Rensselaer researchers have developed a new energy storage device that easily could be mistaken for a simple sheet of black paper. The nanoengineered battery is lightweight, ultra thin, completely flexible, and geared toward meeting the trickiest design and energy requirements of tomorrow’s gadgets, implantable medical equipment, and transportation vehicles.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson will co-chair a national “Energy Security, Innovation & Sustainability Initiative” of the Council on Competitiveness.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson applauded the bipartisan House-Senate Conference Agreement on the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 2272), which was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate on Aug. 2 and signed into law by President Bush on Aug. 9.  She continued her call for adequate investments in U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics talent and research to sustain our national capacity for innovation

Approximately 20 area Girl Scouts had an opportunity to learn that science and engineering can be fun, as part of a two-week summer program developed by the Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE) at Rensselaer. The students used LEGO MINDSTORMS™ robot technology to design, construct, and program robotic solutions to perform complex engineering challenges.

Members of the Class of 2011 are making their final preparations to attend Rensselaer this fall. More than 1,000 first-year students and more than 1,600 parents and other family members attended a series of two-day orientation programs held on Rensselaer’s campus during the month of July. Students and their families will come to Rensselaer from all across the country and abroad including the Bahamas, China, Denmark, Ecuador, India, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

The newly renovated Rensselaer Union Father’s Marketplace just got a facelift and opened its doors for business last week. The space has an entirely revamped look as part of a natural extension of last year’s Rathskeller renovation, and has new offerings, services, and a colorful decor. A grand opening is being planned for the fall.

Accolades for Week of August 13, 2007

A key discovery by Saroj Nayak, associate professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy, could help advance the role of graphene as a possible heir to copper and silicon in nanoelectronics.

In 1998, two research teams a world apart uncovered a key truth about our universe — it was expanding. Fast. One of the experiments, the Supernova Cosmology Project, was originally a thesis project for Heidi Jo Newberg, now an associate professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy at Rensselaer. Members of the two research teams are now being honored for their discovery with one of the top scientific awards in the field—the 2007 Gruber Cosmology Prize.

Summer@Rensselaer is in full swing on campus. The program offers a variety of summer enrichment programs that allow elementary, middle, and high school students to participate in non-credit programs that stimulate their minds and exercise their bodies.

Accolades for Week of July 30, 2007

The ability of carbon nanotubes to withstand repeated stress yet retain their structural and mechanical integrity is similar to the behavior of soft tissue, according to a new study from Rensselaer advanced materials researchers.

Federal agencies in the United States need to provide sustainable funding streams to maintain the nation’s competitiveness and nourish the next generation of scientists, according to Robert Palazzo, Rensselaer provost and incoming president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). Palazzo laid out his vision for the biomedical sciences at a July 10 event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Wai Kin “Victor” Chan, assistant professor of decision sciences and engineering systems, is among the 83 rising stars invited to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s 13th annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium.

Two Rensselaer undergraduates are currently at the center of an experiment that could reveal the origins of the universe. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in the foothills of the Swiss Alps is perhaps the largest scientific experiment of our time. Samuel Punshon-Smith and Mathew Pevarnik, both undergraduate physics majors, arrived in Switzerland in early July to begin what they both expect to be a whirlwind dip into the amazing arena of particle physics.

A unique research project led by Rensselaer and conducted in New York’s Capital Region was recognized in June for its innovation by the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.

Two dozen of the Capital Region’s best and brightest science students were on campus last week to sink boats, pour molten zinc, and get an inside look into the world of engineering that will hopefully propel them to a future in math and science.

On July 12, members of the Rensselaer community showed that there’s nothing wrong with having dessert before lunch. Faculty, staff, and students came out to enjoy some sweet treats at the annual Cheesecake Festival in the Rensselaer Union McNeil Room.

The Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center hosted a group of 29 local high school and two middle school science teachers last week for a three-day primer on all things nanotech.

The new supercomputer at Rensselaer has been ranked seventh in the world, and it is the most powerful of any system based at a university, according to the 29th edition of the closely watched Top500 list.

Robert E. Palazzo, acting provost, director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, and professor of biology at Rensselaer, has been appointed to the position of provost after a rigorous national search, it has been announced by President Shirley Ann Jackson. Palazzo will assume his new position July 1.

Mimicking the agile gecko, with its uncanny ability to run up walls and across ceilings, has long been a goal of materials scientists. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Akron have taken one sticky step in the right direction, creating synthetic “gecko tape” with four times the sticking power of the real thing. 

Senior Phillip Bracken scored a front-row seat June 8 to watch the space shuttle Atlantis take off and embark on its 11-day mission.

In an ever-changing world, summer programs at Rensselaer continue to provide individuals of all ages with an opportunity to explore and develop their passions and interests through a variety of programs coordinated by the Office of Outreach Programs.

Last week, a group of 20 local high school students were on campus to learn about electrical engineering’s role in energy production and the environment.

The Rhetoric Society of America (RSA) held its biennial “Summer Institute” on the Rensselaer campus from June 17 – 24.

More than 6,000 employees from over 500 Capital Region companies and academic institutions participated in the 25th annual GHI Workforce Team Challenge event May 17 at the Empire State Plaza.

In an effort to actively seek ways to have more art displayed on the Rensselaer campus, several members of the Class of 2010 have created a mural that captures the essence of campus buildings. The mural was unveiled at the end of the spring semester, and is on display in the Commons Dining area.

Christopher Coates, an engineering sophomore, joined 499 other students and young professionals at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from June 6-8 for ATHGO International’s Third Annual Global Forum, “Global Third Way: Becoming One with the Environment.” The focus was on global warming and climate change. Coates, a member of K.V. Lakshmi’s research group, works on developing cutting-edge technology for solar energy use.

Specialized pulsed lasers have been used to inject individual cells with a variety of materials, but little was previously known about how this type of injection might affect living cells. For the first time, Rensselaer researchers have analyzed this nanoscale injection process on living cells and discovered that minor changes in the intensity of the laser could mark the difference between a healthy cell and a dead one.

Carrie Eckart ’85 has been elected president of the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA), an organization made up of more than 90,000 Rensselaer alumni worldwide. Only the second woman since 1862 to serve as president of the RAA (or its predecessor, the Association of Rensselaer Graduates) Eckart began her two-year term on Saturday, June 9. Paula Simon ’68 — now a member of Rensselaer’s Board of Trustees — was the first woman to serve as RAA president.

A. Welford Castleman Jr. ’57 received the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Thomas W. Phelan Fellows Award from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering on June 8. The ceremony took place at the Class of 1957’s 50th Reunion Dinner.

Dan Udell ’57 has captured the essence of the world’s many gardens through his camera lens, and from June – August, the Rensselaer Union Shelnutt Gallery will host an exhibit of his latest works. The show, titled “A Celebration of the Garden,” displays in vivid color gardens from around the world, including locations in the United States, Europe, France, Rome, and Mexico. The gallery will also host a special reception to honor Udell on Friday, June 22 from 3-6 p.m.

Rensselaer’s Formula SAE team placed ninth out of 105 teams that competed from May 16-20 at the 2007 Formula SAE Team from in Romeo, Mich.

Terrific weather and a host of fun events and educational programs combined for an unforgettable weekend for Rensselaer alumni and their families. More than 1,100 attendees enjoyed Reunion 2007 June 7-10, some traveling from as far as Venezuela, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom to celebrate at Rensselaer. 

More than 110 educators and administrators from 65 middle schools, high schools, and universities from across the nation visited campus June 7-8 to attend the first annual Haas Technical Education Center (HTEC) conference.

Accolades for Week of June 18, 2007

The incoming Class of 2011 at Rensselaer promises to be an exceptional group, with the average SAT score up almost 20 points from the previous year, and more than 65 percent of the students coming from the top 10 percent of their high school classes. The high-achieving group also includes a significant increase in the number of women, the national and international profile of the student body, and those who are interested in new areas of Rensselaer’s expanding curriculum.

The graduates at Rensselaer’s 201st Commencement were not the only ones to come away inspired. The Commencement speaker, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, found material in the experience for two recent columns.

June 2 marked the 50th Commencement at Rensselaer’s Hartford campus, where 246 graduates of the Class of 2007 celebrated with family, friends, faculty, and staff. Graduates of the Hartford campus, which is home to the Rensselaer-wide Education for Working Professionals (EWP) program, are professionals from across Connecticut and the surrounding states.

Chunyu Wang, assistant professor of biology, is challenging current thinking on the causes and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, offering a new hypothesis that could be the key to preventing this form of dementia. He has found that a specific imbalance between two peptides may be the cause of the fatal neurological disease that affects more than five million people in the United States.

With a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers from Rensselaer’s School of Engineering are developing a physics-based virtual model that can simulate a patient’s breathing in real time. When used in conjunction with existing 3-D models, adding the fourth dimension of time could significantly improve the accuracy and effectiveness of radiation treatment for lung and liver cancers.

With the dog days of summer just around the corner, two Rensselaer undergraduate students plan to shift gears on the roads of America and ride more than 3,000 miles in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the American Lung Association. Members of Rensselaer’s Phi Gamma Delta fraternity — Benjamin Thiesse of Church Hill, Md., and Sean Bennett of Crofton, Md. — will join more than 40 others as they travel across the country in the annual Big Ride Across America event.

When it comes to identifying, planning for, and achieving career goals, undergraduate students are getting a head start from the Career Development Center (CDC) at Rensselaer. For its efforts, the center has won a NACE Excellence Award for developing its “Sophomore Career Experience” program. The award, which was presented recently at the annual meeting of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in New York City, recognizes the best educational program related to career development or employment targeted to students or career center/college recruiting staff.

Accolades for Week of June 4, 2007

Emerging scientists, mathematicians, and engineers will play a critical role in the future success of the United States, Thomas Friedman told the graduating Class of 2007. The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times and best-selling author of The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century addressed nearly 1,500 graduating students and their families May 19 at Rensselaer’s 201st Commencement on the Harkness Field.

With plenty of pomp and circumstance, nearly 1,500 Rensselaer students received their degrees on Saturday, May 19. They represent the next generation of leaders and innovators in fields ranging from engineering to architecture, from fine arts to science, and from business to the military.

On Friday, May 18, Rensselaer offered the first glimpse of what is planned to be the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputing center. The Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations (CCNI), the result of a $100 million partnership involving Rensselaer, IBM, and New York state, is designed to continue advancing semiconductor technology to the nanoscale, while also enabling key nanotechnology innovations in the fields of energy, biotechnology, arts, and medicine.

A team led by materials science and engineering professor Ganapathiraman Ramanath has developed a new method to bond materials that don’t normally stick together. The adhesive, which is based on self-assembling nanoscale chains, could impact everything from next-generation computer chip manufacturing to energy production.

Each year, Rensselaer recognizes graduates who strive to maximize their potential through high-ranking achievements in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership. Following are three examples of students who have worked to better their standing of Rensselaer both on and campus, through their contributions and service to Rensselaer and the local community.

The Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) recently honored Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff during the 28th annual minority student awards ceremony. The ceremony honors academic and leadership achievements, and celebrates individual students, student organizations, faculty, and staff who have worked to support minority students at Rensselaer.

Several members of Rensselaer’s Navy ROTC (Reserve Officer’s Training Program) participated in a color guard ceremony April 13 at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass. The ceremony, which featured freshman and junior students, was held during the national anthem prior to the Red Sox game.

Since his freshman year at Rensselaer, Zane Van Dusen has played in 13 bands — and he founded 11 of them. A vocalist who also plays five instruments, the New York City native has been expressing himself through music for years. Now he has combined his lifelong passion with a keen set of technical and computing skills to create a device that allows all people, regardless of physical mobility, the opportunity to experience music’s positive effects.

To educate and nurture today’s would-be entrepreneurs, universities across the country face a difficult question: Can innovation, risk-taking, and originality be taught in the classroom? For more than 180 years, students at Rensselaer have been developing technologies, creating innovations, and forming business ventures to translate scientific discoveries into practical applications. Now the Institute is continuing to push the boundaries by broadening the definition of what it means to be an entrepreneur.

Armed with a microscope, sharp eye, and knack for design, Caitlin Piette isn’t shy about letting her creative side influence her work in the laboratory — and vice versa. A senior at Rensselaer, Piette will graduate May 19 with a major in biology, bioinformatics, and molecular biology. She takes just as much pride in her award-winning biology research as her role in the growing of Rensselaer’s student-run campus arts and music venue, Ground Zero.

Graduating with a multidisciplinary degree in electronic arts and a love for serving the community, Alex Salinsky is well-equipped to make a difference in the lives of others. A native of West Point, Va., and a member of the Delta Phi fraternity, he woke up one morning and decided to donate his hair (that he’s been growing for six years) to the Locks of Love organization — if he was able to meet his pledge to raise $1,000 for Rensselaer’s Relay for Life event.

Thomas Zimmie, professor and acting head for the department of civil and environmental engineering, has been selected as this year’s recipient of the David M. Darrin Counseling Award. The Darrin Award will be presented to Zimmie during Rensselaer’s 201st Commencement on May 19.

The annual Philanthropy Breakfast to honor faculty, staff, and retiree donors was held May 2 in the Russell Sage Dining Hall. The event, “Together We Are Changing the World,” was attended by 118 donors who were honored by President Shirley Ann Jackson; Donald Fry, vice president of Institute Advancement; and Hannah Kim, president of the Class of 2007.

President Shirley Ann Jackson has been elected a member of the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the United States. The honor puts her in the company of some of history’s most distinguished scholars — a noteworthy membership that includes the founders of the American republic and more than 260 recipients of the Nobel Prize.

On May 18, Rensselaer will host a discussion about global challenges at the intersection of politics and technology, featuring four prominent leaders who bring unique perspectives to bear on these critical issues. The public colloquy will be moderated by Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson and will include the Institute’s three Commencement honorees — Thomas Friedman, Don Hewitt, and Mae Jemison.

Mae Jemison, founder of two technology companies and the first African American female astronaut to travel to space, will receive an honorary degree at Rensselaer’s 201st Commencement on May 19 at 9:30 a.m. on the Harkness Field.

Sky-rocketing oil prices, rising demand for reliance on renewable resources, and an increase in environmental consciousness have placed a newfound focus on “green” solutions to global energy issues. Following Rensselaer’s graduation on May 19, student inventor Eben Bayer hopes to alleviate some of those growing issues — by growing.

No one can say Abigail Eldridge wasted any time during her four years at Rensselaer. Along with conducting cutting-edge bioengineering and nanotechnology research, she served in student government, played on three varsity sports teams, and loaded up on extra classes. She also managed to sneak in a pair of internships, including one at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.

Matthew Pelliccione came to Rensselaer as a freshman in 2003. After only four years, he is leaving with two bachelor’s degrees, a master’s degree, and a set of prestigious fellowships to continue studying physics at Stanford University.

Innovative Engineering Solutions Inc., a technology start-up company founded by three undergraduate engineering students from Rensselaer, has won this year’s Tech Valley Collegiate Business Plan Competition. The competition — held on Rensselaer’s campus May 3 — was sponsored by the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology.

In its first-ever series of awards, the Dean’s Office of the School of Science recognized some of the most accomplished students, faculty, and staff at a celebration on May 3. The award winners were nominated by other students, faculty, staff, and administrators to show appreciation for the standout talent and accomplishments of members of the school.

After several months of working on a series of projects in the Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) course, several teams of Rensselaer undergraduate students tested and displayed their final designs on May 3. The event was held in the Darrin Communications Center (DCC) Great Hall.

José González is fluent in the international language of science. Born the son of a medical doctor in Puerto Rico, he has been speaking this language since he was a child. On May 19, González will take the next step in a long journey as he crosses the platform at Rensselaer’s 201st Commencement.

As an Eagle Scout, it is no surprise that Gregory Ten Eyck would be an innovator with a deep respect for the environment. But he has taken these values to a whole new level, developing inventions that could lead to better fuel cells, reduce the impacts of carbon dioxide, and create the next generation of super-efficient microelectronics.

More than 1,400 Rensselaer students, faculty, staff, their families, and members of the surrounding community — led by members of Greek Life and student athletes — joined forces to participate in Rensselaer's second Relay for Life event, raising more than $100,000 (and counting) for cancer research.

Brian Schulkin, the first-ever winner of the Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize, will participate in a panel discussion at the Boston Museum of Science on May 3 as part of the first-annual EurekaFest. Schulkin will be joined by Lemelson Prize winners from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to discuss their inventions and their views on inspiring innovation in young students.

Three teams of budding student entrepreneurs from Rensselaer and Union College will vie to win the final round of Rensselaer's $50,000 Tech Valley Collegiate Business Plan competition on May 3. The competition will be held on Rensselaer's campus in the Center for Industrial Innovation, room 4050, beginning at 6 p.m. The competition is sponsored by Rensselaer's Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at the Lally School of Management & Technology.

Yiting Zhu, a doctoral student in Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center (LRC), has received a prestigious Link Foundation Energy Fellowship for her work in energy-efficient solid-state lighting.

News outlets across the country and around the world continue to report on Rensselaer’s research, people, and programs. Recent highlights include USA Today, BusinessWeek, Scientific American, the Associated Press, and PC Magazine.

To determine how top schools rated in 11 different business specialties, BusinessWeek turned to the experts: the students. As a companion to the magazine’s 2007 rankings of undergraduate business programs, staffers asked 80,000 business majors at 123 schools to rank their programs on a scale of one to five in different academic categories. Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology came in at number two in the nation in the area of corporate strategy.

More than 300 11th grade girls from the Capital Region and across New England participated in the 11th annual “Design Your Future Day” (DYFD) on Saturday, April 21. The event, hosted by Rensselaer and sponsored by General Motors, is designed to engage students in activities to inform and excite them about career opportunities in engineering, science, architecture, and technology.

As the May 1 deadline approaches for high school seniors to decide where they will attend college in the fall, Rensselaer hosted more than 3,000 visitors to campus for the Accepted Student Celebration on Saturday, April 14. The visitors included more than 1,000 accepted students from 34 states, as well as Canada, South Korea, and Denmark.

Three student submissions were recently honored as winners of Rensselaer’s “Change the World Challenge” idea competition for spring 2007. Created in 2005 by alumnus Sean O’Sullivan ’85, the competition is intended to support entrepreneurship education and inspire ideas to improve the human condition by providing a $1,000 cash award for ideas that will make the world a better place.

Nuclear power visionary Chauncey Starr ’32 passed away on April 17. A 2005 inductee to the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame, Starr was a leader at the forefront of ground-breaking work in nuclear energy, energy production and policy, and risk analysis. Even at the age of 95, he still worked six days a week at the time of his death.

Winners of Rensselaer’s McKinney Contest writing competition received their awards from acclaimed novelist Edward P. Jones during a ceremony that took place in room 308 of the Darrin Communications Center on Wednesday, April 18. Jones also read a selection from his own work at the event, which was co-sponsored by the New York State Writers Institute.

Accolades for week of April 23, 2007

With a major grant from the Office of Naval Affairs, a team of Rensselaer researchers are collaborating with four other universities to address a hot topic in today’s military: how to keep modern ships cool in extreme environments.

In an effort to raise funds and awareness for homeless individuals in the Troy community, more than 10 Rensselaer fraternity and sorority members left the comfort of their dorms to participate in the annual “Sleep out for the Homeless” fundraiser sponsored by members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. From March 31 to April 4, the Rensselaer Union front lawn served as the students’ temporary shelter.

On Tuesday, April 24, Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) Director Johannes Goebel will present a lecture on the different motivations and goals of science, art, and engineering, and how the disciplines may be influenced by varying philosophies and religions.

Michael Shur, the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts ’48 Chaired Professor in Solid State Electronics, has been promoted to fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Shur is being recognized for his “individual responsibility, sustained achievements, and exceptional professionalism.” IET is the largest professional engineering society in Europe and the second largest of its kind in the world.

President Shirley Ann Jackson will be the speaker at the University of Rochester’s commencement on Sunday, May 20. The school will celebrate its 157th commencement ceremonies during May and June, where they will confer more than 2,000 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

In celebration of National Architecture Week, world-renowned classical pianist John Kamitsuka performed a benefit recital to fund scholarships for architecture students in Rensselaer’s Roman Studies Program. The special program of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Schubert took place April 14 at 7 p.m. at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

Throughout the Institute’s history, Rensselaer researchers have produced ground-breaking advances in a broad range of important areas. Last week, 64 budding undergraduate researchers had a chance to showcase their work during the 2007 Undergraduate Research Forum and Awards Program.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences hosted the fourth annual Game Festival & Symposium (GameFest) on April 13 and 14. The two-day exposition celebrated the addition of a new major in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and featured discussions with prominent members of the video game industry and an exhibition of the latest work from Rensselaer’s aspiring game developers.

Rensselaer recently garnered approval from the New York State Education Department to offer a doctoral degree in electronic arts. Now one of only a handful of universities in the United States to offer a Ph.D. program in this emerging field, the Institute will begin admitting students in fall 2007.

Acceptance letters are in the mail, the deadline for deposits is rapidly approaching, and high school students across the country face a tough decision: With so many choices, how do you pick the right college? As they prepare to welcome another freshman class, the admissions and student life experts at Rensselaer offer advice to help reduce stress and smooth the transition to college life. 

President Shirley Ann Jackson and an Institute delegation recently hosted an alumni reception to announce the establishment of a new chapter of the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) in Switzerland. This is the Institute’s first alumni chapter in Europe.

Twenty-five students were inducted into Rensselaer’s Phalanx honor society April 1. Phalanx honors student leadership and celebrates those who have “worked to better the standing of Rensselaer both on and off campus.” New members are selected — or “tapped” — by the student members of Phalanx.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences will host the fourth annual Game Festival & Symposium (GameFest) on April 13 and 14. The two-day exposition celebrates the addition of a new major in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) and will feature discussions with prominent members of the video game industry and an exhibition of the latest work from Rensselaer’s aspiring game developers.

Our beloved Uncle Sam could be in danger. A group of faculty and student activists warn that Troy’s own Uncle Sam statue on Front Street could be nearly submerged in the waters of melting glaciers if we don’t stop the effects of global warming. To save the all-American icon, they are planning an environmental rally for Saturday, April 14, beginning at 1 p.m. The rally is part of the National Day of Climate Action.

During the “50 Day Senior Soiree” on March 31, President Shirley Ann Jackson and members of her cabinet joined the Class of 2007 as they marked 50 days until Commencement. At the event, members of the Class of 2007 presented renderings of their plan to renovate the 15th Street footbridge.

Don’t call it a go-cart. The members of the Formula SAE team unveiled their 2007 formula-style racecar April 2 — a miniature marvel that can reach speeds up to 100 mph and packs 85 horsepower into a surprisingly small and advanced engine. Designed and built completely by a team of 20 Rensselaer students, the car will go engine to engine against approximately 120 other vehicles from competing universities in Michigan May 16-19 at the Formula SAE Competition.

It’s official. Grand Marshal Week 2007 is over, and with it comes the announcement of the new student government representatives. Julia Leusner will be the Grand Marshal, the highest elected office in the Rensselaer student government, serving as the leader and chief spokesperson for the Rensselaer Union. Erik Swanson will serve as President of the Union, presiding over the Executive Board.

Accolades for Week of April 9, 2007

Thomas L. Friedman, best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times, will deliver the 2007 Commencement address on May 19 at 9:30 a.m. on the Harkness Field. Friedman also will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony, along with pioneering producer Don Hewitt, best known as the creator of the weekly CBS-TV news program 60 Minutes.

On March 27, during an event held in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer announced a universitywide initiative to improve representation of female educators in academia’s influential high-ranking positions. The program, which is funded by a $329,960 grant from the National Science Foundation, seeks to aid women along the academic career path from junior positions toward tenure and full professorship.

Rensselaer’s graduate programs in engineering, applied mathematics, and the fine arts rank among the best in the nation, according to the 2008 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The publication is scheduled to hit newsstands on April 3, 2007.

