding the successful completion of the mission.”
SRC is a not-for-profit research and development company that says it combines information, science, technology, and ingenuity to solve problems in the areas of defense, environment, and intelligence. It employs more than 1,400 people.
Former board chair of NY CREATES returns to the position
ALBANY — The New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) recently announced the return of Douglas A. Grose as the nonprofit organization’s appointed board chair. Grose brings extensive experience and leadership to this post, having previously served as NY CREATES’ president and board chairman until 2021. Grose’s return to
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ALBANY — The New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) recently announced the return of Douglas A. Grose as the nonprofit organization’s appointed board chair.
Grose brings extensive experience and leadership to this post, having previously served as NY CREATES’ president and board chairman until 2021. Grose’s return to NY CREATES follows his support of the American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition (ASIC) during the last two years.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Grose back to NY CREATES as our returning Board Chair,” Dave Anderson, president of NY CREATES, said in a statement. “His extensive industry expertise and proven leadership will be instrumental in further guiding our organization as we engage in our next phase of growth and establish North America’s only non-profit-led, public-private High NA EUV Lithography Center where sub-2 nanometer computer chip components will be produced. This will enable NY CREATES to continue to innovate, train the 21st century workforce, and create rewarding high-tech careers.”
Grose’s career in the semiconductor industry included more than 20 years at IBM before he became the senior VP of technology development, manufacturing, and supply chain at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), later helping to direct the formation of GlobalFoundries, where he served from 2009-2011 as CEO.
NY CREATES says it serves as a lab-to-fab bridge for advanced electronics, fostering public-private and industry-academic partnerships for technology development and innovation. It operates the Albany NanoTech Complex.
RENSSELAER — The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), a nonprofit corporation that operates the state’s bulk electricity grid, recently released Power Trends 2024, an annual publication that discusses the key issues and challenges shaping the grid of the future. Including new data and metrics, the report also summarizes work by the NYISO to maintain
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RENSSELAER — The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), a nonprofit corporation that operates the state’s bulk electricity grid, recently released Power Trends 2024, an annual publication that discusses the key issues and challenges shaping the grid of the future.
Including new data and metrics, the report also summarizes work by the NYISO to maintain reliability and advance competitive electric markets through the grid in transition.
NYISO highlighted the following key messages in Power Trends 2024:
• Public policies are driving rapid change in the electric system in the state, affecting how electricity is produced, transmitted, and consumed.
• Electrification programs and economic-development initiatives are driving projected demand higher. Generator deactivations are outpacing new supply additions. Specifically, “traditional fossil-fueled generation is retiring faster than renewable and other clean energy resources are entering service,” NYISO wrote in its report. Together, these forces are narrowing electric-grid reliability margins across New York.
• The potential for delays in construction of new supply and transmission, higher than forecasted demand, and extreme weather are threatening reliability of the grid.
• The statewide grid is projected to become a winter-peaking system in the 2030s, mostly driven by electrification of space heating and transportation. The switch to a winter peak brings new reliability concerns related to fuel security that the NYISO says it is working to address through changes to planning and market rules.
• NYISO’s interconnection processes is evolving to balance developer flexibility with the need to manage the process to more stringent timeframes. It says efforts are underway to make this process more efficient while protecting grid reliability.
• New emission-free resources are needed to meet the goals of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Those resources are not yet available on a commercial scale, NYISO contends.
• NYISO’s wholesale electricity markets are an important tool to attract necessary investments to facilitate the transition of the grid in the coming decades.
You can read the full Power Trends 2024 report at: https://www.nyiso.com/documents/20142/2223020/2024-Power-Trends.pdf/31ec9a11-21f2-0b47-677d-f4a498a32978?t=1717677687961
Syracuse apartment rent prices for one-bedroom units jump in May
SYRACUSE — The median rental price for most apartments in the Syracuse metro area soared almost 29 percent in May from a year earlier and increased more than 6 percent from the prior month. The year-over-year rise in rent in Syracuse was the highest among all 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., according to
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SYRACUSE — The median rental price for most apartments in the Syracuse metro area soared almost 29 percent in May from a year earlier and increased more than 6 percent from the prior month.
