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Photonics project to develop sensors for civilian and Defense Dept. applications

The latest announcement from the AIM Photonics board about that initiative in Rochester involves the development of electronic sensors that  can be used  by the military and for various civilian applications.

Officials say the new Defense Department project will help researchers develop sensors that can be used for things like environmental monitoring, diagnosing disease, ensuring food safety and detecting chemical and biological weapons.

John Maggiore is Chair of  the AIM Photonics board. He says this project includes a number of partners led by the University of Rochester.

“This particular project, it’s about a $2.3 million project, that uses Department of Defense dollars, and private sector dollars, to do this type of research , that could change people’s lives … change how we live. It’s not too much of an exaggeration to speak in those terms,” he told WXXI News.

But Maggiore is hesitant to tie this project to a specific number of jobs being created.

“It’s really difficult to calculate how many jobs will be generated, but it’s a fair calculation to say that this will provide jobs long into the future for the Finger Lakes.”

Maggiore expects work on this latest project to be done at the new Testing, Assembly and Packaging, or TAP facility for photonics, which will open this summer at the Eastman Business Park.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.