News

Troy, N.Y. — Kyle Brian Gracey, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute junior with a double major in biochemistry/biophysics, and ecological economics, values, and policy, has been selected as a 2005 Truman Scholar by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. The foundation cited Gracey’s work on campus and in the community to improve environmental sustainability. Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability, and likelihood of “making a difference.”

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s engineering, fine arts, applied mathematics, and management programs were ranked among the best in the nation in the 2006 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” published April 1, 2005 online.  “These graduate rankings validate what we already know, Rensselaer ranks among the top universities in the country,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson.  “These rankings reflect the quality and depth of our graduate programs.”

Troy, N.Y. — In his new book, Wisdom for a Livable Planet (Trinity University Press, April 2005), Carl N. McDaniel provides an introduction to many of today’s critical environmental issues, including toxic waste, biodiversity, globalization, population, economic justice, climate change, and environmental education. McDaniel is professor of biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson is leading a delegation from the Institute to Asia, meeting government, scientific, business, and academic leaders in Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, from March 26 to April 6, 2005. “Innovation — from discovery to application — is at the core of global health, energy, and economic security,” Jackson said. “The great universities historically have fostered global innovation.”

“We are deeply saddened by Thelma Lally's passing. She and Ken have been magnificent benefactors to Rensselaer, and to the entire capital region. Their generosity has left an indelible mark at Rensselaer through the Kenneth T. and Thelma P. Lally School of Management and Technology, named in their honor in 1995. Students for generations will benefit from their foresight and commitment to ensuring that there is a prominent school of management here in the region bringing together students from around the globe.

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has launched an online student journal showcasing student life and experience at Rensselaer. The weblog, or PolyBlogs features three undergraduate students — Mary Dalton, Laura Henry, and Bryan Knight — as they go through their daily routines and share their real-life experiences with an online community.

Troy, N.Y. — Entrepreneur magazine has ranked the technological entrepreneurship program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lally School of Management and Technology sixth in the nation. The rankings are posted on the magazine’s Web site and will be published in the April 2005 issue. The “Top 10 National/Regional Programs” ranking is judged by directors, faculty and alumni of programs across the country, and places the Lally School among “the top tier of the very best programs in the country,” according to the magazine.

First Environmental Engineering Degree Program in U.S. Offered at Rensselaer Troy, N.Y. — A colloquium celebrating the creation of environmental engineering education 50 years ago and the profession that emerged and continues to evolve today will be held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on March 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Troy, N.Y. — Thirty-six students have been inducted into the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Phalanx honor society.  Phalanx honors student leadership and celebrates those who have “worked to better the standing of Rensselaer both on and off campus.”  New members are selected — or “tapped” — by the student members of Phalanx.

Paper published today in Journal of Theoretical Biology Troy, N.Y. — Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and University at Albany have proposed a new mathematical model that predicts the survival of invasive biological species upon introduction to an ecosystem. The model analyzes the struggle for space between clusters of invasive species and native species to predict which species will survive.