"Nanosculpture" Could Enable New Types of Heat Pumps and Energy Converters
Researchers at Rensselaer discovered a new method to create “branched” nanorods, as seen in this scanning electron microscope image.
New Approach Sheds Light on Ways Circadian Disruption Affects Human Health
Growing evidence indicates that exposure to irregular patterns of light and darkness can cause the human circadian system to fall out of synchrony with the 24-hour solar day, negatively affecting human health — but scientists have been unable to effectively study the relationship between circadian disruptions and human maladies.
$1 Million Scholarship Supports Future Engineers
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has received a gift of $1 million to establish the Paula and Jeffrey R. Gural ’64 Scholarship for undergraduate students in civil engineering. The endowment supports the $1.4 billion Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Inelegant Worms Provide New Clues About Gene Required for Development
The normal nematodes in Fern Finger’s lab move in beautiful S-shaped curves across their Petri dish. In fact, it was these elegant movements that gave the tiny, clear worms the Latin name Caenorhabditis elegans. But the dish also contains worms with a very specific genetic defect, a mutant unc-85 gene, which are easily identified as the clumsiest dancers on the tiny dance floor.
Rensselaer Professor B. Wayne Bequette Elected Fellow of AIChE
Modeling, design, and controls expert B. Wayne Bequette, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was recently elected a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
Statement of President Shirley Ann Jackson on the Pending Retirement of New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson issued the following statement, regarding the announcement by New York State Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno of his plan to retire from the State Senate:
Top Economist Becomes Head of Economics at Rensselaer
An internationally renowned economist with a 25-year history at one the country’s leading Federal Reserve Banks will join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as the new head of the department of economics.
Database Shows Effects of Acid Rain on Microorganisms in Adirondack Lakes
Prior to the federal Clean Air Act, unhindered industrial emissions were released into the air throughout the Midwestern and Eastern United States for decades. Many of those harmful chemicals came right back down to earth in the form of acid rain, a chemical concoction that includes nitric and sulfuric acid.
Rensselaer Appoints New Director of Community Relations
Former DEC Commissioner to support Rensselaer community partnerships Erin Crotty, a seasoned public administrator with deep roots in Troy and the Capital Region, will join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as the director of community relations. The first female commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and a Rensselaer alumna, Crotty will coordinate and enhance community partnership programs and expand local outreach efforts to the communities that Rensselaer shares.