State Senator Catharine Young will join Alfred University President Charles M. Edmondson and Doreen Edwards, dean of the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering, to dedicate the Center for High-Temperature Characterization at Alfred University at 1:15 p.m. Friday. 

The Center for High-Temperature Characterization, which contains five suites of highly specialized equipment for analyzing materials that are either processed or used at very high temperatures (1300-degrees C), was created with funding from New York State.

Senator Young was instrumental in securing the original $4 million allocation from New York State. The Western New York Regional Economic Development Council awarded an additional $2.9 million for the equipment in the first round of funding through the state’s new process of allocating funds for economic development projects.

In the past year, the Center for High-Temperature Characterization has been critical in Alfred University researchers securing about $3 million in highly competitive grants from the National Science Foundation, the federal Department of Energy and the Defense Department.

Additionally, General Electric received $2 million in New York State Energy Research and Development Authority funding for NY-BEST, the state's battery initiative. GE, in turn, has contracted with Alfred University to undertake characterization and analytical work on the new battery materials at a cost of $1.2 million. 

In addition to the research projects, the high-temperature materials characterization center is doing analytical work for New York State companies including Corning Incorporated, Corning; TAM Ceramics, Niagara Falls; Cummins Engine, Jamestown; Dal-Tile and Cooper Power, Olean;Free Form Fibers, Saratoga Springs; Air Flow Catalyst Systems, Rochester, and Ceragen, Alfred.