The Mohawk Valley is a region defined by the central transportation arteries that run through it: the Erie Canal and the NYS Thruway. Centered on a series of modest canal cities surrounded by college towns and rising hills, the Mohawk Valley is also home to a dynamic space academic network that serves as the backbone for the local space ecosystem.
The Mohawk Valley is home to over 1,100 space and aerospace jobs, with the largest concentration of activity surrounding the Griffiss Institute in Rome. This growing hub is attracting investment and jobs in numerous Aerospace and Space & Defense companies to the Mohawk Valley.
Colleges and universities in every corner of the region offer physics, astronomy, and even astrogeophysics degree programs. There are on-campus planetariums and observatories in the region, as well as a broad array of active student groups in a number of space related fields. The region is also home to a unique asset in the OHM Boces Mobile Planetarium, an amazing resource for bringing STEM and space to students - one Empire Space hopes to see replicated and supported throughout the state.
The Mohawk Valley has a great story to tell about how transportation has shaped its history. There is already an academic foundation in place for space to be a part of its future.
Including 31 organizations and resources throughout the Mohawk Valley Region!
Business Services -- 3 resources
| Organization ▲ | Location | Type | Business Focus | Business Stage | Space Focus Level | Space Involvement | University | Social Media | AD | SD | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griffiss Institute Certified Business Incubator (GI) | Rome | Startup Incubator | Cybersecurity | Early Growth | High | Partnered with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) | 119 (D) | 47 (D) | New York State certified Business Incubator | ||
| Innovation Collective | Utica | Startup Incubator | General | Early Growth | Low | Cazenovia College | 119 (D) | 47 (D) | Also in Cazenovia NY with Cazenovia College | ||
| thINCubator | Utica | Startup Incubator | General | Early Growth | Low | 119 (D) | 47 (D) | New York State certified Business Incubator |
Civic Sector -- 1 resource
| Organization ▲ | Location | Status | Members | AD | SD | Partners | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society | Waterville | Active | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | Barton-Brown Observatory | Unique partnership with the Waterville Public Library. |
Colleges & Universities -- 20 resources
| Institution ▲ | Location | Code | Resources | Social Media | Members | AD | SD | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta | Degree Program | Physics & Astronomy | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | Program offers a dual track option for either employment or graduate studies. | |
| SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta | Student Group | Physics & Astronomy Club | 3 | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | Active group focused on fostering interest and knowledge about astronomy. | |
| SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta | Student Group | Sigma Pi Sigma | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | Physics honor society. | |
| SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta | Civic Institution | SUNY Oneonta College Observatory | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | Home to the largest optical telescope in the state of New York. | |
| SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta | Civic Institution | SUNY Oneonta Planetarium | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | Upgraded in 2019, available for student, community, and private programming. | |
| Hartwick College | Oneonta | Degree Program | Physics | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | Recently upgraded facilities and a wide range of unique opportunities define this program. | |
| Hartwick College | Oneonta | Civic Institution | Ernest B. Wright Observatory | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | Facility contains a 16” telescope for student use. | |
| Hartwick College | Oneonta | Student Group | Society of Physics Students/Sigma Pi Sigma | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | Both programs are available to enrich the Physics experience of undergraduate students. | |
| Hamilton College | Clinton | Degree Program | Physics | unknown | 117 (R) | 53 (R) | Focus is on small class sizes and 1 on 1 support. | |
| Hamilton College | Clinton | Student Group | Hamilton Space Society | 6 | 117 (R) | 53 (R) | Fun oriented group focused on generating interest in space. | |
| Hamilton College | Clinton | Student Group | Society for Physics Students | 12 | 117 (R) | 53 (R) | Aims to excite student interest in Physics through projects and outreach. | |
| Hamilton College | Clinton | Civic Institution | Peters Observatory | unknown | 117 (R) | 53 (R) | Recently ugraded facility for use by students. | |
| Utica University | Utica | Degree Program | Physics | unknown | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | Program has invested over $250,000 in recent years in new equipment. Department also offers a 3+2 engineering program. | |
| Utica University | Utica | Degree Program | Geoscience | unknown | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | Program contains a broad range of disciplines, including Astronomy. | |
| Colgate University | Hamilton | Degree Program | Astrogeophysics | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | Multidisciplinary program for students interested in the evolution of the Solar System. | |
| Colgate University | Hamilton | Degree Program | Astronomy-Physics | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | ||
| Colgate University | Hamilton | Degree Program | Physics | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | ||
| Colgate University | Hamilton | Student Group | SEDS | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | Conduct outreach to local middle schools. | |
| Colgate University | Hamilton | Student Group | Star Gate | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | Focus on astrophotography. | |