Burt Swersey, a lecturer in Rensselaer’s department of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, has been awarded the 2007 Olympus Lifetime of Educational Innovation Award for his dedication to innovative thinking and his commitment to students and their learning.

As the electronics industry continues to churn out smaller and slimmer portable devices, manufacturers have been challenged to find new ways to combat the persistent problem of thermal management. New research published in the March 19 issue of Applied Physics Letters suggests that carbon nanotubes may soon be integrated into ever-shrinking cell phones, digital audio players, and personal digital assistants to help ensure the equipment does not overheat, malfunction, or fail.

The School of Humanities & Social Sciences recently announced the launch of a new undergraduate degree program in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS). The major — which builds off the success of the Institute's highly popular game studies minor — will equip graduates with a suite of integrated skills necessary for leaders in the game development industry.

His textbooks have taught generations of engineers around the world about electrical communication systems and made him a world leader in electrical, computer, and systems engineering. But A. Bruce Carlson will always be remembered by those who knew him for his dedication to his students, passion for knowledge, and selfless devotion to his family and community service.

Last week, the campus was buzzing with activity as students and members of the Rensselaer community participated in a series of events to celebrate student life and government, cultural diversity, and the performing arts.

On March 27, Rensselaer’s Center for Initiatives In Pre-College Education (CIPCE) sponsored an event at the Legislative Office Building in downtown Albany. Titled “Rensselaer’s Engineers of Tomorrow: a Robotics Showcase,” the event provided an opportunity to demonstrate the various robotics projects that the group has been developing with area schools and community organizations.

President Shirley Ann Jackson will receive the Vannevar Bush Award for 2007 from the National Science Board for a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education, and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy.

The 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and resulting tsunami are now infamous for the damage they caused, but at the time many scientists believed this area was unlikely to create a quake of such magnitude. In the March 23 issue of the journal Science, geophysicist Robert McCaffrey urges the public and policy makers to consider all subduction-type tectonic boundaries to be “locked, loaded, and dangerous.”

Nanomaterials are being used in everything from golf clubs to computer circuitry, but little is known about the effects these minuscule materials could have on our health and environment. Two teams of Rensselaer scientists recently worked to better understand the effect of nanomaterials on both mammalian cells and bacteria. The researchers found that while carbon nanotubes inhibited growth in the cells, they sustained the growth of commonly occurring bacteria.

In December 2006, President Jackson launched a national search for a new provost after G.P. “Bud” Peterson, who served as provost for five years, left to take a position as chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder. The search is being led by a core recruitment committee made up of 16 representatives from the faculty, administration, and student body, with the goal of having a new provost in place by July 1, 2007.

Stephen Wiberley ’48, professor emeritus and trustee of the Rensselaer Newman Foundation, passed away on March 17. Wiberley dedicated his life to Rensselaer and its students, promoting their pursuits in both science and spirituality.

The Rensselaer men’s cross country team has earned national recognition from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) after posting the second highest team grade point average in the country. Rensselaer, which finished with a GPA of 3.586 for the fall ’06 semester, finished second only to Eastern Mennonite University (3.910 GPA).

Accolades for Week of March 26, 2007

The Rensselaer Board of Trustees has approved a $365.5 million budget for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, enabling the Institute to move forward on several initiatives designed to enhance the intellectual core of our activities and the overall educational experience of our students.

Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology is one of nine new schools to be named to BusinessWeek magazine’s 2007 list of top 50 undergraduate business programs. The Lally School makes its debut at number 40 on the list, which is in its second year of publication.

Wan Kin “Victor” Chan plans to predict the future. Chan, an assistant professor of decision sciences and engineering, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Chan will use the projected five-year, $400,000 grant to develop better computer simulation methodologies to improve systems from healthcare to military operation and airport security.

A recent study from Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) found that shoppers overwhelmingly prefer light-emitting diode (LED) to fluorescent light inside supermarket freezer cases. LED lighting — known for its bright, even quality — increased frozen merchandise appeal for consumers when placed in grocer’s freezers, according to the researchers.

On Tuesday, March 27, Rensselaer will announce a universitywide initiative to encourage equal representation of female educators in academia’s influential high-ranking positions. Through the implementation of faculty advancement coaches, pipeline searches to recruit senior women from industry or national labs, mentoring programs, and faculty workshops, the program seeks to aid women along the academic career path from junior positions toward tenure and full professorship.

About a dozen community service-minded students from Rensselaer spent their spring break swinging hammers, priming, pouring cement, and assembling wall sections at a Habitat for Humanity project in Johns Island, S.C. From March 5-9, the group worked alongside more than 50 students from the University of Virginia, Truman State University, and Davidson College to construct homes. The trip was part of the annual Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge.

A delegation from Rensselaer will travel to Europe March 15-22 to meet with leading representatives from government, industry, science, and higher education. Led by President Shirley Ann Jackson, the trip will provide a platform for university officials to continue forging partnerships with international leaders and institutions. Through speeches in Geneva, Paris, and London, the trip also will provide a platform for Jackson to highlight her message about the challenge of global energy security.

You might want to reconsider your feelings about bacteria. These microscopic creatures have been assaulted by hand soap and smelly antibacterial gels, but a shining star among these organisms could one day transform the way we remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from our environment. Rensselaer researchers have discovered an organism that could be the key to developing methods that help detoxify commercial PCB compounds on site — without the need for dredging.

Rensselaer researchers have discovered what likely triggered the eruption of a “supervolcano” that coated much of the western half of the United States with ash fallout 760,000 years ago. Using a new technique developed at Rensselaer, the team determined that there was a massive injection of hot magma underneath the surface of what is now the Long Valley Caldera in California some time within 100 years of the gigantic volcano’s eruption.

So you want to be an entrepreneur? For many, that question automatically translates to: “So you want to start a business?” To help people think about entrepreneurship in broader terms, Rensselaer’s Office of Entrepreneurship is launching the New Horizons Lecture Series beginning Tuesday, March 20. The lectures will feature Stu Benton ’62, founder of several highly successful entrepreneurship ventures, and Rob Chernow, vice provost for entrepreneurship at Rensselaer.

In an effort to bridge classroom theory and practice, a delegation of four graduate and undergraduate students from Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology joined 140 students from 35 schools to participate in the fourth annual Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management from March 8-10. Using simulated trading cases, teams of students from Canada, the United States, and Europe had an opportunity to test their trading skills in a realistic environment.

News outlets across the country and around the world continue to report on Rensselaer’s research and people. Recent highlights include NPR’s “Morning Edition,” the National Geographic Channel, the Associated Press, BusinessWeek, and features in Capital Region media.

A team of Rensselaer researchers has created the world’s first material that reflects virtually no light. Reporting in the March issue of Nature Photonics, they describe an optical coating made from the material that enables vastly improved control over the basic properties of light. The research could open the door to much brighter LEDs, more efficient solar cells, and a new class of “smart” light sources that adjust to specific environments, among many other potential applications.

Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology and Albany Law School announced plans Feb. 27 to begin offering two new and innovative master’s degree programs in the fields of technology transfer and commercialization. The joint collaboration is the first between the two institutions located in the heart of New York’s Capital Region.

Daniel Gall, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, is being honored for his work to craft the next generation of custom nanoscale structures, which could be used in the production of hydrogen for energy storage, corrosion-resistant electrodes for fuel cells, and coatings for high-temperature bearings in fuel-efficient jet engines and gas turbines. Gall has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

C. James Li, professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer, was recently elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The highest elected grade of membership in ASME, fellowship is conferred upon a member with at least 10 years of active engineering practice and who has made significant contributions to the profession.

Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) held its fifth annual light art show Feb. 27. Called “In the Mind’s Eye,” the show featured 11 graduate students currently enrolled in the LRC’s Lighting Workshop

Accolades for Week of March 5, 2007

In a lecture at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, President Shirley Ann Jackson called for a renewed focus on science in key public policy deliberations. She urged scientists to become more actively engaged in the public policy arena, and for policymakers to rely on sound science. She also continued her call for increased investments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics talent to sustain the nation’s capacity for innovation.

By fusing wet and dry nanotechnologies, Rensselaer researchers have found a way to control the flow of water through carbon nanotube membranes with an unprecedented level of precision. The research will be described in the March 14, 2007 issue of the journal Nano Letters.

Mariana Figueiro, an assistant professor at Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center, has received the James D. Watson Investigator award from the New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR). With the help of this $200,000 grant, Figueiro will be exploring the effects of light on human physiological rhythms.

James Crivello, professor of chemistry and chemical biology, has been elected a 2007 fellow of the American Chemical Society Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE). With more than 23 issued or pending patents since joining the Rensselaer faculty, Crivello is widely recognized for inventing some of the world’s most advanced polymers.

The Eastern New York Intellectual Property Law Association (ENYIPLA) has awarded Leonard Interrante and Christopher Whitmarsh the 2007 Inventor of the Year Award for a patent that was integral to the development of Malta-based Starfire Systems Inc., a high-tech advanced materials manufacturer.

The Rensselaer Union Bookstore kicked off the official countdown to Commencement 2007 by hosting the sixth annual Grad Fair on Feb. 22. Several Rensselaer departments and company representatives were available to address individual graduation needs including: Student Records and Financial Services, Senior Class of 2007, University Events, Josten’s (2007 class rings and graduation announcements), Framing Success (Rensselaer diploma frames), and the Oak Hall Company (graduation caps and gowns).

More than 10,000 high school students have filed applications to attend Rensselaer, setting a record with an increase of almost 50 percent over the previous year, according to numbers released this week by the Office of Enrollment Management.

“T-rays” have been touted as the next breakthrough in sensing and imaging, but the need for bulky equipment has been an obstacle to reaching the field’s potential. Enter Brian Schulkin, winner of the first-ever $30,000 Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize. Schulkin has invented an ultralight, handheld terahertz spectrometer — an advance that could help catapult T-ray technology from the lab bench to the marketplace.

Starting classes, meeting peers, and exploring a new geographical area all at once can seem intimidating for many new college students. But it doesn’t have to be that way — at least that’s what staffers in Rensselaer’s Office of the First-Year Experience (FYE) believe. For their annual series of welcoming events, team-building adventures, and festivities — called Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond (NRB) — FYE has been awarded the 2006 NASPA Excellence Gold Award.

Many on campus may never have noticed the large metallic dome atop the Jonsson-Rowland Science Center, but inside is a newly redesigned telescope and observatory modeled after some of the greatest in the country. The Hirsch Observatory has been completely refurbished, and to celebrate the modern makeover of the more than 65-year-old observatory, all Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff are invited to bring their families to an open house Feb. 18-22 from 7-10 p.m.

Ned Harkness, legendary longtime coach of Rensselaer’s men’s hockey team, was inducted into the Hockey Ring of Honor during the Rensselaer vs. Colgate game at the Houston Field House on Feb. 9.

The lecture halls and classrooms of Rensselaer’s Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy will never be the same as Rensselaer mourns the passing of Philip A. Casabella, beloved professor and associate chair of the department. Casabella passed away early Tuesday morning, Feb. 6, following a long battle with cancer.

On Friday, Feb. 16, Rensselaer will announce the winner of the first-ever $30,000 Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize. The award is given to a Rensselaer senior or graduate student who has created or improved a product or process, applied a technology in a new way, or otherwise demonstrated remarkable inventiveness.

A new computer-based technique could eliminate hours of manual adjustment associated with a popular cancer treatment. In a paper published in the Feb. 7 issue of Physics in Medicine and Biology, Rensselaer researchers describe an approach that has the potential to automatically determine acceptable radiation plans in a matter of minutes, without compromising the quality of treatment.

More than 600 area students and their families came to Rensselaer to participate in the ninth annual Black Family Technology Awareness Day on Saturday, Feb 10. The workshops, designed to spur young people’s interest in pursuing careers in science and engineering, were hosted by Rensselaer’s Office of Institute Diversity. Rensselaer’s Black Family Technology Awareness Day is part of a nationally celebrated week of the same name. The theme for 2007 is “The Future Starts With Me.”

In recognition of its outstanding commitment to community service, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity received the inaugural Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Community Service Award for Greek Life on Friday, Feb. 9.

In an effort to raise cancer awareness, members of the Rensselaer Greek Life community, student athletes, and others from across campus held the second annual Relay for Life kick-off event on Wednesday, Feb. 7. Participants discussed various topics related to survivorship, cancer research, education, fundraising, and the role of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event.

More than 3,000 Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students took advantage of the opportunity to meet and talk with more than 150 public and private-sector employers at the Spring 2007 Career Fair hosted by the Rensselaer Career Development Center (CDC) on Feb. 9. Employers, including more than 30 Capital Region companies, were seeking engineers, scientists, architects, and students who majored in management, humanities, social sciences, and information technology.

Frank Spear, department chair and professor of earth and environmental sciences, has been elected as a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). This prestigious honor is limited to no more than 0.1 percent of the AGU’s total membership each year.

Using a series of interactive computer programs that focus on the mathematics embedded in various cultural designs, students from across the country in grades 4-12 have shown a statistically significant increase in their math achievement scores. Now a new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in excess of $300,000 will help the Rensselaer researcher who developed these programs extend their use to help engage underrepresented minority students in the subject of computing.

Richard W. Siegel, the Robert W. Hunt Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center, was recently selected as chairman of the International Advisory Board (IAB) of NANOTEC, Thailand’s National Nanotechnology Center. In this role, Siegel will advise the country on how to move forward in areas of nanotechnology that will help bolster major industries and positively influence the national economy.

Do you need help with preparing your resume? Need tips on writing a winning cover letter? Looking for some advice on how to dress for an interview? With a variety of programs and services developed to meet the needs of all students, Rensselaer’s Career Development Center (CDC) is working to help individuals interested in identifying, planning for, and achieving future career goals. The CDC will host its annual Spring Career Fair on Friday, Feb. 9, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center.

Four entries were recognized as the winning ideas of Rensselaer’s “Change the World Challenge” competition during a celebratory breakfast held Jan. 24 in the Heffner Alumni House. Created in 2005 by Rensselaer alumnus Sean O’Sullivan ’85, the competition is intended to support entrepreneurship education and inspire ideas to improve the human condition by providing a $1,000 cash award for ideas that will make the world a better place.

Rensselaer researchers have discovered new details about how bacteria generate energy to live. In two recently published papers, the scientists add key specifics to the molecular mechanism behind the pathogen that causes cholera. The work could provide a better understanding of this pathogen, while also offering insight into how cells transform energy from the environment into the forms required to sustain life.

Rensselaer recently added a bachelor of science degree in Design, Innovation, and Society (DIS) to its list of innovative undergraduate degree offerings. Through a rigorous series of design studios, the major will prepare students to design new products, services, and media while considering the social needs and environmental concerns of the 21st century.

The Houston Field House was packed to the rafters Jan. 20 for the 30th annual Big Red Freakout! hockey game. More than 5,000 fans, many of them decked out in red, watched Rensselaer’s Engineers tie with St. Lawrence, 3-3, preserving their 17-game unbeaten streak in the Freakout (12-0-5). Between periods, the crowd was introduced to former hockey players who had gathered earlier in the day for the traditional alumni hockey game.

Recent Rensselaer graduate Tyler Hinman ’06, who is one of the stars of the feature documentary WordPlay about New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz, visited the Rensselaer campus on Jan. 19.

Using powerful computers to model the intricate dance of atoms and molecules, Rensselaer researchers have revealed the mechanism behind an important biological reaction.

To commemorate the life and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Rensselaer hosted its sixth annual “Embrace the Dream” Diversity Week celebration with a series of programs that included speeches, discussions, and community service projects.

Rensselaer researchers have found a new pathway by which cells change their adhesive properties. With a $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, they plan to fill in the details behind how cells decide to stick to a surface, which could lead to a better understanding of the importance of this pathway to the physiology and development of organisms.

On Jan. 19, Kirk MacDonald ’07 was awarded the Rensselaer Alumni Association’s (RAA) Community Service Award in recognition of his outstanding commitment to community service and his efforts to bolster cancer research and awareness.

During Rensselaer’s winter break, members of the Rusty Pipes took some time out to hit the road for their annual winter tour. The 14-member a cappella group performed in several Long Island and Connecticut schools from Jan. 8-12.

A team of Rensselaer researchers has created hybrid structures that combine the best properties of carbon nanotubes and metal nanowires. The new structures, which are described in a recent issue of Applied Physics Letters, could help overcome some of the key hurdles to using carbon nanotubes in computer chips, displays, sensors, and many other electronic devices. 

Mark Wentland, professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rensselaer, has led a team in the discovery of a family of novel opioid receptor compounds that may be used in treating central nervous system disorders and addiction.

Rensselaer was recently awarded a $50,000 Mellon Award for Technology Collaboration (MATC) to support the continued development of Bedework, an open source, enterprise calendar system for higher education created at the Institute. Funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the MATC honors universities and other not-for-profit organizations who demonstrate leadership in the collaborative development of open source software tools with particular application to higher education and not-for-profit activities.

The Phyllis E. Dake Foundation recently awarded Rensselaer’s Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE) $5,000 in support of its after-school programs developed to educate students in local inner city schools and neighborhood-based youth organizations about mathematics, science, and engineering.

News outlets across the nation have continued to report on Rensselaer’s research and people. Recent highlights include articles in Investor’s Business Daily, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as a three-minute CNN Headline News interview with a Rensselaer professor.

The 2006 United Way Campaign at Rensselaer contributed $146,761.82 to the United Way of Northeastern New York. Funds were raised through a variety of activities and events, including candy sales, a community fair, and a cell phone turn-in. More than 550 people contributed, and the average contribution was $253.

Rensselaer researchers will continue to advance the frontiers of computational science with the help of IBM’s Blue Gene supercomputer. Awarded under IBM’s Shared University Research program, this Blue Gene will complement the $100 million partnership between Rensselaer, IBM, and New York state to create one of the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputing centers.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson joined U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Dina Habib Powell, and a delegation of 11 other United States university and college presidents traveling to Japan, Korea, and China to promote U.S. higher education and global education exchanges.

Twenty-four middle school teams from around the Capital Region competed Saturday in the FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) NanoQuest Challenge at Rensselaer. The global competition was brought to the region for the second time through a partnership between GE and Rensselaer. The tournament, which is supported by nearly 100 GE Volunteers and Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff, puts eight weeks of research, design, and programming to the test, giving local students the chance to participate at the FLL World Festival at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The schools of Engineering and Architecture have jointly appointed Bruce Danziger as Bedford Professor — a three-year, visiting chaired professorship. In this position, Danziger will serve as professor of advanced building systems, working with engineering and architecture students on collaborative projects to design innovative and unconventional, yet functional, structures.

In an effort to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, Rensselaer students and staff observed the 19th annual World AIDS Day event Dec. 1. The event was held in the Rensselaer Union McNeil Room and included a Time of Remembrance ceremony where more than 20 Rensselaer students and staff shared readings and reflections from those living or having died from the disease. The annual event is part of a worldwide effort to recognize the impact of the disease and to honor the memory of people whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS.

Several Rensselaer Union student music organizations held their final performances for Fall 2006 on Dec. 2. More than 300 Rensselaer students, faculty, staff, family, and friends attended the performances that were organized by the Rensselaer Music Association (RMA) and the Rusty Pipes, one of Rensselaer’s a cappella singing groups. Featured groups included the Percussion Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Concert Choir, Brass Quintet, Tuba Ensemble, and the Symphony Orchestra. 

Rensselaer’s Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) recently announced the launch of the EMPAC DANCE MOViES Commission, a new commissioning program to support the creation of new works in which dance meets the technologies of the moving image. Supported by the Jaffe Fund for Experimental Media and Performing Arts, the commission is open to artists based in North and South America and will fund several projects per year.

On Nov. 29, President Shirley Ann Jackson announced the appointment of William Walker as vice president for strategic communications and external relations. Walker, who has been vice president for public affairs at Dartmouth College since 2001, will take over the position in February 2007.

John E. Kelly III ’78, senior vice president of technology and intellectual property at IBM, will be the keynote speaker at the 2006 Trustee Celebration of Faculty Achievement, where he will also receive the Davies Medal for Engineering Achievement from the Rensselaer Alumni Association. The event, sponsored by the Rensselaer Board of Trustees, will take place Thursday, Dec. 7, beginning with Kelly’s lecture at 3 p.m. in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Rensselaer’s Data Warehouse Group was one of 100 organizations recognized by International Data Group’s (IDG) InfoWorld, the leading integrated media brand for IT solutions management, as a winner of its InfoWorld 100 awards. The annual awards honor IT projects that demonstrate the most creative use of cutting-edge technologies to further their business goals.

Rensselaer’s Incubator Program recently announced that Celery LLC has been selected as one of the winners of the 2006 “Best of What’s New” award by Popular Science. Each year, the editors of Popular Science review thousands of products in search of the top 100 tech innovations of the year, breakthrough products and technologies that represent a significant leap in their categories. Celery has developed a mail service device that allows users to send and receive e-mail without the use of a computer.

In an effort to provide “best management practices” for business professionals in the energy industry, Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology has developed an executive education program that addresses leadership skills, emerging technology, innovation, and large-scale project management. In its inaugural year, the program’s first participants include 19 engineers and managers from China Three Gorges Project Corporation (CTGPC) — a company known for the construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam located in the Xilingxia gorge, one of the three gorges along China’s Yangtze River.

As part of their ongoing effort to improve traffic management in New York state and across the country, a team of Rensselaer researchers will be testing an array of wireless, solar-powered readers to monitor traffic flow. In the coming months, the units will be deployed to collect traffic data during the morning commute on busy Capital Region roads. The portable units, which are based on the same technology as E-ZPass tag readers, could eventually be used to provide valuable data for a variety of applications, from decreasing congestion in work zones to assisting emergency evacuations.

Many of the vaunted applications of carbon nanotubes require the ability to attach these super-tiny cylinders to electrically conductive surfaces, but to date researchers have only been successful in creating high-resistance interfaces between nanotubes and substrates. Now a team of Rensselaer researchers reports two new techniques, each following a different approach, for placing carbon nanotube patterns on metal surfaces of just about any shape and size.

A Rensselaer materials scientist is being honored with two distinctions for his work with carbon nanotubes. Pulickel Ajayan, the Henry Burlage Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, is being awarded the MRS Medal from the Materials Research Society and has been named by Scientific American magazine as a Research Leader within the 2006 “Scientific American 50” — the magazine’s prestigious annual list recognizing outstanding acts of leadership in science and technology.

From the clock in the Hassan Quad to the saltwater fish tank in the Student Union to the granite “Rensselaer” marker on the corner of 15th Street and Sage Avenue, class gifts, presented at Commencement each year by the graduating class, adorn the campus. Not to be outdone, the Class of 2007 is planning renovations to Rensselaer’s 15thStreet footbridge as its parting gift.

Nineteen New York institutions, including Rensselaer, have come together to create NYSGrid, a 21st century cyberinfrastructure initiative that will provide its constituency with unprecedented resources for research, education, and community outreach. NYSGrid resources will aggregate high-end computing, networking, data storage, visualization, and most importantly, intellectual capital from sites across the state.

James Mitchell ’51 was presented with the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Nov. 15, following an on-campus lecture he presented titled “The Hurricane Katrina Disaster: Causes, Consequences, and Call for Action.” 

In an effort to provide an opportunity for members of the Rensselaer campus to hear and discuss perspectives related to energy on a global and national scale, Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology hosted a “Special Forum on Energy Policy” Nov. 9. The event featured lectures from visiting Lally faculty members Jonathan Story, Marusi Visiting Professor of Global Business and Political Economy, and the Shell Fellow of Economic Transformation, INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France; George Markowsky, Visiting Professor of Management & Technology, and professor of computer science and mathematics at the University of Maine, Orono; and Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson.

