Biology Seminar Series

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News

Rensselaer Researcher Wins Prestigious American Cancer Society Award for Work on Cancer
A recent Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society acknowledges the potential of Rensselaer researcher Lee Ligon’s work on breast cancer. Ligon is investigating interactions between cells as breast cancer spreads within the body.

Rensselaer Professor Discovers Mysterious Workings of Cholera Bacteria
Researchers have found that an enzyme in the bacteria that causes cholera uses a previously unknown mechanism in providing the bacteria with energy. Because the enzyme is not found in most other organisms, including humans, the finding offers insights into how drugs might be created to kill the bacteria without harming humans.

Commencement 2009: Top Biology Student Represents the True Vision for an Interdisciplinary Education

Amanda Waite Lund has grown as a scholar as the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) has grown as a new research platform at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Lund, who will be the first student to graduate with a doctoral degree through the School of Science Accelerated B.S./Ph. D. Program. During her time at the Institute, Lund has earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and master’s degree in management, and on May 16, 2009, she will walk across the stage and receive her doctorate in biology.

Commencement 2009: The Solution Finder – A Rensselaer Graduate Who Always Thinks Outside the Box

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is a diverse community of student dreamers and doers who share several characteristics. Rensselaer students love to tackle complex problems, and they have a sincere desire to improve the world. Now, a soon-to-be graduate from Rensselaer’s Class of 2009 will join the ranks of alumni students who came to Rensselaer seeking a pathway to greatness that is uniquely their own. Graduating with a double degree in biology and management, and motivated by her passion for social responsibility and desire to save and preserve the environment, Brittany Tofinchio, who hails from Shelton, Conn., says she is equipped to make a difference in any community that she chooses to live in.

Trustee Makes Donation To Start New Solar Energy Research Center at Rensselaer

Thomas R. Baruch, a member of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Board of Trustees and alumnus of the Class of 1960, has donated a gift that will help to establish a new center at the Institute devoted to bio-energy research. The new center — the Baruch ’60 Center for Biochemical Solar Energy Research — will conduct unprecedented research on biochemical solar technology.

Inelegant Worms Provide New Clues About Gene Required for Development

The normal nematodes in Fern Finger’s lab move in beautiful S-shaped curves across their Petri dish. In fact, it was these elegant movements that gave the tiny, clear worms the Latin name Caenorhabditis elegans. But the dish also contains worms with a very specific genetic defect, a mutant unc-85 gene, which are easily identified as the clumsiest dancers on the tiny dance floor.

2008 Undergraduate Research Forum and Awards

The 2008 Undergraduate Research Forum & Awards was held on March 21, naming three winners each in the applied and theoretical categories.

Closing the Stem Cell Gap

It has been nearly 40 years since stem cells were discovered by a group of Canadian scientists and less than a decade since scientists have been able to study them outside the human body. Today, scientists around the world are studying these special cells to develop life-saving medical therapies, regenerative medicine, and new technology. A growing number of Rensselaer scientists and engineers are looking at stem cells in new and potentially revolutionary ways. Their goal is to provide new technology and a better scientific understanding of how and why the unique cells function in such special and important ways.

Renowned Scientist To Join Rensselaer Biocomputation and Bioinformatics Group

George Makhatadze is a designer. But instead of expensive jeans and haute handbags, he is creating custom proteins that could improve everything from medication to detergent. Makhatadze is bringing his expertise in biology, chemistry, and computation to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a chaired professor in the Biocomputation and Bioinformatics research constellation.

Nanoscience Expert and Experienced Academic To Head Rensselaer Biology Department

Susan P. Gilbert, a renowned expert in cell biology, biophysics, and nanoscience, will join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as the head of the Biology Department on Sept. 1, 2007. Gilbert joins the Rensselaer faculty after 12 years at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Yin and Yang of Alzhiemer’s Disease

Chunyu Wang, assistant professor of biology, is challenging current thinking on the causes and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, offering a new hypothesis that could be the key to preventing this form of dementia. He has found that a specific imbalance between two peptides may be the cause of the fatal neurological disease that affects more than five million people in the United States.

Rensselaer Shares Classroom Technologies With Brazil

Visitors from Universidade Federal de Sao Joao del-Rei learn about Rensselaer's classroom technologies.

Cholera Pathogen Reveals How Bacteria Generate Energy To Live

Rensselaer researchers have discovered new details about how bacteria generate energy to live. In two recently published papers, the scientists add key specifics to the molecular mechanism behind the pathogen that causes cholera. The work could provide a better understanding of this pathogen, while also offering insight into how cells transform energy from the environment into the forms required to sustain life.

New Molecular Pathway Could Reveal How Cells Stick Together

Rensselaer researchers have found a new pathway by which cells change their adhesive properties. With a $1.4 million NIH grant, they plan to fill in the details behind how cells decide to stick to a surface.