Campus.News: Features

John Wen '85, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering, has been named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The fellow grade is conferred upon a member in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of electrical and electronics engineering.

Wen is recognized for his work in robotics and automation, which has applications ranging from manufacturing to space exploration. His recent research involves distributed control, surgical robotics, mobile robots, multiple-robot coordination, and parallel robots. As part of the distributed control research, Wen has developed Java-based software that allows the use of the Internet for coordination and control of systems. He recently incorporated this software into the classroom where students can work on experiments, and Wen can monitor their progress, both remotely via the Internet.

This software tool has also been applied to industrial settings for remote process monitoring and diagnostics. Wen's group has also collaborated with physicians at the Albany Medical College to develop robotic devices, called the EndoBots, to assist surgeons with endoscopic surgeries. Wen's research in mobile robots has led to algorithms and demonstration of maneuvering and parking of tractor-trailer type of vehicles.

Wen earned his bachelor's degree from McGill University in 1979, his master's from the University of Illinois-Champagne in 1981, and his doctorate from Rensselaer in 1985, all in electrical engineering. He joined the Rensselaer faculty in 1988.

Prior to joining Rensselaer, Wen worked at Fisher Controls and then at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

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State Approves New Multidisciplinary Program at Rensselaer

A new multidisciplinary science degree program at Rensselaer has been approved by the New York State Department of Education.

"These new degrees in multidisciplinary science are designed to meet the needs of today's graduates who require a more diversified background to compete effectively in industrial or governmental occupations that are multidisciplinary in nature."
— Shirley Ann Jackson—

The program, the first of its kind in New York state, will offer M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in multidisciplinary science.

The degrees are designed for a new breed of student, whose interests overlap several disciplines, according to Samuel Wait, associate dean of science. "We can custom-make a program with all the right courses and a dissertation that spans different areas," he said.

Nicolle Zellner For instance, students seeking a career in pharmaceutical research could design a degree concentrated in biology, computational sciences, and chemistry. Those who want to go into the field of microchip manufacturing could create a degree with courses in chemistry, materials engineering, electrical engineering, and physics.

Nicolle Zellner, a student working on her doctoral degree at Rensselaer, is a pioneer of the new Multidisciplinary Science Program.

"My research is in lunar geochemistry and studies in the origins of life," says Zellner, whose dream is to be a researcher in NASA's astrobiology program. "I found that the multidisciplinary nature of the new program, with so many different topics, applies to what I'm interested in. It takes biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and physics for the kind of research I'm involved with. The physics program alone didn't allow me to be that broad."

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LINAC Refurbished

Work was recently completed on a three-year, $1.4 million refurbishment project at the Gaerttner Linear Accelerator (LINAC) Laboratory.

The 39-year-old accelerator is now "better than new," according to Robert Block, Rensselaer professor emeritus and LINAC director.

LINAC Rensselaer received a $1.1 million contract from the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL), which is operated for the Department of Energy by KAPL Inc., a Lockheed Martin company. With internal and external funding, the project totaled approximately $1.4 million. Rensselaer personnel designed, installed, and tested the system upgrades. Pictured, James Westhead, LINAC supervisor, left, and Larry Prince, LINAC technician, install the new klystron amplifiers that drive the accelerator.

The accelerator has been restored from eight to its original nine straight drift tube sections in which electrons are taken to high energies (about 75 million electron volts). Other improvements include new instrumentation, new klystron amplifiers, and an improved radio frequency delivery system, Block said. The upgraded equipment improves beam tuning, increases LINAC output by 30 percent, yields more data per hour of operation, and is expected to extend the service life by 10 years.

The LINAC was named as a Nuclear Historic Landmark by American Nuclear Society in 1998. It was named for Professor Erwin R. Gaerttner, first chair of the department of nuclear engineering and first director of the LINAC.

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HR Forms on the Web

Do you need to designate a life insurance beneficiary? Change your address? Submit a request for a tuition scholarship? Appropriate forms and instructions can be found on the Human Resources Web site.

The latest issue of HRPolytechnote, the newsletter of the Division of Human Resources, highlights the HR Web site, which contains many downloadable forms for employees. Do you need to designate a life insurance beneficiary? Change your address? Submit a request for a tuition scholarship? Appropriate forms and instructions can be found on the Human Resources Web site.

Forms that may be accessed include health, dental, and life insurance, retirement, flexible spending accounts, and more. The site also includes HR policies and resources, Institute holidays, job postings, and links to the HRPolytechnote newsletter.