In an effort to encourage Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff to understand the risks and impact associated with the negative use of alcohol and drugs during the holiday season, Rensselaer’s Student Health Center hosted the 16th annual Tree of Life Ceremony Nov. 15 in front of the ’87 Gym. The annual ceremony featured remarks from Eddie Ade Knowles, vice president of student life, and Terri Kersch, health educator with the Student Health Center.

Accolades for Week of Nov. 20, 2006

With a $1.23 million grant, Rensselaer researchers will be creating a distributed power “test-bed” to study how the electricity distribution grid might be affected by the widespread adoption of clean, renewable energy sources. The two-year project, which is funded by the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR), is designed to help understand the potential effects of meeting New York state’s key alternative energy goal — by 2012, more than 25 percent of power generation through renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and fuel cells.

Linda Schadler, professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer, has been elected a fellow of ASM International, a worldwide network of materials engineers and scientists dedicated to advancing industry, technology, and applications of metals and materials.

By studying the organizational culture of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the United States Coast Guard, as well as each organization’s response to last year’s Hurricane Katrina, a team of Rensselaer researchers has begun to develop a dynamic model of organizational processes with the capacity to predict how an organization’s culture will affect its ability to respond to an extreme event.

As part of an international project to design more earthquake-resistant buildings, Michael Symans, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer, will be participating in the largest earthquake test ever conducted on a wooden structure. At approximately 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14, a furnished, three-bedroom townhouse will undergo the most violent shaking possible in a laboratory, mimicking the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake of 1994.

The Delta Xi cast of Alpha Psi Omega, Rensselaer’s National Theater Honor Fraternity, will participate in the 47th Annual Theatre Association of New York State Festival from Nov. 17-19 at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls, N.Y. The event will spotlight award-winning productions from across New York state. Two local theater companies, Schenectady Civic Players and the Delta Xi Cast of Alpha Psi Omega, will compete for Best Short Program and Best Long Program.

From the Associated Press to Investor’s Business Daily and a host of science trade publications, media outlets around the globe have covered recent news of Rensselaer’s research and people.

Senior running back Jay Bernardo rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown as Rensselaer defeated 25th-ranked Union College, 24-19, in the regular season finale for both teams at ’86 Field. With the win, the Engineers captured the Dutchman Shoes Trophy in the 104th meeting between the two schools — the oldest college football rivalry in New York state.

On Nov. 1, EMPAC hosted a campus visit by Troika Ranch, a dance theater company based in New York City that uses interactive digital media and computer technology as an essential component of its performances.

Members of the Rensselaer student organization Alianza Latina celebrated Latino Heritage Month through a series of activities and events including lectures, cultural and music performances, fund-raising events, and a salsa concert. The various programs were held during the month of October. The annual event provides members of the organization with an opportunity to educate the campus community about their culture and beliefs as a way to increase understanding and appreciation of Latinos.

Undergraduate students from Rensselaer and Howard University will now have a chance to pursue research at the intersection of mathematics and computational science, thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation. With the new award, a team of Rensselaer professors will implement a program to expose mathematics students to problems with important applications in a range of fields, from medicine to ecology.

Researchers from Rensselaer and the University of Vermont have discovered a key molecular mechanism that allows tiny flies and other “no-see-ums” to whirl their wings at a dizzying rate of up to 1,000 times per second. The findings were reported in last week’s online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

To honor the illustrious career of Joseph Flaherty, Rensselaer’s recently retired dean of the School of Science, Martin Schoffstall ’82 has made a $100,000 challenge gift commitment to establish the “Dr. Joseph E. Flaherty Lecture Series” in the Computer Science Department at Rensselaer. Schoffstall will use his commitment to match gifts from alumni, friends, and colleagues of Flaherty up to $100,000. Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson announced this initiative at a recent campus reception for Flaherty.  To kick off the challenge, President Jackson announced her own $20,000 commitment to the Flaherty Lecture Series.

Students in Associate Professor of Architecture Ted Krueger’s vertical studio class have spent the first half of the fall semester working with peers from the University of Manitoba to create an installation made up of interactive pneumatic structures wired with electronics. Two weeks ago the students met face-to-face — for the first time — in Montreal, Canada, where they integrated and exhibited their collaborative projects in less than 48 hours. Last Wednesday, Rensselaer students presented their work to campus in the Greene Building gallery.

On Nov. 1, Nicholas Zefferys ’61, of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was honored with the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the Center for Financial Technology, located in Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology.

The Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (TRIP) presented its Community Citizenship Award to Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson for the Institute’s contributions to the revitalization of the greater Troy area. The award was given to President Jackson during TRIP’s sixth annual Home Coming Dinner held Oct. 26 at Franklin Terrace Ballroom in Troy. New York State Senator Joseph L. Bruno served as the honorary dinner chairman.

In an effort to excite children and their families about science and technology, and encourage them to consider pursuing careers in science, engineering, and technology, several programs in honor of National Chemistry Week were held for Capital Region students and on the Rensselaer campus Oct. 22-27.

Accolades for Week of Nov. 6, 2006

Rensselaer has appointed Wei Zhao as dean of the School of Science. Zhao, who is currently senior associate vice president for research at Texas A&M University, will take over the position from acting dean Samuel Wait Jr. ’53 in January 2007.

After 25 years as manager of the School of Architecture’s wood shop, recently retired Sid Fleisher received an extraordinary farewell reception from his colleagues and students on the evening of Oct. 18, when the Greene Building’s shop became the “Wood and Digital Arts Amphitheater.”

Nearly 125 middle school students from across the Northeast traveled with their parents to the Rensselaer campus Oct. 28 to participate in “Explorations in Space Sciences & Astronomy,” a daylong program organized by Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY).

Members of the Rensselaer football team are using their game successes on the field to conduct a season-long fund-raising program to benefit the Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State (CP of NYS).

Rensselaer’s Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at the Lally School of Management and Technology has announced the first recipients of the Rensselaer Paul and Kathleen Severino Future Leader Award.

Rensselaer’s Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at the Lally School of Management and Technology hosted the annual Women of Diversity — Entrepreneurship Symposium Oct. 26.

Last week the Institute announced a gift of $2 million from Sean O’Sullivan ’85 to create the Rensselaer Center for Open Software. The initiative will support the development of open software solutions to promote civil societies in the United States and across the globe.

Sivaporn Dardarananda ’68, of Sampantawong, Bangkok, received the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences during a ceremony held in the dean’s lounge on the fifth floor of the Russell Sage Laboratory Oct. 18.

A group of top-performing leaders in human resources at higher education institutions convened on the Rensselaer campus Oct. 17 to discuss a range of emerging topics in their field. Participants in the daylong conference – which included human resources professionals from Rensselaer, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Harvard, California Institute of Technology, and Penn State, among others – are part of a higher education HR Advisory Group.

Rensselaer’s Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship will host the Women of Diversity — Entrepreneurship Symposium on Thursday, Oct. 26 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the Russell Sage Dining Hall. The symposium “Pushing the Frontier in the 21st Century – A Conversation With Visionary Women” features distinguished leaders who are making their mark on higher education, business, government, and the international landscape. The symposium is part of the Severino Center’s effort to spark the interest of young women to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and careers in science, engineering, and technology.

In an effort to reach out to academically talented underrepresented minorities and young women, the Office of Enrollment Management hosted the annual STAR Program at Rensselaer Oct. 19-21.

More than 50 people, including members of the campus community and neighbors, attended the 18th annual Farkouh Field Day Sept. 30 at the Lower Renwick Field (located on Georgian Terrace). The event featured fun and games for children in grades K to 6 and their families. In addition, members of several local organizations were present including the Troy Fire Department and Troy Police Department. Those in attendance also had a chance to meet Rowdy the River Rat, the mascot for the Albany River Rats ice hockey team. The event, named for former Rensselaer student Don Farkouh, who organized the first Field Day event in 1989, was primarily organized by the Sigma Alpha Epsilon in collaboration with the Interfraternity and Panhellenic Councils.

On Friday, Oct. 20, the Computer Science Department will host its first annual “Computer Science Day” in the auditorium of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. The one-day workshop, which features four internationally recognized computer scientists, will include lectures and panel discussions about geometric computing.

Even to the untrained eye, dramatic differences in the realistic nature of paintings done before the turn of the 15th century compared with artwork created after the year 1420 are indisputable. How the Renaissance artists achieved this heightened level of realism in their paintings, however, is still up for debate. On Oct. 11 scientist and art historian David Stork discussed with the Rensselaer community one of the suspected methods artists used to augment their work during his talk, “Did the Great Masters ‘Cheat’ Using Optics?”

The Rensselaer community gathered to celebrate and honor the academic achievements of faculty and students at the Institute’s 13th annual Honors Convocation on Friday, Oct. 13.

A formula-style race car built by Rensselaer engineering students will now be sharing the stage with a 1935 Maserati “Poison Lil” and John Fitch’s legendary Allard. From now through May 2007, the Formula SAE team’s 2004 car will be taking a pit stop at the Saratoga Automobile Museum’s interactive “Sprockets to Rockets Garage,” where thousands of elementary and high school students will see an example of how a love for cars and science can be applied in the real world.

Brendan McKernan ’00, co-founder and vice president of operations of Agencourt Biosciences Corporation, has been named the 2006 William F. Glaser ’53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year. McKernan’s company, based in Massachusetts, is a leading provider of nucleic acid purification products and genomic services for life science research.

In an effort to bridge best business practices with emerging technologies in the healthcare industry, Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology hosted another session of Program Apollo — an innovative, executive education program designed for healthcare professionals. Approximately 21 individuals participated in the program held Oct. 8-11 in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

More than 2,000 people were on Rensselaer’s campus during the weekend of Oct. 13-15 as the campus celebrated Family Weekend, the Alumni MusicFest, and Phi Iota Alpha’s 75th anniversary. Parents, family members, and alumni had an opportunity to get a glimpse of life and the changes taking place at Rensselaer through a variety of sample classes, academic open houses and demonstrations, cultural offerings, tours, dinners, and athletic events. Other events taking place over the weekend included the Entrepreneur of the Year Celebration, RAA Board of Trustees meetings, the Athletics Hall of Fame banquet, concerts, dancing, tours, and more. 

Accolades for Week of Oct. 16, 2006

A team of researchers has received a four-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to study improved methods for biological separations. Led by Ravi Kane, the Merck Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer, the group plans to develop nanoscale surfaces that actively reassemble in the presence of DNA, which could eventually lead to more efficient separation tools for genomics and proteomics.

Brendan McKernan ’00, co-founder and vice president of operations of Agencourt Biosciences Corporation, has been named the 2006 William F. Glaser ’53 Rensselaer Entrepreneur of the Year. McKernan will deliver a keynote address to the Rensselaer community on Friday, Oct. 13 from 8 to 9 a.m in the Sage Lab auditorium.  The address, titled “This Is My Life,” will focus on his business and entrepreneurial experiences.

More than 2,000 people are expected to visit Rensselaer’s campus during the weekend of Oct. 13-15 as the campus celebrates Family Weekend, the Alumni MusicFest, and Phi Iota Alpha’s 75th anniversary. Parents, family members, and alumni will have an opportunity to get a glimpse of life and the changes taking place at Rensselaer through a variety of sample classes, academic open houses and demonstrations, cultural offerings, tours, dinners, and athletic events. Other events taking place over the weekend include the Entrepreneur of the Year Celebration, RAA Board of Trustees meetings, the Athletics Hall of Fame banquet, concerts, dancing, tours, and more. 

The 28th annual NSBE/SHPE Career Fair, held in the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center (Armory) last week, attracted more than 160 companies seeking students from all disciplines on campus as potential interns and employees. More than 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students participated in the two-day event, held on Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30.

More than 500 students who will be graduating in May 2007 attended the Office of the Registrar’s “Countdown to Commencement” event held in the north lobby of the Rensselaer Union. The event was part of the Culminating Year Experience program, which focuses on the administrative aspect of graduation, and the celebration of senior year at Rensselaer, providing “one-stop” access to the multitude of resources and information available to graduating seniors.

The Society of Technical Communication (STC) recently awarded Rensselaer’s Department of Language, Literature, and Communication (LL&C) a $138,000 major research grant to develop standards for analyzing, designing, and testing the usability of tech-mediated communication — ranging from graphics, to Web sites and Web gallery interfaces, to wikis and distance education environments. This is the largest research grant ever awarded by the STC.

At a press conference held at Cambridge Valley Machining Inc. (CVMI) in Cambridge, N.Y., Sept. 25, Congressman John Sweeney announced that he has secured $750,000 in fiscal year 2006 Energy and Water Appropriations for an alternative energy project being developed by Rensselaer researchers.

On Sept. 25 and 26, the Office of Alumni Relations and the Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center co-hosted their third annual conference devoted to dissociating the myths from the realities in the world of nanotechnology. Leading experts from industry, academia, and government converged at Nanotechnology 2006 to provide insight into the full spectrum of issues surrounding the field, from research and development to how new technologies can benefit the developing world.

In an effort to foster mentorship, networking, and career development opportunities for its members, Rensselaer’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) has created an advisory board comprised of members of the Rensselaer campus community.

Members of Rensselaer’s Greek Life fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) hosted their third annual community enrichment dinner earlier this month. More than 70 people attended the event, including Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff, and members of the Troy community. The annual event provides the fraternity members with an opportunity to network with members of the Rensselaer campus community, as well as recruit new members.

Accolades for Week of Oct. 2, 2006

As part of a newly formed alliance of international scientists, Rensselaer researchers will be exploring advanced technologies for wireless sensor networks in urban environments. The consortium, which is funded through the United States Army Research Laboratory and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, will receive up to $138 million over the next 10 years to rethink network computing and communications. Boleslaw Szymanski, professor of computer science and director of the Center for Pervasive Computing and Networking at Rensselaer, will lead a team supported by $1.85 million of the total project funding.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson was recently recognized for her “extraordinary achievements and community leadership in the Washington, D.C., area” by the National Urban Technology Center.

Rensselaer’s Data Warehouse Project has been selected by Computerworld’s Business Intelligence Perspectives, the premier conference for leaders in the business intelligence and IT management sector, as a finalist in its “Best Practices in Business Intelligence” awards program.

More than 70 faculty and staff volunteers paid a special visit to the residence halls of Rensselaer’s undergraduate students earlier this month. Residence Life held its annual “Opening Doors…Linking Living and Learning” program, designed to lessen the stress and help make the transition to college life comfortable for students. During the event, more than 10 residence halls were visited where approximately 850 first-year and upperclass residents were greeted by members of the Rensselaer campus community.

Rensselaer hosted a naturalization ceremony to welcome the country’s newest citizens on Sept 20. Approximately 188 individuals participated in the ceremony that was held on the Rensselaer campus in the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center (AS&RC). The participants came from all over the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South America.

Accolades for the Week of Sept. 25, 2006

Rensselaer recently announced a gift of $1.5 million from benefactor Margaret A. Darrin of Hague and New York City to fund the creation of the David M. Darrin ’40 Senior Chair at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute on Lake George. The gift supports the $1.4 billion Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and will be matched with Institute funds to establish the senior-level research professorship.

The School of Science recently added a new Ph.D. program to its 20 other graduate degree offerings. As part of the Institutewide commitment to developing programs in bioscience and biotechnology, the school will begin offering a doctorate in biochemistry and biophysics (BCBP).

The Archer Center for Student Leadership Development hosted its 17th annual student conference last week. The theme of this year’s program focused on “Leadership 2006: Perspectives From the World’s Leading Companies.”

Gathering at the flag poles in front of the Rensselaer Union early Monday morning, more than 100 members of the Rensselaer campus community – including students, faculty, and staff – marked the fifth anniversary of Sept 11, 2001 with a solemn tribute to those who perished in the attacks in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.

Members of the Rensselaer Greek Life sorority Alpha Phi welcomed author and college safety expert Erin Weed for a program focused on self-defense for college women. More than 60 students attended the event that was held in the Academy Hall auditorium on Sept. 7.

A self-described “performance sociologist,” Jackie Orr, a sociologist from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, presented a dramatic reading and scholarly lecture, “Daddy Does Cybernetics: Diary of a Mental Patient,” in the auditorium in West Hall last week.

On Sept. 8, Rensselaer announced an in-kind contribution commercially valued at almost $514 million from the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE).  PACE is a joint philanthropic initiative of General Motors, EDS, Sun Microsystems, and UGS Corp. to support key academic institutions worldwide with computer-based design tools to prepare students to compete in the future.

Rensselaer’s Career Development Center (CDC) has developed a new program for sophomore students in an effort to build on their first-year experiences. The Sophomore Career Experience (SCE) is designed to offer sophomore students career, job search, and professional development opportunities through various hands-on and interactive programs, seminars, and networking with alumni and business professionals.

Rensselaer math professor Margaret Cheney recently won the gold medal in the 3-meter competition held for the 50-54 age group during the FINA Masters World Diving Championship held in Stanford, Calif., last month.

New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer stopped by Rensselaer Sept. 6 to talk with campus leaders about the important role that universities play in stimulating economic development.

September is “Fire Safety Month,” and in an effort to provide members of the Rensselaer campus community with tips on fire safety, Rensselaer hosted a Campus Fire Safety Awareness Day Program last week at the Commons.

Accolades for Week of September 11, 2006

Acting Provost Robert Palazzo has been voted president-elect of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), a nonprofit federation of 21 societies for biomedical research in the United States. His one-year term as president-elect will be followed by a year as FASEB president beginning July 1, 2007.

Using an off-the-shelf inkjet printer, a team of scientists has developed a simple technique for printing patterns of carbon nanotubes on paper and plastic surfaces. The method, which is described in the August 2006 issue of the journal Small, could lead to a new process for manufacturing a wide range of nanotube-based devices, from flexible electronics and conducting fabrics to sensors for detecting chemical agents.

The final leg of Rensselaer professor Michael Oatman’s traveling exhibit featuring the work of local makers of dollhouses, model railroads, dioramas, and scale models recently landed in the third floor art gallery at Albany International Airport. Titled Model Citizens: GIANT SIZE, the exhibit includes nearly 200 miniature works created by more than 30 modelers, hobbyists, collectors, and artists.

Rensselaer ranks second among colleges with “more to do on campus,” according to the 2007 edition of “The Best 361 Colleges,” distributed by Princeton Review. The publication also named the Institute “one of the best Northeastern colleges.”

From the morning talk show The View and ABC News Radio to USA Today and Wired News, Rensselaer’s research and people continue to appear in media outlets across the nation. 

What do flashing red lights, sirens, and random voices have to do with each other? Just ask Rensselaer undergraduate student Justin Kwan — a senior with a double major in computer and systems engineering and electronic media art and communications — and creator of the “RESUSCITATION” immersive installation that places viewers in the middle of a simulated emergency scene. The exhibit is on display in the West Hall Gallery (room 111) through Wednesday, Sept. 6. A closing reception is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend.

More than 1,500 Rensselaer students had an opportunity to learn about campus clubs and organizations during the Rensselaer Union Activities Fair held last week in the Houston Field House. The annual event hosted by the Rensselaer Union to showcase Union-funded student clubs and organizations featured more than 160 clubs — including sports, multicultural, performing and visual arts, media organizations, and others. In addition, several academic department organizations participated in the event. Most recently, Rensselaer was ranked second among colleges with “more to do on campus,” according to the 2007 edition of “The Best 361 Colleges,” distributed by Princeton Review. The publication also named the Institute “one of the best Northeastern colleges.”

Approximately 1,290 members of Rensselaer’s incoming Class of 2010 arrived on campus last week. More than 60 percent of the students come from the top 10 percent of their high school classes, and 110 members were high school valedictorians or salutatorians. The class includes 291 Rensselaer Medal winners.

Last week, members of the Rensselaer Class of 2010 arrived on campus to participate in a series of welcoming events, team-building adventures, and festivities — called Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond (NRB) — designed to lessen the stress and help make the transition to college life comfortable for incoming first-year students.

In a new approach to treating anthrax exposure, a team of scientists has created an inhibitor designed to tackle the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant strains. Reporting in this week’s online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers from Rensselaer and the University of Toronto describe the new anthrax toxin inhibitor, which performed successfully in both laboratory and animal tests.

A team of Rensselaer researchers aims to close the “green gap” in LED technology by doubling or tripling the power output of green LEDs in three years, an advance that ultimately could lead to the replacement of incandescent and fluorescent lamps in general illumination applications.

More than 75 middle school students from Troy and the surrounding community had an opportunity to “learn that science can be fun,” as part of a two-week summer program Aug. 7-18 developed by Rensselaer’s Center for Initiatives in Pre-College education (CIPCE).

U.S.News & World Report has ranked Rensselaer 42nd among the nation’s top universities, up from 43rd last year. The Institute also is ranked 24th in the “Best Values” among national universities, up from 27th last year.

Summer interns from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Minority Undergraduate Research Program in Bioscience and Biotechnology hosted a daylong symposium Aug. 8 in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Seventy-five scholars from across North America and as far away as Scotland, Britain, France, and Japan traveled to the Rensselaer campus to attend the North American Computing and Philosophy (NA-CAP) conference, hosted by Rensselaer’s Department of Cognitive Science Aug. 10-12.

Accolades for Week of August 28, 2006

Peter Pedone, associate advancement officer in the office of alumni relations, has received the 2006 Pillars of Rensselaer Award, the highest honor Rensselaer gives to a staff member. The Pillars Award is presented annually to a staff member who understands the Institute’s mission and history, has been a role model for other employees, has showed concern for students and their welfare, has added to the human dimension of the school, and who has played an active role in his or her home community.

Kaplan and Newsweek recently announced that Rensselaer has been named to the elite “New Ivies” list, published in the 2007 Kaplan/Newsweek “How to Get into College Guide.” This year’s Kaplan/Newsweek guide introduces for the first time the “New Ivies”: colleges whose first-rate academic programs, combined with a population boom in top students, have fueled their rise in stature and favor among the nation’s top students, administrators, and faculty — edging them to a competitive status rivaling the Ivy League. Rensselaer was one of 25 schools selected as a “New Ivy,” based on admissions statistics as well as interviews with administrators, students, faculty, and alumni.

Combining the sense of touch with 3-D computer models of organs, Rensselaer researchers are developing a new approach to training surgeons, much as pilots learn to fly on flight simulators. With collaborators at Harvard Medical School, Albany Medical Center, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the team is developing a virtual simulator that will allow surgeons to touch, feel, and manipulate computer-generated organs with actual tool handles used in minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

Researchers need a clear agenda to harness the rapidly evolving potential of the World Wide Web, according to an article in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Science. Calling for the creation of an interdisciplinary “science of the Web,” a group of computer scientists led by a Rensselaer researcher suggests the need for new approaches to tap the full richness of this powerful tool, while ensuring that it develops in a way that benefits society as a whole.

Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology has announced the appointment of Ricky Thibodeau as assistant dean for administration and Jeffrey Durgee, currently an associate professor, as associate dean for academic affairs.

A self-balancing human transporter designed by Rensselaer undergraduate engineering students took center stage at an international conference attended by thousands of engineers. The students demonstrated their device, which is modeled after the Segway Human Transporter, during an Aug. 9 keynote address at NIWeek, the world’s largest virtual instrumentation conference and exhibition, held Aug. 8-10 in Austin, Texas.

Rensselaer recently hosted the second annual Capital District Materials Camp for local high school students. Approximately 30 volunteers from Rensselaer, GE Global Research, Lockheed-Martin/KAPL, and the University at Albany led demonstrations, learning activities, and tours for 24 juniors and seniors from high schools in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady counties.

Twenty-one high school students hailing from across New York, New England, and as far away as Houston, Texas, traveled to the Rensselaer campus this summer to attend the Institute’s two-week Computer Game Development Academy.

