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.

The Power Behind Insect Flight: Researchers Reveal Key Kinetic Component (November 2006)
Researchers from Rensselaer and the University of Vermont have discovered a key molecular mechanism that allows tiny flies and other “no-see-ums” to whirl their wings at a dizzying rate of up to 1,000 times per second. The findings were reported in last week’s online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

School of Science Offers New Ph.D. Program in Biochemistry and Biophysics (September 2006)
The School of Science recently added a new Ph.D. program to its 20 other graduate degree offerings. As part of the Institutewide commitment to developing programs in bioscience and biotechnology, the school will begin offering a doctorate in biochemistry and biophysics (BCBP).

Biology Faculty Awarded Grants (September 2006)
The Office of Research has announced the Biology research awards for April, May, and June 2006.

Researchers Discover Communication Signal for Tissue Development (July 2006)
Rensselaer researchers have discovered a communication signal between cells that plays an important role in cell adhesion and detachment. The finding provides new information about how cells and tissues determine when to let go from surfaces during new growth, according to the researchers.

School of Science Research Awards for February and March ’06 (June 2006)
The Office of Research announced the research awards ($50,000 and above) for February and March '06. School of Science awards include:

RNA Found in the Cellular Centrosome of Surf Clams (June 2006)
Researchers at Rensselaer, the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, and Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center have discovered the presence of the genetic material RNA in the centrosome, the organizing structure inside each cell that assures proper cell division.

Rensselaer Undergraduate Research Showcased at Event (May 2006)
At the annual Undergraduate Research Forum and Awards, 37 projects were judged in one of two categories — applied design research or theoretical research. The School of Science swept the theoretical research category.

Two Rensselaer Students Selected as 2006 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars (April 2006)
Two Rensselaer students, Elizabeth DeLouise and Jeffrey Martin, have been selected as 2006 Barry M. Goldwater Scholars by the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The national award honors students pursuing careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Rensselaer Appoints Professor Michael Hanna as Associate Dean for Academic Advising, Assessment, and Special Programs (February 2006)
Michael Hanna, associate professor of biology, has been appointed as associate dean for academic advising, assessment, and special programs at Rensselaer. He will also serve as the director of the Institute’s Advising and Learning Assistance Center (ALAC).

Heparin Prepared Synthetically Could Replace Animal-Derived Drug (February 2006)
Researchers at Rensselaer and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered an alternative way to produce heparin, a drug commonly used to stop or prevent blood from clotting. The findings could enable the current supply of the drug — now extracted from animal organ tissue — to be replaced or supplemented by the synthetic version. The new process also can be applied as a tool for drug discovery, according to the researchers.

Out and About: Biotechnology Graduate Students Present Posters (December 2005)
Rensselaer Ph.D. students enrolled in the new multidisciplinary course Perspectives in Biomolecular Science and Engineering presented their current thesis research Dec. 5 in the course’s inaugural poster session at the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

Bystroff and Colon receive NSF Grant (October 2005)
Dr. Christopher Bystroff, Associate Professor of Biology and Dr. Wilfredo Colon, Associate Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology received a $381,576 two year grant from the NSF in support of their Structural Basis of Protein Kinetic Stability proposal.

Biologist Charles Boylen Provides Testimony to NYS Assembly on Water Quality in the Adirondacks (October 2005)
Charles Boylen, professor of biology and associate director of environmental assessment programs at Rensselaer’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI), recently testified on water quality in the Adirondacks at a hearing of the New York State Assembly’s Environmental Conservation Committee.

Rensselaer Senior Named One of Top 10 College Women by Glamour Magazine (September 2005)
Ghofrane Benghanem is tutor, biochemistry and biophysics student, Muslim, hospital volunteer, woman mentor, biomedical researcher, community advocate, teaching assistant, and more. She also has recently been named one of Glamour magazine’s Top Ten College Women in the United States.

Summer Interns Hold Symposium (August 2005)
Twenty-five undergraduate researchers, many of whom were in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) summer program, presented their work at a two-day Rensselaer symposium on July 29 and August 3, 2005.

RAA Fellows Award: John Bogdan Jr. ’86 (August 2005)
John Bogdan Jr. '86 of Westminster, Md., received the Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) Fellows Award from the Department of Biology on Friday, Sept. 16, 2005.

Rensselaer Participates in Development of River Summer Course (August 2005)
Rensselaer hosted a group of interdisciplinary professors and researchers involved in the development of an undergraduate summer field course July 29-30 at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute on Lake George. The course, called "River Summer," is being developed by the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities (ECHVCU), of which Rensselaer is a member.

Professor Christopher Bystroff Selected To Receive NSF Career Award (June 2005)
Christopher Bystroff, associate professor of biology at Rensselaer, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Bystroff will use the projected five-year, $783,768 grant to work on developing five statistical models that represent various stages in the folding of proteins.

Government Careers are Worth Investigating (May 2005)
Diana Heitzman, '80 '81, is profiled in "Woman Engineer" about her job as an environmental program specialist for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Water.

