Long Island has played a prominent role in
scientific research and in
engineering. It is the home of the
Brookhaven National Laboratory in
nuclear physics and
Department of Energy research. Long Island is also home to the
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, which was directed for 35 years by
James D. Watson (who, along with
Francis Crick and
Rosalind Franklin, discovered the
double helix structure of
DNA). Companies such as
Sperry Corporation,
Computer Associates (headquartered in
Islandia),
Zebra Technologies (now occupying the former headquarters of
Symbol Technologies, and a former
Grumman plant in
Holtsville), have made Long Island a center for the
computer industry.
Stony Brook University and
New York Institute of Technology conduct advanced medical and
technological research.