The year-over-year rise in rent in Syracuse was the highest among all 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., according to the latest Zumper National Rent Report, issued on May 29
The median rental price of one-bedroom apartments in the Syracuse region was $1,170 in May, up 6.4 percent from $1,100 in April, but was up 28.6 percent from the $910 median rent seen in May 2023, according to Zumper, an apartment rental-listings website.
The median rental rate for two-bedroom units in the Syracuse area was $1,450 this May, up 5.8 percent from $1,370 in April, but up 25 percent from $1,160 in the year-prior month.
“Syracuse has recently seen historic population growth, the city houses a large national university, and many homes are owned, rather than for rentals, so the demand and competition in this market have swelled considerably,” Zumper said in its May National Rent Report.
Syracuse now ranks as 70th most expensive rental market (or 31st least expensive) among the top 100 metro areas by population, according to the report.
The Zumper National Rent Report analyzes rental data from more than 1 million active listings across the U.S. The company aggregates the data monthly to calculate median asking rents for the 100 largest regions.
Meyda Lighting designs its future
YORKVILLE — Fifty years after its start by Meyer and Ida Cohen, Meyda Lighting is still going strong with the third generation hard at work at the business. The business got its start in 1974 when Ida asked her husband Meyer to build a stained-glass lamp for their kitchen window to block out the neighbor’s
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YORKVILLE — Fifty years after its start by Meyer and Ida Cohen, Meyda Lighting is still going strong with the third generation hard at work at the business.
The business got its start in 1974 when Ida asked her husband Meyer to build a stained-glass lamp for their kitchen window to block out the neighbor’s cars. After that, they joined forces — and their first names — to create Meyda, which became known for its stained-glass lighting.
Over the years, the business has moved locations after starting in the Cohen home. It operated from a one-car garage in Utica, from a three-story building on Bleecker Street, and eventually settled in its location on Oriskany Boulevard in Yorkville in 1994.
Meyda also acquired a number of competitors and suppliers over the years including Quality Bent Glass, which was known for supplying fixtures and components to the original Lous C. Tiffany studios, and 2nd Ave Lighting, known for custom and customizable chandeliers, pendants, lanterns, streetlamps, and other fixtures.
During the 1980s, Tiffany style lamps soared in popularity, keeping Meyda busy. Cohen’s son Robert took the helm at the company, which had made a name for itself as “The Home of the $40 Tiffany Lamp” for the 12-inch stained-glass lamps it sold.
Today, Cohen’s three sons, Chester, Max, and Ben, all work at Meyda with him and are actively charting the company’s future growth.
“We’ve had a huge transition over the past 20 years,” Max Cohen tells CNYBJ in an interview. While the early years focused on consumer lighting products like the Tiffany-style lamps, the business today is growing quickly in the custom-lighting industry, especially for large-scale projects.
“We’ve really focused on decorative,” he says. “It seems like we’re building a lot of large-scale fixtures” for clients that include casinos, ballrooms, theaters, and other hospitality venues while also still serving high-end residential projects.
Locally, Meyda creations can be seen at The Tailor & The Cook restaurant and the Stanley Theatre in Utica. Meyda lighting will also be featured at the dining and banquet facility at Valley View Golf Course in Utica that is currently undergoing renovations.
The business attracts customers looking for something unique, Cohen says, and Meyda’s designers turn their often “wild” concepts into custom light fixtures.
“We certainly chase the work that’s the most challenging to produce,” Cohen notes with pride, contending that Meyda’s engineering staff is second to none.
These days the high-volume fixtures are imported from overseas, leaving Meyda’s staff of about 50 employees free to focus on the custom pieces.
