The National Science Foundation Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York will participate in the Great New York State Fair for a second year in a row. This year, the Engine will highlight its ongoing efforts to bolster upstate New York's energy storage ecosystem, as well as the region's assets and capabilities that make it a national leader in battery innovation. The program's booth reached 8,000 fairgoers last year, hailing from the U.S. and around the world.
Funded through the NSF's Regional Innovation Engines program, the coalition of universities, startups, and industry, community, and state partners is led by Binghamton University. It aims to make New York America's battery tech capital through advancing battery technologies and adoption, enhancing safety and manufacturing, and expanding shared infrastructure, in addition to nurturing the next-generation workforce.
Visit the Engine at the fair
The NSF Energy Storage Engine booth at the state fair is open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily from Aug. 26-Sept. 7 in the Science & Industry building, located between Gates 1 and 2 at the Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
"We hope our presence at the fair will inspire students to pursue the education and experiences they need to enter this exciting industry, connect job seekers with the training and opportunities they need to build careers in the battery sector, and give educators the connections and tools to prepare the next generation of talent," said Meera Sampath, CEO of the NSF Energy Storage Engine.
Starting Aug. 26, fairgoers will have an opportunity to win prizes as well as learn about science experiments and engineering from the Engine's partners - including Griffiss Institute, Syracuse University, Cornell University, Alfred University, the Rochester Institute of Technology, Binghamton University, and Viridi.
Attendees will also have a chance to survey the work being done around the state to advance battery innovation and manufacturing through an interactive map of the ecosystem. Anybody who puts their ZIP code into the interactive map can learn more about opportunities and innovations happening near them - from startups to manufacturing projects, and from community training to fire safety.
"It's exciting that we're talking about the whole ecosystem this time, and helping each institution showcase the great work that they're doing. That's part of our goal," said Maggie Cousin, strategic communications lead at the NSF Engine. "Touching 8,000 people last year is a signal that we're really trying to get out of the lab and into the community, so people have a better understanding about how important batteries have become in our daily lives."
Around 100 volunteers from both startups and schools will be taking to the fair to share more about battery safety, innovations, and developments. Those who stop by the booth will also be able to learn more about the role batteries play in our lives, from the level of our day-to-day use to national and economic security priorities.
"Look at everything happening in New York State. We are the building ground for opportunities, for well-paying jobs, for future technologies, for making the world safer," Cousin said. "We have all these scientists and engineers working to make batteries safer, so we're at the forefront of this, and we want people to know about it."
Anybody interested in learning more about the NSF Energy Storage Engine and its partners can stop by the Science & Industry building, located between Gates 1 and 2 at the Fairgrounds, between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. from Aug. 26 to Sept. 7.
"Our hope is that the Great New York State Fair - one of the oldest and largest state fairs in the country - will eventually become a showcase for New York's battery industry, as much as it is a showcase for the state's agricultural heritage and strength today," Sampath said.
