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Bacteroides are essential bacteria in the human gut, playing a crucial role in our overall health. These microorganisms offer numerous benefits to their hosts, contributing to digestion and immune function. In their quest for survival, Bacteroides species are involved in fierce competition, employing mechanisms to interact and assert dominance. Certain Bacteroides species have developed ways to inject toxins into rival cells, showcasing their adaptability.

Ge Wang, the Clark-Crossan Chaired Professor and director of the Biomedical Imaging Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), has been appointed as the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging journal. With nearly 3,000 submissions per year, it is the flagship journal in the tomographic medical imaging field and among the most highly cited of all biomedical engineering journals. Wang’s initial term is for three years and is renewable for a second term.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) researchers are part of a multi-institution team working to bring rubber production to the United States and better secure the supply chain for this critical material.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 550 will honor and celebrate all veterans—past and present—this Veterans Day on November 11 at the Approach. Join the cadets at 10:45 a.m. as they lay a wreath near the WWI and WWII memorials and highlight the stories of a few RPI veterans. A small gathering will follow to honor veterans and their families at Evelyn’s Café, thanks to the Registrar’s office. All are welcome.

On Saturday, November 9, hundreds will gather at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for HackRPI 2024. The 24-hour marathon of coding will begin at 11 a.m., when participants will team up to address the competition’s theme: Urban Upgrades. Participants will be asked to enhance the infrastructure, services, and quality of life in cities by developing new ideas and technologies. Examples are smart transportation systems, sustainable energy solutions, improved public safety, and inclusive community spaces. Prizes will be awarded during the closing ceremony around 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Frank Spear, Ph.D., professor of earth and environmental sciences and Edward Hamilton Distinguished Educator Chair, is the 2024 recipient of the Walter H. Bucher Medal from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The medal is presented annually to a “senior scientist in recognition of original contributions to the basic knowledge of crust and lithosphere.” It is considered a recognition of lifetime achievement.

Recently, RPI’s Richard Bonocora, Ph.D., senior lecturer in biological sciences, joined 29 other international participants for the Spaceflight Technology, Applications and Research (STAR) program. STAR is “a virtual NASA training for space biosciences.” The program, which will run until February, will give Bonocora an overview of the current topics in space biology, how to conduct an experiment in space and all of the unique considerations, and provide unique collaborative opportunities. He plans to share his new knowledge across campus with fellow faculty members as well as students. “I’m excited to gain knowledge through the STAR program that can help my students in many fields pursue these exciting opportunities,” said Bonocora.

Installations of light sculptures by RPI School of Architecture students will be on display as part of the Troy Glow 2024 festival November 1-10. The festival features light art installations on a 15-minute walk through Troy’s historic streets. Visitors can explore on their own or join guided tours. 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Fengyan Li, Ph.D., professor of mathematical sciences, has been selected as a 2025 Fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). AWM Fellows demonstrate a sustained commitment “to encourage women and girls to study and to have active careers in the mathematical sciences, and to promote equal opportunity and the equal treatment of women and girls in the mathematical sciences.”

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Gwo-Ching Wang, Ph.D., Travelstead Institute Chair, is the 2025 recipient of the Davisson-Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface Physics from the American Physical Society (APS). Wang is being honored for “pioneering contributions to the development and use of electron diffraction techniques to study surfaces, growth-front ordering, and two-dimensional materials.”