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Commencement 2008: Undergrad Has Sweet Success With Invention of Artificial Golgi May 6, 2008: An undergraduate student at Rensselaer has learned very quickly that a spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine go down. In fact, with his invention, the sugar may actually be the medicine. Rensselaer Students Win Three of Four Top Prizes at Innovation Conference April 29, 2008: Rensselaer inventors and innovators were awarded three of the top four student prizes at the CTT Innovation Conference recently held in Boston, Mass. Deadly Dose: Rensselaer Heparin Expert Helps Uncover Source of Lethal Contamination April 25, 2008: The mysterious death of patients around the world following a routine dosage of the common blood thinner, heparin, sent researchers on a frantic search to uncover what could make the standard drug so toxic. A researcher at Rensselaer was among a small group of scientists with the expertise and the high-tech equipment necessary to determine the source of the contamination. Rensselaer Students Recognized for Innovative Ideas To “Change The World” April 16, 2008: A handheld device to detect skin cancer and a disposable robot capable of removing land mines are two of the five winning ideas in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s spring 2008 Change the World Challenge contest. Two Rensselaer Student Groups Rewarded for Entrepreneurial Ideas March 14, 2008: Ideas for a “wired” law enforcement badge and an online ordering platform have both received funding as the winners of Rensselaer’s Class of ’51 Entrepreneurship Fund, established to help transform student ideas into sustainable ventures.  Carbon Nanotubes Outperform Copper Nanowires as Interconnects March 13, 2008: Researchers at Rensselaer have created a road map that brings academia and the semiconductor industry one step closer to realizing carbon nanotube interconnects, and alleviating the current bottleneck of information flow. Bringing Second Life To Life: Researchers Create Character With Reasoning Abilities of a Child March 10, 2008: A group of researchers from Rensselaer is working to engineer Second Life characters with the capacity to have beliefs and to reason about the beliefs of others. Student Develops New LED, Wins $30,000 Lemelson-Rensselaer Prize February 28, 2008: Martin Schubert, a doctoral student in electrical, computer, and systems engineering, has developed the first polarized LED, an innovation that could vastly improve LCD screens, conserve energy, and usher in the next generation of ultra-efficient LEDs. Bright Idea: LRC Launches New Program To Support Growth of Lighting-Related Businesses February 26, 2008: The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer has launched an initiative, called the Lighting Technology Greenhouse, to support the growth of new and existing lighting companies in and around New York state. Strengthening Fluids With Nanoparticles February 19, 2008: Researchers at Rensselaer in a project led by Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc have demonstrated that liquids embedded with nanoparticles show enhanced performance and stability when exposed to electric fields. New Polymer Could Improve Semiconductor Manufacturing, Packaging January 28, 2008: Researchers at Rensselaer and Polyset Company have developed a new inexpensive, quick-drying polymer that could lead to dramatic cost savings and efficiency gains in semiconductor manufacturing and computer chip packaging. Researchers Develop Darkest Manmade Material January 22, 2008: Researchers at Rensselaer and Rice University have created the darkest material ever made by man. The material absorbs more than 99.9 percent of light. Researchers Reveal HIV Peptide’s Possible Pathway Into the Cell January 17, 2008: Two theoretical physicists at Rensselaer have uncovered what they believe is the long-sought-after pathway that an HIV peptide takes to enter healthy cells. Physicists Uncover New Solution for Cosmic Collisions January 10, 2008: Two theoretical physicists at Rensselaer have used what they call “pen-and-paper math” to describe the motion of interstellar shock waves — violent events associated with the birth of stars and planets. Study Says Telecommuting May Harm Workers Left Behind in the Office January 8, 2008: A new study by a management professor at Rensselaer suggests that the prevalence of telecommuters in an office can adversely impact coworkers who do not telecommute in terms of their job satisfaction. Two Rensselaer Researchers Listed Among “Scientific American 50” December 19, 2007: Rensselaer professor E. Fred Schubert and doctoral student Brian Schulkin have been named to the 2007 Scientific American 50 — the magazine’s prestigious annual list recognizing leadership in science and technology from the past year. Safer, More Accurate Radiation Therapy for Expecting Mothers December 18, 2007: Researchers from Rensselaer have developed a new set of modeling tools that could enable safer, more accurate, and more effective radiation therapy and nuclear medicine imaging procedures for pregnant women. Biochip Mimics the Body To Reveal Toxicity of Industrial Compounds December 17, 2007: A new biochip technology could eliminate animal testing in the chemicals and cosmetics industries, and drastically curtail its use in the development of new pharmaceuticals. Using Carbon Nanotubes To Seek and Destroy Anthrax Toxin and Other Harmful Proteins December 9, 2007: Researchers at Rensselaer, on a team led by Ravi S. Kane, have developed a new way to seek out specific proteins, including dangerous proteins such as anthrax toxin, and render them harmless using nothing but light. Rensselaer Graduates Win Top Environmental Prize In Oxford University Business Plan Competition December 5, 2007: Ecovative Design LLC, a company started by two recent graduates of Rensselaer, was recently awarded £10,000 (approximately $20,500 U.S.) as a winner of the 21st