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Campus
News: Week of Jan. 16, 2001
Zhang
Honored for Achievements in Terahertz Imaging
 Xi-Cheng
Zhang, professor of physics and professor of electrical, computer,
and systems engineering at Rensselaer, has been elected a fellow
of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
and the Optical Society of America.
The
honors recognize Zhang's pioneering work in the use of terahertz
radiation, a technology that holds tremendous promise in medicine,
agriculture, microelectronics, and other fields.
Terahertz
radiation, also known as "T-rays," can create a picture
or carry information when passed through an object, much as X-rays
can show objects within the human body, or radio waves can carry
sound. A group led by Zhang has succeeded in producing emitters
to send out controlled T-ray radiation and sensors to collect
them, making the large terahertz portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum useful. Zhang's labs have been visited by scientists
from more than 50 government and industry laboratories, universities,
clinics, and medical schools.
Zhang
earned his bachelor's degree in physics at Peking University,
Beijing, China, in 1982, and his master's and doctoral degrees
in physics at Brown University. He joined the Rensselaer faculty
in 1992.
The
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is the world's
largest technical professional society, with more than 350,000
members in 150 countries. The society is an authority on areas
ranging from aerospace, computers, and telecommunications to biomedicine,
electric power, and consumer electronics.
The
Optical Society of America, with 13,400 members, was organized
to diffuse the knowledge of optics, pure and applied, to promote
the common interests of investigators of optical problems, of
designers, and of users of optical apparatus of all kinds. Each
year, the OSA names no more than one-tenth of its members as fellows.
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One Man's Bandwidth
 When
he's not alleviating Internet traffic jams, Shivkumar
Kalyanaraman, professor of information technology
and electrical, computer, and systems engineering, is taming
the World Wide Web one song at a time.
Kalyanaraman, who has been called a visionary by MIT's
Tech Review, has found that the sprawling Internet
is also a haven for his niche interests—Carnatic music
and violin playing. Carnatic classical music from southern
India is one of the world's oldest and richest musical traditions.
"The Internet allows niche communities to develop,"
says Kalyanaraman, "Intelligent people can take initiatives
to archive their culture on the Web; my music is one aspect
of that."
A violinist for 15 years, Kalyanaraman devotes much of his
free time to archiving Carnatic Krithis on his personal Web
page. Krithis are monophonic songs with improvised
variations. He has archived 85 songs, in easily downloadable
MP3 and RealAudio formats, in which he sings and plays the
violin. Additionally, he has documented the notation and wording
of each of the songs, some of which are rare, in HTML or MSWord
formats.
"I archive what I know and others archive what they know,"
Kalyanaraman says. "It's getting much easier to do this
archiving as technology becomes cheaper and easier use. The
more intuitive the interface, the more people will use it."
He teaches music at no charge to his students or others interested
in sharing the tradition. He performs at the Hindu Temple
in Albany and at concerts sponsored by Pallavi, a local organization.
The Internet, he says, can facilitate a wonderful cultural
exchange.
"Now you don't have to go from here to southern India
to get these experiences," he laughs.
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Institute Boosts Research Efforts Through New Office of VP for
Research
The
new office of the Vice President for Research is designed to
help faculty members refine proposals, make contacts at funding
agencies, increase the visibility of their research, and team
with the Office of Corporate Relations to make key connections.
"We're
in the process of changing the paradigm of how we do business
on campus. We are building a proactive support system in
the Office of Research that in many ways, internally and
externally, will help faculty succeed and Rensselaer achieve
its funding goals."
— Ken Gertz—
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Created
last year by President Jackson, the office provides the tools,
strategic focus, and resources needed for the Institute to reach
the expanded research goals of the Rensselaer Plan.
Led
by Arthur Sanderson, vice president for research, the new office
oversees Contracts and Grants, Technology Commercialization,
and three research centers-CAT, CIEEM, and SCOREC. Sanderson
believes the office will be a catalyst in making Rensselaer
a world-class technological research university.
"We
develop strategy and provide a support infrastructure-from writing
proposals to commercializing a new technology-for building the
research effort at the Institute, with an emphasis on major
interdisciplinary research programs and centers," Sanderson
said.
Ken
Gertz, director of research development and administration,
said, "We're in the process of changing the paradigm of
how we do business on campus. We are building a proactive support
system in the Office of Research that in many ways, internally
and externally, will help faculty succeed and Rensselaer achieve
its funding goals."
