“In the News” May 2008
Following is a selection of news media stories about Rensselaer people and programs. The stories are listed by date, with the most recent articles first. Note that some publications may require subscriptions or logins to access individual articles online. Additionally, archived links may change or be available online for a limited time.
05/31/2008
As fuel surges, telecommuting grows in US
Agence France-Press
Timothy Golden, a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, said the plans offer "very positive things for the teleworkers themselves," but also can lead to resentment from others who may get stuck with additional tasks. Thus, he says telework must be carefully managed. "A lot of work today is knowledge generation, it's collaborative, so it's essential for employees to work in teams to be effective together," he said.
Read the story.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/30/2008
Understanding the Evolution of Brain Functions
Scientific American
Although many neuroscientists are trying to figure out how the brain works, Mark Changizi is bent on determining why it works that way. In the past, the assistant professor of cognitive science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has demonstrated that the shapes of letters in 100 writing systems reflect common ones seen in nature . . . But Changizi's theories aren't limited to writing. . . . The prolific Changizi recently published two papers: one that sets out to explain how our lexical systems evolved and another that suggests how the brain's visual system is adapted to anticipate the future a fraction of a second before we actually see it.
Read the story and watch the accompanying slideshow. Changizi’s research also was covered by LiveScience, the Times of India, and Slashdot.
Read two recent Rensselaer news releases about Changizi’s research.
05/29/2008
Rensselaer Polytechnic Starts 'Science of the Web' Program
The Chronicle of Higher Education
What is the future of the Web?
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute plans to explore this issue when it launches a new academic program next month focused on the emerging academic discipline of science of the Web. The field examines the architectural underpinnings of the Web, its social aspects, and who controls the flow of information, among other issues. The university has titled its program: The Tetherless World Constellation. The program will be publicized June 11 at Rensselaer Polytechnic where a panel of experts from academe and industry, including Timothy J. Berners-Lee, who is credited with having invented the Web, will discuss its future. Web users across the world will submit questions for discussion.
Read the story, which has received wide coverage across the blogosphere. Rensselaer is partnering with ReadWriteWeb, one of the most popular technology blogs in the world, to engage the Web community in the event.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/28/2008
Staying Cool: Green Insulation Gets Warm Reception
Scientific American
Homeowners eager for green ways to keep their houses cool in the summer and warm in the winter may soon have an alternative to the pink fiberglass insulation they have used for decades. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International will soon spend more than a year testing the ability of Greensulate--a sustainable building material made from mushroom fibers, rice hulls and recycled paper--to resist temperature change, stop fire and repel water. . . . When the ASTM begins testing Greensulate next year, the group will be checking, among other things, to see if the building material can resist mold growth even if it becomes saturated by water, says Gavin McIntyre, who along with Eben Bayer invented Greensulate in 2006 when both were seniors at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.
Read the story.
05/26/2008
Revisiting Semantic Web's Pros and Cons
Internet News
Scientists tend to like their worlds clear-cut and devoid of extraneous loose bits of matter, and typical of those who espouse the pro-Semantic Web view is Prof. James Hendler of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 'My work is trying to integrate heterogeneous data using appropriate amounts of metadata and doing things with metadata that you can't do with language or specific data,' Hendler told InternetNews.com. For example, he said, searching for a video on YouTube would likely be fruitless 'unless you know the name of the artist and what you want to see.' Having brief descriptions of a video's contents would be helpful but people submitting videos to the site 'don't want to write that many words when they send in their videos.' However, if the files include a small amount of metadata, people searching for, say, the James Bond movie 'Goldfinger' may be able to find the video even without knowing its name.
Read the story.
05/21/2008
Bringing Sunlight Inside
Innovation Toronto
Anna Dyson, an architectural scientist from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, is leading the way to make solar energy a real alternative to pollution-emitting fossil fuels. Her system contains rows of thin lenses that track the sun’s movement. Sunlight floods each lens and is focused onto a postage-stamp sized, high-tech solar cell. Dyson says, “Really, what we want to do is be capturing and transferring that energy for usable means.” Conventional solar systems are about 14 percent efficient. This system has a combined heat and power efficiency of nearly 80 percent. “What they’re doing is very efficiently capturing and transferring that light into electricity and the solar heat into hot water,” Dyson explains.
