In August 2019, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded a new five-year grant totaling $3.8 million to Mariana Figueiro, professor and director at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She will investigate whether a long-term (six-month) lighting intervention designed to promote circadian entrainment will improve sleep, cognition, and memory in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is an “at risk” or potential prodromal stage of dementia.

Pindaro Demertzoglou, a senior lecturer in the Lally School of Management and the academic director of the Business Analytics Graduate Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, recently published his 10th book on Structured Query Language (SQL), a standardized language used within multiple business databases.   

TROY, N.Y. — The lives of people with Type 1 diabetes could be significantly enhanced through algorithms that connect glucose monitors and insulin pumps to automatically regulate blood glucose to healthy levels, in the same fashion that cruise control in an automobile regulates speed.

High school students participating in the STEAMM Inventor’s Studio at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute developed a green roof to offset the effects of climate change, a cooling system for athletes, and lightweight leg supports that eliminate the need for a cane — all in just two weeks.

Dominick Prudente, a graduate student in the department of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has received a scholarship award from The Deep Foundations Institute Educational Trust. The DFI Educational Trust Awards are given to students studying in the fields of geotechnical and foundation engineering, and are aimed at supporting and encouraging students to pursue a career in the deep foundations industry.

Thomas Zimmie, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will receive the 2019 William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).   He is being recognized for “influencing generations of students as RPI’s ASCE Student Chapter Adviser for 39 years, and his ability to mesh his consulting experience with academic research, making his teaching especially relevant to his students.”   

TROY, N.Y. — According to the American Cancer Society, approximately one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. It’s both the second most common cancer and second most common cause of cancer death in American men. Early detection is critical and can increase a man’s chances of survival.   

Roussel Rahman, a doctoral student in the Department of Cognitive Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, received the Allen Newell Best Student-Led Paper Award at this year’s International Conference on Cognitive Modeling in Montreal.  Rahman earned this recognition for his paper, “Spotlight on dynamics of individual learning.” In it, he examines the question of how a person learns a complex task. 

A group of researchers, including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute scientists Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer and Jeremy Farrell, is developing a computer model that uses data collected during boat inspections to predict whether an uninspected boat is likely to be harboring invasive species.

TROY, N.Y. — How can communities better mitigate the risks of natural disasters? How can health care be delivered effectively and efficiently? How can small businesses work with other entities to save money and time, in the delivery of services? The answers to such questions, which are sure to be faced by future leaders, will be found more easily through the use of data and mathematical models.