Photo: Mark McCarty

 
A “Nonstick” Solution to Mussels

Researchers at Rensselaer have found a link between the protein that acts as glue in mussels’ feet and the molecular makeup of the surface to which they adhere. Understanding this relationship has applications for the development of non-stick surfaces for marine environments, as well as for biomedical procedures and drug development.

Georges Belfort, professor of chemical engineering, and his graduate student, Brian Frank, used Mytilus edulis foot protein of saltwater mussels and seven different polymer surfaces to test for adsorption. They discovered that if the polymer’s surface energy—which is a measure of how likely it is to attract or repel objects—was lower than that of the mussel protein, then the mussels would not stick well. If it was higher, they would.

According to Belfort, using surface energy to determine adhesion could be more cost-effective than testing many different surfaces.

“If you know the surface energy, you can quickly determine how well the surface will adsorb protein. Using this technique will make it easier to develop non-stick paints for boats, materials for catheters, and even filters for protein separation in drug making,” says Belfort.

Belfort believes that the adhesion mechanism of the saltwater mussel used in his work could be similar to other mussel species. If so, the same method for developing non-stick surfaces could be employed to combat damage from the zebra mussels to boats, docks, and other underwater surfaces. This would be good news for New York state waterways where the fight against zebra mussels is ongoing.
 

 
“Digital Degree” Hightlighted

Artbyte magazine’s September/October 2001 “Digital Art School Guide” listed Rensselaer as one of 33 schools around the country whose programs are “hatching new worlds with the latest digital toys.”

Artbyte is a global publication that focuses on digital arts and culture. The magazine has ranked Rensselaer as one
of the few schools around the country to offer an M.F.A. degree in digital arts, a growing field that merges information technology with art, design, music, cinema, and the Web.

“Whether they choose to pursue the life of a fine artist or head into commercial business, they [students] are at the top of their class,” says Artbyte writer Rachel Egenhoefer. “Besides being blessed with technical know-how, they graduate with problem-solving and critical thinking skills to boot.”

The magazine states that digital arts programs, like those offered at Rensselaer, are evolving quickly. “Nearly every school boasted new facilities and equipment, faculty expansion, and record graduating classes,” the article states.

This fall, Rensselaer began offering a B.S. in electronic arts. The program allows students to pursue an arts degree with an emphasis on the use of technology. The M.F.A. program is celebrating its 10th year.
 

Joseph Flaherty and Mark Shephard will head the new center for Terascale Simulation Tools and Technologies. Photo: Thomas Griffin

 
Research in Terascale Computing

The Department of Energy (DOE) has granted Rensselaer $2.5 million to advance fundamental research in tera-scale computing technologies.

The grant is Rensselaer’s share as a major partner in the newly created Center for Terascale Simulation Tools and Technologies. Terascale simulation involves the use of computers that are capable of doing trillions of calculations per second.

In the new center, Rensselaer is partnered with Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, Sandia, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, and with the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The center will have $16 million in total funding.

“Basically, Rensselaer will do some of the fundamental math and computer science research that will undergird new technologies for modeling climate, energy systems, and other applications,” says Mark Shephard, a principal investigator in the new center along with Science Dean Joseph Flaherty. Shephard directs Rensselaer’s Scientific Computation Research Center and is the Samuel and Elisabeth Johnson Professor in Engineering. Flaherty is Rensselaer’s Amos Eaton Professor of Computer Science.

The research funding is part of DOE’s new Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing program, which will create a new generation of scientific simulation codes.

“This innovative program will help us to find new energy sources for the future, understand the effect of energy production on our environment, and learn more about the fundamental nature of energy and matter,” says Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.

 

Photo: Gary Gold

Let the Blood Flow

Using experimental and mathematical models, Natacha DePaola and a team of biomedical engineering researchers are examining how blood flow causes changes in the circulatory system. Her research could lead to a better understanding of how atherosclerosis develops.

DePaola is associate professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer and director of the laboratory focused on biofluids and cellular bioengineering. Her aim also is to understand the dynamics of cell behavior and interactions at the arterial surface in early atherosclerosis, an arterial disease that can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Atherosclerosis develops where branches or sharp curves in the arteries create disturbed blood flows.

Studies by DePaola and her collaborators at the Institute for Medicine and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania have shown how disturbed blood flow disrupts communication among the endothelial cells that line the arteries.

“The novelty of our research approach resides on the fact that the biological emphasis is in cell dysfunction and that the fluid dynamics emphasis is in the complex flows found at atherogenesis-prone sites of the human vascular system,” says DePaola. Her research in this area is backed by a five-year grant of $1,360,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

DePaola’s group also is tackling research related to the breakdown in the ability of the endothelium to serve as a barrier, vascular cell interactions, signaling mechanisms, and the development of new biomedical instrumentation that includes biosensors and bioreactors for the study of mammalian cell function and the engineering of functional human tissue. These research activities are sponsored by the NIH, the National Science Foundation, and the Whitaker Foundation.

Photo: Gary Gold

 
Say What? Classroom Design Affects Acoustics

Researchers in the acoustics program in the School of Architecture are investigating how the design of a classroom can affect how easily students hear. The researchers believe that if more attention is paid to classroom acoustics when designing the space, students will have an easier time learning and understanding what’s going on.

Yasushi Shimizu, senior research associate professor of architecture, and architecture research specialist Abigail Stefaniw have been studying how reverberation, background noise, and other factors make it difficult for students to understand what is being said by an instructor. Their research, published in the October issue of Discover magazine, focuses on an area of architecture that Stefaniw says is paid little attention by most traditional designers—the listening environment itself and the variable acoustics in the classroom.

“Most architects just don’t have any education in acoustics, and certainly not for small spaces like classrooms,” Stefaniw says.

Computer models were constructed for three types of rooms: a traditional shoebox shape, a rectangular shape with two clipped corners (similar to a musical performance space), and a trapezoidal shape. Those computer room models were combined with recorded words modified to simulate the acoustics of each room. Those recordings were then played to listeners sitting in an anechoic (echo-free) chamber.

Stefaniw said she was pleasantly surprised to find that the trapezoidal classroom model offered the best acoustics, or “ease of hearing.”

Research of this kind could lead to the development of new standards for classroom acoustics. Regulators for the Americans with Disabilities Act are currently working on such standards, which exist already in countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom.