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Task Force for Electronic Media and Performing
Arts Center Issues Report
The board
of trustees has approved a proposal and location for an electronic
media and performing arts center (EMPAC), called for in the
Rensselaer Plan.
The EMPAC
task force, chaired by John Tichy, has issued a report (http://www.rpi.edu/dept/meaem/deptweb/whatsnew/empac.html)
proposing a 100,000-square-foot building to be located on
the hillside between Folsom Library and 8th Street. The center
will include two large performance spaces (an 800-person auditorium
and a 400-person theater) as well as two smaller "black
box" theaters that can be reconfigured in a variety of
ways for modern performances. In addition, there will be spaces
for student performing arts groups, including EMAC programs
and WRPI, as well as a gathering space and gallery area.
The
center will include two large performance spaces (an 800-person
auditorium and a 400-person theater) as well as two smaller
"black box" theaters that can be reconfigured
in a variety of ways for modern performances.
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The electronic
and media performing arts center is intended to improve the
quality of campus life by giving students better opportunities
to express their creative interests, and engage the campus
and surrounding community with electronic and performing arts.
The center
will build on Rensselaer's emerging reputation for excellence
in the electronic arts. It will host intercollegiate competitions
and exchanges, house shows and concerts, and provide a venue
for appearances by internationally recognized figures from
science, the arts and humanities, and politics. The center
will bring to Rensselaer students, faculty, and staff a wider
range of opportunities for the arts, entertainment, and intellectual
stimulation as demanded by a major university with a broad
global reach.
A formal
design competition will be held in the spring to determine
the building's architect. Open campus meetings will be held
beginning in January for community input on the center. Other
key dates include: May 2001—judging of architectural
competition; November 2001—design completed; May 2002—construction
begins; August 2003—building ready to open.
The task
force welcomes comments, questions, and suggestions. Contact
chair John Tichy at tichyj@rpi.edu.
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Happy
Holidays From the People of Rensselaer
Rensselaer
employs some 1,400 faculty and staff members from across the
country and around the world. Recently, we asked some of them
to share their favorite holiday traditions with us. Their stories
are as diverse as their personalities.
Rensselaer
employs some 1,400 faculty and staff members from across
the country and around the world. Their stories are as diverse
as their personalities.
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Selmer
Bringsjord, director of the Minds & Machines Lab, shared
his family's Norwegian tradition, of a shared dish of "sinfully
smooth rice cream" for Christmas Eve dinner at her house.
Jorge Vidal, of campus planning and facilities design, says
that one of his favorite holiday traditions is the celebration
of the "Three King's Day" on Jan. 6. "In Mexico,
where I was born, it rivals Christmas Day in importance, particularly
amongst the children."
"On
my first Hanukkah," recalls Patricia Azriel, marketing
& media relations, "before I converted to Judaism,
my soon-to-be husband could not be home with me, so he called
from school (we were both in graduate school) and helped me
say the blessings as I excitedly lit the first candle on the
first night of Hanukkah."
Sigrin
and Jonathan Newell (biomedical engineering) celebrate the Scandinavian
holiday, Santa Lucia, by having a party on a weekend close to
Santa Lucia's Day, Dec. 13. When the guests first arrive, they
are offered glogg, a wine punch spiced with cardamom and cinnamon.
Then Sigrin puts on a crown of seven candles and leads the guests
in to enjoy the tables laden with Scandinavian cookies.
Theresa
Testo recalls growing up in Troy, and "warm memories of
the snowy evenings before Christmas when we could walk 'up city'
(from South Troy to the shopping district) to the many local
department stores... After we couldn't carry any more packages,
we would stop for a soda at Paul's or Manory's."
To
read the full text of all the stories, go to http://www.rpi.edu/x/holiday.html.
Rensselaer,
Cornell Tie for Most New York State NSF CAREER Winners
Rensselaer
tied with Cornell University for the most Faculty Early Career
Development (CAREER) award winners in New York state with eight
each, according to a recent announcement by the National Science
Foundation, which presents the award.
Rensselaer
tied with Cornell University for the most Faculty Early
Career Development (CAREER) award winners in New York state
with eight each, according to a recent announcement by the
National Science Foundation, which presents the award.
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"In
selecting these eight individuals from Rensselaer, the National
Science Foundation is recognizing not only their contributions
to date, but more importantly their tremendous potential for
future contributions. These eight young researchers are to be
both congratulated and commended for attaining this level of
distinction so early in their careers," said G. P. "Bud"
Peterson, Rensselaer provost.
Rensselaer's
eight NSF CAREER award winners, a record number for the Institute
for any year since the program's inception in 1995, helped New
York jump from fifth in the nation in 1999 to second this year
in the total number of CAREER awards for the state. New York
state's total number of CAREER winners was second only to California.
The
CAREER award, NSF's most prestigious honor for junior faculty
members, was awarded to Wilfredo "Freddie" Colón,
assistant professor of chemistry; Wesley Huang, assistant professor
of computer science; Kenneth Jansen, assistant professor of
mechanical engineering; James "Chip" Kilduff, Kodak
Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering; Ganapathiraman
Ramanath, assistant professor of materials science and engineering;
Julie Stenken, assistant professor of chemistry; Thomas Pok-Yin
Yu, assistant professor of mathematics; and Mourad Zeghal, assistant
professor of chemical engineering.
Carnegie
Mellon University and Stanford both had eight winners, the University
of Michigan and Harvard each had five, and the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology had 10. Nationwide, 409 outstanding
junior faculty members in science and engineering were recently
honored with NSF CAREER awards.
