Golisano Institute for Sustainability at Rochester Institute of Technology

For over 25 years, the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) has been dedicated to the economic imperative of sustainability and the global competitiveness of the manufacturing sector. Located on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology in Upstate New York, GIS is a leading industrial sustainability research, development, and technology deployment organization. Our mission is to undertake world-class education and research in sustainability.

GIS consists of a diverse set of academic programs, applied research centers, sponsored programs, and initiatives that focus on industrial collaboration on the deployment of new technologies for more efficient and sustainable products and processes. All of our research programs are led by a multidisciplinary team of faculty and professional research staff who are highly collaborative with external organizations locally, nationally and internationally to create implementable solutions to complex sustainability problems.

Our approach to sustainability is grounded in the scope and practicality of real-world manufacturing problems. We have partnered with hundreds of business and government sponsors to solve complex technical problems facing manufacturing. Our expertise in pollution prevention, design for product life, remanufacturing, product and process efficiency, material and process innovation, and smart products and systems combined with our state-of-the-art facilities create competitive advantages for companies both large and small.

With over 100 full-time engineers, technicians, research faculty, and sponsored students; approximately 225,000 square feet of state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, testbeds; and multiple interdisciplinary research centers – GIS brings the right mix of talent, experience, and capabilities to every project.

Applied Research Centers under the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies:

• The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute is a partnership with NYS to reduce toxic use, emissions, waste generation and natural resource consumption through applied research, technology deployment, and information dissemination.
• The Center of Excellence in Advanced & Sustainable Manufacturing is a partnership with the State of NY to help NYS manufacturers gain competitive advantages through advanced manufacturing technologies and more sustainable products and processes.
• The Center for Remanufacturing and Resource Recovery conducts applied research in remanufacturing processes and technologies.
• The Center for Sustainable Energy Systems conducts systems-focused applied research for waste-to-value-add, micro-grids, smart cities, smart products and remote support.
• The Center for Sustainable Mobility develops viable technologies for sustainable transportation systems and interconnected smart city systems.
• The Printing Applications Lab conducts research and offers training in areas of print media, including quality control, color measurement, and coating performance.

In addition, GIS also maintains the NanoPower Research Labs, an applied research center which conducts research on new materials and devices for power generation and storage for microelectronic components and micro-electromechanical systems.