Two New York state companies have been chosen to participate this spring in the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) JumpStart Program, through which they will collaborate with Cornell faculty members to develop and improve their products.

The program is supported by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), with the ultimate goals of revenue growth and job creation. JumpStart projects receive up to $5,000 in matching funds for project costs that include faculty and research staff time, facilities, services, supplies and materials.

A total of 135 projects involving 109 companies have benefited from the JumpStart program since its inception in 2005.

This semester’s projects:

• Ashlawn Energy, Inc., of Binghamton, will collaborate with Yong Joo, professor in the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, on the development of new membranes and membrane coatings to improve its vanadium flow electrical storage system, which stores electricity produced during off-peak hours for use during peak times.
• Double Helix Optics, Inc., of Rochester, will collaborate with Tobias Hanrath, also from the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, on the development of new 2D and 3D calibration targets able to characterize the 3D field-of-view, down to nanometer scale accuracy, bringing super-high-resolution 3D nanoscopy to the life sciences, material sciences and industrial inspection markets.

NYSTAR supports collaborative industry/academic partnerships to foster integrated approaches for developing and commercializing innovative technologies and serves as a resource for small and startup technology companies.

CCMR is an interdisciplinary research center funded by the National Science Foundation and New York state. Its mission is to advance, explore and exploit the forefront of the science and engineering of advanced materials.