For
the complete list of New York state NSF CAREER winners go to
http://www.nsf.gov/home/crssprgm/career/state0.htm#ny
Introduction
to Engineering Design Projects Exhibited Dec. 8
This
fall's Introduction
to Engineering Design (IED)
exhibit
focused on improving home life through design. Forty-two
student teams displayed their projects Dec. 8 in the Darrin
Communications Center.
The
students were assigned to look at daily activities in the kitchen
and around the home where a new design could help impaired persons
be more independent. The catch was that the design shouldn't
be recognized as an accommodation for the impaired but instead
should stand out as an improvement that benefits all users,
said Bill Foley, IED coordinator.
Some
of the projects included a stove with a rotating stove top that
allows the back units to be turned to the front for easy access;
an automatic plant-watering system that detects when the soil
is dry and slowly adds water; and a semi-automatic spice dispenser
that release spices with the touch of a button. Other teams
developed a smart mailbox that sends a signal to the home when
mail is delivered; a universal dryer that has a sliding door
and more accessible controls; an electronic outdoor mat that
heats up to melt snow and ice; and a jar opener that automatically
opens hard-to-open containers.
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Search
Committees Established for Constellations in IT, Biotechnology
Search
committees have been established to fill positions in constellations
in information technology and biotechnology, as part of the
Rensselaer Plan. According to President Jackson, the two committees
include a chair, a nucleus of faculty experts in relevant
fields, and external advisers who can help bring a national
perspective and supplementary networks of contacts. The committees
report to the provost, who is responsible for coordinating
their efforts.
IT
CONSTELLATION SEARCH COMMITTEE: Joseph Flaherty (CompSci), chair;
Selmer Bringsjord (PP&CS); Shiv Kalyanaraman (ECSE); Pawel
Keblinski (MS&E); James Modestino (ECSE); Saroj K. Nayak
(Physics); Leo Schowalter (Physics); Mark Shephard (CE); Michael
Shur (ECSE); Chuck Stewart (CompSci).
The
external consultants are Larry Smarr, University of Ill-Urbana,
and Peter Freeman, Georgia Tech.
The BIO TECH CONSTELLATION SEARCH COMMITTEE: Georges Belfort
(CHME), chair; Chris Bystroff (Biology); Wilfredo Colon (Chem);
Jonathon Dordick (CHME); Ivar Giaever (Sci); David Isaacson
(Math); Jane Koretz (Biology); Chip Lawrence (CompSci); Badri
Roysam (ECSE); Richard Siegel (MS&E); Bob Spilker (BiomedEng);
Michael Zuker (Math); Natacha Depaola (BiomedEng).
External
consultants to the committee are George Whitesides, Harvard
University, Joshua Lederberg, Rockefeller University, and Marlene
Belfort, New York State Health Dept.
Serving as an ex-officio member to both commitees is Art Sanderson,
vice president for research.
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Survey
Finds Students "Very Satisfied" With Laptops
The
majority of Rensselaer students sampled for a survey are satisfied
with using their laptops for course work. The survey results,
conducted by the Anderson Center for Innovation in Undergraduate
Education, were presented during a forum on the effectiveness
of the laptop requirement program implemented a year ago.
The
majority of Rensselaer students sampled for a survey are
satisfied with using their laptops for course work.
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In
the fall of 1999, about 1,300 freshman purchased an IBM 600
laptopthrough the Institute. The online survey was filled out
by 441 mostly freshmen in April.
According
to the survey, presented by Anderson Center Director Brad Lister,
83 percent of those surveyed were satisfied with their laptops.
More than 81 percent said that having a laptop allowed them
to communicate effectively with course instructors. In addition,
75 percent said that having a laptop enabled higher-quality
interaction with their professors.
"I
think the survey was overall exceptionally positive. It really
reflects our interactive teaching model in which laptops are
now playing a key role," Lister said.
The
laptop evaluation forum was organized by the Instructional Development
Program Advisory Group, headed by Lister and formed earlier
this year by Gary Gabriele, vice provost for administration
and dean of undergraduate education.
Other
members of the advisory group are: Karen Cummings, physics;
Michael Danchak and Robert Ingalls, computer science; Joseph
Walther and Robert Krull, Department of Language, Literature,
and Communications; Don Millard '91, Center for Integrated Electronics
and Electronic Manufacturing; Roger Grice, technical communication;
William Siegmann, mathematics; and Douglas Baxter, School of
Engineering.
"The
laptop requirement has opened up new opportunities for enhancing
the educational experience at Rensselaer for our undergraduates,"
Gabriele said. "Faculty are continually finding new and
innovative means to provide educational materials, and enhance
the interaction between faculty member and student." For
a full review of the report, click on
http://www.ciue.rpi.edu/laptop_evaluation.html
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Cavosie
Chosen for U.S. Junior Hockey Team
Sophomore
hockey forward Marc Cavosie '03 has been selected for the 2001
United States National Junior Hockey Team.
A
graduate of Albany Academy, Cavosie, 19, is one of 22 players
who will compete for the U.S. in the 2001 International Ice
Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship. The tournament,
featuring the world's top players under 20 years old, will be
held Dec. 26-Jan. 5, 2001, in Moscow and surrounding cities.
Cavosie,
a center for the Engineers (6-3-1), has seven goals and six
assists for 13 points in nine games this season. He is the first
Rensselaer student athlete to play in the World Junior Tournament
since Adam Bartell in 1992-93. Cavosie is expected to miss four
Engineers' games while in Russia.
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President
Shirley Ann Jackson announced Dec. 13 that the Institute has obtained
a gift of $130 million from an anonymous donor to construct two
major new facilities: a biotechnology research building and an
electronic media and performing arts center. According to figures
kept by the Chronicle of Higher Education, the gift is
the 10th largest ever to a university, and the third largest to
a university in New York state.