Four Leading Researchers Will Join Rensselaer President Jackson at ‘Summer Davos’ Meeting and Deliver Talks on Bio-Inspired Approaches to Sustainability

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson and Professor Jonathan S. Dordick will lead a team of Rensselaer academic leaders invited to speak at the World Economic Forum on Sept. 14 in Tianjin, China.

Dordick, director of the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies and the Howard Isermann Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, will lead a session titled “Rensselaer IdeasLab: Engineering Our Sustainable Future.” In addition to his specific comments on “Biocatalysis for Our Sustainable Future,” Dordick will be joined by:

Angel Garcia, constellation professor in biocomputation and bioinformatics, and professor of physics, applied physics and astronomy. He will speak about “Deciphering Biological Functions Through Computation.”

Ravi Kane, P.K. Lashmet Professor, chemical and biological engineering. He will speak about “Bio-Inspired Therapeutics.”

K.V. Lakshmi, assistant professor of chemistry and chemical biology. She will speak about “Bio-Inspired Solar Energy.”

With a focus on sparking and fostering sustainable innovation, President Jackson will offer guidance to young scientists exploring how to build successful business-university partnerships; she will moderate a session on “Next Generation Infrastructure,” examining trends related to technology, economics, and sustainability in multiple sectors, from transportation to information technology to urban environments; and she will engage as a discussion leader in a session entitled, “What If the United States Remains in a Jobless Recovery in 2011?”

Introduced in 2007, the “Summer Davos” program is hosted in partnership with the Government of the People’s Republic of China. More than 1,300 participants from 85 countries will take part in discussions from Sept. 13-15 in Tianjin, held under the theme “Driving Growth through Sustainability.” China Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the opening plenary and deliver a special speech.

For more about the forum, visit: http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm

Contact: Mark Marchand
Phone: (518) 276-6098
E-mail: marchm3@rpi.edu