News

Troy, N.Y. - Sunscreen developer Howard P. Isermann, Class of 1942, is one of eight new members of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Alumni Hall of Fame. After earning his degree in chemical engineering, Howard Isermann joined Van Dyk & Co. There he developed the ultraviolet absorber that has become the most effective sunscreen in the world. In 1980, he founded Novarome Inc., manufacturer of fragrance compounds used in a wide variety of consumer products from soaps to perfumes.

Troy, N.Y. - Edwards, New York resident Lois Graham, whose academic and professional career paved the way for women and minority engineers, was recently inducted into Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Alumni Hall of Fame. Just 48 other Rensselaer alumni - including George W. G. Ferris, civil engineer and inventor of the Ferris wheel; Raymond S. Tomlinson, inventor of network electronic mail; and Ivar Giaever, research scientist and Nobel Laureate - and only three other women have been inducted into the university's Alumni Hall of Fame.

Troy, N.Y. - The effects of social networks on entrepreneurship and innovation in business will be examined at an upcoming symposium hosted by the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lally School of Management and Technology. The Oct. 2 and 3 event, titled "The Network Structure of Entrepreneurship and Innovation," will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in room 4050 of Rensselaer's Low Center for Industrial Innovation. The symposium is free and open to the public.

Troy, N.Y. - Jong-Shi Pang has joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as the Margaret A. Darrin Distinguished Professor in Applied Mathematics. In August 2003, Pang received the prestigious George B. Dantzig Prize, the world's top prize in the area of mathematical programming. The prize is awarded once every three years and is issued jointly by the Mathematical Programming Society and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

Troy, N.Y. - President Shirley Ann Jackson today joined with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's trustees, leadership team, faculty, and alumni along with guests representing the nation's political and technological leadership in celebrating the opening of the Institute's Washington, D.C. office.

Troy, N.Y. - Experts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lally School of Management and Technology will examine the stock market by industry and offer in-depth investment analysis in a Wednesday, Oct. 1 seminar titled, "Will the Stock Market Recover… and If So, When?" The Lally School-sponsored event will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. in room 318 of Rensselaer's Darrin Communications Center. It is free and open to the public.

Troy, N.Y. - President Shirley Ann Jackson, Rensselaer trustees and administrators, and community leaders gathered today to break ground for the new Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The ceremony took place at the Folsom Library, near the site of the future EMPAC building.

Troy, N.Y. - Myles Brand, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumnus, will deliver a lecture on "The Ethical and Academic Challenges of College Sports" on Friday, Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. on the Rensselaer campus. The event, which will be held in room 3303 of Rensselaer's Russell Sage Laboratory building, is free and open to the public.

Troy, N.Y. - Executives from eight area biotechnology firms will discuss their businesses and the state of the industry in the Capital Region at the "Showcase of Local Biotechnology Companies" on Wednesday, Sept. 17 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in room 324 of Rensselaer's Darrin Communications Center. To encourage networking among business leaders and students, Rensselaer's Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship will host half-hour receptions before and after the forum.

Troy, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recognized its newly remodeled Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center (RNC) on Monday, Sept. 15, 2003. The RNC was founded in April 2001 under the direction of Richard W. Siegel, Rensselaer's Robert W. Hunt Professor of Material Science and Engineering.