Today the company operates from a 180,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 55 Oriskany Boulevard. While it isn’t going to happen right away, Cohen noted the property has room for another 80,000-square-foot expansion there when needed.
Meyda has invested in both purchasing and designing state-of-the-art machinery over the years, Cohen says. The invention of some of its own tools, including a laser tube cutter for three-dimensional cuts, has increased both the quality of products and production time, he adds.
“The factory is becoming much more efficient,” he says.
Looking ahead, Cohen expects the custom side of the business to continue to grow. “I think we’re going to see more custom lighting,” he says. “We are seeing a little bit of uptick in our Tiffany business as well.”
“Upstate New York seems to be having a little bit of a growth spell right now,” he says, and Meyda wants to be part of that.
CBRE highlights trends in Syracuse real-estate market
SYRACUSE — The normalization of hybrid work and a “flight to quality” by commercial-office tenants are two major issues currently affecting the office leasing environment, according to findings presented at CBRE Upstate NY’s Syracuse Market Outlook Midyear Review. The commercial real-estate firm held a review session to go over the findings on June 6 at
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SYRACUSE — The normalization of hybrid work and a “flight to quality” by commercial-office tenants are two major issues currently affecting the office leasing environment, according to findings presented at CBRE Upstate NY’s Syracuse Market Outlook Midyear Review.
The commercial real-estate firm held a review session to go over the findings on June 6 at SKY Armory in Syracuse.
According to figures highlighted at the event, the vacancy rate for office space in the Syracuse metro market was 12.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023, which was lower than the U.S. national average of 18.6 percent. The market’s asking lease rate for that period was $16.51 per square foot.
Presenters at the CBRE Upstate NY event — which featured Spencer Levy, a global client strategist and senior economic advisor with CBRE, as well as local representatives from CBRE Upstate NY’s Syracuse office — identified some trends currently impacting the commercial real-estate market, both nationally and in Central New York. These trends include:
• The normalization of hybrid work arrangements has limited office demand. This post-pandemic work environment has led to “right-sizing” into smaller spaces. According to the firm’s most recent market report, “More than half of the respondents to CBRE’s 2023 U.S. Office Occupier Sentiment Survey said they plan to further reduce their office space in 2024.”
• Office tenants are engaged in a “flight to quality,” which refers to a migration to newer Class A spaces with the best amenities located in desirable “micro-districts” as they downsize to smaller office footprints. Syracuse’s Franklin Square was cited as an example of a city district benefiting from this trend, with the neighborhood’s office vacancy rate remaining at 2-3 percent, even as the rate for the overall metro area stands at 12.8 percent.
• The current office-leasing environment is challenging for both landlords and tenants. While increased vacancy rates have placed downward pressure on lease rates, increased operating costs and construction costs, and pressure on capital reserves has created “a mismatch between expected and actual lease rates.”
• Older office spaces and those lacking in desired amenities are increasingly being converted to other uses such as multifamily residential. Conversion of underperforming units is expected to accelerate if inflation eases and interest rates drop.
• The government, higher education, and health-care sectors will continue to drive demand for space in Central New York, per CBRE. The report cited a lack of available space on the Syracuse University campus at area hospital systems, which has benefitted adjacent properties.
CBRE forecasts that the national office vacancy rate will peak at 19.8 percent by the end of 2024 due to an economic slowdown in the first half of the year combined with the ongoing hybrid-work trend and new construction entering the market.
Indium Corporation announces 13 summer interns in a program that has launched many careers
CLINTON — Indium Corporation recently welcomed 13 new interns to its summer internship program. The initiative serves as a launch pad for college students, providing a real-world business environment for participants along with feeding the company’s future employment pipeline. Each intern is immersed in work experience through assignments, working on projects and programs that align
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CLINTON — Indium Corporation recently welcomed 13 new interns to its summer internship program.
