(Syracuse, October 1, 2007)—Today the Syracuse Center of Excellence Office for Industry Collaboration (Syracuse CoE OIC) announced that five Upstate New York companies have received a total of $710,985 in merit-based Technology Application and Demonstration (TAD) awards for projects designed to improve air quality by testing for airborne contaminants and by creating the next generation of air conditioning systems.

The awards are made possible through funding to the Syracuse CoE from the US Environmental Protection Agency, secured by US Rep. James T. Walsh (R-NY). The announcement was made at the company headquarters of Propulsive Wing, which is housed in the Allred & Associates facility in Elbridge, NY.

The five companies were competitively selected based on their proposals for yearlong projects that demonstrate the “first proof of principle” or “reduction to practice” phase of a new product or service associated with air and/or water quality. Projects begin on January 1, 2008, and most will run through December 31, 2008.

The award recipients and their collaborators are:

• CollabWorx, Inc. 235 Harrison St., Suite 303, Syracuse, NY 13202
Project Title: Open Web Services-Based Indoor Climate Control System, Phase II
Collaborator: SenSyr LLC. (sensyr.com)
Project Directors: Dr. Marek Podgorny, CEO, CollabWorx; Dr. Edward Lipson, CEO, SenSyr LLC.; Dr. Roman Markowski, COO, CollabWorx
Funding Amount: $149,900

• Bluepoint Environmental, 7280 Caswell Street, North Syracuse, NY 13212
Project Title: Application and Demonstration of Macroarray Analytical Techniques for the Detection of Fungal Bioaerosols in Buildings
Collaborator: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Project Directors: Matthew DaRin, ELS, and Dr. Susan Anagnost, SUNY-ESF
Funding Amount: $149,141

• Propulsive Wing, LLC. PO Box 321, Elbridge, NY 13060
Project Title: Commercial DeveIopment of a Multi-Use Personal Ventilation/Filtration System
Collaborator: Syracuse University and Allred & Associates, Inc.
Project Directors: Dr. Joseph Kummer, President, Propulsive Wing, LLC.
Funding Amount: $150,000

• Taitem Engineering, 109 South Albany Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
Project Title: Geothermal Desiccant Cooling: A New Approach to Air Conditioning
Collaborator: SU, Building Energy and Environmental Systems Laboratory
Project Director: Ian M. Shapiro, President, Taitem Engineering
Funding Amount: $111,944

• Widetronix, Inc. PO Box 4491, Ithaca, NY 14852
Project Title: Silicon Carbide Avalanche Photodiode for Photomultiplier Tube Replacement in Airborne Biological Contaminant Identification Sensors
Collaborator: Cornell University, Wide Bandgap Laboratory (cornell.edu)
Project Director: Dr. Michael G. Spencer, President, Widetronix, Inc.
Funding Amount: $150,000

“Our region possesses the unique expertise to solve global problems relating to energy and the environment,” says Jim Walsh. “The innovations developed by Syracuse CoE partners will not only benefit the environment, but create jobs, generate revenue, and open up opportunities for new and growing businesses.”