Contracts
and Grants works closely with faculty in the preparation and
submission of proposals. It also represents the Institute in
the negotiation for and administration of sponsored program
awards, explained Richard Scammell '69, director.
The
faculty can turn to Technology Commercialization for assistance
with intellectual property issues and new technology development.
"If we're going to grow in research, we need to pay attention
to the intellectual property that is resulting from research,"
said Charles Rancourt '70, director.
Tuition
Cost-Sharing Policy in Effect Jan. 1
President
Shirley Ann Jackson has approved a policy that will pay partial
tuition costs for graduate research assistants (GRAs) supported
on competitive, externally funded research contracts. The Tuition
Cost-Sharing for Research Assistants Policy went into effect
Jan. 1.
President
Shirley Ann Jackson has approved a policy that will pay
partial tuition costs for graduate research assistants (GRAs)
supported on competitive, externally funded research contracts.
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According
to the proposal, Rensselaer will pay one-third of the tuition
cost for each GRA included in interdisciplinary proposals submitted
for competitive, externally funded research programs.
For
those student assistants listed in noninterdisciplinary proposals,
or when only one GRA is named on a research application, one-quarter
of the tuition expense will be paid by Rensselaer. The cost-sharing
measure will be prorated accordingly for GRAs partially funded
by sources outside the Institute.
"The
significant increases in the research portfolio outlined in
the Rensselaer Plan will require that faculty undertake new
and sustained efforts in the research arena. One way to encourage
and motivate these efforts is through the implementation of
a tuition cost-sharing program," Jackson said.
According
to Institute Provost Bud Peterson, the policy:
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will
make proposals more competitive with other institutions by
reducing the amount of tuition charged to the proposal;
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may
allow more students to be included on a given contract, thereby
allowing more work to be proposed for the same amount of funding;
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will
assist in promoting interdisciplinary research activities;
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will
provide institutional cost-sharing on a much larger number
of research proposals, thereby demonstrating a greater institutional
commitment to research.
"This
policy is a significant step toward building Rensselaer's research
program by making our faculty and the proposals they submit
more competitive with those at other universities. It is not
focused on a particular research program, but rather supports
research endeavors in all areas," said Peterson.
A New Class of Games and Guts
Assistant
Professor of Electronic Arts Kathleen Ruiz will be teaching
a new course this spring called Games and Guts, which
is already filled to capacity.
The
hands-on studio course requires students to use gaming constructs
and high-tech techniques in making art. Students create interactive
game prototypes using two- and three-dimensional visual approaches
and interactive applications and materials.
Creating
models that go beyond existing "shoot 'em down" gaming
paradigms is a primary goal of the class, Ruiz says.
For
instance, a student may come up with an idea about a game that
educates players about symbiotic systems in the environment
and involves players using a kit to collect data from nature.
The results then would be evaluated in a game constructed for
online use. Or, a student may come up with an idea about a game
for personal awareness involving a series of Web-based questions
and answers combined with a physical model, such as Twister.
"The
ideas are endless here. I'm attempting to have students think
out of the normal established ideas of art and gaming,"
says Ruiz. "I want them to think in new ways, such as exploring
virtual terrains with small physical models."
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Lally
School Receives Reaccreditation
The
Lally School of Management and Technology has achieved
reaffirmation of accreditation of the bachelor's, master's,
and doctoral degree programs by the AACSB—The
International Association for Management Education.
"This
accreditation maintains our reputation as a top-tier university
offering world-renowned academic programs."
— Andrew Z. Lemnios—
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This
reaffirmation of accreditation covers all degree programs
offered in Troy and all business programs offered at at Rensselaer
at Hartford.
"This
is a tribute to the high quality of our faculty, staff, and
students," said Joe Ecker, dean of the Lally School.
"This
accreditation maintains our reputation as a top-tier university
offering world-renowned academic programs," said Andrew
Z. Lemnios, interim vice president of Rensselaer
at Hartford.
There
are 376 AACSB-accredited programs in the United States. To
achieve accreditation, business programs must satisfy a wide
range of quality standards relating to curriculum, faculty
resources, admissions, degree requirements, library and computer
facilities, financial resources, and intellectual climate.
The demanding standards of the AACSB process challenge schools
to focus on the quality of educational activities through
self-evaluation, peer review, and continuous improvement.
AACSB
is a not-for-profit organization consisting of more than 800
educational organizations and corporations. Its mission is
excellence in management education in colleges and universities.
Headquartered in St. Louis. AACSB is the premier accrediting
agency and service organization for business schools.
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