The Watson School: 20 years of embracing innovation

During the past 20 years, a fledgling engineering school created to meet a local need for highly skilled workers has evolved into a nationally known center of research and education. Now, the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science is celebrating two decades of achievement well beyond the dreams of its founding members and has set its sights on becoming one of the best schools of its kind in the nation.

"Our goal is to take the school to the Ônext level.' The Ônext level' includes national recognition of our excellence, new educational opportunities for our students, new research programs and an improved environment for our faculty. In the very near future, I expect that we will be one of the largest engineering schools in New York state."

-- Watson Dean Charles R. "Roger" Westgate

A history of growth

Watson's forerunner, the School of Advanced Technology (SAT), opened in 1967 in response to local companies' need for professional development and graduate-level education for employees. The SAT offered courses in computer systems, applied mathematics and general systems science.

As the 1970s drew to a close, industry leaders again approached the University. The region's high-tech firms were growing and employees wanted to earn advanced degrees in mechanical, industrial and electrical engineering without having to travel to Syracuse or Ithaca.

The state legislature approved funding in 1983 for the Watson School, named for the founder of IBM. The school would absorb and build upon the SAT, a program conceived even before the birth of the Internet or the personal computer.

Lyle Feisel, chair of electrical engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, was chosen to become the school's first dean. "Feisel was clearly the right man at the right time," said James Carrigg, former CEO of NYSEG. "He made it happen. He brought in first-class faculty. You saw his hand on the tiller 100 percent of the time."

Alumni and friends, some of whom are top executives at the nation's most prestigious high-tech corporations, have offered invaluable support to the school. Gary Kunis '73, Harpur College alumnus and former vice president of technology at Cisco Systems, and his wife, Natasha, have donated more than $1.2 million for scholarships, a research and instructional laboratory, and campus-wide networking infrastructure.

Geraldine MacDonald '68, MS '73, vice president of global access at AOL, has endowed scholarships and refurbished the Knoll-MacDonald Commons. Community friends such as the Link Foundation and the late J. Donald Ahearn, CEO of Universal Instruments, also offered major support for scholarships, laboratories and more.

A leader in electronics packaging

Through research and industry collaborations, the Watson School became well known in the field of electronics packaging. Now, new programs in bioengineering and information science, exciting research ventures and corporate partnerships with such major entities as IBM, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Intel and Cisco Systems are helping to propel the Watson School into the national limelight.

"We belong to a consortium of Fortune 500 companies that share nonproprietary research, which often involves Watson graduate students in our labs. I've seen those students stand in front of the consortium's researchers to present their findings," said Gerhard Meese, executive vice president of Dover Technologies and a member of the Watson School Dean's Advisory Committee. "The dialog is very fruitful. That knowledge has helped tremendously, not only local industry but the entire electronics packaging industry."

The Watson School's Integrated Electronics Engineering Center (IEEC), founded in 1991, has acquired a nationwide reputation in electronics packaging. But now, says IEEC Director and Interim Vice President for Research Bahgat Sammakia, the IEEC needs to move into new areas: Micro- and nanotechnologies are the clear wave of the future.

The IEEC is refining its mission and focusing on this emerging technology to help the United States regain pre-eminence in the electronics industry and to create and sustain regional jobs. According to the National Science Foundation, nanotechnology will represent a $1 trillion industry over the next decade.

Locally, the Watson School has already had a major impact on the region's economy. The Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence (SPIR), Watson's engineering extension service, has helped more than 100 small- to mid-sized companies to grow and thrive despite a difficult economic climate. Since SPIR's inception in 1994, Watson faculty and students working with SPIR have contributed 135,000 hours of labor with a value in excess of $20 million.

"Our role in economic development is especially critical today with the decline in employment statewide," Westgate said. "Our Center for Advanced Technology -- theÊIEEC -- and SPIR have done much toÊameliorate these losses and will continue to be driving forces for economic development. These programs alone have created or retained 1,400 jobs in local and national corporations."

"SPIR has been an indispensable part of Diamond Visionics over the seven years we have been in existence. During this period we have grown from six to 22 employees," said company President David P. Gdovin '70 (SAT).

"SPIR is one of the fundamental reasons our company is based in New York state. Its ability to foster and allow the growth of high-tech businesses such as ours offers an important competitive advantage over many other locales within the United States," said David A. Goldman, '94, PhD '98, president of Soft Sight, Inc. in Binghamton.

More than 10,000 engineers and technical professionals from around the world have participated in the Watson School's professional development programs, which help employees and their companies to remain competitive within fast-paced working environments and in a shifting global economy.

-- Hal Smith and Susanne Thiel

The Watson School has planned a number of events to celebrate its 20th anniversary. For more information, visit the website at watson.binghamton.edu or e-mail watson@bingamton.edu.