News

TROY, N.Y. — With acceptance letters in the mail and the May 1 due date for enrollment deposits rapidly approaching, high school students across the nation face a tough decision: With so many choices, how do they pick the right college that is best suited for them? Starting classes, meeting peers, and exploring a new geographical area all at once may seem intimidating for students making the transition from high school to college/campus life.

Troy, N.Y. — Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Toronto have designed a nanoscale assembly of molecules that successfully counteracts and inhibits anthrax toxin in animal and laboratory experiments. The novel approach used to neutralize anthrax toxin could be applied in designing potent therapeutics for a variety of pathogens and toxins, according to the researchers.

TROY, N.Y. — Two Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students, Elizabeth DeLouise and Jeffrey Martin, have been selected as 2006 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars by the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The national award honors students pursuing careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) President Shirley Ann Jackson today announced the selection of Seth Appert as the new head men’s hockey coach. Appert is slated to become the 12th head men’s hockey coach in RPI’s storied hockey history.

Troy, N.Y. — Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) have developed a simple, cost-effective, energy-saving device designed to harvest daylight automatically. The DaySwitch™ was designed as an alternative to traditional dimming ballast systems that adjust light levels by reducing the lamp current.

Troy, N.Y. – Three Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni with backgrounds in energy innovation returned to campus on Monday, April 3, 2006 to participate in a public discussion on the roles that alternative energy sources could play in the future. The event, titled “Imagining the Future of Energy,” was part of the Rensselaer Alumni Association’s (RAA) Back to Campus Speaker Series, and was moderated by Nag Patibandla, director of Rensselaer’s Center for Future Energy Systems.

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s engineering, fine arts, applied mathematics, and management graduate programs were ranked among the best in the nation in the 2007 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” published online today.

To: The Rensselaer Community From: Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D. It is with deep sorrow that I announce the passing of the Reverend Thomas Phelan, who devoted more than four decades of his life to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as chaplain and dean of humanities and social sciences. Rev. Phelan most recently was the Institute Dean, Institute Historian, and Professor Emeritus.

Alumnus Ajit Prabhu also pledges educational and research cooperative agreement

Troy, N.Y. — Petros Drineas, assistant professor of computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Drineas will use the projected five-year, $400,000 grant to investigate novel computational algorithms for analyzing complex datasets with applications in health and medicine, computer science, and social sciences.