The initiative serves as a launch pad for college students, providing a real-world business environment for participants along with feeding the company’s future employment pipeline. Each intern is immersed in work experience through assignments, working on projects and programs that align with company goals and business initiatives.
At the conclusion of the internship, the participants will have gained valuable insights into the technology industry, a network of professional contacts, and the opportunity to build their résumés and portfolios.
“Since the inception of our internship program in 2012, Indium Corporation has been proud to help talented young professionals launch their careers,” Nate Discavage, the company’s talent-acquisition supervisor, said in a news release. “We’ve witnessed our interns reach impressive milestones over the past decade, with many joining our company in a full-time capacity. We’re excited to see their potential unfold with the support of our incredible team.”
This year’s interns are: Keya Sharma, metal preform analysis intern; Veronica Nosov, thermal interface testing intern; Brian Marsh, soldering application intern; Rebecca Carpenter, robotics intern; Ryan Davis, technical support engineering intern; Wan-Chen (Carol) Yen, ergonomics engineering intern; Phuc (Claire) Doan, marketing communications intern; Jinanshi Mehta, business data analytics intern; Emin Skiljan, environmental health and safety engineering intern; Savia Boyer, chemical safety intern; Gavin Murphy, quality engineering intern; Arunachalam (Arun) Senthilkumar, manufacturing quality engineering intern; and Thuy Vuong, technical sales intern.
Indium Corporation is a materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal-management markets. Along with its U.S. operations, the company has facilities in China, Germany, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
EDR ranked on top 500 design firm list
SYRACUSE — EDR, a design, engineering, and environmental-services firm, was named to the Engineering News-Record “Top 500 Design Firms” list for 2024. Companies are ranked according to revenue for design services performed in 2023, according to Engineering News-Record, a publication focused on engineering and construction news and information. EDR officials extended gratitude to the firm’s
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SYRACUSE — EDR, a design, engineering, and environmental-services firm, was named to the Engineering News-Record “Top 500 Design Firms” list for 2024.
Companies are ranked according to revenue for design services performed in 2023, according to Engineering News-Record, a publication focused on engineering and construction news and information.
EDR officials extended gratitude to the firm’s clients, partners, and employees for their role in the achievement.
“It’s an honor to be again recognized as a top design firm by Engineering News-Record,” Mike Tamblin, principal at EDR, said in a press release announcing the news. “This achievement is a testament to the hard work, talent, and dedication of our team members, who continuously strive for excellence in everything they do.”
Founded in 1979, Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services, D.P.C., which goes by EDR, specializes in public and energy infrastructure projects.
The firm, headquartered in Syracuse, has additional locations in Rochester, Albany, Saratoga Springs, and White Plains as well as Hershey, Pennsylvania; Columbus, Ohio; Hyannis, Massachusetts; and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
N.Y. manufacturing index improves in June, but still shows contraction
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 10 points to -6.0 in June, an improvement but still indicative of contraction in manufacturing activity in New York state. The general business-conditions index is the monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector. Based on firms responding to the survey, the June reading indicates manufacturing business
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The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 10 points to -6.0 in June, an improvement but still indicative of contraction in manufacturing activity in New York state.
The general business-conditions index is the monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector. Based on firms responding to the survey, the June reading indicates manufacturing business activity “declined modestly” in the state, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its June 17 report.
A negative reading on the index shows a decline in the sector, while a positive number points to expansion or growth in manufacturing activity.
The survey found “new orders held steady, while shipments inched higher,” the New York Fed said. It also found optimism on the six-month outlook “picked up to its highest level in more than two years.”
The new-orders index climbed 16 points to -1.0, suggesting orders were “flat,” while the shipments index moved up to 3.3, pointing to a “small increase” in shipments, the New York Fed said.
Unfilled orders held steady. The inventories index came in at 1.0, indicating that inventories were level.
The delivery-times index remained below zero at -4.1, suggesting that delivery times shortened, while the supply availability index was -1.0, indicating supply availability was little changed.
