Hudson Valley’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology program readies graduates for careers as CNC machinists, toolmakers and industrial technicians, in addition to marketing, sales, procurement and supervisory roles. It’s the only community college training program of this kind within 125 miles and states a 100 percent job placement rate for graduates, with nearly all students securing work prior to graduation.

By 2020, more than 200,000 new openings are anticipated for machinists and industrial maintenance technicians nationally. With the opening of the new Center for Advanced Manufacturing Skills, Hudson Valley will be well-positioned to help fill the shortage of well-trained, skilled craftspeople and assist manufacturing firms looking to expand, create new jobs and contribute to the region’s ongoing economic health.

CAMS is a one-stop manufacturing technology center that will train students on the newest machine tools, equipment, tooling and software needed for employment with manufacturers in the Northeast. The building’s design furnishes corporate partners with handy access to offices and conference space adjacent to faculty offices, student classrooms and labs. Facilities will be available for everything ranging from corporate demonstration purposes to shared training activities and meetings and events that connect the college to its workforce partners.

The Hudson Valley Community College Foundation endeavored for more than two years to secure gifts toward the construction of the venue, including a leadership challenge gift of $1 million from the Gene Haas Foundation, a longtime partner of Hudson Valley and provider of the equipment used in student training; a $2.9 million grant through Empire State Development as part of the New York State Regional Economic Development Council awards; and $1.5 million in federal funding through the U.S. Federal Economic Development Administration, as well as numerous contributions from other local partners, alumni and friends.

The college partnered with several local construction companies to build CAMS, which was designed by the Troy-based Mosaic Associates Architects. Contractors included: Bette & Cring Construction Group of Latham for general construction; Tri-Valley Plumbing & Heating, Inc. of Schenectady for plumbing; John W. Danforth Co. of Ballston Spa for mechanical; T&J Electrical Associates, LLC of Clifton Park for electrical; Comalli Group, Inc. of Albany for communications cabling; and Atlantic Testing Laboratories, Limited of Clifton Park for special inspections. The college broke ground on the building in April 2018.

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The university recently moved three 27-ton shake tables to the newly expanded three-story Earthquake Engineering Laboratory. The 14- by 14-foot shake tables are large platforms controlled by hydraulic jacks that work in tandem with a computerized simulation system. Together, these systems can emulate the force and duration of various earthquakes.

“This expansion is a major accomplishment that will make us more competitive and productive,” said Manos Maragakis, dean of the College of Engineering, in a statement. “Our facility will be unique worldwide and, combined with the excellence of our faculty and students, will allow us to make even greater contributions to the seismic safety of our state, the nation and the world.”

Each of the relocated shake tables can hold up to 50 tons of weight, allowing UNR engineers to construct bridges, roadways and scale buildings across each platform. Additionally, the tables are not stationary, and can be repositioned throughout the lab to accommodate different designs.

According to Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering David Sanders, the lab will be used to conduct valuable research. "What we do is try to improve the designs of buildings and bridges so that they perform better in an earthquake. Not just that they survive an earthquake, but that they are serviceable after an earthquake."

In a statement to the Reno Gazette-Journal, Sanders added that the expansion will give UNR researchers more versatility and more flexibility, while also allowing them to test larger structures and different configurations.
The shake tables were relocated from the existing Large-Scale Structures Lab and were lifted into place in late February by 30-ton cranes. The move constituted the final step in a 6-month equipment installation process. According to Ian Buckle, civil engineering professor and lab director, facility staff had to disassemble and carefully reassemble each complex shake table component to allow for safe transportation. “It has been quite an undertaking to move into the new space,” Buckle said in a release.

In addition to the shake tables, the new Earthquake Engineering Laboratory expansion also features several offices, a state-of-the-art control room, and an auditorium with telecommunication features. This particular component will allow researchers to share knowledge with fellow Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) consortium members from around the world.

Construction of the new $20 million laboratory began in November 2010, and the facility will be officially dedicated in late June. More than $12 million in construction funds were provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and an additional $3.1 million was contributed by the U.S. Department of Energy.

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