News

TROY, N.Y. — Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered an alternative way to produce heparin, a drug commonly used to stop or prevent blood from clotting. The findings could enable the current supply of the drug — now extracted from animal organ tissue — to be replaced or supplemented by the synthetic version. The new process also can be applied as a tool for drug discovery, according to the researchers.

Institute to host forum on innovation and economic development Feb. 3 Troy, N.Y. — Following the State of the Union address by President George W. Bush, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson has urged Congress and the Administration to move quickly to enact a comprehensive, fully funded national innovation agenda. 

Troy, N.Y. — Calling for a renewed national focus on science and technology, in an open letter to President George W. Bush Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson has urged the President to use the State of the Union to outline a national agenda to “spark a legacy of innovation.” 

Troy, N.Y. — A team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Purdue University, and the Russian Academy of Sciences has used sound waves to induce nuclear fusion without the need for an external neutron source, according to a paper in the Jan. 27 issue of Physical Review Letters. The results address one of the most prominent questions raised after publication of the team’s earlier results in 2004, suggesting that “sonofusion” may be a viable approach to producing neutrons for a variety of applications. 

TROY, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management and Technology will kick off its fourth annual business plan competition on Feb. 1 with a workshop aimed at teaching area college students the fundamentals of writing a successful business plan.

Several scientific studies have determined that light on the eye’s retina is the primary synchronizer of human circadian rhythms, the biological cycles that repeat approximately every 24 hours. Both the visual system and the circadian system respond to light as it is processed through photoreceptors in the retina.

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks among the top 25 “most connected campuses” in the country, according to a Princeton Review survey. Describing the campuses on the list as “the closest to the cutting edge,” Forbes.com released the rankings today.

Troy, N.Y. — To commemorate the life and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will host the 5th annual “Embrace the Dream” Diversity Week celebration with an opening ceremony and reception on Monday, Jan. 16. Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson will discuss King’s legacy and its relevance today, in a speech kicking off a week-long series of events for Rensselaer students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. The Jan.

Troy, N.Y. — Governor George E. Pataki today announced that he will include $25 million in the 2006-07 Executive Budget for the construction of a Center for Advanced Environmental Technology at the Rivers and Estuaries Center on the Hudson in Beacon, N.Y. Arthur Sanderson, chair of the science advisory committee for the Rivers and Estuaries Center and professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer, said: 

Robert A. Chernow To Lead New Entrepreneurship Effort Troy, N.Y — Robert A. Chernow has been appointed to the newly created position of Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.