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, joined Rensselaer in 2002 — just two years before CBIS was opened in 2004. 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. Read more.

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. They are drawn to science, engineering, and technology, and to disciplines ranging from architecture and business to literature. 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. Read more.

Commencement 2009: Military Doctor-in-Training Paves Her Own Path to Success

While many Rensselaer students can claim work experience, even the most accomplished among them likely can’t admit to helping deliver two babies. Tuesday Fisher, a senior graduating with a dual degree in biochemistry and biophysics and psychology, takes it all in stride as she calmly explains that one of the bundles of joy was delivered into her arms right in the ambulance that she was staffing that night.

Fisher, an aspiring U.S. Army doctor, works upward of 40 hours every week as a trained emergency medical technician for Mohawk Ambulance Service. She works nights and weekends to pay for her Rensselaer tuition — all while maintaining a full course load for two separate majors, earning top grades, and working in the lab as a researcher studying cell development. Read more.

One Step Closer: Novel Opioid Receptor Compound From Rensselaer in Phase I Clinical Trials

For more than 10 years, Mark Wentland professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, led a Rensselaer team in the discovery of a family of novel opioid receptor compounds with the potential to treat nervous system disorders and addiction. The family of compounds was licensed to Alkermes Inc., and the company identified a lead product candidate from the library. Clinical trials with the candidate, known as ALKS 33, began in December 2008. Read more.