VESTAL, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – A new piece of tech makes Broome County home to one of the most advanced imaging centers in the region.

UHS and Binghamton University partnered to bring a state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging scanner, commonly known as an MRI, to Greater Binghamton.

The $2.6 million scanner was moved into its new home at the UHS in Vestal this morning.

This partnership gives BU faculty and students opportunities to conduct academic and clinical research while enabling UHS to offer diagnoses of its patients related to brain disease, cardiovascular disease, and orthopedic injuries.

David Jentsch is a Professor of Psychology at BU and says having the scanner allows students to practice twenty-first century science, and to get trained on the most advanced technology available.

SUNY Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Binghamton University, David Jentsch says, “From the perspective of the university, It has really vital research implications. It allows us to study the human brain, in real time. While people are thinking and feeling and talking. And so, it helps us to give important clues about how the brain works when its healthy, as well as how the brain works when its suffering from disease.”

Jentsch says the fourteen-ton scanner was produced in Germany, shipped overseas to South Carolina, and got dropped off in Vestal this morning.

He says that within a week, the MRI should be operational, and by late June, it will be used to help research subjects and patients.