Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has announced the addition of Thomas G. Capek ’86, senior vice president and chief engineer at Corning Incorporated, to Rensselaer’s Board of Trustees. Corning is one of the world's leading innovators in materials science and has a longstanding relationship with RPI supporting research, philanthropy, and student recruitment. Capek previously served on the Dean’s Leadership Council in RPI’s School of Engineering. As a Board of Trustees member, Capek sits on the Academic Affairs and Research Committee and the Student Life Committee.

A team led by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has 3D-printed hair follicles in human skin tissue cultured in the lab. This marks the first time researchers have used the technology to generate hair follicles, which play an important role in skin healing and function.

Nikhil Koratkar, Ph.D., John A. Clark and Edward T. Crossan Professor of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been named a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). Koratkar was recognized for his pioneering contributions to the field of nanoscale science and technology and the use of nanoscale materials in composites and energy storage devices. Each year, no more than 0.05% of the society membership is recognized by their peers for election to the status of fellow of the American Physical Society.

Transistors — the tiny on-off switches inside microchips — have gotten smaller and smaller over the years, increasing computing power and enabling smaller devices. During that time, the copper wires that connect these switches have likewise shrunk. However, smaller, thinner wires create a big problem, said Daniel Gall, professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Using artificial intelligence tools to analyze years of biomedical data, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered a possible connection between sleep, gastrointestinal health, and two potentially harmful behaviors often associated with profound autism: self-injury and aggression. Their study is published in the Journal of Personalized Medicine.

Pawel Keblinski, Ph.D., has been named John Tod Horton ’52 Professor of Materials Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. An endowed chaired professorship is among the highest honors bestowed on a Rensselaer faculty member.

U.S. Army Veteran and RPI alumnus Daryian Rhysing, who graduated in 2016 with a degree in computer and systems engineering, was featured in an episode of Veteran’s Playbook airing on Discovery Network’s Destination America Channel. The show seeks to inspire active military and veterans to consider business ownership as a viable path to success and fulfillment.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has announced that President Joe Biden has bestowed the National Medal of Science on globally recognized biomechanical engineer Sheldon Weinbaum, a member of the RPI Class of 1959. The award is the highest honor for scientific achievement bestowed by the United States government. The award recognizes individuals deserving of special recognition for their outstanding cumulative contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or behavioral or social sciences, in service to the nation.

ChatGPT has fascinated the public as we begin to explore how generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be useful in our everyday lives. On the back end, scientists are continually advancing AI for potential applications so vast that it may change life as we know it by accelerating scientific and technological developments.

This past summer, a team of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students, with the guidance of a faculty mentor, pitched a winning design for a wearable, medical-grade device that monitors for atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is a potentially life-threatening heart condition that will affect an estimated 12 million people in the U.S. by 2030, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.