Weather. Climate. Emergency Preparedness. Sustainability.
These disciplines are preparing tomorrow’s leaders to tackle the most serious challenges facing humankind.
Individually, they yield critical new knowledge. But when co-located inside ETEC, UAlbany’s newest state-of-the-art and environmentally sustainable facility, they become a striking example of how a whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.
ETEC is a hub for innovation, scholarship, applied research and commercial development designed to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations to confront complex problems. Inside, students, faculty and researchers work hand-in-hand with entrepreneurs to translate new knowledge into creative solutions that fuel economic growth and create jobs.
ETEC is a $180 million, 246,000 square foot state-of-the-art building that “houses” researchers, educators and entrepreneurs under the same roof as some of UAlbany’s fastest-growing programs.
The fulfillment of a shared vision and financial investments from NYS, SUNY and UAlbany, this unique facility is designed to drive economic growth, create jobs and enhance New York’s competitiveness in key sectors such as emergency preparedness, homeland security, renewable energy, weather and resiliency.
Phase one construction of the complex was completed in Fall 2021.
Inside ETEC
ETEC is the largest instructional building on the Uptown Campus. Its 40+ labs house more than 200 full-time faculty and researchers, 100 research and industry partners.
As many as 800 students can work in its 20 classrooms and teaching labs and other innovative spaces: an emergency preparedness situation room to replicate emergency operations scenarios, a campus makerspace, a visualization development center, science-on-a-sphere room, weather research map rooms and a glass-enclosed weather observation room.
ETEC aligns with SUNY’s goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions and has received LEED Platinum certification, the highest level awarded by the Green Business Certification Inc. for energy-efficient and sustainable buildings. A geothermal field of 190 wells and solar panels on the Uptown Campus Podium combine to save about 70 percent in energy costs, efficient fixtures reduce water usage by 40 percent, and the site includes green stormwater management including a porous parking lot and a teaching green roof.
The complex houses:
- The College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
- The College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering's Department of Environmental & Sustainable Engineering
- The College of Arts and Sciences: Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences and Department of Chemistry research labs
- Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
- Center of Excellence in Weather & Climate Analytics
- The National Weather Service’s Regional Forecast Office and Training Program
- The New York State Mesonet
- The Small Business Development Center
- Office for Innovation Development and Commercialization/Technology Transfer
- Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence Institute
- Private partners such as TruWeather Solutions LLC
ETEC leverages an asset that no other university in New York can:
UAlbany’s proximity to the nerve center of New York State policy and decision-making.
Located across the street from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), Office of Emergency Management and the New York State Police, ETEC offers UAlbany students, faculty and staff unparalleled applied learning and research opportunities in partnership with key agencies working to make New York safer, more prepared and more resilient.
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