Read the story.
05/18/2008
Second Life is Frontier for AI Research
MSNBC
Edd Hifeng barely merits a second glance in "Second Life.'' A steel-gray robot with lanky limbs and linebacker shoulders, he looks like a typical avatar in the popular virtual world. But Edd is different. His actions are animated not by a person at a keyboard but by a computer. Edd is a creation of artificial intelligence, or AI, and researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, who endowed him with a limited ability to converse and reason. . . . "It's a very inexpensive way to test out our technologies right now,'' said Selmer Bringsjord, director of the Rensselaer Artificial Intelligence and Reasoning Laboratory. Bringsjord sees Edd as a forerunner to more sophisticated creations that could interact with people inside three-dimensional projections of settings like subway stops or city streets.
Read the AP story, which was picked up by nearly 100 media outlets across the globe, including the New York Times, CNN, NPR, USA Today, the Sydney Morning Herald, Newsweek, Forbes, the Toronto Star, Popular Science, the San Francisco Chronicle, Newsday, the Washington Post, and many more.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/18/2008
Grads at RPI get Gergen’s advice
Times Union
David Gergen offered the following joke Saturday less than a minute after he walked to the podium to deliver the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute commencement address: "I have a bit of good news," Gergen said from the school's Harkness Field. "I will be brief." Those in attendance responded with a collective chuckle before Gergen, a political analyst, author and Harvard professor, addressed school administrators, faculty and the 1,950 graduates and their families. . . . Members of the 2008 graduating class dressed in black robes and represented 42 states and 42 countries. Ninety students graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
Read the story, which was covered by several other Capital Region media outlets.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/16/2008
Answer for ‘Mom, I’m bored’
Times Union
If you're trying to figure out what to do with the kids on a summer day, Connected Kids may have the answer. Connected Kids is an online resource that provides information about youth services. It was created by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and University at Albany professors working with Rensselaer County. The Web site, http //www.connectedkids.info, lists services and program available from more than 60 organizations. Jim Zappen, RPI professor of communication and rhetoric, and Sibel Adlai, associate professor of computer science at RPI, led the project.
Read the story.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/15/2008
In Tight Employment Market, Career Services Gain Clout
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Preparing students for the job market is one aspect of career services; hunting new jobs is another. And Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is on the prowl. Thomas Tarantelli, who directs the career-development center there, now works closely with the vice president for institute advancement to identify new prospective employers, including some of the university's research partners. In particular, he hopes to find opportunities for students in emerging degree areas like electronic-media arts and communications. Mr. Tarantelli brings glossy brochures to meetings with employers, but those are less effective, he says. "I very quickly turn it into a conversation about students, because they're the real salespeople."
Read the story.
05/14/2008
Silicon chip alternative developed
Times of India
Every household is filled with dozens of silicon-based electronics, whose main component is usually a silicon-based transistor. But now, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student’s invention could replace this technology with a new generation of transistors that will not only cut energy consumption but also work under extreme conditions. Weixiao Huang has made a breakthrough by developing a new transistor that uses a compound material known as gallium nitride (GaN), which has remarkable material properties and may act as a better alternative to silicon chip. . . . 'Silicon has been the workhorse in the semiconductor industry for last two decades. But as power electronics get more sophisticated and require higher performing transistors, engineers have been seeking an alternative like gallium nitride-based transistors that can perform better than silicon and in extreme conditions,' said Huang.
Read the story, which was also covered by All Headline News and United Press International.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/14/2008
A Stylish Way to Get Math in Your Head
Washington Post
Raychel is working on a computer program designed by Ron Eglash, who teaches science and technology studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. Years ago, Eglash began studying patterns found in African architecture, art, fabric, clothing and even hairstyles. The patterns are called fractals -- geometric designs that repeat in a pattern that gets smaller and smaller, sometimes to the point where you can't see it anymore, and sometimes into infinity (beyond where it can be counted). . . . 'Fractal geometry is everywhere, even in lines drawn in the sand,' Eglash says. 'It's the cycle of life. . . . You see fractals in plants, in flowers. Within the human lung are branches within branches.'
Read the story.
