music-and-dance-on-connective-corridor-bus

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A different scene Friday evening inside the Connective Corridor bus as a Syracuse University student band, Fréres Jumeaux, accompanied a group of ballerinas on the ride from downtown to the hill as a part of an art installation.

The artist, Kay Lavonier, collaborated with SU and the Tech Garden to bring to life an internet phenomenon involving photos of dancers posing against city scenes. The event is the grand finale of the Connective Corridor’s “In-Motion” series, which aims to bring more art to the public.

“It kind of throws art out into the community and makes that in a more public sphere and it’s very cool that it’s happening on our commencement weekend. We can really show what the Connective Corridor has been doing throughout the City of Syracuse and all the, you know, ways we are trying to incorporate art into people’s daily lives,” said Francesca Merwin, Syracuse Connective Corridor Engagement Fellow.

The series also featured bus performances by other musicians, high school performance troops and an ESF rock band.

Paul Gelling, chief engineer, SenSyr, LLC; Syracuse Physics Professor Edward Lipson, CEO, SenSyr, LLC; Joe Sisko, Assistant Director, UPSTATE, School of Architecture; Jeffrey Woodward, managing director, Syracuse Stage

The Connective Corridor is a stage for new technologies, and there’s no better example than the plaza at Syracuse Stage.  Professor Ed Lipson’s company, SenSyr, LLC, focuses on the interaction of humans with computers, and their electronic interfaces are the stars of the captivating “singing sidewalk” and variably illuminated panels at the plaza.  As CEO of SenSyr, the SU physics professor helped bring the project to life, along with a creative team that included SenSyr partner and chief engineer, Paul Gelling; assistant director of UPSTATE (SU’s School of Architecture), Joe Sisko; and managing director of Syracuse Stage, Jeff Woodward. Sisko, who has served as the plaza project manager, says, “When the request was made for something large-impact and interactive I knew Gelling and Lipson from SenSyr were the team to bring into the project.”

The 40 special, red-colored, “singing” pavers, an extension of SenSyr’s prior work with custom pressure sensors, were a technical challenge given the thermal-expansion variations in a four-season environment.  The interactive pavers are complemented by eight innovative high-intensity LED panels containing electromagnetic sensing technology, much like radar, and programmable for color variations based on motion-sensing, all based on coding developed by Gelling, who also designed and implemented the electronics. Gelling was formerly a design engineer with SU’s High Energy Physics Group, and prior to that was a senior biomedical engineer at SUNY Upstate Medical University, as well as a programmer for SU’s Brain Research Laboratory.

Joe Sisko and Jeffrey Woodward

Besides funding the deployment of these technologies, the Connective Corridor also supported “performance art” audio programming for the singing sidewalk, orchestrated by Emmett Van Slyke, a producer/composer/musician, and owner of Black Lagoon Productions.

Sisko says further, “The plaza’s interactive system has been designed to be malleable—to accommodate change in the future, an invitation of sorts to students and faculty to propose new and different ways to use the technology. We want to encourage people to participate in its ongoing development.”

Dr. Lipson completed his Ph.D. at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in experimental nuclear physics and went on to do postdoctoral research there in biophysics, working with Nobel Laureate Prof. Max Delbrück.  He joined the SU Physics Department in 1976, continuing research he began at Caltech, and then in the 1990s extending his work to include medical imaging, telemedicine, distributed medical intelligence, and Web-based human-computer interface technologies for people with severe disabilities.

It is not accidental that this project combines Lipson’s experience in computer interface technology with his passion for music.  With interests in classical and international (world-beat) music, he plays bongo, conga and djembe drums, and has performed with The Celebration Band, and with Adanfo African Drum and Dance Company.  The “singing sidewalk” has its own unique beat, as anyone who has “played on it” can attest.

Professor Lipson

Dr.  Lipson is an engaged scholar and an entrepreneur.  He founded SenSyr in 2003 as a spin-off from MindTel LLC, which he had co-founded with David Warner in 1997, in affiliation with the CASE Center (Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering), a New York State Center for Advanced Technology based at Syracuse University.  Through SenSyr, Lipson and Gelling have continued to develop and commercialize interface electronics, sensors, firmware and programming applications, as well as some OEM manufacturing.  SenSyr’s product line includes computer interfaces, relay boards, photocells, pressure sensors, accelerometers, and other devices, with applications for the biomedical and advanced building controls sectors, as well as related industries.