Undergraduate Research and Innovation Flourishes at Rensselaer (May 2005)
Undergraduates of Rensselaer's Class of 2005 are already making their mark to help shape the future in cancer research, nanotechnology, astronomy, and environmental science.

Research Professor Donna Bedard Awarded Fulbright Grant (May 2005)
Donna Bedard, research professor of biology at Rensselaer, has received a Fulbright Lecturing Grant in Biological Sciences. She will use the grant to travel to Prague, Czech Republic, to teach and conduct research at the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT).

Rensselaer Receives NYSTAR Biotechnology Research Award (April 2005)
Governor George Pataki, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver recently announced that Rensselaer has received one of 10 New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR) James D. Watson Investigator Program Awards. The $200,000 grant was awarded to Chunyu Wang, assistant professor of biology at Rensselaer.

Rensselaer Biology Student Selected as 2005 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar (April 2005)
Laila Tabatabai, a Rensselaer junior and biology major from Niskayuna, N.Y., has been selected as a 2005 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar by the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The award honors students pursuing careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

Rensselaer Junior Selected as 2005 Harry S. Truman Scholar (April 2005)
Kyle Brian Gracey, a Rensselaer junior with a double major in biochemistry/biophysics, and ecological economics, values, and policy, has been selected as a 2005 Truman Scholar by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.

New Book on Environmental Issues Published by Rensselaer Professor (March 2005)
In his new book, Wisdom for a Livable Planet (Trinity University Press, April 2005), Carl McDaniel provides an introduction to many of today's critical environmental issues, including toxic waste, biodiversity, globalization, population, economic justice, climate change, and environmental education. McDaniel is professor of biology at Rensselaer.

AIDS Drug Developer Dr. Dani Bolognesi ’63 Receives RAA Fellows Award (February 2005)
Dr. Dani Paul Bolognesi '63 was recognized with the RAA Fellows Award from the Department of Biology on Wednesday, December 8, 2004 at his offices in Durham, NC.

Rensselaer Junior Spends Summer Performing Research With Nobel Prize Winner (February 2005)
Ghofrane Benghanem, a junior majoring in Biochemistry and Biophysics, spent the summer doing research in the lab of a recent Nobel Prize winner.

A Meeting of the Minds (December 2004)
An impressive array of some of today’s most prominent scientists gathered at Rensselaer September 9-10, 2004, to mark the opening of the new Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, and to speak of promising innovations in the field of biotechnology.

Robert Palazzo Appointed Director of Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (November 2004)
Robert Palazzo, professor and chair of the Department of Biology, has been appointed director of Rensselaer’s Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. As director, Palazzo will oversee Rensselaer’s priorities in biotechnology research, coordinating and developing the center’s research programs and core facilities and facilitating strategic growth opportunities.

Biology Professors Michael Hanna and George Plopper Named Education Fellows by the National Academies (November 2004)
Michael Hanna, associate professor of biology, and George Plopper, assistant professor of biology, were recently named "Education Fellows in the Life Sciences" by the National Academies. The designation was given to 39 educators around the country who successfully completed a summer institute aimed at fostering innovative approaches to teaching undergraduate biology.

Discovery of Juvenile Zebra Mussels in Lake George (November 2004)
On Nov. 4, 2004, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) found three settled juvenile zebra mussels on plates that were removed from the Ticonderoga Boat Launch Site.

Renowned Scientist Angel E. Garcia Will Lead New Biocomputation and Bioinformatics Research Constellation (November 2004)
Angel E. Garcia, a renowned theoretical physicist in biomolecular research, has been appointed a senior constellation chaired professor in biocomputation and bioinformatics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Garcia will join Rensselaer on Jan. 1, 2005.

School of Science Receives NYSTAR Faculty Development Awards (October 2004)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s School of Science will receive $1.5 million from the state to hire two scientists, Gov. George Pataki announced Thursday.

Professor Provides Research Opportunity for High School Student (September 2004)
High school student Jessica Allen e-mailed Rensselaer professor Christopher Bystroff with a question about protein folding last year. This year, she is doing research with him.

Bystroff Presents Paper at World Conference in Glasgow (September 2004)
Christopher Bystroff, assistant professor of biology at Rensselaer, presented a paper at the largest computational biology conference in the world this past August. The conference, which combined the 12th International conference on intelligent systems for molecular biology (ISMB) and the 3rd European conference on computational biology (ECCB), was held in Glasgow, Scotland.

"Spackling" Bone Injuries (October 2003)
George Plopper's work with adult human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) may lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of bone injuries and breaks, hip and knee replacements, and arthritis.

Clamming for a Cancer Cure (March 2003)
Robert Palazzo, professor and chair of biology, has solved a twofold problem with the help of the common surf clam. His work focuses on collecting and isolating the tiny centrosome - a little-known structure of a cell that plays a key role in cell replication.

Keeping Tumors from Becoming Killer Cancer (September 2002)
A cancerous tumor is one that has the deadly ability to spread uncontrollably to other parts of the body. If a tumor could be confined to its original location, it could simply be removed and cancer virtually would be nonexistent, says George Plopper, assistant professor of biology.