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Campus News: Week of April 16, 2001
Crystal Growth Experiment Headed for the International Space Station
An experiment by a Rensselaer researcher to grow homogenous semiconductor crystals in microgravity will be the first materials science experiment conducted on the International Space Station.
The experiment will be launched in February 2002, and after processing in space, the semiconductor crystals will be brought back to earth in July 2002.
Aleksander Ostrogorsky, associate professor of mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering, and mechanics, and materials science and engineering, will use the microgravity environment to study how impurities, or dopants, in semiconductor crystals can be redistributed to yield a more homogenous material. Also involved in the research are Carlos Marin, postdoctoral associate, and Linda Jeter, project manager from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.
The experiment, called "Solidification Using a Baffle in Sealed Ampoules" (SUBSA), is labeled a Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) investigation, and is the first such experiment on the International Space Station. An MSG is a sealed box that contains the experiment. Astronauts can manipulate the experiment by inserting their hands into a pair of gloves that reach inside the box, although much of the experiment will be remotely controlled.
Semiconductor material, in this case, indium antimonide, will be melted in a thermal chamber and processed by solidifying it into a crystal under microgravity conditions. The disk-shaped baffle in the chamber acts as a partition that creates a small melt zone at the solid-liquid interface. Microgravity conditions significantly reduce the melt flow, or fluid motion, at the interface, which results in a simpler solidification process. This method is also easier to study and interpret, says Ostrogorsky.
Ostrogorsky began related ground-based research in 1993. "It has been a long process, but the wait will be worth it," he says. "We hope that SUBSA will help us understand the process of semiconductor crystal growth, which could lead to more efficient production of semiconductors."
SUBSA is part of a larger project called Space- and Ground-based Crystal Growth Using a Baffle, which has received almost $1 million from NASA since 1993.
Navigating Rensselaer: Office of the First-Year Experience Launches Web Site
The Office of the First-Year Experience has established a Web site as part of "Navigating Rensselaer," a new series of programs designed to enhance and enrich the overall first-year experience of students as outlined in the Rensselaer Plan.
The Web site, www.rpi.edu/dept/fye/navigating, which debuted on Accepted Students Day April 7, is designed for incoming first-year students and their families as well as for transfer and graduate students. It includes a virtual campus tour, and provides information on research opportunities, physical fitness, a calendar of events, links to faculty and administrative units, and additional information regarding campus and off-campus services.
The Web site will eventually offer additional features, such as online discussion groups, bulletin boards, and Web rings. The latter feature will allow students to build their own Web sites and then connect them with those of their peers.
The office also is planning a five-day series of welcome activities, designed to enhance student orientation prior to the start of classes in late August.
Titled "Navigating Rensselaer & Beyond," the program will include wilderness, historical, and cultural activities, and community service opportunities, all aimed at building affinity groups among new students.
"The 'Beyond' represents the ideal that students will not only become connected and familiar with the Institute but also the greater community of Troy," said Lisa Trahan, dean of the first-year experience. "Getting students connected in multiple ways to the campus and community is the difference between new students who are overwhelmed and alienated and those who are well-adjusted and successful both socially and academically."
IED Projects Use Technology To Improve Fitness
Twenty-six student teams in Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) will present their final projects Wednesday, April 25, 5-8 p.m., in the DCC Great Hall.
IED is a required course for all second-year engineering students. Teams of students are assigned a theme -- this semester they had to apply technology to improve the physical fitness of people who are not likely to exercise. Students are encouraged to push beyond mundane solutions. Some of the creative projects include a pedal lawnmower that uses rotary blades spring-mounted for uneven terrain, a workout office chair that incorporates anaerobic workouts and aerobic biking, and a "Techno Twisting Exercise Routine" that mixes music and light cues to pace and track the movement and performance of the players.
Demand Still High for Information Technology Grads
Even with a slumping economy, students graduating with a high-tech degree can continue to expect to have the upper hand in the hiring process, says Tom Tarantelli, director of Rensselaer's Career Development Center.
"It's still going to be a robust job market. But instead of dot coms competing with the large, conventional corporations, the big companies will be competing among themselves," Tarantelli says. "For those graduates finding jobs in high-tech research fields, salaries are up 5 percent on average from last year. In addition, undergraduate students majoring in computer science and information technology can still expect to find jobs with starting salaries as high as $80,000."Given the recent dot com decline, Tarantelli expects to see an increase of larger, more conventional companies recruiting on campus. With that in mind, university career development centers are more important than ever in keeping students informed of what jobs and networking opportunities are available.
To better
inform students to the services at the Career Development Center
at Rensselaer, Tarantelli's office recently organized a "Spring
Fling." The weeklong event included a barbecue, games,
giveaways, and a chance to meet a few prospective employers.
The event was sponsored by several companies, including Lutron
Electronics, Packeteer, and Turner Construction.
Finance Hires To Support Research Enterprise
The Finance Division recently has hired four new people in an effort to support the growing research enterprise at Rensselaer. According to Virginia Gregg, vice president for finance, "the hires represent a substantial start to execution of a high priority within our performance plan, namely, to reposition the division to fully support a world-class technological research university with strong leadership and clearly articulated goals."
To reflect the broader focus of the Research Accounting Office, its name has been changed to Research Financial Administration. Diane Veros has been named to the newly created position of director for research financial administration, bringing 15 years of experience in research administration. Veros, who served for the past five years as the assistant director of the Center for Automation Technologies, will work with colleagues in Contracts & Grants and the office of the VP for Research to bring greater coordination and integration to the research enterprise as well as to enhance the level of customer service provided by research financial administration.
Jeri Lake has been named associate controller, responsible for financial reporting activity and indirect cost rate derivation. Lake brings 13 years experience in higher education accounting, both at public and private schools. She has served as assistant controller at Bard College and, most recently, as controller of Regents College in Albany.
Matthew Johnston joined Rensselaer in February in the newly created position of internal auditing manager, responsible for executing an internal audit plan that is synchronized with the Rensselaer's operations and the Rensselaer Plan. Johnston is a CPA and has worked with ABT Associates, the United States Agency for International Development, Robert Half International, Stone Container Corporation, and Ernst & Young.
Mark Larkin joined Rensselaer in January as an investment analyst, overseeing the professional management of Rensselaer's investable assets, primarily the endowment and pension plan. Prior to joining Rensselaer, Larkin worked for eight years at a local asset management firm.
Two Students Named Goldwater Scholars
Two Rensselaer students have been named 2001 Goldwater Scholars by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. According to Samuel Wait '53, associate dean of science, this is the first time Rensselaer has had two students named in one year
David M. Weber '02, who majors in chemistry and molecular biology, and Shaan M. Raza '02, biology, were among 302 undergraduates from the 50 states and Puerto Rico who were awarded scholarships. According to Hans Mark, chairman of the board of trustees of the Goldwater Foundation, the students were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,164 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.
The one- and two-year scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
The scholarship program honoring Senator Goldwater was designed to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in these fields.
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