Dr. Lipson twice chaired the physics department at SU.  Since 2007 he has been a Kauffman Professor of Entrepreneurship at SU, and he holds adjunct appointments in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at SU and in Radiology at SUNY Upstate Medical University.  Lipson and Gelling formed a collaboration several years ago with Marek Podgorny and Roman Markowski, principals of CollabWorx, a Tech Garden company.  The four or them they won a series of Technology Application and Demonstration (TAD) awards, funded by the EPA through the Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE)  These research projects, the last of which was completed in summer 2011, involved web-based, indoor climate control systems to address energy conservation, air quality, and human performance.  The CollabWorx and SenSyr team members, together with CoE leadership, were awarded a U.S. patent in 2011 for their technology, and the foursome then founded IndoorControls LLC, a new venture to develop building control and automation systems to significantly save energy and reduce environmental impact.  IndoorControls is based at The Tech Garden,  a Connective Corridor venue. In 2009, Dr. Lipson, together with three SU faculty co-PI’s, was awarded a 2-year, $200,000 Chancellor’s Leadership Project grant, entitled “Syracuse Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development (SEED).”

The Central New York Biotechnology Research Center is hosting a major symposium this month featuring a tour of the new CNY BRC bio-incubator which is set to open later this year at 841 East Fayette Street.  When it opens, the facility – just two blocks from Upstate Medical University’s largest research facility as well as the SyracuseCoE – will also be a new stop along the Connective Corridor, linking University Hill faculty, researchers, students and entrepreneurs with a district that is emerging as a new downtown R&D cluster.

The upcoming biotechnology symposium, May 21-22 at the OnCenter Complex in Syracuse, features two days of presentations, exhibitions and student poster sessions.  Speakers include experts from Brookhaven National Laboratory, British Petroleum, Corning, The New York Academy of Sciences and other scientists and industry experts.  The opening plenary session features Dr. Cornelius Murphy, SUNY ESF president and Dr. Steven Goodman, vice president for research at SUNY Upstate Medical University.  A workshop on “Keys to Entrepreneurship and Innovation” is being co-chaired by Cynthia Dowd Greene, associate vice president for industry relations, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Linda Dickerson Hartsock, director, community engagement and economic development, Syracuse University.  Other special topic areas include bioenergy, nanotechnology, bioremediation, biomaterials, biopharmaceuticals, ag-biotech and stem cells/tissue engineering.

Registration for the event is still open.

The biotech symposium is intended to bring together industry leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs to focus on leading-edge technologies.  The CNY BRC is intended to be a state-of-the art incubator to nurture and accelerate the launch of new companies in these sectors.  Its setting, within the Connective Corridor, is ideal:  There are 25,000 students enrolled at institutions within a five block radius of the new facility.

The CNY BRC is a partnership between two founding institutions – SUNY Upstate Medical University and SUNY ESF – and will feature specialized laboratory and development space for early stage companies.  The 40,000-square-foot building will accommodate 18 independent laboratory-office modules that will house more than 100 scientists, technicians and entrepreneurs and a full complement of business support services.  The main physical feature of the CNY BRC is modern lab space designed by the S/L/A/M Collaborative architectural firm.  Each laboratory module includes:

• Benches and casework for the module
• Fume hood and biosafety cabinet
• Telephone jacks and handsets
• Data connections
• Manual keypad entrance lock with key override
• Fixed lighting
• Building heating, air conditioning and ventilation system
• 120-volt single phase electrical outlets
• House compressed air and vacuum
• Hot/cold potable water
• Sinks
• Purified water
• Natural gas for laboratory instruments

The facility also features common areas and meeting space to foster collaboration.

It will also offer assistance to help companies through the technology commercialization process – including business acceleration services and connections to subject matter experts.

