News

Troy, N.Y. - Russell Giambelluca has been named assistant vice president for finance, financial planning, and services at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Giambelluca assumes his position on Oct. 1. Among Giambelluca's responsibilities will be developing annual operating and capital budgets, and budget forecasts. He will be enhancing Institutewide financial and budgetary standards and procedures. He also will train and oversee Rensselaer's financial, business, and budget personnel.

Troy, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lally School of Management and Technology has awarded incoming MBA student Azmat Ahmad its prestigious Herman Family Fellowship for Women in Entrepreneurship. The prize supports up to two females enrolled in the Lally School's MBA program each year, and helps them pursue their entrepreneurial interests.

Troy, N.Y. - U.S. News & World Report once again places Rensselaer among the nation's top 50 universities. Rensselaer also ranks 29th in the "Best Values" among national universities, up from 34th last year.

Bolton Landing, N.Y.- Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson and Mrs. Margaret A. Darrin joined together Thursday to open the new research and education facilities at the Margaret A. and David M. Darrin '40 Fresh Water Institute. Other state and local officials and community leaders were also on hand for the rededication event.

Troy, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a major and growing regional enterprise that is pumping nearly half a billion dollars into the state economy annually, according to an independent analysis released today by Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson.

Troy, N.Y. - Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., have been awarded new federal grant money to develop experimental compounds that may someday extend the period during which a person exposed to anthrax can be treated successfully. Ravi Kane, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer, has been awarded a grant of $500,000 from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop inhibitors of the anthrax toxin.

Troy, N.Y. - Julie Stenken, associate professor of analytical chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., has received a four-year, $750,000 grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) to develop a new technique that can be used to study the body's reaction to medical implants at the cellular level. Millions of medical devices, including catheters, pacemakers, vascular grafts, and glucose sensors, are regularly implanted into humans.

Troy, N.Y. - The School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will develop the first comprehensive assessment of 18 buildings that make up the historic core of the Troy campus. The project is being funded with a $150,000 Campus Heritage Initiative grant from the Getty Grant Program.

Troy, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Neighborhood Renewal Initiative has acquired $240,000 in federal funding for quality of life improvements for local homeowners. The money - which will be parceled out as 30 grants of $8,000 each - will be used to remedy code violations and structural problems, improve energy conservation, and address life safety concerns for low-income owner-occupied properties.

Troy, N.Y. - Steven Van Dessel, assistant professor of architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is combining home comfort with energy conservation. His patent-pending system, called the Active Building Envelope (ABE), incorporates solar-cell and thermoelectric technologies to turn the walls of your home into an "intelligent" heating and cooling system.