News

—Trustees Reaffirm and Mark Progress of The Rensselaer Plan at December Meeting — TROY, N.Y. – National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Myles Brand ’64, and Capital Region business leader John Nigro were elected to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Board of Trustees at the December annual meeting, which also included a celebration of faculty achievement and a review of the accomplishments under The Rensselaer Plan.

Trustees Reaffirm Progress of The Rensselaer Plan at December Meeting TROY, N.Y. – After a review of accomplishments under Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s strategic plan, and in response to a recent Faculty Senate Chain of Command Satisfaction Survey, the Institute’s Board of Trustees adopted a resolution strongly endorsing the leadership of President Shirley Ann Jackson and the development and progress of The Rensselaer Plan, at its regular winter meeting this past weekend.

TROY, N.Y. — Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been awarded a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to investigate key issues associated with learning and reasoning, including developing algorithms and representations for artificial intelligence. The first year of the grant is for $400,000, with two more optional years following, for a total award of $1.2 million.

Troy, N.Y. — Today, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute community joined in celebrating the dedication of the newly renovated Academy Hall. The building will serve as “one-stop shopping” for Rensselaer students by integrating student services in a centralized location on campus.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Maryland will receive $700,000 in new federal funding to support the development of a Center for Intermodal Freight Transportation Mobility and Security, a collaborative effort to develop and test information technologies aimed at increasing the overall security and efficiency of freight transportation, and reduce the negative health effects from particles emitted from truck traffic.

TROY, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has announced the appointment of Rensselaer Professor Prabhat Hajela, Ph.D., to the position of vice provost and dean of undergraduate education. Hajela, professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, is internationally recognized for his significant achievements in engineering research and education, and his active service in leadership roles and professional societies.

TROY, N.Y. — Robert Palazzo, professor and chair of the Department of Biology, has been appointed director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, effective immediately. He had been serving as acting director of the Center since last spring.

 TROY, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute joined 14 other universities in the U.S. today to mark the formation of the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The consortium of research centers is connected via a high-performance Internet network designed to shift the emphasis of earthquake engineering research and education from traditional physical testing to integrated experimentation and model-based simulation.

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. — On Nov. 4, 2004, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute found three settled juvenile zebra mussels on plates that were removed from the Ticonderoga Boat Launch Site (see fact sheet).

TROY, N.Y. — Angel E. Garcia, a renowned theoretical physicist in biomolecular research, has been appointed a senior constellation chaired professor in biocomputation and bioinformatics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Garcia will join Rensselaer on Jan. 1, 2005.