News
NYCEDC, NYC Talent and CUNY Queens College Launch NYC Node, a Blockchain Applied Learning Program and New York City’s First Blockchain Infrastructure Investment
NYC Node is designed to introduce CUNY students and faculty to Blockchain, provide them with research and hands-on learning to take advantage of opportunities in the emerging industry
The program highlights New York City’s commitment to growing emerging industries and strengthening its workforce
REGINE, New York—The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the Tech Talent Pipeline within the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent), and the Tech Incubator at CUNY Queens College (TIQC) have announced today the launch of New York node, an applied learning program and New York City’s first investment in blockchain infrastructure to operate the blockchain node hosted at TIQC. NYC Node will provide hands-on learning, workshops and research resources for more than 200 students and faculty across the CUNY network. Blockchain nodes are devices that participate in a blockchain network for decentralization and data security.
NYCEDC, NYC Talent, and CUNY Queens College invested to create the NYC Node program, including funding Ethereum node equipment such as a central processing unit (CPU), a motherboard, and a graphics card. The New York Node advances Mayor Adams’ Rebuild, Renovate, Reinvent: A Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery further diversifying the economy by investing in future-focused industries with connections to CUNY students and faculty and accelerating the growth of these emerging sectors.
“New York City is the financial capital of the world, and with programs like NYC Node, we are providing students with the tools and hands-on experience needed to pursue careers in the blockchain industry, as well as spurring new research and cutting-edge solutions. innovation in this sector,” he said NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball. “NYCEDC looks forward to seeing our partners at NYC Talent and CUNY prepare the next generation of New Yorkers with the skills and experience needed to contribute to the future of finance and continue to grow the blockchain industry in New York City.”
“NYC Node is an innovative partnership with Tech Talent Pipeline, NYCEDC and Queens College that will enhance the existing CUNY 2X Tech portfolio by creating New York City pathways to a career in the Blockchain industry,” he said Abby Jo Sigal, executive director of the New York Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development. “This will grow and expand our agenda of technological innovation in education, offering CUNY students the ability to learn and earn while working on cutting-edge Blockchain technology and providing employers access to world-class talent order for the most requested jobs”.
“Understanding blockchain infrastructure is essential to the future of our economy and financial well-being. I am happy to see the City’s future leaders, our CUNY students, leading this initiative. As Chair of the Economic Development Committee, I look forward to continuing to collaborate with NYCEDC on more innovative ways to use Blockchain to support New York City’s economy on both a local and city scale,” he said Board member Amanda Farías.
“Queens has the potential to become the nation’s next big tech hub—potential that my office is working hard to harness every day. With today’s launch of the vital NYC Node program, we are taking a huge step toward achieving that goal, empowering everyone associated with our CUNY system and breaking down barriers in the tech industry,” he said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “I look forward to working with NYCEDC and all of our committed partners to support our young people and ensure that the tech jobs of tomorrow are filled today by CUNY students from across Queens and this city.”
“The archive node offers a powerful tool for researchers and students to access and analyze historical data on the Ethereum Blockchain,” he said Queens College Program Director, Joan Nix, Ph.D.“It will offer our students hands-on learning, which is highly valued by employers applying this innovative technology. This places Queens College alongside many top universities in offering such an incredible opportunity.”
As the financial capital of the world, New York City sees the potential of NYC Node in bridging the gap between blockchain technology capabilities and use cases for financial institutions. NYC Node aims to facilitate direct, blockchain-compliant connections for highly regulated institutions, while providing work experience for CUNY students to operate these nodes.
NYC Node will provide the next generation of CUNY students and New York’s workforce with the skills and applied experience needed to contribute to the future of finance in the city. NYC Node will expand the capabilities of companies, with operations in New York, to integrate and monetize public blockchains. From now on, NYC Node will operate on a semi-annual basis, welcoming students from all schools in the CUNY network to participate.
The program was created by Joshua Gottlieb, an alumnus of CUNY Queens College. Four current CUNY students built this project from scratch: Baldwin Cepeda of Queens College, Daniel Chrostowski of Hunter College, Jeremy Oppenheimer of Baruch College, and Jonathan Shields of York College. Next, students will open source NYC Node to enable further collaboration by other CUNY students and the broader blockchain developer ecosystem.
