News

Troy, N.Y. — Two researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are creating a faster, more efficient data-mining technique to determine basic rules of how proteins form. The researchers are Mohammed Zaki, assistant professor of computer science, and Chris Bystroff, assistant professor of biology. Researchers can identify a protein’s biological function, and therefore its specific role in disease, if they know the 3-D structure of a protein given its amino-acid sequence.

Troy, N.Y. — Researchers have discovered how to weld together single-walled carbon nanotubes, pure carbon cylinders with remarkable electronic properties. The discovery could pave the way for controlled fabrication of molecular circuits and nanotube networks. Pulickel Ajayan, professor of materials science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and his colleagues in Germany, Mexico, the U.K., and Belgium used irradiation and heat to form the welded junctions.

Troy, N.Y. — Researchers at Rensselaer have created large symmetrical crystals that rarely occur in nature. These crystals could be harder than conventional engineering materials. The accidental discovery was made during attempts to make superconducting nanostructures with a simple technique used to create carbon nanotubes.

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.