The politics of photonics

It was announced last year that Rochester would be home to an integrated photonics manufacturing hub, part of a $600 million public-private partnership with federal, state and private funding.
The creation of a photonics institute in Rochester, New York, is actually part of a national push toward investing in manufacturing jobs. But the initiative, viewed as vitally important to the region, was weighed down for a time by political infighting. Innovation Trail reporter Sasha-Ann Simons explored the politics of photonics in this special report.
Innovation Trail (innovationtrail.org) is a reporting project that aims to help the public gain a better understanding about some of the big issues that upstate New York communities are facing. Our reports focus on research, development, education, funding, and policy issues in emerging fields like energy, information technology, biotech, health and education. The project continues to explore the relationship between technological breakthroughs and the revitalization of upstate New York.
Our journalists are based across the region from Buffalo to Albany.