The NYC Node initiative will also receive support from Lendvest, a member of the CONSTRUCTION of the chain program, which will create an inclusive, blockchain-agnostic strategy to create nodes and index DeFi data for other chains. Additionally, Polyhedra Network, the team building the next generation of secure and scalable zero-knowledge (ZK) proof infrastructure, is assisting in technical research into the required number of confirmations for settlement between different blockchains. Olympix, based in New York, provides its industry-leading services static code analysis tool to enable CUNY students to create secure applications.
“NYC Node is the first blockchain project jointly sponsored by the Queens College Tech Incubator (TIQC), as a key component of TIQC’s Blockchain Accelerator. We look forward to supporting more blockchain-related projects and initiatives across CUNY,” he said Ying Zhou, executive director of the Tech Incubator at Queens College.
“New York is committed to growing its blockchain industry in a way that simultaneously prepares CUNY students for careers in the industry,” he said Robert Domanski, Ph.D., Dean of Innovation and Academic Achievement, Hunter College.
“Honored to be involved in the launch of the Ethereum Node at the Tech Incubator at Queens College,” said Michael M. Wechsler, Esq., Adjunct Professor at Queens College“a unique CUNY collaboration of distinguished students, alumni, faculty and advisors, with special thanks to NYCEDC for supporting such innovation.”
“Providing an Ethereum storage node for students and researchers to study data science and financial technology is as significant as providing a corpse to study human anatomy. There is no better way to learn how something works than to study the exact thing in a safe environment,” he said Dan McCloskey, Professor and Chair of Psychology at CUNY College of Staten Island and Graduate Center.
“The project for which I have the honor to serve as an advisor, led by Queens College’s Tech Incubator, is a true example of a proactive and forward-thinking partnership between academia, students and the private sector. By bringing together CUNY system, academic experts and industry leaders, this project is intended to provide students with much-needed training and real-world education on these topics, will create thought leadership content that can be used to educate others and it will be to help create a self-sustaining community of individuals bonded by an interest and affinity for these world-changing technologies,” he said Dr. Sean Stein Smith, Accounting Working Group Chair, Wall Street Blockchain Alliance, Board of Directors – Wall Street Blockchain Alliance .
“Polyhedra Network believes that the future growth of blockchain applications is highly dependent on continued investment in the space and next generation. We are honored to be part of the NYC Node program and provide data services to CUNY developers,” he said Eric Vreeland, Chief Strategy Officer of Polyhedra Network .
New York City is ranked as the second-largest global tech ecosystem and is home to over 25,000 tech-enabled startups. The tech ecosystem employs more than 355,000 people, having grown by more than 30% in the last decade.
About NYCEDC
The New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven nonprofit organization working toward a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four core strategies: building confidence in New York as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; building neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work and play; and provide sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city’s future economy. To find out more about what we do, visit us at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedInAND Instagram.
Learn about New York talent
The Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development (“NYC Talent”) is responsible for the City’s talent and workforce development system for the benefit of residents, employers and the City’s economy. While we do not issue contracts directly, we work closely with city agencies and entities that do. NYC Talent seeks new and effective ways to expand and support productive public/private partnerships; develop and match talent with promising careers; align its education, career readiness, and job training programs across city government; and coordinate fiscal and program data among stakeholders to provide a comprehensive view of the talent system with the goal of making progress toward the citywide employment goals established in Executive Order No. 22.
About CUNY Queens College
Queens College enjoys a national reputation for its liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional programs. With its undergraduate and graduate degrees, honors programs, and research and internship opportunities, the college helps its students realize their potential in countless ways, assisted by an accessible, award-winning faculty. Located on a beautiful 80-acre campus in Flushing, the college has been consistently cited by the Princeton Review as one of America’s Best Value Colleges, as well as being ranked the Best Value College by the States United and by World Report and Forbes Magazine due to its outstanding academics, generous financial aid packages and relatively low costs. Visit our home page to know more.