Century Challenge Competition — hosted by Oxford University’s Saïd Business School. Student Research Makes the Pages of Top Scientific Journal November 29, 2007: Leslie Hayden’s research into deep Earth interactions has led to some important findings, particularly for someone so new to the field, and the scientific world is paying attention. Hayden, a graduate student at Rensselaer, is first author on a paper to be published in the scientific journal Nature. Rensselaer Student Start-Ups Win Top Prizes at National Innovation Showcase November 13, 2007: Two Rensselaer student start-up companies — Ecovative Design LLC and JDAxis Corporation — took first and second place at this year’s inaugural Innovation Showcase competition. Seaweed Transformed Into Stem Cell Technology November 8, 2007: Engineers at Rensselaer have transformed a polymer found in common brown seaweed into a device that can support the growth and release of stem cells at the site of a bodily injury or at the source of a disease. Using Supercomputers To Make Safer Nuclear Reactors November 1, 2007: Rensselaer is leading a $3 million research project that will pair two of the world’s most powerful supercomputers to boost the safety and reliability of next-generation nuclear power reactors. Rensselaer Study Will Investigate Possible Risk Factors Associated With ALS October 25, 2007: Researchers in Rensselaer’s Social and Behavioral Research Lab are leading a study to investigate potential environmental, lifestyle, and medical variables that may contribute to the onset of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). First-of-Its-Kind Grant Fosters Research Partnership Between U.S. and Korea October 23, 2007: Chang Y. Ryu, polymer chemist from Rensselaer, is the recipient of a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support a partnership between American and Korean researchers. The Sensitive Side of Carbon Nanotubes: Creating Powerful Pressure Sensors October 23, 2007: Blocks of carbon nanotubes can be used to create effective and powerful pressure sensors, according to a new study by researchers at Rensselaer. Freight Management in Manhattan: Tax Incentives and High-Tech Tools for Night Owls October 9, 2007: Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have won a competitive $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to identify the perfect combination of technology and financial incentives that could help alleviate daytime traffic congestion and boost economic growth in New York City. Using Nanotubes To Detect and Repair Cracks in Aircraft Wings, Other Structures September 27, 2007: Adding even a small amount of carbon nanotubes can go a long way toward enhancing the strength, integrity, and safety of plastic materials widely used in engineering applications, according to a new study. Researchers at Rensselaer have developed a simple new technique for identifying and repairing small, potentially dangerous cracks in high-performance aircraft wings and many other structures made from polymer composites. Researchers Develop Nanoblade September 24, 2007: Researchers at Rensselaer have created a razor-like material that is truly on the “cutting edge” of nanotechnology. Called nanoblades, these first-of-their-kind magnesium nanomaterials challenge conventional wisdom about nanostructure growth, and could have applications in energy storage and fuel cell technology. Computer Program Traces Ancestry Using Anonymous DNA Samples September 20, 2007: A group of computer scientists, mathematicians, and biologists from around the world have developed a computer algorithm that can help trace the genetic ancestry of thousands of individuals in minutes, without any prior knowledge of their background. The team’s findings will be published in the September 2007 edition of the journal PLoS Genetics. Argon Conclusion: Researchers Reassess Theories on the Formation of Earth’s Atmosphere September 19, 2007: Rensselaer geochemists are challenging commonly held ideas about how gases are expelled from Earth. Their theory, which is described in the Sept. 20 issue of the journal Nature, could change the way scientists view the formation of Earth’s atmosphere and those of our distant neighbors, Mars and Venus. Rensselaer Researcher Gets Firsthand View of Behind-the-Scenes Military Technology September 17, 2007: Rich Radke was one of a dozen researchers to participate in the 2007 CS Study Panel, a competitive program administered by the Institute for Defense Analyses for the DoD’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The training program aims to support university research in computer science and related fields, while informing a new generation of researchers. Putting Stem Cell Research on the Fast Track September 10, 2007: Engineers at Rensselaer have developed tools to help solve two of the main problems slowing the progress of stem cell research — how to quickly test stem cell response to different drugs or genes, and how to create a large supply of healthy, viable stem cells to study from only a few available cells. Nanotechnology Initiative Presents Research Opportunities for Rensselaer Students September 10, 2007: A new partnership between Rensselaer, Sandia National Laboratories, and a select group of leading universities and corporations will present Rensselaer graduate students with a host of new cutting-edge internship and research experiences. Researchers Developing a Device To Predict Proper Light Exposure for Human Health September 7, 2007: Scientists have long known that the human body runs like clockwork, guided by a circadian system that responds to daily patterns of light and darkness. Now a team of researchers is developing a personal device to measure daily light intake and activity, which could allow them to predict optimal timing for light therapy to synchronize the circadian clock to the 24-hour solar day and relieve psychosocial stress. Previous Stories >>

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