RCS News

Bender Family Foundation Grant Underwrites Trip to TEC-SMART Campus

(June 15, 2012) Fourteen RCS high school students and their two chaperones enjoyed a tour of Hudson Valley Community College’s newest satellite facility, the TEC-SMART Campus in Malta, on May 11.

TEC-SMART (Training and Education Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alternative and Renewable Technologies) features more than a dozen state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories. The goal is to train the workforce in semiconductor manufacturing green technologies, including photovoltaic, home energy efficiency, geothermal, alternative fuels and wind energy.

The group visited the four main labs (solar, wind, geothermal and semiconductor) during the tour. They learned about the design features of the building and how structures are being designed for maximum energy efficiency.

RCS High School teacher Kyle Kearney arranged the tour for his E-Commerce class. He said, “The facility was so amazing and interesting to me that I think I had more questions than the students. They really seemed to enjoy the experience and we were able to meet with both the dean and the department chair for the Computing and Information Systems (CIS) Department.”

The discussion revolved around the use of computers in many career fields including: cyber security; web design; E-commerce; graphic design; and programming for the high-tech industries such as the manufacturing of semi conductors. Kearney added, “The trip was very worthwhile and I hope to be able to do it again next year.”

The trip was underwritten by a grant from the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region’s Bender Family Foundation. Stars Intergen, a nonprofit agency that collaborates with RCS, applied for the grant to raise awareness among RCS students about careers in computer science and careers that combine computer science with other skills, such as in medicine and criminal justice.