“In the News” January 2010
Following is a selection of news media stories about Rensselaer people and programs. The stories are listed by date, with the most recent articles first. Note that some publications may require subscriptions or logins to access individual articles online. Additionally, archived links may change or be available online for a limited time.
01/23/10
The Humanitarian Logistics Gap
The Journal of Commerce Online (blog)
The chaos in delivering aid to Haitians more than a week after the Jan. 12 earthquake is all too familiar to José Holguín-Veras. It resembles the debacle he witnessed after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, although on a much larger scale. “In Katrina there were two disasters, the failure of the levies and then the logistical debacle,” says Holguín-Veras an engineering professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and a specialist in humanitarian logistics research.
Read the story.
01/21/10
Group asks Wells for help with 'Little Lake'
Rutland Herald
A new organization devoted to preserving Lake St. Catherine is asking for $6,000 from the town. The Lake St. Catherine Fund presented the Select Board this week with a petition seeking the money for study and improvement of the lake.The mailing also describes a study of the lake by a scientist at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that said the Little Lake would degrade into a marsh in the next hundred years.
Read the story.
01/25/10
Students get disaster survival lesson in Haiti
Times Union
Some Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute students are safely back home after surviving the devastating earthquake in Haiti last week. The five students were helping build a sustainable classroom at a school in Lascahobas, about 50 miles outside of Port-au-Prince, when the magnitude 7 quake leveled buildings in and around the capital city and claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Read the story, which was also covered by the Troy Record, and WRGB.
01/21/10
New Sensor Could Help Treat, Combat Diabetes, Other Diseases
Science Daily
University of Florida engineers have designed and tested versions of the sensor for applications ranging from monitoring diabetics' glucose levels via their breath to detecting possible indicators of breast cancer in saliva. "This is an important development in the field of biomedical sensors and a real breakthrough," said Michael Shur, professor of solid state electronics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Read the story.
01/19/10
Should Patients Wear Nude-Colored Gowns?
Forbes (blog)
There are plenty of complaints to be made about the gowns used in hospitals and doctors' examination rooms, but here's a new one. Mark Changizi, who studies the neurology of vision at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, says that patients would be better off if the gowns were colored in flesh tones, instead of the traditional green, blue or pink.
Read the story.
01/18/10
Blinded by the light — of oncoming headlights
Globe and Mail
Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Centre in New York are exploring the creation of high beam lights that can sense oncoming traffic and dim out a calibrated sliver of light thrown into the other lane. The centre's director refers to it as “guilt-free visibility.” Gentex Corp., a Michigan-based manufacturer, makes Smartbeam, a system that lowers high beams when cars approach. Sounds promising.
Read the story.
01/18/10
Memoirs document a life devoted to technology and giving back
NCAdvertiser.com
A technology pioneer who was writing computer code before computers even functioned, Harlan E. Anderson recently released his memoir, which recounts the primitive beginning and tremendous rise of an industry he helped create. He became a trustee of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and many local organizations.
Read the story.
01/18/10
A decade of change at RPI
Troy Record
Those schools, spearheaded by RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson and then-athletic director Ken Ralph, spent a fortune financially and months of their own money personally to educate D-III members as to the importance of their programs to not only their schools, but their communities as well. The vote wasn’t close, and those programs were allowed to keep their grandfather-legislated scholarships. That clearly was the most important item of the decade for RPI hockey and its fans.
Read the story.
01/16/10
Changing Scene
Glens Falls Post-Star
The Hyde Collection has announced new members and 2010 officers of its board of trustees. New to the museum board are Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy; Joseph F. Raccuia, president and CEO of Finch Paper, LLC; and Leo A. Rigby, CPA, partner in Ross Rigby & Patten LLP.
Read the story.
01/16/10
Look deeper, Capital Region bursting with diversity
Times Union
Ethnic student groups at the region's many colleges (including Liga Filipina at the University at Albany and Alianza Latina at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) also stage numerous gatherings, many of which are open to the public.
Read the story.
01/15/10
Council on Competitiveness Names Deere (DE) CEO as Chairman by the Executive Committee
StreetInsider.com
The Council on Competitiveness announced today that Samuel R. Allen, President & CEO of Deere & Company (NYSE: DE), has been elected Chairman by the executive committee. Shirley Ann Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will remain the University Vice Chair.
Read the story.
01/12/10
Yucca Haunts Admin's Lagging Efforts on Nuclear Waste Study Panel
Common Dreams (press release)
Among the names being floated for the commission: former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), who has participated in several commissions, including the Iraq Study Group, and is now president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Shirley Ann Jackson, a former NRC chairwoman and current president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Read the story.
01/12/10
Helping new workers fit right in
Albany Times Union
Tech Valley Connect is a consortium of colleges, research institutions and corporations. The consortium assists trailing spouses or partners adjust to the area, helping them with networking to find job leads. Participants include not only The Sage Colleges but Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, the University at Albany, Albany Medical College, Skidmore College, Siena College and Union Graduate College. GE Global Research, Wadsworth Laboratories, and Ordway Research Institute also are participating, as are Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and Momentive Performance Materials.
Read the story.
01/11/10
UAlbany prof weighs in on galaxy probe
Troy Record
John Delano, an atmospheric and environmental sciences professor and associate director at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute-based New York Center for Astrobiology, expressed great excitement in an address to the Capital District Humanist Society Sunday. He said scientists are closer than ever before to determining how rare, or how commonplace, complex life like that found on Earth is in our galaxy thanks to the Kepler probe, launched less than a year ago to detect Earth-like planets imperceptible from the Earth’s surface.
Read the story.
01/11/10
In 2010, Ten People To Watch as they influence Tampa Bay's challenging business scene
Tampabay.com
One of the 2010, Ten People To Watch is Tim Tangredi. The CEO of Dais Analytic Corp. in Pasco County's Odessa has come a long way from the mid 1990s when his upstate New York business was tinkering over a fuel cell idea at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The firm was lured to Pasco in 1998 thanks to tax breaks and assistance. Now comes the promise of company jobs. Lots of jobs.
Read the story.
01/08/10
Local golden boys remain sky high
Troy Record
Jerry D'Amigo triumphantly arrived back on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's campus on Thursday as tired and sore as he was proud. The freshman left winger showed off his IIHF World Junior Championship tournament gold medal, which thrilled the Americans on the RPI roster and brought out mixed emotions among the Canadians. D’Amigo scored a tie-breaking goal, stole the puck and set up another goal as the USA downed Canada, 6-5 in overtime for the gold medal Tuesday night before 15,200 fans at Saskatoon, Sask.
Read the story.
01/06/10
Watch this Breakthrough Tech
Before It's News
Beyond logic circuits, energy storage devices will be printable as well. Two years ago, chemists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., were able to place a thin film of cellulose over a surface of carbon nanotubes. This breakthrough will enable paper and CNT-based batteries. Stanford researchers have been able to take a paper substrate and coat it with ink made of silver and carbon nanotubes to create working 'paper batteries.'
Read the story.
01/06/10
Houlton couple wins award for Maine-made vodka
WCSH-TV
What started as a class project at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is now an award-winning vodka that's being made in Houlton, Maine. Five years ago, Scott Galbiati designed a vodka distillery for a college class. Two years after that he started applying for the licenses he needed, incorporated, sold shares of his business and started Northern Maine Distilling Company.
Read the story, which was also covered by the Bangor Daily News.
01/02/10
Prof. Wait retires from RPI
Troy Record
Samuel Wait Jr., a professor of chemistry and the associate dean of the school of science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute retired this week after spending more than half a century at the university.
Read the story.