Members of the Class of 2010 are making their final preparations to attend Rensselaer this fall. More than 1,000 first-year students and more than 1,600 parents and other family members attended a series of two-day orientation programs held on Rensselaer’s campus during the month of July. The program, developed by Rensselaer’s Office of the First-Year Experience (FYE), included general orientation information, advisement, registration, and an introduction to Rensselaer’s computing system. Students and their families had an opportunity to learn more about Rensselaer and meet and talk with other students, parents, faculty, and members representing various student life divisions. The final orientation program scheduled for first-year students will take place from Aug. 21-22.

Using surveillance cameras and the popular video game The Sims 2™, Katherine Isbister, associate professor of language, literature, and communication at Rensselaer, will create a public art installation called SimVeillance: San Jose as part of The ZeroOne San Jose Festival, taking place Aug. 7-13.

Michael Shur, the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts ’48 Chaired Professor in Solid State Electronics at Rensselaer, has been named the 2007 recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Leon K. Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Award. The award honors teachers of electrical and electronics engineering and the related disciplines for inspirational teaching of graduate students.

More than 30 middle school and high school students from the Capital Region who are considering careers in science, engineering, and technology had an opportunity to get a firsthand look at the field of the physical sciences during a weeklong, summer enrichment science education program developed by Yvonne Akpalu, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rensselaer.

Robert Linhardt, the Ann and John H. Broadbent Jr. '59 Senior Constellation Professor in Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering, has been appointed acting director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies effective July 1. 

News of Rensselaer’s programs and people continues to appear in media outlets around the world. Recent highlights include USA Today, the Washington Post, the Houston Chronicle, and Investor’s Business Daily.

Linda McGown, professor and chair of chemistry and chemical biology, has been appointed the William Weightman Walker Chair of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rensselaer. Established in 1905, the Walker Chair is one of the two oldest named professorships at Rensselaer.

Rensselaer has appointed Donald Fry as vice president for institute advancement. The vice president for institute advancement is responsible for oversight of the division of advancement strategy, services, and infrastructure; alumni relations; and development, including the Rensselaer Annual Fund, and individual, corporate, foundation, and international advancement.

Rensselaer’s Incubator Program recently announced that six new high-technology companies will join the Incubator. The companies — represented by members of the Rensselaer community and beyond — are focused on vibro-diagnostics, renewable energy, 3-D modeling, zombie-zapping, aviation safety, and terahertz instrumentation.

A group of Rensselaer students interested in energy research has successfully petitioned to form an upstate New York student chapter of the Electrochemical Society (ECS). The chapter, which is only the fourth to be formed in the United States, will bring together a multidisciplinary group of students who study fuel cells, electrochemistry, and related aspects of electrochemical energy conversion.

Phil Phan, the Warren H. Bruggeman ’46 and Pauline Urban Bruggeman Distinguished Professor of Management at Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology, has been awarded the Bosch Berlin Prize in Public Policy. Phan will join more than 20 distinguished American scholars involved in cultural, academic, and public affairs who have been selected to study at the American Academy in Berlin.

Rensselaer researchers have discovered a communication signal between cells that plays an important role in cell adhesion and detachment. The finding provides new information about how cells and tissues determine when to let go from surfaces during new growth, according to the researchers.

Both Albert Wurz, of Doylestown, Penn., and Rebecca Danchak ’78, Rensselaer at Hartford’s acting associate dean for student services, recently were honored by the Rensselaer Alumni Association.

Rensselaer hosted an international Symposium on the Glycomics of Glycosaminoglycans in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies on July 8. Approximately 50 scientists from Japan, Europe, Canada, and the United States gathered to discuss developing technologies for studying structural and functional glycomics.

Accolades for Week of July 17, 2006

The breakthrough ideas conceived by Rensselaer undergraduate seniors and graduate students can now get an additional financial boost with the new $30,000 Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize that will be awarded beginning in the 2007 academic year. The $30,000 Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize will be awarded annually to a student who has created or improved a product or process, applied a technology in a new way, redesigned a system, or demonstrated remarkable inventiveness in other ways.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute received notice this week in a letter dated June 23, 2006, and signed by Jessica S. Kozloff, chair of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, that the Middle States Commission acted to reaffirm the Institute’s accreditation at its session on June 22, 2006. Additionally, Kozloff noted that the Commission acted to commend Rensselaer for the quality of the self-study report submitted in conjunction with the accreditation process.

Basil Andrew Stewart, CPA, has been appointed assistant vice president for finance/controller, effective July 1, 2006. He will report to Virginia Gregg, vice president for finance and chief financial officer.

In an effort to bridge best business practices with emerging technologies in the healthcare industry, Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology has launched Program Apollo — an innovative, executive education program designed for healthcare professionals. Using simulated scenarios set in a virtual hospital setting, participants have an opportunity to test their skills in identifying administrative, financial, and technological opportunities for growth and development within the healthcare industry.

As part of a major international project to design more earthquake-resistant woodframe buildings, Michael Symans, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer, will be testing a damping system designed to act as a seismic shock absorber. The dampers, which have never been tested before in wood construction, will be installed inside the walls of a full-scale, 1,800-square-foot townhouse — the world’s largest wooden structure to undergo seismic testing on a shake table.

Recent graduate Tyler Hinman ’06, who majored in information technology at Rensselaer, is one of the stars of the newly released feature documentary WordPlay, about the world of New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz. The movie opens in the Capital Region on Friday, July 7 at the Spectrum Theatres in Albany. Other stars in the movie include former President Bill Clinton, former Senator Bob Dole, filmmaker Ken Burns, and comedian Jon Stewart—all crossword enthusiasts.

Researchers have created organic gel nanomaterials that could be used to encapsulate pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic products and to build 3-D biological scaffolds for tissue engineering. Using olive oil and six other liquid solvents, the scientists added a simple enzyme to chemically activate a sugar that changed the liquids to organic gels.

A Rensselaer researcher has uncovered mathematics embedded in the designs of various aspects of native and contemporary culture, from traditional beadwork and basket weaving to modern hairstyles and music. Using the discovery, he’s developed a series of interactive, Web-based teaching tools that are capturing the interest — and imagination — of students in math classes across the country.

Jeanette Simmonds, a doctoral candidate in the department of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student scholarship to Australia in the field of Cultural and Intellectual History. She will use the grant to travel to Australia to conduct research on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) — an interdisciplinary field of agricultural science that aims to understand the relationship between legumes and soil bacteria (Rhizobia).

A plaque honoring Ebenezer Emmons, Class of 1826, a renowned geologist and the Institute’s first professor of geology, was unveiled during a ceremony that took place on the Rensselaer campus in April.

The School of Engineering recently learned of the sudden passing of Harry F. Tiersten, professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer, and a member of the faculty since 1967. Tiersten was recognized internationally as an expert in the field of non-linear continuum physics.

Accolades for the Week of July 3, 2006.

James A. Hendler, a renowned computer scientist and World Wide Web researcher, has been appointed senior constellation professor of the Tetherless World Research Constellation at Rensselaer. Hendler will join Rensselaer Jan. 1, 2007.

The Rensselaer community lost a longtime friend May 31 with the passing of Michael Abbott, professor emeritus of chemical and biological engineering, but his legacy will live on through a lecture series in his name. The Isermann Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering launched the Michael M. Abbott Lecture Series May 10 with a talk by Jefferson Tester, the H.P. Meissner Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The lecture was the first in what will be an annual series hosted by the department each spring.

On June 2, Rensselaer at Hartford held two events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of providing working professionals throughout Connecticut and the vicinity with the opportunity to earn master’s degrees, graduate certificates, and corporate training certification, through a world-class learning experience. President Shirley Ann Jackson dedicated the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame and a “Rensselaer Alumni in Space” display at the Hartford campus. Later that evening, President Jackson hosted a gala reception at the Goodwin Hotel in downtown Hartford where Connecticut Congressman John Larson was the guest speaker. Larson also presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition to Rensselaer at Hartford “in recognition of outstanding and invaluable service to the community.”

Looking beyond gorgeous graphics and sophisticated storylines, experts in the game industry are placing greater emphasis on developing games that involve players at the emotional level. A new book written by Katherine Isbister, associate professor of language, literature, and communication at Rensselaer, explains how concepts from psychology and social science can be applied to character design to create powerful social and emotional connections with players.

Changing a surface from sticky to slippery could now be as easy as flipping a molecular light switch. Rensselaer researchers have created an “optically switchable” material that alters its surface characteristics when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. The new material, which is described in the June 19 issue of the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, could have a wide variety of applications, from a protein filter for biological mixtures to a tiny valve on a “lab-on-a-chip.”

Researchers at Rensselaer are building the first comprehensive framework to advance the discovery and design of cost-effective biodegradable plastics. The aim of the research, funded by a $405,821 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), is to provide a foundation for developing the next generation of “green” plastics.

Kobie Boykins ’96 and Fred Serricchio ’94 worked on the team that built the rovers for the 2004 Mars Exploration Rover mission, which landed two mobile robots – Spirit and Opportunity — on opposite sides of Mars for a three-month mission to collect geological clues from the red planet. As part of Reunion 2006, the two alums returned to campus to share their experiences.

Rensselaer welcomed nearly 1,000 alumni and guests for Reunion 2006 on June 8-11. Events included the “State of the Institute” address by President Shirley Ann Jackson, a Renaissance Fair, breakfasts with the deans of each school on campus, the Parade of Classes, a Hawaiian luau and fireworks attended by over 250 alums (including the Class of 1946’s Lois Graham, Mary Ellen Kolb, and Elizabeth DeNike — Rensselaer’s first women graduates), and a range of other activities, including seminars, city and campus tours, and individual class dinners — which were all held on campus this year.

Richard Radke, assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering, had an opportunity to discuss his research on Capitol Hill June 7 at the 12th Annual Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF). The event, which is designed to highlight leading National Science Foundation-funded research projects to policymakers, featured a booth about Radke’s research into developing a new framework for “distributed computer vision.”

A national alliance of 96 member schools, programs, and centers, the Consortium is dedicated to preparing high school students to become leaders in meeting the challenges of the future and to transforming mathematics and science education.

Accolades for Week of June 19, 2006

Amy and David Jaffe’64 have made a gift of $1 million to create the Jaffe Fund for Experimental Media and Performing Arts. The Jaffe Fund will support commissions, performances, and productions of contemporary work over the next five years. Their gift, in support of Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, also will help launch the Artists-in-Residence program when the new Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) opens in 2008.

James Nondorf has been appointed as the vice president for enrollment. He will be responsible for undergraduate and graduate admissions and will oversee the office of financial aid.

President Jackson this week announced the appointment of Robert Palazzo as acting provost, effective July 1, 2006. Palazzo will take over the duties of G.P. “Bud” Peterson, who has accepted the position of chancellor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  Palazzo will serve as acting provost until a national search is completed.

Researchers at Rensselaer, the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, and Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center have discovered the presence of the genetic material RNA in the centrosome, the organizing structure inside each cell that assures proper cell division.

Bombarding a carbon nanotube with electrons causes it to collapse with such incredible force that it can squeeze out even the hardest of materials, much like a tube of toothpaste, according to an international team of scientists. Reporting in the May 26 issue of the journal Science, Pulickel Ajayan, the Henry Burlage Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and colleagues from Germany, Mexico, and Finland suggest that carbon nanotubes can act as minuscule metalworking tools, offering the ability to process materials as in a nanoscale jig or extruder.

Gordon Rubin, a graduate student in the School of Architecture’s acoustics program, is the recent recipient of a three-year AT&T Labs Fellowship to support his doctoral degree in acoustics. The AT&T Labs Fellowship is available to outstanding underrepresented minority and women students who are pursuing doctoral studies in computer and communications-related fields.

Martin Weinstein ’57, of San Antonio, Texas, and New York, N.Y., received the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering on Friday, May 19 during the department’s Commencement dinner.

Marking the end of the spring 2006 semester for the School of Architecture’s graduate program in architectural acoustics, renowned scientist and acoustician Leo Beranek visited the Rensselaer campus to give two lectures, titled “Architect — Acoustician Relationship in the Design of Concert Halls” and “Audience Absorption in Concert Halls.”

Calling the Rensselaer Class of 2006 graduates “the frontline warriors” as global science and technology innovators, General Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army Retired, encouraged the graduates to be engaged as citizens in the global community, to be leaders in promoting economic opportunity, and to always pursue and embrace justice and equality.

Rensselaer held its 200th Commencement on Saturday, May 20, 2006, where approximately 1,300 students were awarded their degrees. During the ceremony, Rensselaer awarded 928 bachelor’s degrees, 286 master’s degrees, and 98 doctoral degrees.

In addition to taking on the task of a rigorous academic schedule, a select group of students at Rensselaer have also undertaken the rigorous preparation to serve their country. They are among the 36 Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) men and women who were recognized at the Institute’s joint services commissioning ceremony May 19, honoring those who have completed the appropriate ROTC programs while concurrently meeting the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at Rensselaer.

Rensselaer’s 2006 Commencement honorees — General Wesley K. Clark, Peter Bohlin ’58, and Santiago Calatrava — joined President Shirley Ann Jackson in a colloquy on “Global Leadership and Innovation” Friday, May 19, at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. In a broad-ranging dialogue the panelists discussed the challenges inherent in balancing the local and the global, the public and the private, the drive for competitiveness and the need to maintain environmental responsibility.

During Rensselaer’s 200th Commencement David Haviland ’64, who retired in December 2005 after 40 years of service to the Institute, was awarded the Trustee Medal. It is a rare honor, bestowed on only one other member of the Rensselaer community in the history of the Institute.

Rensselaer, in collaboration with IBM and New York state, has announced a $100 million partnership to create the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputing center, and a top 10 supercomputing center of any kind in the world.

Rensselaer’s 2006 Commencement honorees — General Wesley K. Clark, Peter Bohlin ’58, and Santiago Calatrava — will join President Shirley Ann Jackson in a colloquy on “Global Leadership and Innovation,” on Friday, May 19, at 4 p.m. at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. The program is open to the campus community, and the general public.

When the School of Architecture at Rensselaer admitted its first class in 1931, undergraduate students were required to take “general cultural subjects” in addition to their technical courses to ensure they received “as well rounded an education as the demands of their technical courses permitted.” Three-quarters of a century later, Rensselaer continues to produce architects with broad, interdisciplinary academic backgrounds that support and complement their technical training. As the Institute prepares to celebrate its 200th Commencement on Saturday, May 20, the School of Architecture is marking its 75th anniversary.

When Grant Cochran crosses the stage during Rensselaer’s 200th Commencement this week, he’ll have completed more than just his undergraduate education. As the final of six brothers to attend the school, Cochran’s graduation marks the end of a 15-year family dynasty at Rensselaer.

On Tuesday, May 16 Rensselaer seniors gathered for a semi-formal banquet where they dined, danced, and honored their fellow classmates. During the event, four graduates with exemplary achievements in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership were honored for their accomplishments.

Rensselaer student-athletes and a staff member were honored May 4 at the annual Senior Athletes Dinner.

By stacking layers of ceramic cloth with interlocking nanotubes in between, a team of researchers has created new composites with significantly improved properties compared to traditional materials. The “nanotube sandwiches,” which are described in the May 7 online edition of the journal Nature Materials, could find use in a wide array of structural applications.

In a program designed to inspire and promote a revitalization of alleys as neighborhood resources, architecture students in Rensselaer’s Community Planning course invited Troy residents to join them in a walking tour of the William Street alley between Broadway and the Little Italy section. The daylong event was held May 6.

Rensselaer people and research continue to be in the news. Recent highlights include stories from The New York Times, Associated Press, and Capital Region media.

Two driven Rensselaer science students who will participate in the university’s 200th Commencement on May 20 are speeding up their education. Part of a new accelerated Ph.D. science program at Rensselaer, Jordan Mader (chemistry and chemical biology) and Amanda Lund (biology) are on track to finish their bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in seven years, two ahead of average.

Researchers from Rensselaer have engineered nanoscale materials that are blood compatible using heparin, an anticoagulant. The heparin biomaterials have potential for use as medical devices and in medical treatments such as kidney dialysis.

Vayu Innovations, a technology start-up company founded by four MBA graduate students from Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology, won this year’s Collegiate Business Plan Competition. The competition — held on Rensselaer’s campus on May 3 — was sponsored by the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology.

A symbol of the Capital Region’s 19th-century industrial heritage is getting a facelift, courtesy of a decidedly 21st-century technology. Using a state-of-the-art “rapid prototyping” system, undergraduate engineers from Rensselaer are partnering with local industry and preservationists to restore the long-lost letters to the façade of the Burden Iron Works Museum in South Troy, once home to an industrial complex that could produce 51 million horseshoes per year.

Rensselaer people and research continue to be in the news. Recent highlights include stories from Science News, The Economist, Vancouver Sun, and Capital Region media.

Fifteen architecture students in a class called “RxBox: Open Source Architecture for a Sustainable World,” taught by Clinical Assistant Professor Michael Oatman and Associate Professor Ted Krueger, have spent the spring semester converting a 20’x8’x8’ shipping container into a mobile medical facility that they hope to ship to Haiti.

As part of its third annual Game Festival and Symposium (GameFest), Rensselaer hosted an exhibition of the latest work from its aspiring game developers on Friday, April 28. Nearly 20 teams of students selected by members of the game studies faculty exhibited the games they’ve created over the last 12 months in the Darrin Communications Center’s Great Hall.

Accolades for Week of May 8, 2006

Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute and Rensselaer are collaborating to further research at the intersection of medicine and engineering. Under terms of a recently signed agreement, the institutions will jointly undertake research in several areas including nano-medicine, nano-bio materials, smart orthopaedic implants, biomolecular imaging, biocomputation and bioinformatics, bio-MEMS and the development of drug-delivery devices.

As nuclear power returns to the energy agenda in the United States and continues to grow in popularity around the world, the need for engineers and scientists in all sectors of the field grows as well. Educating the next generation of nuclear engineers is a key step toward filling this gap, and Rensselaer is leading the way. Rensselaer’s 200th Commencement on May 20, 2006, will offer a glimpse at some of the future leaders in academia, government, and the nuclear industry.

More than 70 Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students showcased their research April 26 during two campuswide events: the 2006 Undergraduate Research Forum and Awards and the first annual Nanotechnology Research Workshop.

Winners of Rensselaer’s McKinney Contest student writing competition were presented awards by renowned author E.L. Doctorow in a ceremony that took place on April 19, 2006. In addition to commending the students on their achievement, the author performed a reading of his recent award-winning novel, The March.

Rensselaer people and programs continue to make news. Recent highlights include The New York Times, Associated Press, Chemical & Engineering News, and features in Capital Region media.

Accolades for Week of May 1, 2006

Researchers from Rensselaer and the University of Toronto have designed a nanoscale assembly of molecules that successfully counteracts and inhibits anthrax toxin in animal and laboratory experiments. The novel approach used to neutralize anthrax toxin could be applied in designing potent therapeutics for a variety of pathogens and toxins, according to the researchers.

Two Rensselaer students, Elizabeth DeLouise and Jeffrey Martin, have been selected as 2006 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars by the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The national award honors students pursuing careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

A team of Rensselaer undergraduate students was recognized as one of the top 11 teams out of 748 competing teams in the 2006 Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM). Matthew Pelliccione (physics), Michael Sasseville (physics), and Igor Zhitnitsky (mathematics) were on the “outstanding winner” team.

More than 1,000 Rensselaer students, faculty, staff, their families, and members of the surrounding community — led by members of Greek Life and student athletes — participated in Rensselaer’s first Relay for Life event last weekend, raising more than $116,600 (and counting) for cancer research. The overnight event — held on the ’86 Field — began at 7 p.m. on Friday, and ended on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.

Surrounded by the men’s ice hockey team, with RPI hockey fans cheering and “Hail Dear Old Rensselaer” playing in the background, President Shirley Ann Jackson welcomed the Institute’s 12th men’s ice hockey coach — Seth Appert — to campus at a gathering in the Mueller Center Friday evening, April 21.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences will host the third annual Game Festival & Symposium (GameFest) on April 28 and 29. The two-day exposition will feature discussions with prominent members of the video game industry and an exhibition of the latest work from Rensselaer’s aspiring game developers.

Rensselaer people and programs continue to make news. Recent highlights include The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Technology Review magazine, and featured stories in Capital Region media.

A Rensselaer researcher has made his way into the Guinness Book of World Records by creating “the smallest nanotube brushes with bristles more than a thousand times finer than a human hair.” In collaboration with the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Pulickel Ajayan, the Henry Burlage Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, described the microscopic brushes — each composed of millions of carbon nanotubes — in the July 2005 issue of Nature Materials.

Antoinette Maniatty ’87, professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The highest elected grade of membership in ASME, fellowship is conferred upon a member with at least 10 years of active engineering practice and who has made significant contributions to the profession.

Renowned author E.L. Doctorow will visit the Rensselaer campus on Wednesday, April 19 to present awards to the winners of Rensselaer’s McKinney Contest writing competition. The ceremony begins at 8 p.m. in room 308 of the Darrin Communications Center, and will include a reading by Doctorow from his recent award-winning novel The March.

Rensselaer people and programs continue to make news. Recent highlights include mentions in the Doonesbury cartoon strip, The New York Times, the Biography Channel, and several important trade publications.

Researchers in Rensselaer’s Social Behavioral Research Laboratory (SBRL) are examining the usability of a miniature model of a large-scale science exhibit in the New York Hall of Science. The interactive, tactile model aims to make museum exhibits more accessible for blind and low-vision visitors by allowing them to learn about exhibits through a combination of touching and listening.

It’s official. Zack Freeman will serve as the Grand Marshal, the highest elected office in the Rensselaer Student Government, serving as the leader and chief spokesperson for the Rensselaer Union. James Fisher will serve as President of the Union, presiding over the Executive Board, which is the budgeting group of the Rensselaer Union. The final election results were announced April 12 during a ceremony held outside of the Rensselaer Union. Grand Marshal Week, the annual student-run events focusing on the election of new student government representatives, was held last week at Rensselaer. Though most of next year’s student representatives were announced during the closing ceremony on April 7 at the Houston Field House, the race for Grand Marshal was too close to call. A run-off election was held April 11.

Three alumni with expertise in energy policy and innovation returned to campus April 3 to participate in a forum titled “Imagining the Future of Energy,” focusing on the need to diversify energy sources. The event, part of the Rensselaer Alumni Association’s (RAA) Back to Campus Speaker Series, was moderated by Nag Patibandla, director of Rensselaer’s Center for Future Energy Systems.

As the May 1 deadline approaches for high school seniors to decide where they will attend college in the fall, Rensselaer hosted more than 2,300 visitors to campus for the Accepted Student Celebration on April 8. The visitors included more than 880 accepted students from 30 states, as well as Puerto Rico and India. The students and their families had an opportunity to learn more about Rensselaer through a series of activities including: campus and residence life tours, academic presentations, informational sessions on financial aid, and departmental and campus life open houses.

The 14th Annual Awards of Excellence ceremony celebrating 142 years of Greek Life on Rensselaer’s campus was held on April 8. More than 50 students representing Rensselaer fraternal organizations were honored and celebrated for their academic, social, leadership, and community service contributions to the campus and local community. 

The Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) honored Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff during the 27th annual minority students’ awards ceremony April 9. The annual ceremony honors academic and leadership achievements, and celebrates individual students, student organizations, faculty, and staff who have worked to support minority students at Rensselaer. The keynote address was delivered by Lou Jones ’67, a Boston-based fine art and commercial photographer.

Grand Marshal Week, the annual student-run events focusing on the election of new student government representatives, was held last week at Rensselaer. This year’s theme, “yarrRPI,” focused on celebrating student life and culture with the spirit of the Caribbean. More than 100 Rensselaer Union student organizations planned special activities and events during the campuswide celebration.

The Reverend Thomas Phelan, Institute Dean, Institute Historian, and Professor Emeritus, and former chaplain, dean of humanities and social sciences, and special adviser to the president, died on March 31. Phelan dedicated more than four decades of his life to Rensselaer.

