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Nanotube Union
The perfect combination of irradiation, heat, and luck led Rensselaer researchers to weld together single-walled carbon nanotubes. The first-ever junction unites pure carbon cylinders with remarkable electronic properties. The researchers believe this discovery could pave the way for controlled fabrication of molecular circuits and nanotube networks.
Semiconductor Expert to Head Future Chips Research
E. Fred Schubert, a pioneer in semiconductor research, has been appointed Senior Distinguished Professor of the Future Chips Constellation at Rensselaer. Schubert’s research has transformed traffic signals and runway lighting and could change residential lighting as we know it. At Rensselaer, he will advance research in imaging, lighting, sensing, and communications.
Crystal Rarity
In the ashes of an experiment to make superconducting nanotubes, researchers at Rensselaer found they had created rare symmetrical crystals of boron carbide. These large crystals, measuring a micron in size, rarely occur in nature at that size and could be harder than conventional engineering materials. Further research will determine potential applications of the material.
The Best Defense
Rensselaer alumnus Anthony Tether ’64 puts technology to work for our country's protection. He is the director of DARPA, the U. S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
How Stuff Works
Marshall Brain ’83 has turned his boundless curiosity into an award-winning media company called HowStuffWorks Inc. His Web site HowStuffWorks.com is the flagship of the operation and was named by Time magazine as one of the “50 Best Websites” for 2002. Hanker to see how stuff works? Take a look.
United Technologies Executive to Head Rensselaer at Hartford
Alan C. Eckbreth, an executive at United Technologies Corporation (UTC), has been named Vice President and Dean at Rensselaer at Hartford — the Institute’s Connecticut-based graduate center devoted to education for the working professional. Eckbreth directed the UTC Fuel Cells Program at United Technologies Research Center in East Hartford.
Rensselaer Creates Broadband Research Center
Supported by IBM, Rensselaer is forming a $33 million research center that will create an information technology infrastructure capable of the immense computing power needed to support massive Internet traffic and data storage for emerging scientific fields such as bioinformatics.
Keck Foundation Supports New Terahertz Facility
Rensselaer announces a $1 Million W.M. Keck Laboratory for Terahertz Science that will expand the Institute’s pioneering work in terahertz microscopy, medical imaging, and research to identify terrorist threats. The laboratory will be housed in Rensselaer’s new Center for Terahertz Research, led by Xi-Cheng Zhang.
Small Marvels
The New York Times: Science Times details the present state and future implications of carbon nanotubes—the world’s smallest and strongest material. Science writer Kenneth Chang references Rensselaer’s research breakthroughs in creating the world’s longest nanotubes—eight inches, and the discovery by an RPI undergraduate that nanotubes ignite when exposed to a photographic flash.
For more information about Rensselaer’s nanotube research:
Scientists Produce Long, Hair-Like Nanotubes
Carbon Nanotubes Ignite When Exposed to Flash
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