Clarkson cuts 'ribbon' on new green tech center

POTSDAM — A year ago, Clarkson University broke ground on its Technology Advancement Center with the help of a student-made robot. On Thursday, the college celebrated the building's completion by cutting an organic "ribbon" made of ferns and gold flowers.

That's only fitting for a facility meant to bring together information and technology — under a "green" roof, college President Anthony G. Collins said.

"There are two ways by which this is a facility that symbolizes Clarkson. First, it's green. We hope to be certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold," he said. "And it's a showroom for our technology. Most institutions prove something in a lab and put it on a shelf. Clarkson is about taking one more step."

The 16,000-square-foot Technology Advancement Center connects Clarkson's library with its largest academic building. In between, the two-story complex will house offices, meeting space and laboratories for renewable energy and clean manufacturing research.

As the mid-afternoon light streamed in, highlighting the golden leaves all over campus, Suryadevara V. Babu, director of Clarkson's Center for Advanced Materials Processing, pronounced the building "beautiful."

Deputy Mayor Ruth F. Garner put it more simply Thursday, as she whispered excitedly, "Yay, Clarkson!"

"This is an exciting day for Clarkson. This is an exciting day for this region. It is an exciting day for New York state," said Edward Reinfurt, executive director of the state Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation. "When you see students, you see the future. In this facility, the state is invested in part of our future."

Students displayed posters and demonstrations of their research as alumni, faculty and trustees toured the building after the ceremony.

The building will be powered, heated and cooled by an energy-efficient natural gas microturbine, and will feature a gray-water sanitation system, which uses clean rainwater collected from the roof in the addition's toilets.

The south-facing center also features large windows with screens that allow the sun to warm the building in winter and shade it in summer. Native plants and reused Potsdam sandstone pavers were used, and there will be an energy-efficient hydraulic elevator.

The college also used recycled steel, certified sustainable wood and carpets and paint low in volatile organic compounds for the project.

A $5 million grant from Empire State Development funded the building's construction.

"It's crystal clear to me that this university has leadership that understands the needs of this community," ESD Upstate President Dennis M. Mullen said. "When we can invest in universities like this, and in leadership like that, that's what this state needs to continue to do."

The college also received $250,000 in funding for the project secured by former state Sen. James W. Wright, R-Watertown, in October 2007. State Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome, also backed the funding.