From attaching DNA enzymes to nanotubes to simulating proteins under pressure, the work of 33 Rensselaer researchers was presented at the 231st American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting March 26-30 in Atlanta.

Rensselaer officials have announced a $250,000 fellowship gift commitment from Ajit Prabhu ’98 in support of the $1 billion Renaissance at Rensselaer Campaign. The Ajit Prabhu ’98 Fellowship will be added to the Rensselaer endowment, and income from the gift will be used to provide fellowship support directly to master’s or doctoral degree students, with first preference to those enrolled in the biomedical engineering program. Additionally, Rensselaer and Prabhu’s company, QuEST, a leading provider of product development and engineering solutions to major global companies in the aerospace, automotive, energy, and industrial products domains, have agreed to mutually promote educational and research cooperation between the two institutions through the signing of a formal memorandum of understanding.

Extreme Drawing challenges students to use unconventional methods to create works at extreme scales, in public and in collaboration. Michael Oatman, clinical professor of architecture, says the goal of the class, which was inspired by the phenomenon of extreme sports, is to expand the territories of drawing.

More than 100 engineering students from across the Northeast came to Rensselaer March 31-April 1 for the 2006 Northeast Regional Student Conference of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). The conference, which was organized and run by Rensselaer undergraduate students, was a major regional event that featured student research presentations, workshops, a career fair, and the Chem-E-Car Competition — an event that challenged teams to design and build shoebox-sized cars powered by chemical energy sources.

Rensselaer’s engineering, fine arts, applied mathematics, and management graduate programs were ranked among the best in the nation in the 2007 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” published online March 31, 2006. 

As nuclear power returns to the national energy agenda, the need for engineers and scientists in all sectors of the field becomes ever more pressing. This year’s American Nuclear Society (ANS) national student conference, held March 30-April 1 at Rensselaer, offered a glimpse at the future leaders in academia, government, and industry, with more than 300 of the top nuclear engineering students from across the country in attendance. The conference featured presentations from a number of experts currently working in the field, including Admiral Frank “Skip” Bowman, president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the main policy organization for the country’s commercial nuclear power industry. In a March 31 lunchtime keynote address titled “America’s Nuclear Renaissance and Your Role in It,” Admiral Bowman discussed the resurgence of the nuclear power industry in the United States and the opportunities for young engineers to play a role in this growth.

On April 1, Rensselaer hosted women engineers from across the Northeast at the 2006 Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Region F Conference. The event featured talks, workshops, and opportunities for professional development, all revolving around the theme of “Engineering a Sustainable Future.” Ruth Horton, program manager for energy efficiency services at the New York State Energy, Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and president of the Clean Cities Board of Directors, delivered the keynote lecture about creating a climate for sustainability.

Petros Drineas, assistant professor of computer science at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Drineas will use the projected five-year, $400,000 grant to investigate novel computational algorithms for analyzing complex datasets with applications in health and medicine, computer science, and social sciences.

As nuclear power returns to the national energy agenda, the need for engineers and scientists in all sectors of the field becomes ever more pressing. This year’s American Nuclear Society (ANS) national student conference, to be held March 30-April 1 at Rensselaer, will offer a glimpse at the future leaders in academia, government, and industry, while featuring presentations from experts currently working in these arenas.

The Center for Terahertz Research hosted the first meeting of the NATO Terahertz Exploratory Team, providing an opportunity for the newly created group to review the current status of terahertz technology for detecting hidden explosives. The 20-member team of international experts is chaired by Xi-Cheng Zhang, the J. Erik Jonsson ’22 Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Terahertz Research at Rensselaer.

Rensselaer athletes continue to post outstanding academic results. The 2005-06 Liberty League Winter All-Academic Team includes 49 Rensselaer student-athletes. Honored student-athletes must have at least sophomore athletic and academic standing with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.20. The winter sports included are men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s and women’s indoor track and field. 

Hundreds of 11th grade girls took part in the 10th annual Design Your Future Day (DYFD) on March 25. The event, hosted by Rensselaer and sponsored by General Motors, engages participants in activities to inform and excite them about career opportunities in engineering, science, architecture, and technology.

Rensselaer research and people continue to be in the news. Recent highlights include references on CNN’s American Morning program, in Investor’s Business Daily, and in Capital Region media.

A dozen students from Rensselaer’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity International traveled to Liberty, South Carolina during spring break to work on a Habitat for Humanity homebuilding project. The students worked alongside other volunteers from around the country and the future owners of the home, as part of the annual Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge held March 13-17 in the area.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson is leading a delegation from the Institute to India from March 21 to April 1. The delegation is scheduled to meet prominent leaders in science-related government agencies, leading universities and research institutes, and companies in the cities of New Delhi, Kanpur, Mumbai, and Bangalore in order to raise awareness and understanding of Rensselaer’s educational and research opportunities, as well as to foster future collaborative educational and research efforts. Additionally, the delegation will meet with Rensselaer alumni at events to be held in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bangalore.

At a March 20 meeting of the National Academies in New Orleans, Tarek Abdoun, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, presented preliminary findings from his team’s small-scale centrifuge model of the 17th Street Canal. As part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hurricane Katrina Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force (IPET), Abdoun and his colleagues have released video footage indicating that the 17th Street levee may have slid on a layer of weak clay just beneath the peat that underlies the earthen structure.

Rensselaer Director of Athletics Ken Ralph has announced that the Institute has begun an international search for a new head coach for men’s hockey, following the resignation of Coach Dan Fridgen.

Rensselaer officials have announced the appointment of Nag Patibandla as director of the Center for Future Energy Systems, a New York State Center for Advanced Technology (CAT). He also will hold a position as a research professor in the School of Engineering’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Patibandla brings an extensive background in energy policy, management, and research, having worked in a variety of positions at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), General Electric, and previously as a researcher and professor at Rensselaer.

Approximately 100 local middle and high school students participated in the 16th annual Greater Capital Region Science and Engineering Fair and Science Congress on Saturday, March 18 in the Walker Laboratory at Rensselaer. The science fair was the regional competition for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and New York State Science Congress.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson and New York Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno joined biotechnology researchers and business leaders March 13 at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer to unveil a powerful new tool — a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer — that aids in research on the cause and treatment of disease.

At a spring Town Meeting March 7, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson presented an overview of the Fiscal Year 2006-2007 budget approved by the Board of Trustees, and outlined “the challenges we face as an institution, and how we are positioning this university to meet these challenges, and to fulfill the promise of The Rensselaer Plan.”

From energy-efficient lighting to flexible “nano skins” for a variety of applications, more than 50 Rensselaer researchers are presenting this week at the American Physical Society (APS) March Meeting in Baltimore, Md. In addition, Angel Garcia, senior constellation chaired professor in biocomputation and bioinformatics and professor of physics, will receive the 2006 Edward A. Bouchet Award by the APS for “his contributions to the understanding of the role of water in the dynamics and folding of proteins through computer simulations.” The award promotes the participation of underrepresented minorities in physics by identifying and recognizing a distinguished minority physicist who has made significant contributions to physics research.

iFiddle, a concerto composed by Rensselaer Arts Professor Neil Rolnick, will be premiered at Carnegie Hall (in Zankel Hall) on Friday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. The performance is part of the American Composers Orchestra’s (ACO) “Orchestra Underground: Tech and Techno” series.

Rensselaer research and people continue to be in the news. Recent highlights include references in The Economist, ScienceNow, Homeland Security Today magazine, Time for Kids magazine, Technology Review, New Scientist, on Marketplace radio, and in Capital Region media.

Accolades for Week of March 13, 2006

General Wesley K. Clark will deliver the 2006 Commencement address, and will receive an honorary degree at Rensselaer’s 200th Commencement, on Saturday, May 20, 2006 at 9:30 a.m., at the Harkness Field. Architect Peter Bohlin ’58, architect, artist, and engineer Santiago Calatrava, and FedEx Corporation chairman, president, and CEO Frederick W. Smith also will be awarded honorary degrees at Commencement.

A team of researchers has developed a new process to make flexible, conducting “nano skins” for a variety of applications, from electronic paper to sensors for detecting chemical and biological agents. The materials, which are described in the March issue of the journal Nano Letters, combine the strength and conductivity of carbon nanotubes with the flexibility of traditional polymers.

Twenty-seven students — along with Cameron McLean, Rensselaer Union activities coordinator, and Erin Glasheen, director of undergraduate programs in the arts department — have been inducted into the Phalanx honor society. Phalanx honors student leadership and celebrates those who have “worked to better the standing of Rensselaer both on and off campus.” New members are selected — or “tapped” — by the student members of Phalanx.

Nancy Cantor, chancellor and president of Syracuse University, delivered a Presidential Lecture titled “Universities and Their Connected Communities: Creating Capital for the Future,” on March 6, in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies auditorium. Following the lecture, she was joined by President Jackson and Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences John Harrington for a discussion with the audience of students, faculty, staff, and members of the administration on the role of the university in strengthening its surrounding community.

Rensselaer graduate students have a new place to gather and share ideas in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. A graduate student lounge was opened last week in Room 2248 of the building. President Shirley Ann Jackson and Center Director Robert Palazzo opened the lounge on March 8 with a pizza party that was well-attended by faculty and graduate students. The lounge features new chairs, sofas, small tables, lamps, and a plasma TV.

A Rensselaer researcher has been awarded a five-year, $947,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study how proteins behave under pressure. Angel Garcia, senior constellation chaired professor in biocomputation and bioinformatics, seeks to address gaps in scientific knowledge regarding the role of water pressure in protein structure and function that could aid in the understanding and treatment of disease.

To provide essential data for the rebuilding of the ravaged levees in New Orleans, Rensselaer engineers are studying small-scale models of sections of the flood-protection system. The researchers are replicating conditions during Hurricane Katrina by subjecting the models to flood loads, supplying important information to help the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prepare the city for next hurricane season and beyond.

A delegation of experts in technological entrepreneurship from Rensselaer are traveling to China for symposia on innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology commercialization.

Nancy Cantor, chancellor and president of Syracuse University, will deliver a Presidential Lecture titled “Universities and Their Connected Communities: Creating Capital for the Future,” on Monday, March 6, at 4 p.m., in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies auditorium.

In celebration of National Engineers Week 2006, Rensselaer hosted a day of hands-on engineering activities Feb. 25 for more than 250 area Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The day’s events were organized and run by Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate engineering students.

In an effort to bridge classroom theory and practice, a delegation of eight graduate and undergraduate students from Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology joined 152 students from 36 schools to participate in the third annual Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Using simulated trading cases, teams of students from Canada, the United States, and Europe tested their trading skills in a realistic environment.

The Rensselaer Union Bookstore kicked off the official countdown to Commencement 2006 by hosting the fifth annual Grad Fair on Feb. 23. Several Rensselaer departments and company representatives were available to address individual graduation needs including: Student Records and Financial Services, Senior Class of 2006, University Events, Josten’s (2006 class rings and graduation announcements), Framing Success (Rensselaer diploma frames), and the Oak Hall Company (graduation caps and gowns).

Accolades for the week of Feb. 27, 2006

Alhussein Abouzeid, assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Abouzeid will use the projected five-year, $400,000 grant to investigate dynamic wireless networks with applications in environmental sensing, disaster response, and connecting homes within a community.

Rensselaer announced a $1 million scholarship gift commitment from Jeanne and Frank Fischer ’64, in support of Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Jeanne and Frank Fischer ’64 Scholarship will become part of the Rensselaer endowment, and income from the gift will be used to provide significant scholarship support directly to students.

Michael Hanna, associate professor of biology, has been appointed as associate dean for academic advising, assessment, and special programs at Rensselaer. He will also serve as the director of the Institute’s Advising and Learning Assistance Center (ALAC).

Rensselaer researchers have developed a tabletop accelerator that produces nuclear fusion at room temperature, providing confirmation of an earlier experiment conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), while offering substantial improvements over the original design. The new results were described in the Feb. 10 issue of Physical Review Letters.

Rensselaer research and people continue to be in the news. Recent highlights include stories from Time, NPR, and Christian Science Monitor.

Student leaders and campus officials joined in celebrating the newly renovated Rathskellar with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 13. The ground-floor venue in the Rensselaer Union has an entirely new look as a colorful gathering spot, offering a variety of new food items, seating arrangements, and increased areas for laptop use.

Accolades for week of Feb. 20, 2006

With the support of Rensselaer hockey fans, the men’s ice hockey team has raised approximately $10,000 for cancer research through the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The effort honors Kirk MacDonald, a senior co-captain of the team who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in April 2005.

On Feb. 8, leaders of New York’s major research universities and institutions — including Rensselaer — called on lawmakers in Albany to act quickly to establish a state fund to support stem cell research.

A new study suggests that integrating nanotubes into traditional materials dramatically improves their ability to reduce vibration, especially at high temperatures. The findings could pave the way for a new class of materials with a multitude of applications, from high-performance parts for spacecraft and automobile engines, to golf clubs that don’t sting and stereo speakers that don’t buzz. The materials, developed by Rensselaer researchers, were described in the Feb. 8 issue of the journal Nano Letters.

More than 450 area students and their families came to Rensselaer to participate in the eighth annual Black Family Technology Awareness Day. The Feb. 11 event, hosted by Rensselaer’s Office of Institute Diversity, featured workshops designed to spur young people’s interest in pursuing careers in science and engineering. Rensselaer’s Black Family Technology Awareness Day is part of a nationally celebrated week of the same name. The theme for 2006 is “Preserving Our Legacy Through Technology.”

David Armandt ’06 has been awarded the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Alumni Association’s (RAA) Community Service Award, in recognition of his outstanding commitment to community service in the local region. Armandt was honored at a ceremony during an intermission of the Rensselaer vs. Yale hockey game on Feb. 10.

The phonograph, though initially not a musical instrument, has emerged at the center of a thriving, global performance art known as turntablism. Rayvon Fouché, associate professor of science and technology at Rensselaer, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to examine the phonograph’s cultural and technological transformation into a vehicle for musical expression within hip-hop culture.

The Houston Field House was packed to the rafters on Saturday for the 29th annual Big Red Freakout! hockey game. More than 5,000 fans, many dressed in red, watched Rensselaer’s Engineers defeat Brown University 4-2.

Accolades for Week of Feb. 13, 2006

As a follow-up to President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address, Rensselaer hosted a roundtable discussion on innovation and economic development Feb. 3 at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson joined the Honorable Sandy Baruah, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, to discuss President Bush’s competitiveness agenda with Capital Region business, academic, and community leaders.

Researchers at Rensselaer and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered an alternative way to produce heparin, a drug commonly used to stop or prevent blood from clotting. The findings could enable the current supply of the drug — now extracted from animal organ tissue — to be replaced or supplemented by the synthetic version. The new process also can be applied as a tool for drug discovery, according to the researchers.

More than 2,000 Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students took advantage of the opportunity to meet and speak with more than 100 public and private-sector employers at the Spring 2006 Career Fair hosted by the Career Development Center on Feb. 1. Employers, including more than 30 Capital Region companies, were seeking engineers, scientists, architects, and management, humanities and social sciences, and information technology majors.

A grand opening to celebrate the newly renovated Rathskellar is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 13 at noon. The ground-floor venue in the Rensselaer Union has an entirely new look as a colorful gathering spot, offering a variety of new food items, seating arrangements, and increased areas for laptop use.

On Wednesday, Feb. 1 “Architecture and Technology — A Volatile Mix,” presented by James Bradburn ’66, a founding principal of Fentress Bradburn Architects Ltd., and “Teaching Practice(s),” presented by Mark Mistur ’03, Rensselaer associate professor of architecture, marked the beginning of a semester-long alumni lecture series hosted by the School of Architecture in celebration of its 75th anniversary.

Rensselaer research and people continue to be in the news. Recent highlights include stories from Associated Press, United Press International, and Forbes.com.

Calling for a renewed national focus on science and technology, in an open letter to President George W. Bush, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson has urged the President to use the State of the Union to outline a national agenda to “spark a legacy of innovation.”

New York Governor George E. Pataki and Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno recently announced a new Biotechnology and Biomedicine Research Initiative that would create $200 million in funding expected to generate an additional $600 million in federal, not-for-profit, and private sector matching funds to support biotechnology research.

A team of researchers from Rensselaer, Purdue University, and the Russian Academy of Sciences has used sound waves to induce nuclear fusion without the need for an external neutron source, according to a paper in the Jan. 27 issue of Physical Review Letters. The results address one of the most prominent questions raised after publication of the team’s earlier results in 2004, suggesting that “sonofusion” may be a viable approach to producing neutrons for a variety of applications.

Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology will kick off its fourth annual business plan competition on Feb. 1 with a workshop aimed at teaching area college students the fundamentals of writing a successful business plan.

The Rensselaer community mourned the passing of friend and philanthropist Morris “Marty” Silverman, who died on Jan. 26 in Manhattan, at the age of 93. Silverman was a native of Troy, New York, and a benefactor to the Institute.

Rosemarie Rossetti, an internationally known speaker and active advocate for people with disabilities,recently addressed a group of Lighting Research Center (LRC) graduate students. Rossetti is leading an effort to build a universal design home and garden in central Ohio. Universal design benefits people of all ages and abilities. The home will be designed to serve as a national model, learning laboratory, and demonstration site to teach and inspire professionals and consumers about the benefits of universal design. The LRC graduate students, under the direction of Patricia Rizzo, LRC researcher, will design the lighting for the model home.A PBS station in Columbus, Ohio, WOSU-TV, is producing a  documentary about the development, creation, and construction of the Universal Design Living Laboratory.

Rensselaer ranks among the top 25 “most connected campuses” in the country, according to a Princeton Review survey. Describing the campuses on the list as “the closest to the cutting edge,” Forbes.com released the rankings today.

Rensselaer, in partnership with Clarkson University, has been awarded $1.84 million from the New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR) to address the need for energy independence by developing technologies that seek to lower energy consumption and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of renewable energy sources. The research will focus on improving the energy efficiency of a wide variety of devices, including photovoltaic systems for producing solar power and light-emitting diodes.

Scientific literature has long supported the notion that reducing contrasts in perceived brightness between a visual display and its background will result in reduced visual fatigue and eyestrain. Scientists at Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) recently tested this hypothesis in the context of watching television.

As part of Rensselaer’s “Embrace the Dream” Diversity Week 2006 celebration, nearly 40 Rensselaer students participated in a “Math Counts” community service project, engaging Troy middle school students in fun activities designed to stimulate their interest in math. The program was held on Saturday, Jan. 21 at three Troy Housing Authority locations.

To commemorate the life and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Rensselaer hosted the fifth annual “Embrace the Dream” Diversity Week 2006 celebration. Events, from Jan. 16-21, included speeches, discussions, and community service projects. On Thursday, Jan. 19, Herman Boone — who coached the 1971 Titan football team, following the integration of the school system in Alexandria, Va. — shared his experiences with students and other members of the Rensselaer campus in a lecture titled “Remember the Titans: Lessons of Diversity and Unity.” Boone discussed his inspirational story captured in the Disney film Remember the Titans and encouraged the audience to “accept the soul of another human being… and learn to speak up for what you believe in.”

Accolades for Week of January 23, 2006

Robert A. Chernow has been appointed to the newly created position of Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

To showcase some of the many ways that Rensselaer is addressing the nation’s critical need for energy security, the Center for Future Energy Systems (CFES) hosted its first annual energy technology open house Jan. 11 at the Heffner Alumni House. CFES researchers and students from Rensselaer, Cornell University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Clarkson University used the opportunity to display their work to industry representatives and government officials from New York state and beyond.

New York State Governor George E. Pataki announced last week that he will include $25 million in the 2006-07 Executive Budget for the construction of a Center for Advanced Environmental Technology at the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson in Beacon, N.Y. Arthur Sanderson, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer, is chair of the science advisory committee for the Rivers and Estuaries Center.

Rensselaer research and people continue to be in the news. Recent highlights include an Associated Press story that ran nationally and Rensselaer mentions in Business Week, Nature, The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, and other publications.

Students from across the Capital Region participated Jan. 14 in the 14th annual National Engineers Week Future City Competition, sponsored in part by and hosted at Rensselaer. The event introduces middle school students to engineering through practical applications of math and science and hands-on work with engineers. Nineteen teams of students in the seventh or eighth grades — assisted by a teacher and an engineer mentor — designed cities of the future on a computer, and then used a blueprint to build a model of a city section.

To commemorate the life and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Rensselaer is hosting the fifth annual “Embrace the Dream” Diversity Week celebration. President Jackson and student representatives Ferheen Shaikh, Dany Eldik, Ghofrane Benghanem, and Brandace King spoke, and the Bethel Baptist Church Gospel Choir of Troy sang, at the opening ceremony and reception on Monday, Jan. 16, in Academy Hall.

Trustees, students, administrators, faculty, staff, and other colleagues in the Rensselaer community gathered in a range of venues over the last several weeks to honor Vice President for Institute Advancement David Haviland ’64, as he retires Dec. 31 after more than 40 years of service to the Institute.

Two teams of fifth-year architecture students at Rensselaer garnered top honors — first and third place overall — in the Global House 2005 International Design Competition, selected from among more than 250 entries from 44 countries.

The Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies ( ASSIST), an LED industry group organized by Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center (LRC), has unveiled a novel concept for lighting homes and offices. The design integrates light-emitting diode (LED) technology with building materials and systems to create electronic walls and ceilings. The design includes interchangeable, modular panels with integrated LED lighting fixtures that “snap” in and out of an electrical grid.

As part of an ongoing effort to foster international education partnerships, entrepreneurship, and technological innovation in developing countries, a team of professors from Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management and Technology and the Institut des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (IHEC) — The Institute of Advanced Business Studies in Tunisia, Africa — are working to develop a road map for sustained high economic growth in the Maghreb countries (Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco). Rensselaer, in conjunction with IHEC, hosted a symposium, “Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development in the Maghreb,” from Dec. 15-17 in Tunis, Tunisia.

Rensselaer research and people continue to be in the news. Recent highlights include articles in The Economist, Prevention magazine, and Science magazine.

To end the semester on a high note, members of the Rensselaer Music Association (RMA) displayed their talents for a crowd of more than 200 people at a holiday concert in the Rensselaer Union on Dec. 3. Featured groups included: Partial Credit, Percussion Ensemble, Campus Serenaders, Concert Choir, Rensselyrics, Clarinet Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Brass Quintet, Symphonic Band, the Rusty Pipes, Ghanaian drumming, Jazz Concert Combo, and the Jazz Ensemble.

Recalls of popular prescription drugs are raising public concern about the general safety of new pharmaceuticals. A collaborative group of Rensselaer and other researchers says that identifying which drug candidates are toxic early in the discovery process can help prevent harmful pharmaceuticals from being placed on the market in the first place, and they have developed a tool to do it.

Sixteen Rensselaer researchers presented results, ranging from imaging earthquake activity at the San Andreas Fault to exploring life in extreme environments, at the 2005 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting Dec. 5-9 in San Francisco.

Reader’s Digest, Nature, United Press International, and the Albany Times Union are just a few of the media outlets that covered Rensselaer research and people this month.

Accolades for Dec. 12, 2005

Rensselaer Ph.D. students enrolled in the new multidisciplinary course Perspectives in Biomolecular Science and Engineering presented their current thesis research Dec. 5 in the course’s inaugural poster session at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Imagine heat radiating from the walls of your home on a cold winter night, or the glass in your home’s windows emitting cool temperatures on a scorching summer afternoon. Now imagine these systems operating on an endless supply of affordable energy — the sun. Three years ago a team of Rensselaer researchers began developing an “intelligent” heating and cooling system that made these seemingly too-good-to-be-true scenarios a possibility. Today the same team is exploring the likelihood of increasing the system’s efficiency and adaptability by reducing it to the micrometer scale. A $300,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will fund the research.

Inventor, entrepreneur, and science and technology advocate Dean Kamen visited Rensselaer on Thursday, Dec. 1. He delivered a lecture on “Why Not Change the World” at Rensselaer’s annual Trustee Celebration of Faculty Achievement and met with high school, and middle school students involved in robotics competitions, and their Rensselaer student mentors.

