Manufacturing Innovation Center at Rensselaer

Undersecretary of Commerce Patrick Gallagher to Kick Off Inaugural Rensselaer CATS/CEG Advanced Manufacturing Conference

Patrick D. Gallagher

Patrick D. Gallagher

Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Patrick D. Gallagher will provide the keynote address for the inaugural Advanced Manufacturing Conference.

The conference, a partnership between the Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Center for Economic Growth (CEG) will be held April 16-17 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy, NY.

The first annual Advanced Manufacturing Conference, themed “Think Smart, Make Value,” will bring together leaders from industry, government, and academia to address challenges facing regional manufacturers.  It will provide small, medium, and large manufacturers a strategic look at emerging ways to leverage the power of automation technologies, business best practices, and take advantage of available state and regional resources to better compete and succeed in the global marketplace.

The CATS/CEG Advanced Manufacturing Conference builds upon the past success of the CATS annual showcases. The new conference will feature workshops and discussions on leading-edge and emerging manufacturing topics including: Smart Manufacturing, Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Composites, Biomimicry, and others. The conference will also feature business-focused sessions and training on key manufacturing business topics including: Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Supply Chain Development, SME Funding Opportunities, and Innovation Engineering.

The core expertise of the CATS is in innovative automation systems. A key part of our mission is to leverage this expertise to boost the regional and national economy by reinvigorating manufacturing across New York and the United States,” said CATS Director John Wen, also a faculty member in the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering at Rensselaer. “Our new Advanced Manufacturing Conference, in partnership with CEG, will showcase successful collaborative projects, discuss current trends and opportunities, and present ways that CATS, CEG, and New York State can help manufacturers elevate their business to the next level.

As Tech Valley’s New York State Regional Technology Development Center (RTDC) and NIST MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership) center, the Center for Economic Growth is pleased to continue to leverage our very strong relationship with the Center for Automation Technologies and Systems at Rensselaer through co-sponsorship of our “Think Smart, Make Value” Advanced Manufacturing Conference in April,” said Jeffrey Lawrence, Executive Vice President of Technology at CEG.  “Advanced manufacturing that leverages the superb workforce, leading-edge research and innovative programs available across the region is essential to high-quality job creation, investment and sustainable growth in Tech Valley for future generations.

Also planned for the conference are a CEO roundtable, numerous networking opportunities, a NYSTAR-led Solutions Fair, a panel discussion titled “Industry Needs for Manufacturing Education,” guided tours of RPI laboratories and facilities, and a poster session featuring a broad array of projects and areas of research and offering an opportunity for one-on-one interaction with student and faculty researchers.

Full Showcase agenda and event registration details are available here.

 

Patrick D. Gallagher

Dr. Patrick Gallagher was confirmed as the 14th Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Nov. 5, 2009. He also serves as Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, a new position created in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, signed by President Obama on Jan. 4, 2011. 

Gallagher provides high-level oversight and direction for NIST. The agency promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology. NIST's FY 2012 resources total $750.8 million from the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-55), with an estimated additional annual income of $62.7 million in service fees, and $128.9 million from other agencies. The agency employs about 2,900 scientists, engineers, technicians, support staff, and administrative personnel at two main locations in Gaithersburg, Md., and Boulder, Colo. 

Gallagher had served as Deputy Director since 2008. Prior to that, he served for four years as Director of the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), a national user facility for neutron scattering on the NIST Gaithersburg campus. The NCNR provides a broad range of neutron diffraction and spectroscopy capability with thermal and cold neutron beams and is presently the nation's most used facility of this type. Gallagher received his Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Pittsburgh in 1991. His research interests include neutron and X-ray instrumentation and studies of soft condensed matter systems such as liquids, polymers, and gels. In 2000, Gallagher was a NIST agency representative at the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). He has been active in the area of U.S. policy for scientific user facilities and was chair of the Interagency Working Group on neutron and light source facilities under the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Currently, he serves as co-chair of the Standards Subcommittee under the White House National Science and Technology Council.