3/30/2009
Fitter Frames: Nanotubes Boost Structural Integrity of Composites
innovations report

Professor Nikhil Koratkar of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has demonstrated that incorporating chemically treated carbon nanotubes into an epoxy composite can significantly improve the overall toughness, fatigue resistance, and durability of a composite frame. The discovery could lead to tougher, more durable composite frames for aircraft, watercraft, and automobiles.

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3/27/2009
Some Special Handling Required
The New York Times

Light bulbs are getting a lot more complicated. A guide for the use of ompact fluorescent bulbs prepared by the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Lighting Research Center, said that compact fluorescent bulbs require “a little insight and planning."

Read the story and a companion story. The topic was also covered by Livemint - Delhi, India.

3/25/2009
Pentagon exploring robot killers that can fire on their own
McClatchy Washington Bureau

The unmanned bombers that frequently cause unintended civilian casualties in Pakistan are a step toward an even more lethal generation of robotic hunters-killers that operate with limited, if any, human control. Selmer Bringsjord, an artificial intelligence expert at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is worried, "I'm concerned. The stakes are very high," Bringsjord said. "If we give robots the power to do nasty things, we have to use logic to teach them not to do unethical things. If we can't figure this out, we shouldn't build any of these robots."

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3/23/2009
NCIIA: Promoting Student Inventors
Business Week

Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, two former students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, who got a $16,000 NCIIA grant that funded a few critical months of development, are featured in a story on the competition. Ecovative Design — their company that makes building insulation from mushrooms, a material they call Greensulate — went on to win awards from the state of New York, from Europe's PICNIC Green Challenge, and others.

Read the story, which was also covered by TMCNet.

3/23/2009
Nanorods simplify 3D chip stacking
EE Times Asia

Interconnecting bare die to form 3D chip stacks is best done through low-temperature wafer bonding before dicing, according to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute researchers, who described how to perform the process with nanoscale copper rods.

Read the story, which was also covered by Softpedia and EETimes.com-USA.

3/13/09
Blue LEDs improve efficiency and output
Rapid (England)

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has announced a new blue LED which increases light output and energy efficiency. Produced by researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the LED achieves 18 per cent greater light output and 22 per cent greater energy efficiency. E Fred Schubert, professor of future chips at Rensselaer, said that LEDs operate at current densities which are higher than the point at which light output and efficiency peak. The new LED has a "radically re-designed active region, namely a polarisation-matched active region, tackles this issue and brings LEDs closer to being able to operate efficiently at high current densities."

Read the story, which was also covered by Rooted (Austrailia) and TechOn (Asia).

3/10/09
Stem-cell research awards
Times Union

Gov. David Paterson on Monday announced $101.8 million in stem-cell research awards, boosting the total awarded by the state to $118.3 million. Among the recipients were Rensselaer Polytechnic Instute Researchers Russell Ferland and Robert Linhardt, who each received $1.04 million.

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3/5/2009
Council on Competitiveness President to Senate Energy Committee: "America Leads in Innovation, but Is Bleeding Opportunities"
Cloud Computing

Deborah L. Wince-Smith, president of the Council on Competitiveness, called for "focus" on turning energy research and development into real economic value before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Many of Ms. Wince-Smith's recommendations are drawn directly from the Council's 100-Day Energy Action Plan, "Prioritize," which was issued in September. The Council's "Compete Energy" Initiative, led by James Owens, CEO of Caterpillar Inc. and a member of President Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board; Shirley Ann Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Michael Langford, National President of the Utility Workers Union of America, has worked to drive private sector demand for sustainable energy solutions.

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