Sixteen middle-school teams competed Dec. 3 in the FIRST LEGO^® League (FLL) Ocean Odyssey Challenge at Rensselaer. The global competition was brought to the region for the first time through a partnership between Rensselaer and GE, and was supported by nearly 100 Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff, along with GE Volunteers.

High-tech information hubs and a temperature-controlled LED lighting system were just a few of the Folsom Library main floor renovations highlighted during a Dec. 1 dedication ceremony. Members of the Rensselaer community, including the Board of Trustees, attended the event and saw firsthand how the library has changed to meet the new technology demands of today’s information seekers.

From tissue engineering to treating water with nanotubes, more than 30 scientists from Rensselaer presented findings at the 2005 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting Nov. 28-Dec. 2 in Boston. The meeting, with 42 technical symposia and almost 4,700 oral and poster presentations, featured the latest materials research in fields ranging from biomimetics to environmental nanotechnology.

The Rensselaer community gathered for the 2005 Trustee Celebration of Faculty Achievement on Dec. 1, in the Russell Sage Dining Hall. Samuel Heffner Jr. ’56, chairman of the Board of Trustees, along with Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson and Provost G.P. “Bud” Peterson, spoke and honored the faculty for their accomplishments. Dean Kamen, inventor, entrepreneur and science and technology advocate, was a guest at the event.

Alumni and friends of the Institute who support Rensselaer students through scholarships, fellowships, and the Patroon Scholars program recently gathered for a luncheon with the students who benefit from their generosity. The event, part of the Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, celebrates the vision of donors and the impact of their gifts on the lives of those students they support.

Carbon nanotubes have enticed researchers since their discovery in 1991, offering an impressive combination of high strength and low weight. Now a new study by Rensselaer researchers, reported in the Nov. 25 issue of the journal Science, suggests that they also act like “super-compressible” springs, opening the door to foam-like materials for just about any application where strength and flexibility are needed, from disposable coffee cups to the exterior of the space shuttle.

Deanna Thompson, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer, has received one of six New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR) James D. Watson Investigator Program Awards. The Watson Program is designed to recognize and support outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their careers, show potential for leadership and scientific discovery in the field of biotechnology. The $200,000 grant was recently announced by Governor George E. Pataki.

Rensselaer students took two of the top six spots at the 2005 ASME Student Manufacturing Design Competition, with one team finishing in second place. The competition, held in early November at the International Mechanical Engineering Conference and Exposition in Orlando, Fla., is designed to provide the engineering community with fresh new perspectives on design and to create a forum for students to share their new and innovative ideas.

Rensselaer is joining with the City of Troy, Rensselaer County, and the Troy Housing Authority to develop a parcel of land adjacent to the South Campus. At a press conference Nov. 22, the group announced the selection of the developer — United/Troy Corridor Development LLC Group — for the Congress-Ferry Street Redevelopment Project.

“Fair Game,” an event featuring artists who use video game engines to create work that spans the landscape of cinema, video gaming, hacker art, immersive installation, and software development, will be held at the Heffner Alumni House on Tuesday, Nov. 29, beginning at 7 p.m. The program, presented by EMPAC, will include demonstrations, show-and-tell presentations, film screenings, and game playing.

Approximately 85 Rensselaer students, faculty and staff recently participated in the 2005 Capital Region Heart Walk, raising nearly $22,000 to fund heart disease and stroke research. The Rusty Pipes were among the groups serenading the 3,000 walkers along the three-mile route in Colonie, N.Y.  Rensselaer faculty members, Jan Stegemann, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and Fern Finger, assistant professor of biology were “inspirational honorees” for their cardiac research. Once again this year, Rensselaer’s Scott Richards volunteered his time as the key logistics coordinator for the event. Rensselaer is a corporate sponsor of the annual walk, and Jody Malm is the corporate leader for the Institute.

Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff gathered for a Thanksgiving benefit dinner on Friday, Nov. 11 in support of Project Hope, a Rensselaer student initiative to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims. Dinner guests feasted on a buffet menu of traditional southern style cuisine that was suggested by the Gulf Coast Visiting Scholars. The event raised more than $2,000.

Accolades for Nov. 28, 2005

In testimony Nov. 17 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Tom Zimmie, professor and acting chair of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer, offered his perspective on the degree to which the preliminary findings on the failure of the Gulf Coast levees are being incorporated into the restoration under way in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and on lessons learned for levee systems around the country.

Omkaram “Om” Nalamasu, vice president for research at Rensselaer, has been honored with the Pride of India Gold award. Presented by the NRI Institute, the award recognizes nonresident Indians for outstanding achievements in their chosen fields and for contributions toward the economic development of India and the country of their adoption.

Technology entrepreneur and visionary Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, Ph.D., was the featured speaker at a Nov. 18 Business Higher Education Roundtable strategic forum on accelerating innovation and economic growth in the Capital Region. The forum, hosted at Rensselaer, is the first in a series of events designed to engage global experts with area leaders to discuss next-stage strategies to advance the region’s global competitiveness.

The Rensselaer Student Health Center has been awarded $225,000 in new federal funding to expand its suicide prevention efforts. The three-year grant will be used to expand student outreach initiatives, and enhance training and education programs for students, faculty, staff, and parents to recognize suicidal symptoms.

iEAR Presents marked its 20th anniversary with a special concert by Neil Rolnick, founder of the series and Rensselaer professor. Rolnick, a composer and laptop performance virtuoso, played new and original electronic music. Violinist Todd Reynolds, pianist Kathy Supove, and vocalist Peter Eldridge also performed as special guests. Members of the Rensselaer campus and surrounding community were on hand to celebrate the milestone event.

A Science 101 briefing on the power of high-performance supercomputing drew 35 congressional staff members on Capitol Hill Nov. 14. Professor Angel Garcia, senior constellation chair in bioinformatics and biocomputation at Rensselaer, served as an invited speaker on how supercomputing is enabling new advances in molecular biology. He provided an overview and answered questions at the Science 101 briefing, sponsored by the Science Coalition to educate congressional staff on basic science and research topics.

Rensselaer researchers have started a new fundamental research project on the component that is often referred to as the heart of a fuel cell — the polymer membrane. Researchers are testing a new type of polymer membrane, created at Rensselaer, for potential use in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell and hydrogen applications. The project is funded by a projected three-year, $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Robert Block, director of the Gaerttner Linear Accelerator (LINAC) Laboratory and professor emeritus of nuclear engineering, has been awarded the Seaborg Medal by the American Nuclear Society. Established in 1983, the award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding scientific or engineering research contributions to the development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Block’s years of research in the measurement of neutron cross-sections at LINAC have generated important nuclear data for reactor safety and shielding.

Marking the 20th anniversary of the iEAR Presents performance series, founder and Rensselaer Professor Neil Rolnick will perform in a special concert on Wednesday, Nov. 16, in the West Hall auditorium.

Richard Madey ’43 received the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy on Friday, Nov. 11. The award was presented during the 10th Robert Resnick Lecture at Rensselaer, where Kip Thorne of California Institute of Technology delivered a lecture on “Einstein’s General Relativity, from 1905 to 2005: Warped Spacetime, Black Holes, and Gravitational Waves.”

From Science and The Scientist, the Discovery Channel to SmallTimes magazine, Rensselaer is making news.

Rensselaer hockey great Joe Juneau ’91 was inducted into the Rensselaer Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Nov. 12. In addition to his induction, Juneau’s Rensselaer jersey number (#9) was raised to the Houston Field House rafters. He joins Adam Oates (#12) as the only players in the school’s Hockey Ring of Honor.

More than 4,200 fans packed the Frank Bailey Field at Union College on Saturday, Nov. 12 as the Engineers battled Union for the Dutchman’s Shoes Trophy.

The fourth annual Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event was held Oct. 29 at the Rensselaer vs. Merrimack men’s hockey game at the Houston Field House. Approximately 1,600 faculty, staff, and family members attended the game free of charge. Giveaways included free T-shirts and hats.

Approximately 100 faculty, students, community members, and government officials attended the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities’ conference on campus Nov. 4-5, titled “Civic Engagement and Service Learning for the Environment: The Challenge for Higher Education.” Attendees discussed and debated the role of higher education in the development of an environmentally engaged, civil society through lectures, workshops, and poster presentations. The conference was co-sponsored by Rensselaer, Pace University, and the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson.

Rensselaer’s Pakistani Students Association, students, faculty, and members of the local community gathered for a candlelight vigil for the victims of the South Asia earthquake. More than 80 people participated in the event, held near the Commons waterfall, that served as part of an international effort organized by the South Asia Quake organization. According to the organization, approximately 29 cities joined together to mark the one-month anniversary of the earthquake in Pakistan and parts of India.

Researchers investigating levee failures in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have released their preliminary findings. In a report presented to the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Nov. 2, the team, which included an engineer from Rensselaer, suggested that many of the New Orleans levee and floodwall breaches occurred at weak-link junctions where different levee or wall sections came together.

Researchers at the Lighting Research Center have developed a new definition of light as it affects human well-being through the circadian system. Their model, based on neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, offers a unique framework for testing and exploring theoretical as well as practical aspects of architectural lighting and how it can affect human health

Rensselaer Provost G.P. “Bud” Peterson has been honored with an international award for his commitment to science education. The Frank J. Malina Astronautics Medal, presented yearly by the International Astronautics Federation (IAF), is given to an educator who has demonstrated excellence in promoting the study of astronautics and related space sciences.

Michael Shur, the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts ’48 Chaired Professor in Solid State Electronics at Rensselaer, has been elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Shur is one of 376 newly elected fellows recognized for their efforts to advance science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished, according to AAAS. The announcement was made in the Oct. 28 issue of Science.

From the Doonesbury comics, to Fortune SB, to IEEE Spectrum Magazine, to the DesMoines Register and the Springfield (Mass.) Republican, Rensselaer students and programs were in the news recently.

Members of the Rensselaer Union student organization Alianza Latina celebrated Latino Heritage Month through a series of activities and events including lectures, poetry readings, a charity date auction, and a salsa concert.

Michael Tentnowski has been appointed as director of the Rensselaer Incubator, one of the first university-based incubators in the country. Tentnowski has had more than a decade of experience in small business and entrepreneurship development in the academic and business arena around the country.

W. Randolph Franklin has been awarded $845,000 in federal funding to create improved computer representations of terrain on the surface of the Earth and beyond. The research, which is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), could have a variety of both military and civilian applications, from strategically positioning soldiers to placing radio towers on the moon.

Horen Chen ’72 received the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering on Friday, Oct. 28. The award was presented by Dean Alan Cramb during a reception with faculty, staff, and students from the School of Engineering.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson spoke on “Creating an Outstanding University” at the Fall Town Meeting, Thursday, Oct. 27. She reviewed accomplishments over the past year, provided an update on the fund-raising campaign, and outlined plans for the expanded “Undergraduate Plan.”

What is the “hydrogen economy” and how will it impact New York state? Are fuel cells really the wave of the future? Members of the local community heard discussions about these issues and more Oct. 26 at the H₂ Educate Public Education Forum hosted by the Center for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research and the Center for Future Energy Systems at Rensselaer.

Accolades for October 31, 2005

As part of his “Extreme National Chemistry Week Tour,” the president of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society, joined local scientists, educators, and a group of area elementary school students Oct. 19 to view the Molecularium™ show, Riding Snowflakes, at the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology in Troy. The show, which was conceived at Rensselaer, is a state-of-the-art computer-generated animation for digital dome theaters, designed to spark the interest of young children in the atoms and molecules that constitute our world.

One of the first things we learn in chemistry class is that solids conduct heat better than liquids. But a new study suggests that in nanoscale materials, this is not necessarily the case. Using computer simulations, Rensselaer researchers have found that heat may actually move better across interfaces between liquids than it does between solids. The findings, which were published online Oct. 11 in the journal Nano Letters, provide insights that could prove useful in fields ranging from computer chip manufacturing to cancer treatment.

A month after the first screening in this ongoing series, Rensselaer’s Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) presents “DANCE MOViES 2” at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 26, 2005, in Sage 3303.

Peter Collopy ’71 has been appointed director of environmental health and safety at Rensselaer. He has more than 30 years of experience in health physics and environmental health and safety in both industry and academe.

The Rensselaer community gathered to celebrate and honor the academic achievements of faculty and students at the Institute’s 12th annual Honors Convocation on Friday, Oct. 14.

Rensselaer has been selected as one of six universities nationwide to be awarded a two-year, nearly $1 million planning grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that will provide a foundation for the development of a center for cheminformatics research. The Rensselaer Exploratory Center for Cheminformatics Research (RECCR) will bring together an interdisciplinary research team to seek improved understanding of the relationships between chemical structure and function for use in biotechnology applications.

Rensselaer has been named one of 10 partner institutions on a national environmental engineering research project – the Collaborative Large-scale Engineering Analysis Network for Environmental Research. Called CLEANER, the goal is to advance scientific and engineering knowledge to address the challenges of complex, large-scale, human-stressed environmental systems, such as managing and protecting water supplies, restoring altered ecosystems, preserving endangered species, and tracking harmful agents. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Ning Xiang, chair of the graduate program in architectural acoustics at Rensselaer, has developed a new technique to streamline and expedite the process of measuring acoustics, which can be used to calculate previously unattainable measurements of sound propagation. The research was done in collaboration with John Daigle, an electrical engineering professor from the University of Mississippi.

More than 1,500 people were on campus for Family Weekend 2005 Oct. 14-16. Parents and family members got a glimpse of life at Rensselaer through a variety of sample classes, academic open houses and demonstrations, cultural offerings, tours, dinners, and athletic events. Featured highlight of the weekend included Honors Convocation (see related story), the Presidential welcome and kick off, the annual International Festival, and a Fall Fest “communiversity” celebration.

The Rensselaer Women Ice Hockey Team hit the ice with full force in their first season at the Division I level. The team played Colgate University to a tie at the Houston Field House, during Family Weekend.

Accolades for Oct. 17, 2005

A Rensselaer engineer is headed to New Orleans as part of an expert team investigating levee failures in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The researchers, who are funded by a special exploratory grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), plan to take lessons from the disaster and apply them to the design of levee systems across the country.

A team of researchers led by Rensselaer has been awarded a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to work on improving the prediction of bone fracture risk by developing a new way to measure bone quality.

Rensselaer has received a gift of $1 million from the Grainger Foundation of Lake Forest, Ill., to endow the Grainger Electric Power Engineering Student Award Program for undergraduate and graduate students.

Charles Boylen, professor of biology and associate director of environmental assessment programs at Rensselaer’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI), recently testified on water quality in the Adirondacks at a hearing of the New York State Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee.

William Edelstein, visiting scientist at Rensselaer, has been named the winner of the 2005-2006 American Institute of Physics (AIP) Industrial Applications in Physics Prize. Edelstein was chosen “for his pioneering developments leading to commercialization of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for medical applications.” The prize will be given to Edelstein at the Industrial Physics Forum, Nov. 6-8 in Gaithersburg, Md.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson served as honorary chair for the National Women’s Hall of Fame 2005 induction ceremony, Oct. 7 and 8, in Seneca Falls, N.Y. The 2005 inductees included: Betty Bumpers, former first lady of Arkansas, health and peace advocate; United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, first First Lady to be elected to the United States Senate and New York state’s first woman senator; Dr. Rita Rossi Colwell, first woman and first biologist to head the National Science Foundation; and Maya Y. Lin, architectural designer of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, and other commemorative installations.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson announced that Stacey Franklin Jones, D.Sc., Dean, School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C., one of forty American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows, is spending the 2005-2006 academic year as a visitor to Rensselaer’s campus.

Approximately 180 Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff joined in celebrating and honoring the cultural diversity of the Rensselaer campus, through dance, music, poetry, and other forms of artistic expression during the 10th annual Cultural Pride Night event held in the Rensselaer Union McNeil Room. The evening featured a series of performances by Rensselaer student organizations. President Shirley Ann Jackson was the keynote speaker. The Sept. 24 event was organized by the La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity Inc. – whose mission is to raise awareness about Latino culture and history on the Rensselaer campus and in the local community.

Rensselaer has appointed John Wen as the new director of the Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS). Wen brings extensive experience in robotics to the newly renamed center, which matches Rensselaer research with targeted industrial applications ranging from manufacturing and microsystems assembly to the automation of medical systems.

More than 30 students and faculty from Rensselaer presented research and received awards at the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Fall Meeting, Sept. 28-Oct. 1, in Baltimore, Md.

Rensselaer undergraduates are using their technical know-how to spark an interest in mathematics, science, and engineering among local middle school students. In the coming weeks, the Rensselaer mentors will volunteer in capital region schools to help prepare teams of 9 to 14 year olds to compete in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) tournament, to be held on campus in December.

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer has been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to join its “Centers of Excellence” program. The LRC will conduct lighting research as part of the Center of Excellence for Airport Technology, which focuses on airport structures, pavement materials, wildlife issues, anti-icing, and lighting.

New security measures in several Rensselaer athletics facilities will go into effect next week. Key card access to the ’87 Gym, Alumni Sports and Recreation Center (AS&RC)/Mueller Center, and Robison pool will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

Accolades for October 3, 2005.

The 27th annual NSBE/SHPE Career Fair attracted more than 100 companies seeking management, humanities and social sciences, and information technology majors, and engineers of all kinds. Approximately 1,500 students participated in the event, held Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center (Armory).

Christopher Davey, lead environmental specialist, has received the 2005 Pillars of Rensselaer Award, the highest honor Rensselaer gives to a staff member. The Pillars Award is presented annually to a staff member who understands the Institute’s mission and history, has been a role model for other employees, has showed concern for students and their welfare, has added to the human dimension of the school, and who has played an active role in his or her home community.

The National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) Frontiers of Engineering symposium was held Sept. 22-24 at GE Global Research in Niskayuna, N.Y. Ananth Krishnamurth, assistant professor of decision sciences and engineering at Rensselaer, was among the 88 researchers nationally who were selected to participate. President Shirley Ann Jackson gave the keynote address.

Ghofrane Benghanem is tutor, biochemistry and biophysics student, Muslim, hospital volunteer, woman mentor, biomedical researcher, community advocate, teaching assistant, and more. She also has recently been named one of Glamour magazine’s Top Ten College Women in the United States.

The Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship in the Lally School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer will launch the 2005-2006 Biotechnology Management & Entrepreneurship Seminar Series on Sept. 28.

Forty IBM employees came to campus Sept. 24, to share their expertise with the 130 Rensselaer students participating in the 16th annual student leadership conference hosted by the Archer Center for Student Leadership Development.

More than 90 participants from the Rensselaer campus community and the Capital Region took part in the 10th annual “Run To Remember,” a 5K charity race hosted by the Rensselaer Air Force ROTC detachment Sept 17.

Accolades for September 26, 2005.

Samuel Palmisano, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the IBM Corporation, delivered a Presidential Lecture on “Innovation and Leadership in the 21st Century,” on Sept. 15 in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. In a ceremony prior to the lecture, Palmisano was awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Rensselaer.

A new solar-powered underwater robot technology developed for undersea observation and water monitoring was showcased at a workshop on leading-edge robotics held at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Arlington, Va., Sept 16. Arthur C. Sanderson, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer, displayed the robotic technology being developed by a team of research groups, including Rensselaer, and led by the Autonomous Undersea Systems Institute directed by D. Richard Blidberg.

Diamonds have always been alluring, but now a team of scientists has made them truly magnetic — on the nanoscale. In a paper published in the Aug. 26 issue of Physical Review Letters, researchers from Rensselaer and three other institutions report a technique to make magnetic diamond particles only 4-5 nanometers across. The tiny diamond magnets could find use in fields ranging from medicine to information technology.

Researchers at Rensselaer are exploring the potential of nanomechanical systems by making and testing springs, rods, and beams on the nanoscale. They have been awarded a $1.15 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the research

Rensselaer alumnus and entrepreneur Sean O’Sullivan ’85 has donated $1 million to create the “Change the World Challenge,” an initiative to support entrepreneurship education and stimulate ideas to improve the human condition. The program was officially launched Sept. 17 with the first round of $1,000 awards presented to five Rensselaer students.

In recognition of Constitution Day, Rensselaer will host a panel discussion on key issues of the day that raise constitutional questions. The program, which is open to the public, will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 4:30 p.m. in the Russell Sage Lab building, room 3303.

A record number of Rensselaer Medal winners — 530 — and more than 1,400 family members and friends came to campus on Saturday, Sept 10. Provost “Bud” Peterson and Acting Dean of Enrollment Programs Karen Long welcomed the guests in the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center. The day included an overview on admissions and financial aid, as well as academic information sessions. Campus tours were held throughout the day, bringing the prospective Class of 2010 students to see laboratories and research facilities, meet with professors, visit residence halls, and interact with current students. The high school students participating in the celebration on Saturday came from 30 states. This year, 2,049 high school juniors from the United States and around the world were awarded the prestigious Rensselaer Medal. The fall open house, for prospective undergraduate students, is scheduled for Oct. 22. For more information, go to Admissions On-Campus Events.

More than 20 students in the Lally School Executive MBA (EMBA) program took their classroom to Washington, D.C., Sept. 6-8, as part of an annual trip to the nation’s capital. The trip offers students a first-hand look at the roles and relationships between U.S. governments and business, according to Tom Triscari, clinical associate professor in management information systems at the Lally School. The two-day trip included a visit to the Federal Reserve Bank and a meeting with U.S. Representative Michael McNulty.

Rensselaer alumni athletes, Greeks, and other alumni groups joined the campus community for a Homecoming celebration Sept. 16-18. Weekend activities included a tailgate picnic in conjunction with the RPI vs. Utica football game, sports alumni team meetings and games, Rensselaer Alumni Association meetings, and gatherings at various Greek houses. The event was organized by the Athletics department and the Office of Alumni Relations.

Approximately 350 Rensselaer students, members of the campus community, and the general public attempted to set a Guinness World Record for the largest group performance of the electric slide on Saturday, Sept. 17, following the Rensselaer Homecoming football game. Students and others – including Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson, Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian, and Troy City Council President Marge DerGurahian – participated.  The event, organized by student leaders, was the first in a series of activities planned by the Rensselaer Union-funded student organization “Go Be Red” to raise school spirit and support during sporting events.

Members of the Class of 2005 and the Rensselaer community gathered Saturday morning, Sept. 17, in the Commons Quad on Freshman Hill to dedicate a waterfall in honor of Katie and David Haviland ’64. A plaque was unveiled at the ceremony, and Gavin Gyle '05, president of the alumni Class of 2005, spoke about the class gift, which was announced earlier this year. The Havilands have been an integral part of Rensselaer for nearly four decades. David Haviland was a student, professor and dean of architecture, and vice president of student life. He now serves as vice president of institute advancement, and has announced his plans to retire in December 2005.

Samuel Palmisano, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the IBM Corporation, will deliver a Presidential Lecture titled “Innovation and Leadership in the 21st Century,” on Thursday, September 15, at 3:30 p.m., in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies auditorium. In a ceremony prior to the lecture, Palmisano will be awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters from the Institute.

Rensselaer’s Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) marked the midpoint between groundbreaking and opening with a sunset performance around the site on Sept. 8. A crowd of approximately 2,000 attended the evening presentation that featured local, national, and international performers.

Mimicking the agile gecko, with its uncanny ability to run up walls and across ceilings, has long been a goal of materials scientists. Now researchers at Rensselaer and the University of Akron have taken one sticky step in the right direction, creating artificial gecko feet with 200 times the sticking power of the real thing.

Four new members were inducted into the Rensselaer Alumni Hall of Fame at a gala dinner at the Heffner Alumni House Sept. 9. The 2005 class of inductees include an electric power visionary, a deep-Earth geologist, a Troy landscape engineer, and a steel industry pioneer.