| Colgate University | Hamilton | Student Group | Society of Physics Students | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | Focus on inspiring an interest in physics and supporting undergraduate Physics majors. |
K-12 Schools -- 3 resources
| School ▲ | Locality | Facilities | Notes | AD | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broadalbin-Perth Jr/Sr School | Broadalbin | The American Rocket Challenge Participant | 2020 entrant in the Great American Rocketry Challenge. | 118 (R) | 49 (R) |
| Utica Academy of Science | Utica | STEM focused college prep academy with specific Astronomy curriculum available to students. | 119 (D) | 49 (R) | |
| OHM Boces | Oneida | OHM BOCES Portable Planetarium | Utilize a portable STARLAB DOME for mobile astronomy. Currently not available due to staffing vacancy. | 101 (R) | 53 (R) |
NYers In Space -- 1 resource
| Astronaut ▲ | Birthplace | Missions | Time In Space | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Gibson | Cooperstown | STS 41-B, 61-C, 27, 47, 71 | 36 days, 4 hours, and 15 minutes | After retiring from NASA he became a professional air racer. |
Planetariums & Observatories -- 6 resources
| Organization ▲ | Location | Telescope | jobs | AD | SD | Partners | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUNY Oneonta College Observatory | Oneonta | 40.00" | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | SUNY Oneonta | Home to the largest optical telescope in the state of New York. |
| AJ Reed Science and Discovery Center | Oneonta | N/A | unknown | 121 (R) | 51 (R) | SUNY Oneonta | Includes programming and events at the campus planetarium. |
| OHM BOCES Portable Planetarium | Oneida | N/A | unknown | 101 (R) | 53 (R) | OHM Boces | Utilize a portable STARLAB DOME for mobile astronomy. Currently not available due to staffing vacancy. |
| Peters Observatory | Hamilton | 11.25" | unknown | 117 (R) | 53 (R) | Hamilton College | Recently ugraded facility for use by students. |
| Barton-Brown Observatory | Waterville | 16.00" | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | Waterville Public Library | Multiple telescopes in a heated outdoor observatory on library grounds. |
| Foggy Bottom Observatory | Hamilton | N/A | unknown | 121 (R) | 53 (R) | Colgate University | Offer lectures in addition to research resources for students and staff. |
Space Companies -- 14 resources
| Organization ▲ | Category | Specialization | Revenue | Employment | Social | Location | Comments | AD | SD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Electronics | Space & Defense | Aerospace Manufacturing | 44 | Oneonta | Custom makers of high-voltage mica-paper capacitors, sub-assemblies and packages high-voltage modules for the world's leading companies in the missile-system, communication-satellite, medical-electronics, geophysical, and aerospace industries in the United States and abroad. | 122 (R) | 51 (R) | ||
| Pratt & Whitney/HMI Metal Powders | Aerospace | Aerospace Manufacturing | $19.07 million (Global) |
120 | Clayville | World leader in producing advanced powders used in turbine engines. | 101 (R) | 53 (R) | |
| Air Force Regional Information Directorate Services | Space & Defense | Space Force/Military | $1.5 billion (Site Specific) |
838 | Rome | Primary campus for Air Force R&D into C4I and Cyber technologies. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | |
| Andro Computational Solutions | Space & Defense | AI & Machine Learning | 38 | Rome | Specialists in wireless communications, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, including hosting the ANDRO Marconi-Rosenblatt Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Innovation Lab. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | ||
| BAE Systems | Space & Defense | Space Force/Military | 65 | Rome | The Rome facility is part of the Griffis Institute and a node in BAE's defense oriented network. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | ||
| Brandywine Photonics | Core Space | Optics & Imaging | $49 thousand (Site Specific) |
1 | Utica | In March 2023 Brandywine Photonics partnered with IDCA's LLC of Utica to work on their Infrared Space Camera business and leverage current ground based capabilities in space. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | |
| Caci | Space & Defense | Space Data | $5 million to $10 million (Global) |
20 - 49 | Rome | Utilizes groundbreaking space technology to provide C4ISR dominance for military clients. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | |
| Helios | Space & Defense | Remote Sensing | 10 | Rome | Expertise in advanced remote sensing systems engineering, advanced radio frequency (RF) signal processing design, single / multi-sensor high resolution EO / IR / radar imagery exploitation, and related proof-of-concept design & development | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | ||
| L3Harris | Space & Defense | Telecommunications & Electronics | 5 | Rome | This facility is part of the navigation, electronics, and communications manufacturing network. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | ||
| Northrop Grumman | Aerospace | Aerospace Manufacturing | Rome | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | ||||
| Oneida Research Services Inc. | Space & Defense | Testing & Development | $19.8 million (Global) |
30 | Whitesboro | Provides high quality testing for microelectronics and other materials used in various aerospace and military sectors. Customers include NASA's Orion and SLS programs. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | |
| TECT Power | Aerospace | Launch, Rocketry, & Propulsion | $20 million to $50 million (Global) |
18 | Utica | Local branch of national aerospace manufacturer heavy on government contracts. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | |
| UTC Aerospace/Collins Aerospace | Aerospace | Aerospace Manufacturing | $4.72 million (Site Specific) |
19 | Rome | Aerospace manufacturing facility, part of Raytheon/Collins Aerospace network. | 119 (D) | 53 (R) | |
| A Special Metals Company Div of PCC | Core Space | Aerospace Manufacturing | $130.57 million (Local) |
550 | New Hartford | Manufactures a number of alloys and metals for aerospace clients, including NASA's SLS program. | 122 (R) | 53 (R) |