Advancing STEM education and meeting the needs of future job markets
Advance STEM education and prepare students for future job markets.
Occurrences
Evidence
Congressman Tonko announced 20 FY2027 community project funding requests, including Hudson Valley Community College's Applied Technology Education Center project to build an Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Lab and expand academic and non-credit offerings for careers in building systems, renewable energy, semiconductor manufacturing, and transportation technologies, plus a University at Albany mobile laboratory and RPI quantum project.
Tonko said he secured $14,093,000 in FY2026 funding, including $850,000 for Hudson Valley Community College's Applied Technology Education Center for an Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Lab, $1,031,000 for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's quantum innovation equipment, and $1,521,000 for the University at Albany's CNSE cleanroom equipment upgrade; the office said these appropriations packages were signed into law.
Assessments
Tonko secured enacted FY2026 federal funding for multiple STEM and workforce-preparation projects, including an autonomous and electric vehicle lab at Hudson Valley Community College, quantum innovation equipment at RPI, and cleanroom equipment upgrades at UAlbany CNSE. These are concrete federal actions tied directly to advancing STEM education and preparing students for future job markets, and they occurred while he remains in office. His later FY2027 community project requests further support continued effort, but the FY2026 enacted appropriations are sufficient for delivery.