Garnet Douglass Baltimore, a distinguished civil engineer and landscape designer who was the first African American to earn a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer, was celebrated on Sept. 8, when the City of Troy ceremonially renamed a portion of 8th Street in his honor.

The Dean of Students Office has announced that Jessica-Lauren Wickiewicz has been selected to be the assistant dean of students for Greek life. She is working with the 34 recognized fraternities and sororities, assisting them in their initiatives to develop strong affinity groups, to demonstrate their commitment to the community through service, to promote academic success, and to enhance the Rensselaer experience.

President Shirley Ann Jackson and her husband, Morris Washington, welcomed new and returning faculty members and their guests to a reception at their home Sept. 1. Washington is associate director of Rensselaer’s Center for Integrated Electronics and Electronics Manufacturing and clinical professor of physics. The event helped to kick off the new academic year. By the end of this academic year, Rensselaer will have hired 150 new faculty members in the last five years, and will have created 73 new faculty positions.

Gathering at the flag poles in front of the Rensselaer Union early Sunday morning, students, administrators, faculty, staff, and friends marked the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 with a solemn tribute to those who perished in the attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, Rensselaer officials announced that the university will open its doors to 100 students from Tulane University and Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans, along with students who are from the New York state Capital Region and who also have been displaced from their academic pursuits by this tragedy.  The students began arriving over the Labor Day weekend.

Marking the midpoint between groundbreaking and opening, Rensselaer’s Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) presents “EMPAC 360: On Site + Sound,” on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 6:30 p.m. All are invited to join in celebrating the emergence of this unique cultural resource by walking the periphery of the site as the sun sets and performances happen on all sides.

Jerry Matthews has been named director of public safety and emergency management at Rensselaer. In this position, he will lead the Institute’s effort to expand and intensify the campus focus on public safety, security, and emergency management.

Linking the United States’ need to meet its energy demands to the emerging gap in the nation’s science and engineering workforce, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson urged members of the American Chemical Society (ACS) to join in bringing national focus to this “quiet crisis,” which she asserts requires fostering a national plan and a national will to succeed.  Jackson spoke at the 230th national meeting of the ACS in Washington, D.C., at a special presidential symposium celebrating the 10th anniversary of its ACS Scholars Program.

A Rensselaer researcher has developed a new tool to help unravel the function of an elusive DNA structure. The findings, which were presented at the 230th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington, D.C., could lead to a better understanding of diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer has been awarded a contract from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), a division of the National Research Council’s Transportation Research Board (TRB), to redefine national roadway lighting guidelines. The three-year, $800,000 project is designed to improve the operational efficiency of roadway lighting and reduce automobile crashes.

Representatives from approximately 15 local not-for-profit agencies, schools, government and public interest organizations, and student service clubs participated in Rensselaer’s annual Community Service fair on Aug. 31.

During the first week of classes, and before Rensselaer students immersed themselves in the academic experience of classes, homework, and exams, students had an opportunity to learn about cultural, educational, and social campus clubs and organizations at the annual Activities Fair held on Sept. 1 in the Houston Field House.

Rensselaer research is being showcased this week at the 230th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington, D.C. Eighteen members of the Rensselaer community are presenting their work, including a special invited lecture by President Shirley Ann Jackson and a terahertz technology symposium organized by Professor Xi-Cheng Zhang.

Peter Kramer, assistant professor of mathematical sciences at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Kramer will use the projected five-year, $412,138 grant to work on developing a new quantitative model to represent the interaction of water molecules and protein molecules with the aim of accelerating computational simulations, potentially leading to future medical applications.

Rensselaer has received $500,000 from New York state to partner with Polyset Company Inc. in the commercialization of patented polymer materials for use in nanotechnology imprinting. The materials would be used for new electronic packaging increasingly needed by the semiconductor industry for “very small” technologies.

The Class of 2009 arrived on campus last week, becoming the newest members of the Rensselaer community. Moving-in day, Aug. 23, culminated with a “welcome barbecue” for students hosted by the Rensselaer Alumni Association, and a reception for parents at the Heffner Alumni House. Approximately 1,250 freshmen also took part in a series of “Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond” (NRB) events held from Aug. 23-28, to help acquaint them to each other, the campus, and the surrounding community. Throughout the week, incoming students participated in a variety of adventure-based experiences, historical and cultural activities, and community service opportunities organized primarily by the Office of the First-Year Experience (FYE) and Residence Life.

Members of the Class of 2009 were greeted, celebrated, and introduced to the Rensselaer campus and local community at a series of welcome events on Aug. 26.  President Shirley Ann Jackson personally greeted all of the students at the top of the Approach steps, before they headed downtown for a “Welcome Festival” at Troy’s Riverfront Park. The “communiversity” event is designed to familiarize the new students with downtown Troy. Speakers included President Jackson, President of the Union Peter Baldwin, Grand Marshal Max Yates, and Troy community leaders. The events were organized by the Office of the First-Year Experience and Residence Life.

Gathering in the Robison Gym in the Armory, members of the Class of 2009, President Shirley Ann Jackson, and other members of the Rensselaer community participated in the First-Year Convocation on Aug. 28. The ceremony, hosted by the Office of University Events, featured guest speaker Karthik Bala ’97, president of Vicarious Visions, and a video compilation of the week’s activities.

has ranked Rensselaer 43rd among the nation's top universities, up from 46th last year. The School of Engineering is ranked 18th in the nation, and four of the undergraduate engineering specialty programs are also ranked in the top 20. The Institute also ranks 27th in the "Best Values" among national universities.

The approximately 1,250 members of Rensselaer's incoming Class of 2009 are arriving on campus this week. Nearly two-thirds of the students come from the top 10 percent of their high school classes, more than 300 members of the freshman class are Rensselaer Medalists, and the class's average SAT score of 1320 includes 70 students with a perfect 800 score in either verbal or math.

Douglas Cumming, Ph.D., has been appointed director of the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at the Lally School of Management and Technology. A distinguished researcher in the area of venture capital, private equity, and IPOs, Cumming's work focuses on the law and finance of entrepreneurship in the United States, and countries in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Applying math and computers to the drug discovery process, researchers at Rensselaer have developed a method to predict protein separation behavior directly from protein structure. This new multi-scale protein modeling approach may reduce the time it takes to bring pharmaceuticals to market and may have significant implications for an array of biotechnology applications, including bioprocessing, drug discovery, and proteomics, the study of protein structure and function.

Jack McDonnell, Class of ’61, of Reston, Virginia, has made an unrestricted gift of $1 million to support Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. McDonnell, Rensselaer's 2002 William F. Glaser '53 Entrepreneur of the Year, is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Transaction Network Services (TNS) Inc., in Reston, Va., an international data communications company specializing in point-of-sale transaction and e-commerce services.

John Bogdan Jr. ’86 of Westminster, Md., will receive the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the Department of Biology on Friday, Sept. 16. The award will be presented following a lecture on careers in science and biotechnology beginning at noon in the auditorium of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. The program is open to the campus community.

Students in the School of Engineering recently demonstrated an autopilot system for blimps in the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center. Senior students working in the O.T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory (MDL) developed the autonomous system for use by students taking Rensselaer's Laboratory Introduction to Embedded Control (LITEC) course.

Rensselaer has announced the appointment of David A. Gautschi, Ph.D., as dean of the Lally School of Management and Technology. Most recently principal and director of research at CCG Group LLC, Gautschi has had a long and significant career in the academic and business arena.

Rensselaer recently announced that Thomas and Constance D'Ambra have made a $3 million commitment to endow a faculty chair in synthetic organic chemistry, in support of biotechnology initiatives at the Institute.

Rensselaer is leading a team of researchers awarded a three-year, $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop 3-D virtual patient models that will more accurately compute radiation doses for CT imaging, nuclear medicine, and radiation treatment of cancer patients. The grant is funded by the National Cancer Institute, part of NIH.

More than 30 middle and high school students from the Capital Region and California, considering careers in science and engineering, got a first-hand look at the field of the physical sciences during a new weeklong, pre-college science education program developed by Yvonne Akpalu, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rensselaer.

More than 80 children from more than 35 Capital Region elementary, junior high, and high schools put their acting talents to the test for a four-night run of the musical A Year With Frog and Toad, at the RPI Playhouse Aug. 3-5. The Young Actors Guild, a Rensselaer Union-sponsored program, is a nonprofit children's theater organization in its 16th season at Rensselaer. The students participated in a five-week summer program — including classes in acting, dance, movement, and music — taught by professionals.

Heidi Newberg, associate professor of physics and astronomy at Rensselaer, is chairing the science working group of a new project focused on mapping the Milky Way Galaxy's structure and stellar makeup and compiling data on its origins and evolution. The recently announced Milky Way survey project, the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE), is one of three new projects included in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS-II), a three-year extension of a scientific undertaking that will complete the largest survey of the universe.

Raghuveer Makala, a Ph.D. candidate in materials science and engineering at Rensselaer, received the Materials Research Society (MRS) Graduate Student Gold Medal at the Spring 2005 MRS Meeting in San Francisco. Competition judges selected Makala as one of 12 students to be awarded the "gold medal" designation based on an oral presentation of his paper, "Site-Selective Functionalization of Carbon Nanotubes." He had previously qualified for a medal as one of 32 finalists from the 160 graduate students who applied.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Rensselaer recently hosted the 22nd International Social Philosophy Conference on the theme of "Science, Technology, and Social Justice." A range of challenging public issues — including global democracy and the Internet; women, science, and modernity; gay marriage; the definition of life; just war theory; and definitions of torture — were discussed by noted scholars.

Rensselaer hosted a group of interdisciplinary professors and researchers involved in the development of an undergraduate summer field course July 29-30 at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute on Lake George. The course, called "River Summer," is being developed by the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities (ECHVCU), of which Rensselaer is a member.

Accolades for the week August 8, 2005.

Rensselaer researchers are developing a tiny, highly efficient heat spreader to be used in a new device to be implanted in the brains of patients who suffer from severe epileptic seizures. The implant device is designed to detect and arrest epileptic seizures as they begin by cooling a small region of the brain, thereby effectively blocking the erratic electrical activity.

Robert Sands, clinical professor of management at Rensselaer, has received a Fulbright Scholar lecturing/research award in business. He will use the grant to travel to Tunisia, Africa, to lecture, instruct staff, and develop curriculum for the graduate management program at the Institut Des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (IHEC) — the Institute of Advanced Business Studies.

A team of six undergraduate students from the School of Engineering Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering (MANE) won the third tier in the University Level Student Competition (2004-2005 school year) of the Aerospace Vehicle System Technology Office at NASA Langley. The team designed an Exploration Air Vehicle (EAV), which is a class of autonomous, unmanned aircraft that can perform diverse types of missions.

Rensselaer engineering students recently hosted a group of Capital Region 12- and 13-year-old girls for an afternoon of hands-on engineering activities, including creating personalized candy boxes, in the Advanced Manufacturing Lab. The "Engineering Is Sweet" program was developed by Sam Chiappone, manager of the Fabrication & Prototyping Lab in the School of Engineering; Larry Ruff, supervisor and systems engineer of the Advanced Manufacturing Lab; and Anne Marinaro, a junior majoring in electrical engineering. The goal of the educational outreach program is to give young students in grades K-12 an opportunity to experience first-hand the possible educational and career choices in engineering.

During the month of July, more than 1,000 first-year students, transfer students, and their families are attending student orientation sessions hosted by the Office of the First-Year Experience (FYE). The program — including general information about campus programs and departments, student clubs and organizations, advisement, and an introduction to the Rensselaer Computing System — is designed to help students make a smooth transition from high school to life as a student at Rensselaer. The Office of the First-Year Experience will host a final student orientation session on Aug. 22 for freshman and Aug. 23 for transfer students.

Langdon Winner, professor of science and technology studies (STS) at Rensselaer has been appointed to the newly endowed Thomas Phelan Chair in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS). The chair was created in honor of Thomas Phelan, former dean of H&SS. Phelan, Professor Emeritus and currently serving as Rensselaer's Institute Dean and Historian, is known for his studies of the industrial history, architecture, and civic culture of the Hudson Mohawk region.

Five Rensselaer chemical and biological engineering undergraduates traveled to Glasgow, Scotland, to compete in the International Chem-E-Car Challenge on July 10. The Rensselaer team was one of three U.S. teams in the competition, which included a total of 12 teams from universities around the world.

Three teams of Rensselaer students received recognition for their ideas and designs to create an alternative master plan for the Palestinian village of Ein Hud, as part of the "One Land, Two Systems" international architecture competition sponsored by Israeli architect Malkit Soshan through his organization The Foundation for Achieving a Seamless Territory (F.A.S.T.).

The Schools of Architecture and Engineering recently hosted an interdisciplinary design workshop, bringing together faculty from seven countries, to "Design an Instrument That Increases the Likelihood of High School Students Entering Engineering." The projects developed are aimed at increasing student awareness and understanding of engineering principles, and theory, with a focus on hands-on applications.

Rensselaer recently hosted the first Capital District Materials Camp for local high school students. Eighteen juniors and seniors from high schools in Rensselaer, Albany, and Saratoga Counties were guided by approximately 35 materials scientists and engineers from Rensselaer, GE Global Research, and Lockheed-Martin/KAPL who volunteered to lead demonstrations, tours, and learning activities during the four day camp on campus.

Gene Robert Simons '57, professor emeritus and former associate dean in the School of Management and Technology at Rensselaer, died July 5. Simons spent more than 35 years at Rensselaer as professor and associate dean in management and in decision sciences and engineering systems.

Rensselaer, as part of its continued expansion of energy research, recently announced a $4.8 million novel interdisciplinary program to train doctoral students in fuel cell science and engineering. The program is supported by a $3.2 million, first-of-its-kind fuel cell research education grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) combined with a $1.6 million investment by Rensselaer.

Researchers at Rensselaer have created a line of brushes whose bristles, made from carbon nanotubes, are so small that a thousand of them could fit inside a strand of hair.

Rensselaer is partnering with Cornell University to test the effects of earthquakes on underground pipeline systems used for water, electric power, gas and liquid fuel, telecommunications, transportation, and waste. The four-year project is funded by a $2 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) research grant. Cornell University is leading the project, with Rensselaer’s portion of the grant totaling $746,822.

More than 40 members of the Rensselaer community are knitting afghans as part of “Warm Up America,” a nationwide effort to provide blankets for individuals and families in need. The idea to initiate the project at Rensselaer came from Jody Malm, administrative secretary in the Office of the Provost, who was searching online for a crochet pattern to give to a co-worker when she came across the Warm Up America Web site.

Accolades for the week of June 27, 2005.

Rensselaer marked the opening of the Center for Future Energy Systems, a New York State Center for Advanced Technology. The new $20 million research center, in partnership with Cornell University and Brookhaven National Laboratory, seeks to meet the energy challenges of the 21st century by focusing on innovation in and commercialization of energy conservation and renewable energy systems.

Richard T. Lahey Jr., a pioneer in the field of nuclear reactor technology and safety who is now exploring sonofusion, a new form of nuclear fusion, has been awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Fellowship, one of the most prestigious honors given to senior researchers around the world. In another major honor, Nuclear Engineering & Design journal has published a special edition in recognition of Professor Lahey’s 65th birthday.

The 48th Commencement at the Hartford campus of Rensselaer was held Saturday, June 4. The 324 graduates of the Class of 2005 celebrated with family and friends, along with the faculty, staff, and administration of Rensselaer.

Researchers at Rensselaer and Ben-Gurion University in Israel have published results of a new experiment that found water molecules are made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, even during very short time intervals. The results dispute previous claims made by another research group suggesting a change in the chemical formula of water.

Samuel Wait Jr. '53 was honored with the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Distinguished Service Award at the Reunion 2005 RAA Awards dinner June 10.

The "Renaissance Fair" included presentations and exhibits on nanotechnology, biotechnology, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center now under construction, the School of Humanities and Social Science Game Arts and Sciences program, and Rensselaer's athletics programs. Visitors also had the opportunity to see the Molecularium ™ show, a state-of-the art computer-generated animation program for children of all ages, developed by Rensselaer faculty, staff, and students that was shown in an inflatable dome.

Rensselaer welcomed alumni and guests for Reunion 2005 on June 9-12. Events included the "State of the Institute" address by President Shirley Ann Jackson, the Rensselaer Alumni Association Awards dinner and presentation, a new Renaissance Fair, a keynote address by Sean O'Sullivan '85, the Parade of Classes, and a range of other activities, including class dinners, seminars, and city and campus tours.

Accolades for the Week of June 13, 2005

"Smart" solid-state light sources now being developed not only have the potential to provide significant energy savings, but also offer new opportunities for applications that go well beyond the lighting provided by conventional incandescent and fluorescent sources, according to Rensselaer professors E. Fred Schubert and Jong Kyu Kim. In an article published May 27 in the journal Science, the authors describe research currently under way to transform lighting into "smart" lighting, with benefits expected in such diverse fields as medicine, transportation, communications, imaging, and agriculture.

Rensselaer will mark the opening of the Future Energy Systems Center for Advanced Technology on Tuesday, June 7, at 11 a.m. Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson will be joined by New York State Lieutenant Governor Mary Donohue, State Senator Joseph Bruno, New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR) Executive Director Russell Bessette, Plug Power Chief Operating Officer Greg Silvestri, and Rensselaer Vice President for Research Omkaram "Om" Nalamasu for the kick-off event.

Christopher Bystroff, associate professor of biology at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Bystroff will use the projected five-year, $783,768 grant to work on developing five statistical models that represent various stages in the folding of proteins.

Rensselaer will welcome alumni and guests for Reunion 2005 on June 9-12. Events will include the "State of the Institute" address by President Shirley Ann Jackson, the Rensselaer Alumni Association Awards dinner and presentation, a new Renaissance Fair, a keynote address by Sean O'Sullivan '85, the Parade of Classes, and a range of other activities, including class dinners, seminars, and city and campus tours.

Rensselaer will host a Renaissance Fair on June 10 to showcase some of the Institute's key accomplishments. The event, part of the 2005 Reunion activities, will be held in the atrium of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies from 11:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., and is open to the campus community.

Accolades for the Week of June 6, 2005

United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) encouraged the Class of 2005 to "always stand true to yourselves" and to "stand up for research and for open inquiry" in her address May 21 to the nearly 1,100 graduates at Rensselaer's 199th Commencement.

Rensselaer held its 199th Commencement on Saturday, May 21, and approximately 1,075 students were awarded their degrees. During the ceremony, Rensselaer awarded 836 bachelor's degrees, 194 master's degrees, and 47 doctoral degrees. Some graduates have earned more than one degree.*

Rensselaer’s 2005 Commencement honorees — the Honorable Paul Volcker, Robert Coonrod, and Joé Juneau ’91 — joined President Shirley Ann Jackson in a colloquy on “Personal Achievement — Public Lives — Public Responsibility,” on Friday, May 20. The broad-ranging conversation touched on issues including economic policy, the environment, globalization, workforce development, and challenges of communicating complex issues in the current media environment — all discussed in an ethical framework.

Several Rensselaer faculty members have been honored with annual Institute awards.

Each year, Rensselaer recognizes graduates who strive to maximize their potential through high-ranking achievements in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership. Three students who have worked to better the standing of Rensselaer both on and off campus through their contributions and service to Rensselaer and the local community were among those recognized at the 199th Commencement on May 21.

The Rensselaer Class of 2005 kicked off the annual Senior Week celebration on May 13 with comedy night in the McNeil Room, followed by a weeklong series of activities and events including a barbeque, a semi-formal banquet, and a cruise on the Hudson River. Planned by and for the senior class as a culminating college experience prior to Commencement, "senior week is a week of reflection of the time spent at Rensselaer with the friends you have made," said Roberto Tedesco '05, senior class president.

The Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) hosted the annual Zero-Year Reunion Brunch May 19 at the Heffner Alumni House. Graduating students were welcomed to the RAA. At the luncheon, the graduating class presented the university with a gift. Officials of the Class of 2005 announced plans to donate funds toward a landscaping project in the Commons Quadrangle, off Burdett Avenue. The project will include a waterfall, a new brick wall and brick walkway, and additional shrubbery and trees. The class dedicated its gift contribution to David Haviland '64 and his wife, Katie Haviland. They have been an integral part of Rensselaer for nearly four decades. David Haviland was a student, professor and dean of architecture, and vice president of student life. He now serves as vice president of institute advancement, and recently announced his plans to retire in December 2005.

The Rensselaer Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) recognized more than 40 graduates at a joint services commissioning ceremony on Friday, May 20 in the Darrin Communications Center. The annual ceremony is held for students who have completed the appropriate ROTC programs while concurrently meeting the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at Rensselaer. Commissioning signifies the beginning of a student's active military service.

Accolades for the Week of May 23, 2005

Rensselaer's 2005 Commencement honorees, the Honorable Paul Volcker, Robert Coonrod, and Joé Juneau, will join President Shirley Ann Jackson in a colloquy on "Personal Achievement — Public Lives — Public Responsibility," on Friday, May 20, at 4 p.m. in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Undergraduates of Rensselaer's Class of 2005 are already making their mark to help shape the future in cancer research, nanotechnology, astronomy, and environmental science.

Despite the demands of a rigorous academic schedule, many graduating students at Rensselaer have carved out time to communicate across cultural boundaries and lead in the global community at Rensselaer and beyond. Some of the most accomplished members of the Class of 2005 are leaving the Institute having left their mark by creating opportunities for others to better understand and celebrate cultural diversity.

Each year Rensselaer's Lally School of Management and Technology push the envelope of entrepreneurship and innovation. This year's graduating MBA students are no different

While most 18-year-olds were making final decisions this spring about where to attend college, Ryan Trinkle was in the midst of completing final projects for a dual bachelor's degree in computer and systems engineering and computer science at Rensselaer.

Five teams of students in the interdisciplinary Product Design and Innovation (PDI) program, answering the challenge to design gifts for Rensselaer alumni and students, presented their completed prototypes —  a cube with a clock and picture frames that revolves on a center pin; slim wallets with an etched RPI seal for credit cards and student IDs; a floating, etched image of the world; a  tension-relieving squeeze ball emblazoned with "Why Not Change the World;" a desktop paper stand; a paperweight with Rensselaer machined along the perimeter and a 3-D representation of campus within the globe.

As part of their Mechatronic System Design class project, eight Rensselaer mechanical engineering students borrowed the Segway personal transport device of Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian in order to build a similar device. The students demonstrated their final product and returned the Segway to the Mayor during his recent visit to campus. According to Kevin Craig, class teacher and professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, the Segway offers an excellent example of a device using mechatronics, the integration through design of mechanical engineering, electronics, computers, and controls.

The Philippine American League at Rensselaer held their annual Bayanihan Banquet and cultural event on Saturday, May 7, at the Heffner Alumni House. "Bayanihan is historically a Filipino tradition wherein neighbors help a family relocate by gathering under their house and carrying it to a new location," said JoyceLynn Alex Lagula, president of PAL. "Generally bayanihan has developed the concept of communal spirit that makes the seemingly impossible exploits possible through the power and unity of cooperation, and this banquet gives us an opportunity to take the audience through a cultural journey of the more than seven thousand islands that make up the Philippines."

Researchers at Rensselaer and Australian National University have found new evidence that environmental conditions on early Earth, within 200 million years of solar system formation, were characterized by liquid-water oceans and continental crust similar to those of the present day. The researchers developed a new thermometer that made the discovery possible.

Donna Bedard, research professor of biology at Rensselaer, has received a Fulbright Lecturing Grant in Biological Sciences. She will use the grant to travel to Prague, Czech Republic, to teach and conduct research at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT).

The Smithsonian announced today (May 9) that Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson has been named a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents. President George W. Bush signed the resolution appointing her as a citizen regent on May 5. Jackson's six-year term begins immediately.

James K. Allred will receive the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the Department of Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems on Friday, May 20, at the department's commencement dinner.