05/14/2008
Disabilities No Barrier for CapAble Gamers
PC PowerPlay (Australia)
Who says video games can't be helpful?! Three college graduates in the USA, together with a team of coders, game designers, and others, have created a game that simulates the experience of going shopping. The CapAbility Games Research Project, operating out of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y, developed the game 'Capable Shopper' to be a tool to help people with disabilities develop essential life skills and independence. “By creating this simulated learning environment, our students have given individuals with disabilities an engaging way to learn skills directly related to independence in their daily lives. Beyond that, they’ve gotten them excited about engaging with the real world,” said Kathleen Ruiz, associate professor of electronic arts at Rensselaer, and faculty leader of the CapAbility Research Project.
Read the story, which was also covered by Scenta and a blog written by veteran journalist Patricia Bauer.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/14/2008
Dictionary mirrors human mental methods
United Press International
A U.S. scientist says his research suggests the organization of dictionaries mirrors the manner in which the human brain optimally organizes information. Assistant Professor Mark Changizi of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute said, The dictionary's large-scale organization has been driven over time by the way humans mentally systematize words and their meanings. Changizi said dictionaries are organized like an inverted pyramid, with a larger number of more complex words in the upper levels that are defined by a smaller number of more basic words in the next lower level.
Read the story.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/13/2008
Just the right light
phillyburbs.com
No one looks forward to the time of life when failing eyesight can make simple tasks, such as reading the newspaper or working a jigsaw puzzle, difficult or even impossible. Little do they know, but many homeowners invite vision problems into their homes early, with poor decisions about lighting and light fixtures. In fact, inadequate or incorrectly placed lighting undermines the vision of family members of all ages. . . . Why not audit your homes lighting and address the shortcomings? Let the researchers at the Lighting Research Center, Troy, N.Y., part of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, show you how.
Read the story.
05/12/2008
Why telecommuting upsets some...who don't do it
IT Business (Canada)
A recent study found that as the proportion of teleworkers in a work unit increased, so have complaints from their office-bound colleagues. Timothy Golden, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor, talks about the unhappy side of telecommuting.
Read the story.
Read the Rensselaer news release.
05/11/2008
The art of making noise
New Zealand Herald
The boundaries of the sonic arts continue to be pushed, and the Alt.music Festival in Auckland during July will doubtless challenge audiences as much as entertain them. Among the international guests will be the American composer Pauline Oliveros who was a pioneer in electronic music in the late 50s and whose work with tape delays redefined notions of composition and performance. She was part of the innovative group which included Terry Riley and Steve Reich. For the Alt.music Festival she will perform a variant of her famous piece A Little Noise in the System, some more recent works with the poet and vocalist Ione, and with Auckland sonic artist Phil Dadson. Professor at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York state, Oliveros has also advanced the concept of Deep Listening, an intense listening practice which connects the listener to all sounds from the environment as well as music and internal thoughts.
Read the story.
05/07/2008
Virginia Tech Has Inspired Campus Counseling Services to Reassess
U.S. News & World Report
The thrust of the movement at institutions in the lead has been to redouble efforts to identify students in need of help and then make that help available. . . . And early-warning systems that involve the entire university community are a priority on many campuses. At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., for example, faculty and staff can log concerns about academic problems or behavioral issues on a website, which is monitored by an intervention team of representatives from the dean's office, faculty, housing staff, campus police, and counseling center. The team meets regularly to decide on an appropriate response.
Read the story.
05/06/2008
The Editorial Page: Energy Policy and Alternative Fuels
Vox Pop: WAMC Northeast Public Radio
Dean of Engineering Alan Cramb joined host David Galletly and Pradeep Haldar from the University at Albany for an hour-long discussion.
Listen to the show.
05/01/2008
Standards Deviant
EC&M Magazine
“The reason you need standards is because the application communities interested in using this technology would like to be able to quantify the performances of these systems — so that when they specify something then they know they can be relied upon,” says Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., associate professor at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, N.Y., the director of research at the Lighting Research Center (LRC) at RPI, and the organizer of the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST) program. He is also a fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), New York. “If there is no standardized way of measuring the technology, then you really don't know whether claims by different manufacturers all mean the same thing. There could be a misunderstanding on how things are being measured and quantified.”
Read the story.
