Brookhaven Lab, SUNY, Research Foundation Sign Agreement to Collaborate on Education and Public Service Programs

Upton, NY – The U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, the State University of New York (SUNY), and the Research Foundation for SUNY (RF) today formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which the three organizations pledge to work together to develop education and public service programs to benefit students of all ages, from elementary school through postdoctoral studies.

The MOU was signed at Brookhaven Lab by principals of the three institutions – Brookhaven Laboratory Director Sam Aronson, SUNY Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost David K. Lavallee, and the Research Foundation’s Vice President Sponsored Programs Administration, Garrett R. Sanders.

“Brookhaven is very pleased to formally confirm a research and educational collaboration with the State University of New York and its Research Foundation that will benefit all of our institutions in the years to come,” said Aronson. “The many students who will take advantage of the programs and initiatives developed through this MOU will further extend its positive impact to our state and the nation.”

“This MOU demonstrates how SUNY can effectively leverage its systemness to serve the greater public good not only for New York but in partnership with top national researchers who are poised to position the United States as a leader in the new knowledge economy,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “This joint venture is certain to help us make greater contributions in green technology and new, innovative methods to bring science into the classroom, something that is so critical to teaching and learning in our schools.”

“We are always pleased when our campuses come together with established partners such as Brookhaven National Laboratory to collaborate on research that is of vital interest to our nation and the world,” said Lavallee. “This kind of collaboration allows for our students and faculty to have direct access to a research facility of critical national stature. We are particularly excited to partner with BNL researchers in the development of curriculum for the kind of STEM programs SUNY is working to bring to scale across the state.”

“We’re tremendously excited to partner with our Stony Brook and Brookhaven colleagues to support the education pipeline,” said Research Foundation President Dr. Timothy Killeen.  “This joint effort demonstrates the common sense of mission, scope and scale of the SUNY community.   SUNY research – its people, infrastructure and technology – and the entire SUNY system play a key role in advancing our students and growing our knowledge economy now and for the future.”   

Stony Brook University (SBU), a co-partner with Battelle Memorial Institute in Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA), which since 1998 manages Brookhaven National Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, is the largest academic user of BNL facilities. President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., who serves as the Vice Chairman of BSA, said that this MOU will enable many of the SUNY campuses to benefit from the opportunities that students and faculty at Stony Brook University have been involved in for nearly 15 years. 

“Stony Brook’s relationship with BNL has been prolific and significant in terms of providing amazing research opportunities and academic growth for our students, faculty and for the prospect of economic development for Long Island and the region,” he said. “It’s an important asset for student and faculty recruitment and retention and certainly other SUNY campuses will benefit enormously from the relationship, as will BNL.”

Under the agreement, the three institutions will identify areas of research that are compatible with SUNY’s faculty and expertise, and that are germane to Brookhaven’s mission. They further agree to establish procedures for engaging BNL staff and SUNY faculty in course or curriculum development; promotion of underrepresented minorities in science and technology disciplines; exploration of avenues to expand educational opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students; and a strategic collaboration to improve educational initiatives for students from kindergarten through high school.

The agreement will remain in effect for 10 years. Its genesis was a proposed association between Brookhaven Lab and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), but it quickly gained traction as a broader collaboration, to include all SUNY campuses and the Research Foundation.

“We at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry are very pleased to assist in developing the Memorandum of Understanding with Brookhaven National Laboratory,” said SUNY-ESF President Cornelius B. Murphy, Jr.  “Our faculty members are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the research staff at BNL.  This MOU will help catalyze new research and development opportunities for all involved.”

About Brookhaven National Laboratory

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York on behalf of Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

About the Research Foundation for SUNY
The Research Foundation exists to serve SUNY and to capitalize on the scope, scale and diversity of SUNY as an engine of New York State’s innovation economy. The Research Foundation supports nearly $1 billion in SUNY research activity annually, providing sponsored programs administration and commercialization support services to SUNY faculty performing research in life sciences and medicine; engineering and nanotechnology; physical sciences and energy; social sciences, and computer and information sciences. For more information, visit www.rfsuny.org or follow the Research Foundation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rfsuny

About the State University of New York

The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating nearly 468,000 students in more than 7,500 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses with nearly 3 million alumni around the globe. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu. 

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