A ceremonial sign rededication and open house was held May 2 for the Archer Center for Student Leadership Development, marking its new location in the renovated Academy Hall.

Ecologic, Rensselaer's environmental student organization, hosted EarthFest 2005 on April 22 on the Rensselaer campus. "EarthFest is an opportunity to inform the campus and surrounding community about the importance that the environment plays in our everyday lives," said Christopher Kennedy, president of Ecologic. "Rensselaer has long been a center for environmental innovation, from the graduate program in Ecological Economics, Values, and Policy, innovative fuel-cell research, breakthroughs in high-efficiency LEDs and building-integrated solar panels, we are at the forefront. EarthFest is a chance for the Rensselaer community to celebrate these accomplishments." The event featured renewable energy displays, representation from local environmental groups, a vegan barbecue, and live music including performances by Rensselaer student bands Benjikope and the Andrew Eckel Ensemble.

Accolades for the Week of May 9, 2005

Energy security is one of the greatest global challenges, and innovation is key to addressing it. Rensselaer energy innovation has been in the news recently.

Rensselaer's Lighting Research Center (LRC) hosted the LED Lighting Institute April 27-29, featuring workshops and hands-on lab sessions to teach industry professionals the latest in lighting technologies, lighting design, and optical modeling, while using the newest light-emitting diode (LED) products on the market. More than 30 participants from across the United States and around the world attended the program at the LRC, some traveling from as far as Colombia and China.

A Rensselaer student-run business working to improve fire extinguisher training has won the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lally School's annual business plan competition. A total of $50,000 in cash and prizes was awarded during the final competition on April 27.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute today announced that Samuel Palmisano, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the IBM Corporation, will be awarded an honorary doctorate in humane letters. The degree will be conferred at a special campus event in the fall semester.

Rensselaer students enrolled in the Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) class presented their final projects on April 22, showcasing a wide variety of tools educators could use to convey key theories and principles of physics to middle school students around the world. The projects, complete with curriculum guides, were designed to offer easy-to-make and easy-to-use options for physics experiments. Approximately 40 teams involving 270 students showcased their work.

Forty-five student projects were displayed at Rensselaer's annual Undergraduate Research Forum and Awards held April 15. Each school of the Institute was represented in one of two categories — applied design research or theoretical research. To participate, individual students and teams created a poster display of the research project and gave explanations to a panel of judges, made up of faculty from each of the schools. Students also explained their projects to interested faculty and students during the exhibition. Lester Gerhardt, acting dean of the School of Engineering, and Sam Wait, associate dean of the School of Science, presented cash awards to the top three projects in each category, as determined by the judging panel.

Not to be stopped by bad weather and rain delays, more than 235 people participated in community service, volunteering more than 1000 hours of service over the past two weeks coordinated through the Office of the First-Year Experience.

Fifteen seniors graduating from the Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication (EMAC) program at Rensselaer showcased their final projects at the Capstone Show on April 28 and 29 at the Heffner Alumni House. Projects included video, electronic music, Web design, multimedia installation, graphic design, fashion design, and painting.

The Office of the First-Year Experience hosted the second annual "cultural cook-off" on April 23 in the Rensselaer Union. Lamda Upsilon Lamda, Pi Delta Psi, and the Community Advocates organized the event.

Accolades for the Week of May 2, 2005

A Rensselaer undergraduate team has been selected to receive the 2005 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Award in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling, besting competitors from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and others.

With technical support from Rensselaer faculty and students, teams from three area high schools competed in the national FIRST Robotics Competition championship in Atlanta, Ga., April 22 - 23. The teams represented Colonie High School, Hudson High School, and Shenendehowa High School.

Rensselaer's Office of Research hosted the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering's (NIBIB) first regional Grantsmanship Seminar on April 20 at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

The Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA) honored Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff during the 26th annual minority students awards ceremony April 17. The annual ceremony honors academic and leadership achievements and celebrates individual students, student organizations, faculty, and staff who have worked to support minority students at Rensselaer.

Rensselaer's women's field hockey team has the highest team grade point average in the nation when considering all the Division I, Division II, and Division III squads.

More than 120 11th grade girls from New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont took part in the ninth annual Design Your Future Day (DYFD) April 16. The event, hosted by Rensselaer, engages participants in activities to inform and excite them about career opportunities in engineering, science, architecture, and technology.

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences hosted the second annual “GameFest,” a symposium and exhibition on video game development, April 18. At an afternoon symposium, H&SS faculty discussed progress on the development of a new Game Arts & Sciences program at Rensselaer, followed by a panel discussion on “Second-Generation Connections Between the Game Industry and University Programs,” featuring guest speakers. In the evening, 20 teams of students showcased their work at the “Game Festival” in the Great Hall of the Darrin Communications Center. The April 24, Sunday New York Times Education Life magazine featured Rensselaer's Game Studies minor in a story on university game studies programs.

Omkaram "Om" Nalamasu has been appointed as vice president for research at Rensselaer. "Dr. Nalamasu is well positioned to lead our universitywide effort to take research to the next level," said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson in announcing the appointment. "He has respect for research work across the spectrum of academic disciplines at Rensselaer. He believes strongly that research at the interface of bio, nano, and information technologies, and entrepreneurship integrated with education, are the key ingredients for the success of a leading university."

Governor George Pataki, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver recently announced that Rensselaer has received one of 10 New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR) James D. Watson Investigator Program Awards. The $200,000 grant was awarded to Chunyu Wang, assistant professor of biology at Rensselaer.

Sylvester James Gates Jr., director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland at College Park, will deliver the 15th annual Garnet Baltimore Lecture at Rensselaer. The lecture, titled "Thoughts for a Third Millennial United States," will be held on Monday, April 18, at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Rensselaer's Department of Public Safety has launched a new Web site. The redesigned, user-friendly site features easy access to education information, safety prevention programs, and other services provided by the department, including online, real-time Public Safety bulletins and alerts.

Curtis Bahn, associate professor of arts, has completed a nationally recognized collaboration with modern dance choreographer and MacArthur Fellow, Trisha Brown. The new work, titled “how long does the subject linger on the edge of the volume…” was premiered April 9 at Arizona State University (ASU) at Tempe and was seen at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center April 14 and 16.

The RPI Players concluded a season-long celebration of its 75th anniversary with a reunion luncheon on Saturday, April 16. More than 150 Players, past (known as Old Timers) and present, and their families attended the luncheon. John Kolb '79, chief information officer and a former Player, gave the keynote address. The evening ended with the troupe's 250th production, a performance of Man of La Mancha. When the curtain fell on the 75th season's last performance, in typical Player tradition, all actors on stage pointed upward and uttered the familiar saying, "which way is up," a testament to the long history and stories spanning the years of student theater that has entertained audiences at Rensselaer.

Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff joined in a welcome celebration to honor the incoming Dean of Engineering Alan W. Cramb, Ph.D., on Friday, April 15, at the Heffner Alumni House.

Kathleen Forde has been appointed as the curator of time-based arts for the Experimental Media Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer. EMPAC programs are now under way, and the EMPAC building under construction is scheduled to open in 2007.

Laila Tabatabai, a Rensselaer junior and biology major from Niskayuna, N.Y., has been selected as a 2005 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar by the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The award honors students pursuing careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Scientists at Rensselaer's Lighting Research Center (LRC) have developed a method known as "SPE" (scattered photon extraction) to get significantly more light from white LEDs (light-emitting diodes) without requiring more energy.

The RPI Players will conclude a season-long celebration of its 75th anniversary with a reunion luncheon on Saturday, April 16, followed by the troupe's 250th production, a performance of Man of La Mancha at 8 p.m.

Rensselaer has established the David T. Ryan Scholarship, a $5,000 merit scholarship to be awarded beginning next academic year to a sophomore involved in athletics who is majoring in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science, materials engineering with a focus in nanotechnology, or chemical and biological engineering with a focus in biotechnology.

Alumni leading and working at Vicarious Visions, an internationally successful video game development company based in the Rensselaer Technology Park, took part in the Rensselaer Alumni Association Back-to-Campus Speaker Series last Monday, April 4, at the Heffner Alumni House.

Grand Marshal Week, the annual student-run events focusing on the election of new student government representatives, was held last week at Rensselaer. During the closing ceremony on Friday, April 8 at the Houston Field House, next year’s student representatives were announced. Max Yates (pictured top) will serve as the Grand Marshal, the highest elected office in the Rensselaer Student Government, serving as the leader and chief spokesperson for the Union. Peter Baldwin (pictured below) will serve as the President of the Union presiding over the Executive Board, the budgeting group of the Union. This is the second term that Baldwin will serve as the chief financial officer of the Union. This year's theme focused on celebrating the life and culture of the state of Texas. At least 100 student organizations in the Rensselaer Union planned special activities and events during this campus wide celebration.

Rensselaer today announced that the Honorable Paul A. Volcker, Robert T. Coonrod, and Joé Juneau will be awarded honorary degrees at the 199th Commencement, on Saturday, May 21, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. at the Harkness Field.

Rensselaer's engineering, fine arts, applied mathematics, and management programs were ranked among the best in the nation in the 2006 U.S. News & World Report guide to "America's Best Graduate Schools," published April 1, 2005 online.

Kyle Brian Gracey, a Rensselaer junior with a double major in biochemistry/biophysics, and ecological economics, values, and policy, has been selected as a 2005 Truman Scholar by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. The foundation cited Gracey's work on campus and in the community to improve environmental sustainability. Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability, and likelihood of "making a difference."

Alumni leading and working at Vicarious Visions, an internationally successful video game development company based in the Rensselaer Technology Park, will take part in the Rensselaer Alumni Association Back-to-Campus Speaker Series on Monday, April 4, at 2 p.m. in the Heffner Alumni House.

A colloquium celebrating the creation of environmental engineering education 50 years ago at Rensselaer, and the profession that emerged and continues to evolve, was held March 29 in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. The event, which was co-sponsored by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors, brought together civil and environmental engineers from industry, government, and academia and students.

The Malaysian Student Association hosted a cultural program titled "Nusantara" March 25 in the West Hall auditorium. According to Akmal Akhpah, president of the Malaysian Student Association, the name "Nusantara" was chosen to symbolize the Malaysian culture, which is an integration of many other cultures practiced by the Malaysia's neighboring countries, Indonesia and Thailand. At least 400 people attended the evening of cultural performances, dance, and fashions.

The Albany High School/Rensselaer First Robotics Team representatives came to campus March 22 to celebrate their 2005 Xerox Creativity Award win by presenting an award to Lester Gerhardt, dean of engineering, and acknowledging the support of the Rensselaer students and professors who assisted in the competition.

Accolades for the Week of April 4, 2005

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson is leading a delegation from the Institute to Asia, meeting government, scientific, business, and academic leaders in Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, from March 26 to April 6, 2005.

Rensselaer has launched an online student journal showcasing student life and experience at the Institute. The weblog, or PolyBlogs, features three undergraduate students — Mary Dalton, Laura Henry, and Bryan Knight — as they go through their daily routines and share their real-life experiences with an online community.

In his new book, Wisdom for a Livable Planet (Trinity University Press, April 2005), Carl McDaniel provides an introduction to many of today's critical environmental issues, including toxic waste, biodiversity, globalization, population, economic justice, climate change, and environmental education. McDaniel is professor of biology at Rensselaer.

The Archer Center for Student Leadership Development will host its 13th annual celebration of student leadership March 30, honoring students who have served in leadership roles on campus. Boeing company vice president and chief information officer Scott Griffin will deliver the keynote address.

he Rensselaer community mourned the death of teacher and philanthropist Thelma P. Lally on March 22, 2005. Lally and her husband Kenneth T. Lally have long supported educational initiatives at Rensselaer and in the Capital Region.

The Muslim Student Association celebrated Islam Awareness Week on the Rensselaer campus March 21-24. Members of the organization hosted several activities that focused on sharing Islamic culture, history, food, and art with the campus and local communities. According to Tauhirah Abdul-Matin, vice president of the Muslim Student Association, the weeklong event provides both Muslim and non-Muslim students with an opportunity to discuss and share perspectives about the culture.

Entrepreneur magazine has ranked the technological entrepreneurship program at Rensselaer's Lally School of Management and Technology sixth in the nation. The rankings are posted on the magazine's Web site and will be published in the April 2005 issue.

Michael Shur, the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts '48 Chaired Professor in Solid State Electronics at Rensselaer, is part of a team of researchers awarded a $15.8 million, multiyear Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) contract to develop high-power wideband amplifiers in gallium nitride. The DARPA grant was awarded to TriQuint Semiconductor, a supplier of microwave and millimeter wave products for the defense industry.

A colloquium celebrating the creation of environmental engineering education 50 years ago and the profession that emerged and continues to evolve today will be held at Rensselaer on Tuesday, March 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Top local high school and middle school science students came to campus Saturday, March 19 for the 15th annual Greater Capital Region Science and Engineering Fair and Science Congress. Awards included a $12,000 scholarship to Rensselaer presented by Sam Wait, associate dean of the School of Science, and a trip to the national competition of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair funded in part by Rensselaer.

Accolades for the Week of March 21, 2005

Researchers at Rensselaer and the University at Albany have proposed a new mathematical model that predicts the survival of invasive biological species upon introduction to an ecosystem. The model analyzes the struggle for space between clusters of invasive species and native species to predict which species will survive.

The Lally School's Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship has launched the third annual Tech Valley Collegiate Business Plan Competition. A total of $50,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded in the competition, which is open to all students attending a college or university in the 18-county Tech Valley region.

As the national conversation on the role of women in science continues, Rensselaer recently has appeared in several national news outlets.

Rensselaer student Tyler Hinman, 20, has won the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, becoming the youngest champion in the 28-year history of the competition.

More than 400 people participated in a range of events on campus celebrating Asian Awareness weekend. The conference, organized by several Asian student organizations and a campus fraternity, is designed to celebrate Asian culture at Rensselaer and in the local community.

Accolades for the Week of March 14, 2005

United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) will speak at the 199th Rensselaer Commencement, on Saturday, May 21 at 9:30 a.m. at the Harkness Field.

At a spring Town Hall meeting March 3, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson presented an overview of the Fiscal Year 2005-2006 budget approved by the Board of Trustees, and gave a progress report on The Rensselaer Plan, outlining plans for the coming year.

Thirty-six Rensselaer juniors, seniors, and graduate students, along with health educator Theresa Kersch, Rensselaer Union customer service representative Patti Mugrace, and head athletic trainer Anthony Ortolano, were inducted into the Phalanx honor society at a ceremony in the Heffner Alumni House on Sunday, March 6. In addition, 12 students were inducted into the White Key Society, Rensselaer's junior honor society, for the promise they have shown as leaders as freshmen and sophomores.

The Malaysian Student Association was in the Rensselaer Union on March 2 sharing part of their culture with the campus. Members were dishing out plates of food and dessert native to Malaysia, with proceeds going to tsunami relief and the organization's cultural night event. According to association member Julie Yusuf, the weekly Wednesday fund raiser — from noon to 3 p.m. — will continue until the end of March.

The Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST), an LED (Light Emitting Diode) industry group organized by the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer, has published recommendations defining and measuring LED life for lighting, as a first step toward establishing product standards.

Students and their professors in the School of Architecture's Preservation Design Studio course are taking building conservation to the streets: namely to Waterford, N.Y.'s Broad Street. They are working with residents to develop proposals to revitalize and preserve the main street and downtown areas of the historic waterfront community at the junction of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers.

Rensselaer hosted a day of hands-on engineering activities for 250 area Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts on Saturday, Feb. 26 in the Jonsson Engineering Center (JEC) in celebration of National Engineers Week 2005.

The Rensselaer Bookstore kicked off the official countdown to Commencement 2005 by hosting the fourth annual Grad Fair on Feb 24. Several Rensselaer departments and company representatives were available to address individual graduation needs including: Student Records and Financial Services, Senior Class of 2005, University Events, Herff-James (2005 class rings), Josten's (graduation announcements), Framing Success (Rensselaer diploma frames), and the Oak Hall Company (graduation caps and gowns).

Accolades for the Week of February 28, 2005

Koushik Kar, assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Kar will use the projected five-year, $409,939 grant to research methods to improve the flow of information through large-scale wireless sensor networks.

Calling for a national commitment to investments in research and an increased focus on developing the science and engineering workforce, and urging scientists to proactively engage in public policy debates, Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson delivered the Presidential Lecture Feb. 17 at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in Washington, D.C.

Fifty-one Rensselaer student-athletes have been selected for the 2004-05 Liberty League Winter All-Academic Team.

February is National Heart Health Month. More than 500 students, faculty, and staff attended the Health and Wellness Fair on Feb. 14, hosted by the Student Health Center. The event provided an opportunity to educate the campus on ways to address total health of mind, body, and spirit.

Rensselaer's Office of Research has announced the awarding of $305,000 in seed funding grants for nine research projects involving 19 faculty members. These nine projects, supported by internal university funds, cover a broad spectrum of disciplines and ideas, including modeling and simulation, fuel cell research, cyber-networks, nanomaterials, biomelecular chemistry, and instrumentation.

Rensselaer celebrated the grand opening of its new off-campus eatery, Java ++, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 9. President Shirley Ann Jackson joined student leaders, faculty, staff, and other members of the Rensselaer community to mark the official opening of the coffeehouse, located on the corner of 15th Street and College Avenue.

More than 450 area students and their families came to Rensselaer Feb. 12 to participate in the seventh annual Black Family Technology Awareness Day. The workshops, designed to spur young people's interest in pursuing careers in science and engineering, were hosted by Rensselaer's Office of Institute Diversity.

The Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) has announced the selection of Giorgos Tsapepas '05 as the 2005 recipient of the RAA Community Service Award. He was honored for his community service at an award ceremony during an intermission at the Feb. 11 Rensselaer hockey game.

Rensselaer is joining with the City of Troy, Rensselaer County, and the Troy Housing Authority to develop a 14-acre parcel of land adjacent to the South Campus. President Shirley Ann Jackson joined city. county, and housing authority officials on Feb. 9 to sign a "memorandum of understanding" (MOU) that will facilitate the selection of a developer for the new Congress-Ferry Street Redevelopment Project.

A sold-out crowd rocked the Houston Field House for the 28th annual Big Red Freakout hockey game on Saturday, Feb. 12. The Engineers defeated Brown 3-2. Prior to the puck drop, members of the 1985 men's NCAA Championship team were brought to center ice in honor of the 20th anniversary of their NCAA victory.

Video artist and documentary filmmaker Surajit Sarkar, based in Delhi, India, recently spent 10 days in residence at Rensselaer giving a series of lectures and demonstrations of his unique, multidisciplinary accomplishments — video performance and extensive work using video to record the rural cultures of his country.

Rensselaer today (Feb. 7, 2005) announced the appointment of Alan Cramb, Ph.D., as dean of the School of Engineering and the John A. Clark and Edward T. Crossan Professor of Engineering. Cramb, whose career spans both industry and academia, is professor and head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Rensselaer premiered the Molecularium™ show, Riding Snowflakes, a state-of-the-art computer generated animation for digital dome theaters designed to spark the interest of young children in the atoms and molecules that constitute our world. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the show's creators have integrated advanced scientific simulations into an immersive educational animation to produce a magical, musical adventure to excite children about science.

Carlos Varela, assistant professor of computer science at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Varela will use the projected five-year, $400,000 grant to design and implement computer programming technology for use in solving complex scientific problems through high-performance grid computing.

At this year's Big Red Freakout, Rensselaer will welcome back members of the 1985 men's National Hockey Championship team to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their NCAA victory. The 1985 squad will be honored on the ice on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 6:45 p.m. prior to the start of the men's ice hockey game against Brown at 7 p.m.

The Career Development Center hosted its Spring 2005 Career Fair on Feb. 2 in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. More than 1,200 students took advantage of the opportunity to meet and speak with the 80 participating public and private-sector employers, according to Tom Tarentelli, director of the Career Development Center. More than 20 of the employers were from the capital district region. Tarentelli also noted that a significant number of the employer representatives were Rensselaer alumni.

Business-Higher Education Roundtable (BHER) members unveiled a Capital Region/College Region booklet as the centerpiece of a new marketing campaign to advance the area’s growth as a destination for young talent. A press conference celebrating the collaborative effort of 16-member colleges and Capital Region business partners was held Jan. 31 at the Albany International Airport.

President Shirley Ann Jackson joined students on Tuesday, Feb 1, at the first in a series of "Pizza with the President" luncheon discussions. The question-and-answer sessions are sponsored by the Committee on Student Life of the Student Senate. The two-hour session included a discussion on a range of issues including faculty advising, the graduate tuition policy, and the roles and responsibilities of fraternities on campus. The next "Pizza With the President" session is scheduled for Thursday, March 3 beginning at noon.

Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson has announced the appointment of John A. Minasian, Ph.D., as Vice President and Dean at Rensselaer at Hartford. Minasian, who has had a successful career in the information technology industry, as an entrepreneur, and as an educator, comes to Rensselaer from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) where he leads the education for working professionals programs.

Chang Ryu, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Ryu will use the projected five-year, $445,000 grant to explore new and improved techniques for separating and analyzing polymers, which are widely used as plastics. Ryu works with polymers in nano-sized pores to better understand the chemistry of these materials in the nanoscale environment.

Aleksandar Ostrogorsky, professor of mechanical, aeronautical, and nuclear engineering and professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Designation as a fellow, the highest grade of membership within ASME, recognizes significant contributions to the engineering profession.

The Black Student Alliance will kick off Black History Month with a film screening and discussion of the documentary film The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, produced by filmmaker Keith Beauchamp. The event will be held on Thursday, Feb.3 from 7 to 9 p.m. in DCC 308.

The School of Science hosted a retirement reception for Ivar Giaever '64, Institute Professor of Science and professor of physics, on Jan. 26 in the Russell Sage Dining Hall.

Seeking to improve and accelerate drug discovery, researchers at Rensselaer and University of California at Berkeley have developed a new technique to rapidly analyze the toxicity of compounds at early stages in the drug discovery process.

Researchers at Rensselaer have been awarded a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to investigate key issues associated with learning and reasoning, including developing algorithms and representations for artificial intelligence.

Glenn Eisman, director of Rensselaer's Center for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research, has been selected by the National Academy of Engineering to join a group of industry and academic experts to evaluate the U.S. FreedomCAR Initiative.

Saturday, January 22, 2005, was a homecoming for many members of Rensselaer’s 1969-70 record-setting men's basketball team, which won a school record 18 games that season. The majority of the former student-athletes returned to the Troy campus for a ceremony to honor the team, and to participate in the annual alumni basketball game.

The week of January 18, 2005, the Rensselaer campus community of students, faculty, and staff and area residents enjoyed a weeklong series of Diversity Week 2005 events honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Rensselaer officials have announced a $30,000 contribution to the tsunami relief efforts in South Asia, and have invited members of the campus community to join in supporting humanitarian efforts in the region.

When the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck in South Asia on Dec. 26, Rensselaer professor Rob McCaffrey watched the story unfold with knowing concern. For 25 years the geophysics professor has been monitoring earthquake activity and plate convergence at subduction zones in Indonesia, including the Sumatra subduction zone where the recent magnitude 9 earthquake occurred.

Members of the Rensselaer community joined in celebrating the dedication of the newly renovated Academy Hall on Dec. 17, 2004. The building will serve as "one-stop shopping" for Rensselaer students by integrating student services in a centralized location on campus.

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Myles Brand '64 and Capital Region business leader John Nigro were elected to Rensselaer's Board of Trustees at the December annual meeting.

Perhaps you have seen her around campus, or maybe you've heard her laughter during Institute events she has arranged. She has the type of laughter that fills up the room. She is considered to be part of the campus history--after all, she has worked for Rensselaer for 40 years. Her name is Shirley Gully. After years of dedicated service at Rensselaer, she is retiring.

Accolades for the Week of January 18, 2005