Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials

RPI Physicist Moussa N’Gom Is Using Light to Enhance Nuclear Security

Our nation’s security depends on the effective detection of nuclear materials at our borders and beyond. To address this challenge, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) physicist Moussa N’Gom, Ph.D., is leading research aimed at developing a quantum sensing probe to detect and characterize special nuclear materials precisely and without contact. Special nuclear materials are only mildly radioactive but can be used in nuclear explosives.

How a Tiny Device Could Lead to Big Physics Discoveries and Better Lasers

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have fabricated a device no wider than a human hair that will help physicists investigate the fundamental nature of matter and light. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, could also support the development of more efficient lasers, which are used in fields ranging from medicine to manufacturing. 

Rensselaer Professor Esther Wertz Appointed UPWARDS For the Future Faculty Fellow To Support Semiconductor Education, Workforce Training, and Research

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Esther Wertz, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, has been appointed Rensselaer’s faculty fellow of UPWARDS for the Future. UPWARDS stands for the U.S.-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors. It was established in May 2023 by Micron and Tokyo Electron Limited to “to bring together 11 universities from across the U.S. and Japan to develop leading semiconductor curricula, creating opportunities for cross-collaboration.”

RPI and HVCC Launch Semiconductor Workforce Development Program

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Hudson Valley Community College have welcomed the inaugural class of RPI-HVCC Semiconductor Scholars. Funded by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, the Scholars program is one of many efforts in the Capital Region and around the country to prepare more students to enter the semiconductor industry. 

Two RPI Researchers Are Distinguished as the Most Highly Cited

Two researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been distinguished as some of the most highly cited by Clarivate. Humberto Terrones, Ph.D., is the Rayleigh Endowed Chair Professor of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy. Fudong Han, Ph.D., is an assistant professor and Priti and Mukesh Chatter ’82 Career Development Chair in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering.

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