Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has received more than $4.8 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

This recovery act funding, granted competitively through the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), is helping to expand Rensselaer’s research portfolio and advance the Institute’s goal of innovating solutions to the grand challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. To date 19 ARRA grants have been awarded to Rensselaer.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 represents an important opportunity for investment in U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” said Francine Berman, Rensselaer vice president for research. “Rensselaer faculty and students will use this important funding to increase our understanding of current and future challenges, and create knowledge that can ultimately improve our quality of life.”

“It is critical to invest in our first-rate research institutions like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “Investments in cutting-edge research will help us develop the technology we need to save more lives, help more businesses compete and succeed, create new jobs and rebuild our economy for the 21st century. I will continue working to make sure New York gets its fair share from the federal government.”

“The Recovery Act funds granted to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are a direct result of our need to feed the engine of research and development as we transition to an economy that is based on innovation,” said U.S. Representative Paul D. Tonko. “As a nation, we face challenges that demand work by our best and brightest to solve difficult challenges such as creating renewable energy sources to reduce our dependence on imported oil. We want to lead the world in the next round of scientific and technological advancement and I’m proud to say that Rensselaer will be on the front lines of those efforts.”

The ARRA was signed into law in February, and has resulted in the largest increase in basic research funding in American history. The recovery act funding, intended to stimulate the domestic economy and invest in the nation’s scientific and technological prowess, is benefiting a wide variety of academic and research programs at Rensselaer. This funding will result in the advancement of ongoing research programs, the start of new research programs, the hiring of researchers, the support of graduate students, and the purchase of equipment and instruments.

Below is a list of ARRA grants awarded to Rensselaer:

• Peter Tessier | Assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering
  NIH | $143,000
  Structural Basis of Species-Specific Infectivities of Two Prion Strains
• Mark Rea | Director of Lighting Research Center, professor of cognitive science
  NIH | $37,352
  Light Measured Device for Correcting Circadian Disruption
• Douglas Swank | Assistant professor of biology
  NIH | $85,219
  Myosin Structural And Kinetic Mechanisms That Differentiate Fast And Slow Muscle
• Mariana Figueiro | Lighting Research Center assistant professor
  NIH | $130,945
  Light as a Controlling Stimulus for Behavior Cancer Research:  Bridging Human Exposure to Animal Models for Parametric Investigations
• Kristin Bennett | Professor of mathematical sciences 
  Bulent Yener | Professor of computer science
  NIH | $170,861
  Discovering Hidden Groups Across Tuberculosis Patient and Pathogen Genotype Data
• Gwo-Ching Wang | Professor and chair of physics, applied physics, and astronomy
  NSF | $320,000
  Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site in Physics at Rensselaer
• Linda McGown | Professor and department head of chemistry and chemical biology 
  NSF | $379,158
  Affinity Protein Capture by Immobilized DNA at Surfaces
• Linda McGown | Professor and department head of chemistry and chemical biology
  NSF | $255,534
  Collaborative Research: New Medium for DNA Separation of Microbial Communities
• Diana Borca-Tasciuc | Assistant professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering
  Mona Hella | Assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering
  NSF | $378,154
  Micro-scale Power Generators Employing Capacitive Converters with Switchable Dielectric Medium
• Fengyan Li | Assistant professor of mathematical sciences 
  NSF | $582,112
  CAREER: Development and Applications of Discontinuous Galerkin Methods
• Kim M. Lewis | Assistant professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy
  NSF | $175,000
  The Design and Characterization of a Multifunctional Chemiresistor Sensor Array
• Diana Borca-Tasciuc | Assistant professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering
  NSF | $425,000
  CAREER: Towards Engineering Transport Properties of Nanoparticles for Magnetically-Mediated Hyperthermia Applications
• Gwo-Ching Wang | Professor and chair of physics, applied physics and astronomy
  Shengbai Zhang | Kodosky Constellation Professor, professor of physics
  Toh-Ming Lu | Palmer Baker Distinguished Professor, professor of physics
  NSF | $325,000
  Hydrogenation/Dehydrogenation in Novel Pd-coated Mg Nanoblades
• Miriam E. Katz | Assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences 
  NSF | $353,398
  Collaborative Research: Reorganization of Deepwater Circulation in Response to the Opening of Southern Ocean Passages in the Middle/Late Eocene
• Mona Hella | Assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering
  NSF | $56,577
  Modeling and Performance Optimization of mm-wave Frequency Synthesizers
• Steven M. Cramer | Professor of chemical and biological engineering
  NSF | $209,222
  GOALI: Industrial Implementation of Smart Biopolymers for Antibody Purification 
• Bulent Yener | Professor of computer science
  NIH | $231,234
  A Computational Approach to Closing the Gap Between Tissue Structure and Function
• Antoinette Maniatty | Professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering
  NSF | $247,498
  GOALI/ Collaborative Research: Understanding Cracking and Defect Formation During AlN Crystal Growth
• Koushik Kar | Associate professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering
  Aparna Gupta | Lally School of Management and Technology assistant professor
  NSF | $317,800
  NeTS: Small: Collaborative Research: Financial Dynamics of Spectrum Trading

Visit www.rpi.edu/news/arra for a complete list and current total of ARRA funding awarded to Rensselaer. This site also includes information on how to apply for ARRA funds.

For general information on the ARRA, visit: www.recovery.gov

Contact: Michael Mullaney
Phone: (518) 276-6161
E-mail: mullam@rpi.edu