Math + Culture = Interested Students

Ron Eglash, assistant professor of science and technology studies, has received a $543,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop Web-based design tools that will encourage under-represented students to understand mathematics from a cultural standpoint. Such culturally based tools, he believes, could heighten student's interest in rigorous careers in math, science, and IT.

In his book, African Fractals: Modern Computing and Indigenous Design, Eglash illustrates how traditional African cultural expressions such as sculpture, painting, clothing, and cornrow hairstyles use sophisticated geometric algorithms. He has combined FractaSketch software with standard math education to encourage interest in mathematics among African American students in grades 6 through 12.

Eglash's research will focus on three groups of Troy 8th graders who, over a three-year period, will have varying access to these Web-based learning tools. He will compare student attitudes toward technology and mathematics, student plans for taking math courses in high school, and their career goals. He will determine the tools' effect on retention by comparing performance on the statewide 8th grade mathematics test and enrollment in and completion of high school math classes.

The NSF grant will support the integration of these tools into standard K-12 curricula in area schools. The grant is part of the GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) program, a federal government initiative to help low-income youths prepare for college.

New Modeling Tool To Benefit Earthquake Study

Researchers at Rensselaer are creating a tool to help geophysicists more accurately model subduction zones, the areas on earth where much of the world's seismic activity occurs. Their work could help pave the way for future earthquake prediction tools.

Charles Williams, senior research associate in the department of earth and environmental sciences, received a $400,000 three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to create a Web server that will put more sophisticated, powerful modeling techniques in the hands of geophysicists.

This interactive modeling technique will provide more accurate analysis of the fault behavior at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate moves under another, by allowing for differences between the material properties of the two plates. This dramatically improves information on the distribution of stresses on the fault. Regions with high stress concentrations represent probable initiation points for future earthquakes.

"This is not a prediction tool, but it will give us a better picture of the whole stress field at the zone, which could one day help researchers reach the goal of earthquake prediction," said Williams.

Williams said that currently much data is wasted because most interpretation makes use of simplistic models that don't provide accurate results. He hopes that his Web server will become a standard tool for all subduction zone modeling problems.

Williams is working with Robert McCaffrey, professor of earth and environmental science, and David Spooner, professor of computer science.

Connor Named Chair of ECSE

Kenneth Connor, acting chair and professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering, has been named chair of the department.

"I have been impressed by Ken's ability to seek and attract outstanding faculty to his department, evidenced by the four new faculty members he has hired this academic year as acting chair, and I am confident that he will continue to grow the department with additional key hires who will contribute significantly to achieving department and school goals in support of the Rensselaer Plan," said William A. "Bud" Baeslack '78, dean of engineering.

Since 1992, Connor has directed Rensselaer's Plasma Dynamics Laboratory. He was elected a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for this work in 1997.

Connor has been a visiting scientist at Nagoya University in Japan, and the Ioffe Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia. He has worked at Kyoto University in Japan, the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology in the Ukraine, and at Fermilab in Illinois. He also has had long-term collaborations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Texas - Austin, and the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

At Rensselaer, Connor was Anderson Fellow and acting director of the Anderson Center in 1996. In addition, he was among the key players who helped revise most of ECSE's core undergraduate courses to the studio format as part of Rensselaer's pioneering efforts in interactive learning.

Connor received his B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1968 and 1970, respectively, and his Ph.D. in electrophysics from the Polytechnic Institute of New York in 1975. He joined the Rensselaer faculty in 1974.

Nelson Named Philip Sporn Professor

J. Keith Nelson, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering, was recently appointed the Philip Sporn Professor of Electric Power Engineering.

The professorship was established in 1962 to honor Philip Sporn, a pioneer and leader in the electric utility industry. The position emphasizes teaching, research, and professional activities. Nelson was the chair of the department of electric power engineering from 1987 until this past summer, when the department merged with the department of electrical, computer, and systems engineering. As chair, he spearheaded the initiatives in power electronics and power systems component modeling.