The CNY BRC is currently seeking an executive director to lead the center, and has engaged a national recruitment firm to assist.  The role of the executive director will be to orchestrate a suite of services for client companies, and serve as a mentor for entrepreneurs.  The executive director will help companies become “investment-ready” and provide critical connections to venture capital and angel investor groups to help clients achieve critical early-stage milestones.   Information about the position can be found here.

For entrepreneurs or companies interested in space in the center, a comprehensive client company profile and on-line application is available here.

Based in a region with a robust innovation ecosystem, the CNY BRC clearly has the potential to become a globally recognized nexus for accelerating biological and medical products to market.

The SyracuseCoE is moving ahead with plans to construct a smart transportation portal to the Connective Corridor – part of a $8.7 million expansion underway at the CoE to develop “proof of concept” testbeds for biofuels processing, green infrastructure, wind/solar, combustion and thermal systems, smart transportation, smart lighting and other emerging clean technologies being developed and commercialized in NYS.  The SyracuseCoE signed a state incentive proposal NYS last month to officially move forward with the first stages of its New York Energy Regional Innovation Cluster (NYE-RIC) project.

Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor co-chairs a New York State CNY Regional Economic Development Council with Rob Simpson, CenterState CEO president.  Last year that group submitted a strategy that garnered a “best plan” award, earning more than $103 million for regional projects – including $3 million toward the construction of new research and development laboratories at the SyracuseCoE focused on advanced building technologies.  (Read full press release here:  http://regionalcouncils.ny.gov/generic/press-release-central-ny-04242012)

That award is part of a combined investment of $8.7 million in state, federal and private funds which will create seven new labs and testbeds, and formally launch NYE-RIC, a statewide alliance for energy efficient building innovations.

The Connective Corridor portal – a smart transportation testbed at the SyracuseCoE – will be a new facility that includes a bus kiosk, parking for 99 cars, charging stations for electric vehicles, photovoltaic arrays for producing electricity, bike racks and a water bottle refilling station.  Nearby will be a green infrastructure testbed that will include a variety of porous technologies, installed side-by-side, designed to help preserve one of the City of Syracuse’s four oldest sycamore trees.

The new biofuels testbed, a partnership effort with other colleges including SUNY ESF, will feature labs and equipment enabling faculty, researchers and students access to specialized facilities for researching new processes for producing fuels from biomass sources in pilot-scale batches.  This is a critical step for commercializing promising new clean fuel technologies being developed in the region.

The goal of the project is to foster academic-industry collaboration to research, develop, demonstrate and deploy new technologies in clean energy and environmental systems, with a particular focus on improving energy efficiency in built environments.  The SyracuseCoE headquarter building is already a living laboratory, and one of six Centers of Excellence in New York State.

NYE-RIC was developed in 2010 by the SyracuseCoE, CenterState CEO, the Partnership for New York City, major NYS corporations and multiple state agencies.  More than 100 partners forged an alliance to advance innovations in energy efficient building systems – harnessing world class R&D and advanced manufacturing assets in upstate with downstate strengths in real estate, finance and media.

That partnership continued through a NYE-RIC BRIDGE TO MARKETS program focused on launching new companies and technologies in the cleantech sector.  The initiative is led by The Syracuse CoE and CenterState CEO, together with The Partnership for New York City and a consortium of

• Colleges and universities
• State and local governments
• Private sector industry leaders
• Utilities
• Construction, engineering and architecture firms
• Labor organizations and trade organizations
• Finance and insurance institutions
• Investors and venture capital providers
• Real estate owners and developers
• Marketing and media firms.

The goal of the program is to connect the most promising new technologies and products being developed in upstate New York with early adopters, investors and media/marketing opportunities in the New York City metropolitan area, to create a network of early adopters who can help de-risk the technologies and demonstrate their market value, and ultimately help accelerate the adoption of new products in the marketplace.

