Quick Shot
University of Rochester Awarded Regional Innovation Grant for STELLAR Engine Project
May 15, 2023
The National Science Foundation awarded the University of Rochester (UR) a $1 million Regional Innovation Engine Development Award. This planning project will bring together a team of university, business, and community partners to lay the groundwork for establishing an innovation and economic hub built around the Science, Technology, and Engineering of Lasers and Laser Applications Research (STELLAR). The NSF STELLAR Engine project will create and grow an ecosystem to advance laser innovation and promote greater equity in the resulting innovation economy in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region. The two-year grant will support UR and its partners to prepare an implementation proposal that could bring additional funding to the region as a seed for economic growth and American competitiveness in this important technology area. Prof. Thomas Brown, Director of the Institute of Optics, leads the project with Prof. Jonathan Zuegel, Laser and Materials Technology Division Director at LLE and Professor of Optics, Prof. Alexis Vogt at Monroe Community College, Prof. Susan Houde-Walter at Rochester Institute of Technology, and Sujatha Ramanujan, Managing Director of NextCorps Luminate.
You can read a news article on the University of Rochester’s website and a press release from Senators Schumer, Gillibrand, and Morelle to gain a better understanding of this exciting project. Click on the links below to access these resources: