News

Brian Schulkin’s “Mini-Z” spots cracks in space shuttle foam, detects tumors in tissue Troy, N.Y. — “T-rays” have been touted as the next breakthrough in sensing and imaging, but the need for bulky equipment has been an obstacle to reaching the field’s potential. Enter Brian Schulkin, winner of the first-ever $30,000 Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize. Schulkin has invented an ultralight, handheld terahertz spectrometer — an advance that could help catapult T-ray technology from the lab bench to the marketplace.

Study expands potential for using nanotubes in water purification, genetic research

Redesigned Hirsch Observatory at Rensselaer open to the public Troy, N.Y. — With an impressive mechanical whir, the dome above Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Hirsch Observatory revolves over your head. As the telescope moves on a giant steel arm, you look through the scope to see the tilted rings surrounding a beautiful buttery yellow orb — Saturn.

Troy, N.Y. — More than 600 area students and their families came to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute today to participate in the ninth annual Black Family Technology Awareness Day. The workshops, designed to spur young people’s interest in pursuing careers in science and engineering, were hosted by Rensselaer’s Office of Institute Diversity. Rensselaer’s Black Family Technology Awareness Day is part of a nationally celebrated week of the same name. The theme for 2007 is “The Future Starts with Me.”

Pi Kappa Alpha to receive Community Service Award for Greek Life during ceremony tonight Troy, N.Y. — In recognition of its outstanding commitment to community service, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity has been chosen by the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) to receive the inaugural Community Service Award for Greek Life. The award will be presented tonight — Friday, Feb. 9 — during the second intermission of the Rensselaer vs. Colgate hockey game.

Troy, N.Y. — The lecture halls and classrooms of Rensselaer’s Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy will never be the same as Rensselaer mourns the passing of Philip Casabella, beloved professor and associate chair of the department. Casabella passed away early Tuesday morning, Feb. 6, following a long battle with cancer. 

Troy, N.Y. — A new computer-based technique could eliminate hours of manual adjustment associated with a popular cancer treatment. In a paper published in the Feb. 7 issue of Physics in Medicine and Biology, researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute describe an approach that has the potential to automatically determine acceptable radiation plans in a matter of minutes, without compromising the quality of treatment.

Troy, N.Y. — Using a series of interactive computer programs that focus on the mathematics embedded in various cultural designs, students from across the country in grades 4-12 have shown a statistically significant increase in their math achievement scores. Now a new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in excess of $300,000 will help the Rensselaer researcher who developed these programs extend their use to help engage underrepresented minority students in the subject of computing.

Frank Spear honored for his work to understand Earth’s history and formation Troy, N.Y. — Frank Spear, department chair and professor of earth and environmental sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been elected as a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).

Troy, N.Y. — Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered new details about how bacteria generate energy to live. In two recently published papers, the scientists add key specifics to the molecular mechanism behind the pathogen that causes cholera. The work could provide a better understanding of this pathogen, while also offering insight into how cells transform energy from the environment into the forms required to sustain life.