The program works by bringing together:

• NYC real estate owners, venture capitalists, engineering/architecture firms, policy developers, and commercial bank financial product developers
• Vetted companies (primarily companies that have come through NYSERDA-funded clean energy incubators or other structured technology commercialization programs) that have market-ready technologies, products or services and who are seeking opportunities for beta testing, sales roll-out and/or investment

The outcomes of the program are:

• A plan to help break down barriers to entry for the technology
• A plan to deploy the technology
• A follow up action plan, as well as a system to measure and report results in terms of sales, company growth and energy efficiency

The outcomes are tangible.  The$41 million, 55,000 sq. ft. SyracuseCoE headquarters opened in March 2010 and recently earned LEED Platinum Certification – the first R&D facility in NYS to achieve this milestone.  It is being utilized by academic researchers and technology entrepreneurs from across New York State and around the world.  And the partnership is producing new companies and new technologies, which are rapidly being deployed into the marketplace – creating economic impact and advancing sustainability.

To learn more:  www.syracusecoe.org

The Connective Corridor is a nationally recognized example of university engagement.  When prestigious organizations like CEOs for Cities talk about best practices, or scholarship is published on the role of a university as an anchor institution, Syracuse University is typically among a handful of universities to be frequently cited.

Inspire and connect:   That’s the goal of The Connective Corridor, a $42.5 million revitalization project that, together with the SALT District of the Near Westside, is reshaping the face of the City through new urban spaces and streetscapes, bike and pedestrian paths, public art, parks and landscapes, green infrastructure, façade improvements, historic preservation, neighborhood revitalization, signage and branding, and events programming.  The Corridor is a linear stage that connects University Hill with downtown Syracuse, providing a platform for interaction between the campus and an engaged creative community.  And, it is collaboration that strengthens the education experience, as well as the community.

Over the next few months, the Syracuse community will see more cranes over the City and more orange construction zones along streetscapes than it has seen in more than 30 years.  Public funding secured through Syracuse University, in partnership with the City of Syracuse, is helping catalyze $200 million in additional new investments in major private sector projects through the Connective Corridor, Near Westside and Central Business Districts.  It’s a great example of leveraging public and private dollars and “thinking forward” – the notion that an anchor institution should harness its long-term, place-based assets, in combination with its human and intellectual resources, to improve its city and region.

There’s no doubt we’re seeing change take place, and people are noticing.  Syracuse was just named one of the 20 best performing U.S. cities by Business Insider, based on data from the Brookings Institution.  And Syracuse University was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction – recognizing work done by more than 10,000 students and 500 faculty and staff involved in community engagement during the last academic year.

Change.  It starts with a bold vision, a thousand small steps … and an inspired, connected community.

The Connective Corridor is just a bus. Students, I’m talking to you. I’m sure you’ve heard that line before. But if it’s not a bus, then what the heck is it? Take a look on University Avenue and you might say it’s a pain of a construction project. You might say it’s a SU… “thing.”  But it’s none of those things – and it’s more. It’s civic engagement.  It’s cultural development.  It’s a pure form of Scholarship in Action.

There’s the other money phrase. Scholarship in Action. I’m sure that’s one you’ve heard a million times before too. If you’re anything like I was a year ago, then you probably don’t understand it and don’t understand how it can relate to you. And that’s fine. I’m here to help explain it.

You see, I’m an Engagement Fellow. I work in the Connective Corridor’s office as half student/half professional. I was one of those people who didn’t really believe or care to understand Scholarship in Action until I got this fellowship. I loved doing community service, but I didn’t see any sort of connection with my professional life. Luckily, I found this job, I got to work in this office and see that Scholarship in Action is a real thing, and students engage in it every single day.

Every time I step foot in my office, I hear about another group of students working with another Corridor project. These students are gaining real-life skills while transforming a community. They’re a part of an up and coming, nationally recognized program in Syracuse. We take learning off of the Hill and put it into the community. That is what Scholarship in Action is. And it doesn’t matter what your major is – you can still participate in it. The Connective Corridor has worked with students in Newhouse, VPA, Arts & Sciences, Maxwell, Whitman and the iSchool. See, your degrees can get you a job. And you can get experience that can help get you the job you really want.