The index for number of employees came in at -8.7 and the average-workweek index fell to -9.9, pointing to an “ongoing decline” in employment levels and hours worked.
The prices-paid index retreated 4 points to 24.5, and the prices-received index declined 7 points to 7.1, its lowest level in about a year, indicating that price increases continued to moderate.
Firms were more optimistic about the outlook than they have been in more than two years, the New York Fed said.
The index for future business conditions climbed 16 points to 30.1, with close to half of respondents expecting conditions to be better in six months. However, the outlook for employment growth “remained weak,” and capital spending plans “still appeared sluggish.”
The New York Fed distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses.
SUNY Poly awards seed grants to 11 faculty-led projects
MARCY — Eleven faculty-led projects at SUNY Polytechnic Institute received a total of $440,675 in round one, seed-grant funds, the university announced. SUNY Poly’s associate provost for research office received the applications from faculty, which were reviewed by peers who determined which projects would be supported. The money comes from SUNY Poly’s $2.7 million share
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MARCY — Eleven faculty-led projects at SUNY Polytechnic Institute received a total of $440,675 in round one, seed-grant funds, the university announced.
SUNY Poly’s associate provost for research office received the applications from faculty, which were reviewed by peers who determined which projects would be supported. The money comes from SUNY Poly’s $2.7 million share of nearly $10 million in annual state funding to 14 SUNY campuses to expand research capacity, according to a SUNY Poly news release.
A total of 34 applications were received for the competitive first round. The 11 projects awarded funding are described in the release as follows:
• SUNY Poly President Winston Soboyejo, $52,000 for research with Theresa Ezenwafor and Lauren Endres on treatments for triple-negative breast cancer.
• Kazuko Behrens, $52,000 for a collaboration with Rebecca Weldon and Dan Jones that explores neurological and behavioral factors that correlate with the levels of sensitivity mothers exhibit while interacting with their children.
• Byeongdon Oh and Linda Weber, $52,000 for a collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley to develop an evidence-based prototype and policies to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM programs on college campuses.
• Patricia Roach, $52,000 to collaborate with Jerome Niyirora to use predictive analytics and machine-learning models to understand the interplay between adverse childhood experiences, war trauma, resilience, and physical/mental health outcomes in refugee populations.
• Jiayue Shen, $52,000 for a project in collaboration with Tabiri Kwayie, Desmond Klenam, Kwadwo Mensah-Darkwa, Henry Agbe, Sarah Osafo, Precious Osayamen Etinosa, Theresa Ezenwafor, and Winston Soboyejo to develop novel titanium alloys that could lead to advancements in biomedical implants.
• Arjun Singh and Priyangshu Sen, $52,000 for a project that aims to utilize machine learning and artificial intelligence applications and algorithms to solve problems related to terahertz (THz) hardware, propagation, and reliability issues.
• Mahmoud Badr, $32,000 for a project with Hisham Kholidy to enhance security and privacy in smart power grids by developing a framework for detecting electricity theft.
• Robert Edgell, $32,000 for a project with Bill Durgin and Juan Felipe Henao to develop The Sustainable Aerospace Energy Center, which will develop a decision-making framework to guide the aerospace industry toward more sustainable practices.
• Aarthi Sekaran, $32,000 for a collaboration with Ahmed Abdelaal to complete a detailed analysis of the upper trachea with a goal to develop a framework for enhanced design of mechanical ventilation assemblies.
• Adam McLain, $27,675 to lead a team to Nosy Hara, an island near Madagascar, to collect genetic data from a population of dwarf lemurs to better understand the level of genetic diversity in a small and isolated primate population and inform future conservation strategy.
• Rebecca Weldon, $5,000 to support an exercise that students in her research methods of psychology class will complete to evaluate information they are exposed to online with the goal of evaluating how effective the exercise is in reducing their susceptibility to misinformation.
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