The Rensselaer Technology Park is a

technology park A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...

North Greenbush, New York North Greenbush is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. North Greenbush is located in the western part of the county. The population was 13,292 at the 2020 census. The town has three main hamlets, Wynantskill in the northeaster ...

, USA (though with a mailing address in

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...

) operated by

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

. As of 2009 the park has over 70 tenants representing a diverse range of technologies and employing over 2,400. The park is located along the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

approximately five miles south of the RPI campus.

History

In 1979 a special task force was assembled by RPI President

George M. Low George Michael Low (born Georg Michael Löw, June 10, 1926 – July 17, 1984) was an administrator at NASA and the 14th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Low was one of the senior NASA officials who made numerous decisions as ...

composed of faculty, staff, alumni/trustees, and students to study feasibility of developing a park. In March 1981 The Board of Trustees authorized a $3 million investment of the endowment to design and build the infrastructure for the first phase of the Park. Between 1981 and 1982 infrastructure was planned and developed over around , including the construction of of roadway and underground utilities including power, gas, water, sanitary and storm sewers and telephone. The first tenant was announced in March 1983, an

optoelectronics Optoelectronics (or optronics) is the study and application of electronic devices and systems that find, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, ''light'' often includes invisible forms of radiatio ...

facility for National Semiconductor. 1983–1991 saw the development of over 100 more acres, and the introduction of several more large companies. In July 1993

Metropolitan Life MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produc ...

opened a computer center that serves as the corporation's national disaster recovery site and computer software development headquarters. MapInfo moved to the park in 1993. MapInfo was founded by three RPI students after taking a course in Technological Entrepreneurship during which they produced their first business plan.

Other park locations

DeFreest Homestead

The

DeFreest Homestead The DeFreest Homestead is a historic house and barn located in the Rensselaer Technology Park in North Greenbush, New York, United States. The homestead and surrounding land are owned and managed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It was the o ...

is historic house and barn which was built around 1765 and located near the entrance of the park. The house and surrounding homestead were listed on

The National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1977.

Children's Museum of Science and Technology

The Children's Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST) is the only science center in the Tech Valley designed specifically for kids and parents to Explore, Discover, and Imagine the world of science together.. It features a digital dome planetarium, which shows digital educational movies including

Molecularium The Molecularium Project is an informal science education project of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Project introduces young audiences to the world of atoms and molecules using character driven stories, immersive animation, interactive game ...

a nanotechnology show developed at RPI.

Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations

The Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations (CCNI) is the result of a $100 Million collaboration between RPI, IBM, and

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

to further

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

innovations. When it opened in 2007 it was the 7th most powerful supercomputing centers in the world, and remains in the top 25.

References

External links

Rensselaer Technology Park website
{{RPITemplate Science parks in the United States Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York 1983 establishments in New York (state)