Congresswoman Barbara Lee Tours UC Berkeley’s Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Labs
Oakland, CA - Today Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) toured the UC Berkeley’s research and innovation facilities including the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), CITRIS Invention Lab and the Marvell Nanofabrication Lab.
This tour was part of the Democratic Make it in America Plan and Congresswoman Lee’s ongoing efforts to expand investments in innovation and American manufacturing. The Make It In America Plan focuses on creating the best conditions for American businesses to manufacture their products, innovate, and create jobs right here in the U.S.
“I am proud of UC Berkeley’s leadership in advancing research supporting innovation and advanced manufacturing in the Bay Area and the nation,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “When more products are made in America, businesses grow and create high paying jobs that help re-build the middle class and our economy.”
Today’s tour included the following UC Berkeley facilities:
Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS)
The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society—CITRIS—creates information technology solutions for our most pressing social, environmental and health care challenges. CITRIS was created to ‘shorten the pipeline’ between world-class laboratory research and the societal impact of technology through rapid transfers to established companies and the creation of start-ups.
CITRIS Invention Lab
The CITRIS Invention Lab supports faculty, student and community innovation by providing the knowledge, tools and support to rapidly design and prototype novel interactive products, embedded sensing systems and integrated mobile devices. The new facility will be a vital piece of the CITRIS pipeline running from the minds of researchers through CITRIS laboratories and into the markets, industries and streets of the world. The 1,700 ft2 Invention Lab supports 3 major functions:
- Learn: Faculty teach Engineering and New Media courses on interactive product design and prototyping,
- Build: The lab offers a full suite of tools, technical support and fabrication services for creating functional prototypes and
- Launch: The lab promotes turning concepts and ideas into new ventures by offering work space for the Foundry business incubator.
Marvell Nanofabrication Lab
The Marvell NanoLab is a shared research center providing more than 100 Principal Investigators and over 500 academic and industrial researchers a complete set of micro- and nano-fabrication tools.
Congresswoman Lee has been a leader in fighting for resources to expand investment in manufacturing and is a co-sponsor on the following bills: Make It in America Manufacturing Act of 2013 (H.R. 375); the Advancing Innovative Manufacturing Act of 2013 (H.R. 1421); the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2013 (H.R. 2447) and the Economy, Energy and Environment Initiative to Support Sustainable Manufacturing (E3) Act (H.R. 2873).
Please contact katherine.jolly@mail.house.gov for photos from the tour.
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