Previously he had been manager of High Field Technology Programs at the General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center in Schenectady and prior to that, he was a faculty member at the University of London. He is a fellow of the IEEE and the IEE, and is the past president of the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society.

Nelson received his B.Sc. in electrical engineering and his Ph.D. in power engineering from the University of London in 1965 and 1969, respectively. He joined the Rensselaer faculty in 1982.

Nelson has written more than 150 technical papers, book chapters, and patents. He has received numerous professional honors and awards, and also has acted extensively as an industrial consultant to numerous organizations.

Obituary: Longtime Management Professor Jeanne Lynch

Jeanne Lynch, 74, professor emerita of management, died Oct. 7 at her residence. Lynch was named the Dean R. Wellington '83 Teaching Professor of Management at Rensselaer in 1990, teaching corporate strategy and entrepreneurship. Lynch was highly regarded by her students and consistently received the highest ratings on her teaching evaluations.

Born in North Adams, Mass., Lynch completed her doctorate in business administration in 1979 at Harvard University's Graduate School of Business Administration. She earned her master's in business administration from the University of Chicago's Executive Program in 1965, the only woman admitted to that program in a 21-year period, and has an A.B. in liberal arts from the University of Rhode Island. Prior to joining the doctoral program at Harvard, Lynch spent 23 years in business, specializing in corporate communications and business planning.

She began her teaching career at Rensselaer as an associate professor in 1982, and held a Rensselaer Distinguished Teaching Fellowship 1989-1990. Lynch taught many courses for the Executive MBA (EMBA) program and participated in distance-learning courses to General Motors employees. She lectured widely, and served as a consultant to major corporations, government agencies, academic institutions, and consulting firms. Lynch retired in 1998.

A fund has been set up in Lynch's memory. If you are interested in becoming involved, contact T Stillman at ext. 2378 or stillt@rpi.edu.

Classroom Renovations

Campus classrooms are being upgraded through a collaboration among the dean of undergraduate education, the registrar, Campus Planning and Facility Design, and Academic & Research Computing.

Rensselaer is spending $900,000 for the renovations, expected to be completed sometime next year.

This is the third consecutive year the Institute has dedicated funds for classroom improvements. The previous two years have included renovations specifically targeted at making classrooms "laptop ready." Over that period, 34 rooms have been renovated at a cost of $2.4 million.

This summer, more than 30 classrooms were designated to receive basic maintenance upgrades, such as painting walls, repairing or replacing desks and chairs, adding and fixing light fixtures, and repairing or replacing carpeting. In Sage 4101, laptop support for 75 students has been installed, and laptop capability was added to the studio classrooms in core engineering. The physics studio classrooms also were upgraded to improve student-faculty interaction in the rooms.

"A major factor in improving student learning is ensuring that the classroom environment supports the process," says Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Gary Gabriele.

Plans are now being formulated among the four offices for future upgrading, including steps needed to renovate classrooms in older buildings that have little technical infrastructure.

The Princeton Review Issues High Marks for Rensselaer

When it comes to instituting change, Rensselaer students give high marks to President Shirley Ann Jackson and her administration, according the Princeton Review's 2002 issue of "The Best 331 Colleges" guide.

The annual publication, for prospective students and their parents, uses survey results from thousands of college students. The guide summed up general Rensselaer student satisfaction with their school administration by saying that the university "is an engineering school in transition, and most students here are happy about it."

"We are in the middle of a big change in administration. Good times are coming with strong, positive leadership," one student wrote.

Another student agreed: "The new administration seems to have aggressive but achievable goals for improvements. The four-by-four (four courses, four credits each, per semester) curriculum has made many majors much easier. The (electronic) notebook/studio format for many courses makes them much more enjoyable."

The guide also ranked Rensselaer among the top 20 best schools in several of its 62 categories. Out of 331 schools around the country, the university ranked seventh in professor accessibility, eighth in student social life, and 15th in "more to do on campus."