Don’t believe me? Well, the numbers don’t lie. The Corridor keeps a running list of students who have been engaged with this project, and the number is pretty high – 678 students high. And that’s just the recorded number. It doesn’t count the hundreds of students who interact on a smaller scale with the Corridor or professors who have reached out and worked with us. It doesn’t count the thousands of hours that have been put towards this project, or the jobs that have been gained from working with us. It also doesn’t include the feeling you get when you realize that this is something far more interesting than a bus.

We’re transforming the city. We’re using art and culture (and bus routes, yes) to connect this booming university to this blossoming downtown.  It’s tough, believe me. You get doubters and pessimists and people who tell you not to bother, but you also get a first hand look into what a developing area looks like. The Connective Corridor is a movement of people to change a community. And it is a movement: Change only happens with 1,000 small actions, not one big BANG.

We are certainly not the only organization doing this in Syracuse. There are others around here who are as passionate as we are about making change in this historic and interesting city. That’s the beauty of this Scholarship in Action idea. We are coming together, as university members, community members, and society members to make this Corridor thing more than just a bus. We’re making a national example.

Join us, won’t you?  Looking for a way to make a difference next semester?  E-mail:  corridor@syr.edu

The Downtown Living Tour, a premier annual event that highlights the best of downtown living with “inside peaks” at some of the most unique and hip live/work venues in Syracuse, is hosting its 2012 showcase, Saturday, May 19, 2012, from noon to 6 p.m.  Sponsored by The Downtown Committee of Syracuse – a key Connective Corridor partner – the tour will give visitors a rare inside look at adaptive reuse and new construction projects featuring market-rate and luxury apartments, live/work spaces and “green” condos, as well as cultural venues that highlight the City’s rich and interesting past.

Designed to increase awareness of the revitalization taking place in Syracuse, promote downtown’s historic architectural charm and urban amenities, tour-goers will find that each building offers a different and unique living experience.  The tour highlights both occupied and available units in several of downtown’s historic renovations in neighborhoods such as Clinton Square, Franklin Square, Hanover Square and the Heart of Downtown.

There is an unprecedented amount of new market-rate downtown living spaces being developed by downtown, and this tour offers something for everyone, from young professionals and empty nesters looking to live downtown, as well as those interested in historic preservation, interior design, architecture, and urban living.  Tourists will also feature special offers at downtown restaurants, shops and cultural institutions the day of the tour.

While designed as a walking tour – demonstrating that Syracuse is a great pedestrian-friendly community – two free shuttles will be running a special tour route as well, serving as an option for tourists.  Tickets can be guaranteed by purchasing advance sale tickets for $10 (online beginning April 18th through May 17th).  Day of event tickets are $12.  All tickets can be picked up at tour headquarters the day of the tour between 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.  $2 event parking will be available in the lot across from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que on Franklin Street. On-street parking will be free in the Central Business District the day of the tour. A program guide will be published and distributed by The Post-Standard in mid-May and distributed to ticket holders the day of the event.

The tour is presented by the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc., a private, not-for-profit, professional downtown management organization, representing property owners and tenants within the central business district.

Learn more at www.downtownsyracuse.com

The Connective Corridor is pleased to promote the release of the 2012 Syracuse Poster Project series – a much anticipated series of images paired with poetry that appears in downtown kiosks along the Civic Strip of the Corridor.  The 16 images — which were just unveiled – are available for purchase on-line, or at local stores.  The Syracuse Poster Project is headquartered in The Warehouse, and was co-founded by Jim Emmons. Roger DeMuth, a VPA assistant professor of art, design, and transmedia in the department of art.

The project brings together community poets and Syracuse University artists to create an annual series of poetry posters — each featuring an illustrated poem about the downtown, the city, or the nearby countryside. The project enlivens the city, builds community, and creates a sense of place.  The community is invited to participate by submitting poetry, or through donations and purchases of the posters or related products that include Syracuse posters, note cards, postcards, haiku booklets, and books on poster art and haiku.  The project operates as a public service, with no government or institutional funding, and all proceeds from donations and sales directly fund the production of work.

