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.

Troy, N.Y — United States Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) will speak at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 199th Commencement, on Saturday, May 21, 2005 at 9:30 a.m. at the Harkness Field.

Troy, N.Y. — Koushik Kar, assistant professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Kar will use the projected five-year, $409,939 grant to research methods to improve the flow of information through large-scale wireless sensor networks.

Troy, N.Y. — More than 300 area students and their families came to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute today to participate in the seventh 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.