News

Student and fraternity recognized with Community Service Award during ceremony tonight Troy, N.Y. — In a tribute to outstanding commitments to community service, the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) will recognize both an individual student and a Greek life organization with its Community Service Award. Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and Tamer Khattab ’08 will be presented with the award tonight — Friday, Feb. 1 — during the first intermission of the Rensselaer vs. Quinnipiac hockey game.

Researchers in Rensselaer’s Department of Physics and Center for Integrated Electronics have developed a new inexpensive, quick-drying polymer that could lead to dramatic cost savings and efficiency gains in semiconductor manufacturing and computer chip packaging.

Carbon nanotube array absorbs light, could boost solar energy conversion  The vertically aligned carbon nanotube samples were mounted in the center of a integrating sphere, which measured the material's reflectivity.

A computer generated image of a cell membrane being “pierced” by HIV peptides.

Applications increase another 10 percent from 2007 to new record level Troy, N.Y. — More than 11,000 high school students have filed applications to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, according to numbers released today by Rensselaer Admissions. The record number of applications for 2008 is up 10 percent from the previous year, and it is more than double the number received just three years ago in 2005.

Troy, N.Y. — Design optimization pioneer Achille Messac, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been elected a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). An award to commemorate this honor will be presented at an AIAA gala on May 14 in Washington, D.C.

Troy, N.Y. — It turns out that our math teachers were right: being able to solve problems without a calculator does come in handy in the “real” world. Two theoretical physicists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have used what they call “pen-and-paper math” to describe the motion of interstellar shock waves — violent events associated with the birth of stars and planets. 

Troy, N.Y. — Corrosion expert David Duquette, of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been named John Tod Horton Distinguished Professor in Materials Engineering. The endowed professorship is one of the highest honors bestowed on a Rensselaer faculty member.

First-of-its-kind research addresses impact of virtual work on non-teleworkers  Troy, N.Y. — As telecommuting and other forms of virtual work become increasingly popular, what happens to the workers who are left behind in the office? A new study by a management professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute suggests that the prevalence of telecommuters in an office can adversely impact coworkers who do not telecommute in terms of their job satisfaction and likelihood that they will leave the company. 

Troy, N.Y. — Jacob Fish, the Rosalind and John J. Redfern Chaired Professor of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and director of the university’s Multiscale Science and Engineering Center, has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics (AAM).