“You’ll find, conveyed through Syracuse art and haiku poetry, an assortment of places and experiences that stir the hearts of locals,” according to the project’s website. “Well known landmarks, as you’d expect, but also plenty of subtle, backyard epiphanies. If you’re looking for Syracuse souvenirs, we’ll send you home with a haiku poster unique to this region.”  The project invites haikus from visitors to Syracuse.  “We love the fresh vision of travelers.”

Professor DeMuth makes the project a fall assignment for advanced illustration students. Each of some 30 students creates an illustrated poster, using a haiku of the student’s choice. By the annual September deadline, the project typically has 75 poems by more than 30 contributors. From this pool of work, 16 are selected and are displayed for a year in downtown poster panels along Warren and Salina Streets.  Images of the posters, as well as biographies of the poets and artists can be viewed at the Syracuse Poster Project website.

Jim Emmons can be reached at (315)424-8099 or jim@posterproject.org.  Roger DeMuth can be reached at (315)415-8599 or rdemuth@syr.edu.

This summer, the Syracuse Poster Project will once again invite poets to submit entries.  That call for haiku will serve the 2013 series.  To submit, visit the website and go to “Entry Materials” for entry forms and more information. The annual deadline for submissions is the second Friday in September, with poets notified of their selection in December.

“As the seasons unfold, apply yourself to experiencing the pleasures, beauties and peculiarities of our city. How do these moments move you? How do you convey the depth of these experiences in the few words of haiku? Delve into this, and send us your best work.”

When not teaching, Roger works as an independent designer and illustrator from his home studio in Cazenovia. The work includes: children’s books, puzzles, maps, packaging, garden design, historic preservation, and panoramic photography. View it at www.demuthdesign.com

“Timeless Imagery,” a new show opening May 16 at the OHA Museum, juxtaposes art and history to celebrate Associated Artists of Central New York.  The fine arts show, a featured venue this month along the Connective Corridor, is a thoughtfully curated exploration of time and creativity as narrative, spotlighting the legacy of regional artistic talent since 1927.  The show features winners of juried competitions spanning 85 years, set against both aesthetics and historic excerpts.  Some of these works are part of private collections and recognized international museums.

Other AACNY events are scheduled during the coming months, including a historical video release, art demonstrations and lectures.  This anniversary exhibit runs at OHA from May 16 to September 9.

Also at the OHA this month is “Take No Prisoners:  Political Cartoons Over Time and Place.”  Running through November 15, that show features historic and current editorial cartoons by both local and national illustrators.  There is no better time than an election year to compare the wit, wisdom and irony of the cartoons, and perhaps discern patterns – if, indeed, history does repeat itself.

The OHA also celebrates 100 years of the Girl Scouts celebrated by NYPENN Pathways (New York /Pennsylvania councils) with a current exhibit that runs through August 26 featuring photos, images and texts in a five-panel exhibit that highlights regional milestones.

In the planning stages, set to open September 22, is an exhibit featuring stereoscopic photographs curated by Colleen Wolpert, Connective Corridor artist who is also coordinating the installation of stereoscopes in Forman Park as part of the Connective Corridor’s project with the City of Syracuse to restore that historic 1839 setting.  The $1.8 million Corridor showcase project includes a new fountain, benches, sidewalks, expansive landscaping and signage, along with the historic stereoscopes commissioned as part of the Connective Corridor’s public art programming.

Linking the Great Lakes and the interior of America to the Atlantic Ocean, the Erie Canal is considered one of the greatest achievements of our nation. One wonders, however, would the canal have been as magnificent without the Irish? The Erie Canal Museum is honoring the contributions of the Irish in designing, planning, engineering, and funding the Erie Canal.  The exhibition, “The Irish and the Erie Canal” will be on display at the museum until May 28.

In the 19th century, immigration was turning America into a melting pot of cultures. The Potato Famine in Ireland forced immigrants from the Emerald Isle to come to America in hopes of better lives. And, they brought architectural and engineering capabilities to the table that became instrumental in linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean via the Erie Canal. Their unique skill sets and hard labor on the Canal helped to transform America into a world economic power. For more information about this exhibition, check out the Erie Canal Museum’s website. The Erie Canal Museum is just steps off the Connective Corridor’s free bus service.