News

Troy, N.Y. — The Hirsch Observatory at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will be open to the public every clear Friday evening throughout September and October. The observatory, which is located atop the Jonsson-Rowland Science Center, will open at sunset and remain open for approximately three hours, weather permitting. Members of the physics department and the Rensselaer Astrophysical Society will be on hand to talk about the night sky and answer questions.

Troy, N.Y. — Thomas M. Apple, professor of chemistry, has been named dean of graduate education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.

Smithsonian Astrophysicist Margaret Geller Will Discuss the Evolution of Galaxies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, N.Y. — Using today’s largest telescopes and space observatories, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists can peer back billions of years into the history of the universe — with a gaze that almost reaches to the beginning of time.

Troy, N.Y. — Two Rensselaer graduate students, Dean Nieusma and Elizabeth Press, have been awarded prestigious Fulbright student grants to do research and to study abroad. They are the first Rensselaer students to receive the awards, which were recently announced by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Troy, N.Y. — A new book by Alan Balfour, dean of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s School of Architecture, traces the development of New York City into the “quintessential city of the 20th century.” World Cities: New York describes New York City’s historical development and explains how the roots of its infrastructure influence architecture today. Balfour accomplishes this with photographs and essays of the city’s most significant works of architecture both built and projected, from the past 10 years and 10 years into the future.

Rensselaer Researchers Receive $1 Million From the National Science Foundation Troy, N.Y. — Four researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to solve a range of problems — including using the elastic properties of tissue to detect tumors in the human body — with a branch of mathematics known as inverse problems.

Troy, N.Y. — While the debate rages over the future of the nation’s energy resources, including the potential increase in the number of coal-burning power plants, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have linked coal plant emissions to toxic levels of mercury. Their study shows that the level of mercury in sediment at the bottom of New York’s Central Park Lake is at least 10 times the amount found in some industrial areas.

Troy, N.Y. — Free, public viewing of the night sky has resumed at the Hirsch Observatory at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and will continue every Wednesday through the end of August. When the sky is clear and weather permits, the observatory, equipped with a 16-inch telescope, will remain open for three hours beginning at sunset. The observatory is located atop the Jonsson-Rowland Science Center on the Rensselaer campus. In September and October, the public viewing will move to the same hours on Friday evenings.

Troy, N.Y. — State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno announced today $500,000 in state support for a major initiative in fuel-cell research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The announcement was made at 10:30 a.m. at Rensselaer’s Heffner Alumni House, 1301 Peoples Ave.

Troy, N.Y. — East Schodack resident Lynn Hopwood has been named this year’s Pillar of Rensselaer Award, the highest honor Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute gives to its staff members. The honor was shared with Rebecca Danchak, director of admissions for Rensselaer at Hartford.