News

Troy, N.Y. — Prabhat Hajela, professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as well as a 2003 ASME Congressional Fellow. Hajela was named a fellow for his significant achievements in engineering research and education, and his active service in leadership roles in ASME and other professional societies.

Undergraduate School of Engineering Jumps Two Notches to 15th Troy, N.Y. — U.S. News & World Report once again places Rensselaer among the nation’s top 50 universities and rates the undergraduate engineering program at 15th in the nation, a jump from 17th last year. Rensselaer also ranks 34th as a “great school at a great price,” up from 42nd last year.

Troy, N.Y. — North Greenbush resident David L. Carson was honored at Colorado Springs this September by the U.S. Air Force Academy's Falcon Heritage Forum for his public service to the nation. Carson is Professor Emeritus of Communication and Literature at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Carson came to Rensselaer in 1976 as director of graduate programs in technical communication. Carson expanded the Institute's reach in technical communication to include an onsite, degree-offering program at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Troy, N.Y. — With the recent news of dangerous side effects, women on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are wondering about whether they should continue to take such estrogen-based medications that ease menopausal symptoms. But those who want to go off the drugs may have another side effect to worry about — an enhanced appetite for alcoholic beverages, according to a research team headed by Larry Reid, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Troy, N.Y.- After the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, Colleen Mulrenan waited two days for her father come home from his job as a deputy chief for the New York City Fire Department. When he did return home to Warwick, an hour north from Ground Zero, Mulrenan did the only practical thing she could think of: She began to clean by hand his work shirts covered thick with soot and debris since he needed a clean uniform for the next day.

Troy, N.Y. — David Duquette, a highly respected expert in metallurgy and corrosion, and professor and head of the department of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer, was appointed by President Bush this summer to serve as a member of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB). The board will hold its first meeting Sept. 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Troy, N.Y. — E. Fred Schubert, a pioneering semiconductor researcher and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Boston University, has been appointed Senior Distinguished Professor of the Future Chips Constellation at Rensselaer. Internationally renowned for his work on semiconductor doping and light-emitting diodes, Schubert was selected for his sustained record of innovative research, excellence in teaching, and significant technological advances over his 20-year career. Schubert’s tenure will begin Sept. 3.

Troy, N.Y. — A $1 Million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles will establish the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Terahertz Science within a new Center for Terahertz Research at Rensselaer.

Troy, N.Y. — Robert E. Palazzo, who previously served as professor of molecular biosciences at the University of Kansas, has been named professor and chair of the biology department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In addition to teaching and research, Palazzo has worked with several public service organizations including New York's own Wadsworth Center, the state laboratory dedicated to science in the pursuit of health.

Troy, N.Y. — Selmer Bringsjord, director of the Rensselaer Artificial Intelligence and Reasoning (RAIR) Lab and professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been named chair of the Department of Cognitive Sciences. Bringsjord, a Rensselaer faculty member in the same department for 14 years, specializes in the logico-mathematical and philosophical foundations of artificial intelligence.