News

Admissions and student life experts at Rensselaer offer advice Troy, N.Y. — Acceptance letters are in the mail, the deadline for deposits is rapidly approaching, and high school students across the country face a tough decision: With so many choices, how do you pick the right college? As they prepare to welcome another freshman class, the admissions and student life experts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute offer advice to help reduce stress and smooth the transition to college life.

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s graduate programs in engineering, applied mathematics, and the fine arts rank among the best in the nation, according to the 2008 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The publication is scheduled to hit newsstands on April 3, 2007. “These rankings are another validation of our ongoing transformation to a world-class technological research university with global reach and global impact,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson.

Thomas L. Friedman Photo by Fred R. Conrad of The New York Times

Troy, N.Y. — As the electronics industry continues to churn out smaller and slimmer portable devices, manufacturers have been challenged to find new ways to combat the persistent problem of thermal management. New research published in the March 19 issue of Applied Physics Letters suggests that carbon nanotubes may soon be integrated into ever-shrinking cell phones, digital audio players, and personal digital assistants to help ensure the equipment does not overheat, malfunction, or fail.

National experts gather to discuss women’s advancement in academy’s senior ranks Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute today announced a universitywide initiative to improve representation of female educators in academia’s influential high-ranking positions. The program, which is funded by a $329,960 grant from the National Science Foundation, seeks to aid women along the academic career path from junior positions toward tenure and full professorship

TROY, N.Y. — Burt Swersey, a lecturer in Rensselaer’s department of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, has been awarded the 2007 Olympus Lifetime of Educational Innovation Award for his dedication to innovative thinking and his commitment to students and their learning.

Program builds off Institute’s highly successful games studies minor Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently announced the launch of a new undergraduate degree program in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS). The major — which builds off the success of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences’ highly popular game studies minor — will equip graduates with a suite of integrated skills necessary for leaders in the game development industry.

Troy, N.Y. — The size, type, and dispersion of nanomaterials could all play a role in how these materials impact human health and the environment, according to two groups of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In new studies, the teams found that while carbon nanotubes inhibited growth in mammalian cells, they sustained the growth of commonly occurring bacteria.

Geophysicist urges public, policy makers to consider all tectonic boundaries as lethal

Troy, NY — Wai Kin “Victor” Chan plans to predict the future. Chan, an assistant professor of decision sciences and engineering systems at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Chan will use the projected five-year, $400,000 grant to develop better computer simulation methodologies to improve systems from healthcare to military operation and airport security.