An upstate congressman with key leverage over Homeland Security spending has gotten a primer on Long Island's sensor initiatives.

Rep. John E. Sweeney, R-Clifton Park, whose district stretches almost 200 miles north from Dutchess County, toured Brookhaven National Laboratory and SUNY Stony Brook Feb. 24.

He was briefed by Stony Brook President Shirley Strum Kenny and Brookhaven's interim chief Peter Paul about sensor projects, including collaborations between institutions. Under one of the projects, Brookhaven, Stony Brook and companies such as Symbol Technologies, EDO Corp. and Northrop Grumman, would deploy wirelessly networked sensors to detect biological or nuclear weapons.

Sweeney's committee assignments put him squarely along the route of funding for security initiatives. He serves on the House Appropriations Committee and Feb. 12 was named to the Select Committee on Homeland Security, which helps develop policy for the larger Homeland Security Committee. Also appointed to the select committee was Rep. Peter King, R-Massapequa.

Sweeney said lawmakers had a "sense of frustration" about technologies that promised to bolster domestic security, but remained in the research phase.

"What I've been shown today is technology that's real," he said. "The picture is becoming clearer." Sweeney said he hopes to bring congressional staffers and other lawmakers to Long Island for a first-hand look at the technology.

As for Stony Brook's and Brookhaven's role in Homeland Security, Sweeney said: "I think they're going to be essential players."

Symbol, Austin Travel unit fast-track registrations

Symbol Technologies and Austin Travel's meeting services unit have rolled out a "no-wait" registration system designed to eliminate lines at conventions and other events.

The system was launched in January at Symbol's worldwide sales conference at the Manadalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. Symbol's 1,100-employee event also marked the debut of the nearly 1 million-square-foot convention center.

Austin Travel is based in Melville, while Symbol, which makes wireless networking and handheld computing systems, is headquartered in Holtsville.

Concorde model bound for Cradle of Aviation

The Big Duck in Flanders will be getting some competition as a roadside icon.

A model of the Concorde supersonic jetliner will be mounted on a pylon near the entrance of the Cradle of Aviation in Mitchel Field.

At one-half scale, the model still is 96-feet long, larger than any of the museum's real airplanes. But before the Concorde goes up, it will require restoration work, according to Friends for Long Island's Heritage, which supports museums and preserves.

COMET awards to debut in April

Can Long Island stand another acronym?

We'll soon be finding out when LIFT - that's Long Island Forum for Technology - launches the COMET - that's Convergence of Manufacturing Excellence and Technology - awards April 10. (That's not to be confused with Long Island Software and Technology Network's presentation of the LISA awards.)

The event, presented in conjunction with Empire State Development, will honor excellence in manufacturing on Long Island.

Possible award categories include: precision machine parts, electronic assemblies, complex integrated products, innovative manufactured products and unrestricted.

CosmoCom cuts deals in Turkey and China

Melville-based CosmoCom has hammered out agreements with Probil, a telecom systems integrator in Turkey, and the Bank of China in Beijing.

The Bank of China chose CosmoCom technology to power its customer service center using Voice Over Internet Protocol communications.

VOIP employs data networks instead of telephone switching equipment to offer Web chat, Web voice, Web video and other services.

The Bank of China adopted the CosmoCom platform through the Long Island firm's Chinese partner, Beijing JiYa Telecommunications Engineering Company Ltd.

Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

In Turkey, CosmoCom's service will let Probil's clients set up contact centers at any location without having large capital outlays for on-site equipment.

"Traditionally, there were only two ways to create a call center: build it yourself or outsource all of it to someone else," said Onder Ozturan, application services manager for Probil. With CosmoCom's "Contact Center On-Demand, we are now providing a third option: own the operation, but outsource the technology."

Among CosmoCom's partners are British Telecom, Cable & Wireless, France Telecom, Korea Telecom, NTT and Sonera.