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Campus
News: Week of May 7, 2001
Commencement 2001
Facts and figures on Rensselaer's 195th Commencement ceremony
 Bill
Cosby will deliver the address at Rensselaer's 195th Commencement
ceremony on May 12. Joining Cosby will be the Honorable Charles
E. Schumer, the senior U.S. senator from New York. The Institute
also will bestow honorary doctoral degrees on Cosby, Vinton G.
Cerf, known as the "Father of the Internet," and renowned
sociologist William Julius Wilson. Rensselaer is expected to confer
1,042 bachelor's degrees, 624 master's degrees, and 112 doctoral
degrees. See Commencement
Press Release for
details about the honorary degree recipients.
The
Big 4-OH
As many as 38 students are graduating this year from Rensselaer
with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. That includes one who
graduated last August, six who graduated in December, and another
31 who were "in the running" for the prestigious accomplishment
as of early May.
Senior
Gift
The senior class has traditionally presented Rensselaer with a
gift, including such past bequests as a time capsule, a clock,
and the granite "Rensselaer" sign on the lawn of the
Student Union. This year, for the first time, the seniors have
established a scholarship—the Class of 2001 Millennium Scholarship
Fund—which will provide one or more undergraduates with a
four-year scholarship. The goal is to set up an endowment of at
least $25,000, the income from which will support undergraduate
students in perpetuity. Each member of this year's class is being
asked to consider a pledge. See Full
Story in this issue. For
more about the scholarship, go to:
http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/services/class/2001/scholarship.html.
A Family
Affair
Fifty of this year's graduates are legacies—Rensselaer students
with relatives who are Rensselaer alumni. Among them is Matthew
Riegert, whose parents are Lawrence Riegert '78 and Marie Gendron
Ricketts '78 (who also received her M.E. from Rensselaer in 1991).
Matthew's grandfather, Kenneth Gendron '49, also expects to attend
Commencement, though his great-uncle, Merrill Gendron '54, does
not.
Where IT's
At
Rensselaer's B.S. in Information Technology has proven wildly popular.
Last year, six students graduated with the school's first-ever degrees
in IT. This year, the number has more than quadrupled, with 27 IT
graduates. The current freshman class has 105 IT majors, with 125
expected among this fall's newcomers.
High-Tech
Rewards
Cara Jones, 22, who is receiving her bachelor's degree in computer
engineering, recently accepted a $70,000-a-year job with FactSet,
a company that offers online investment tools to the investment
management and banking industries. Michael Straus, armed with
a bachelor's in computer science, received several lucrative offers
before the Verona, N.J., native decided to take a job offer for
$72,000 plus bonuses from Oracle as a software developer.
See the full story
in this issue.
A Vote
for Entrepreneurship
Every graduate of a technological university should have a solid
grounding in entrepreneurship, says Mike Herman '62, the Rensselaer
trustee who recently invested $1 million to transform degree programs
at Rensselaer. Herman's $1 million grant will provide start-up
funds to infuse entrepreneurship throughout the curriculum. For
more on the Herman gift, go to: http://www.rpi.edu/web/Campus.News/apr01/apr_9/home.html#1a
Get Up
and Go
The entire management team at Vinny Pasceri's Incubator-based
company will graduate this year. A foursome of 20-somethings run
ProductivityNet, which recently landed a $250,000 windfall in
venture funding (the largest ever for a student company). The
business was named "Promising New Enterprise" by the
Tech Valley Software Alliance. In the next few months the company,
comprised almost entirely of undergraduates, will move into its
next phase of product development and seek further funding. See
the full story at: http://www.rpi.edu/web/News/press_releases/2001/productivity.html
Remembering
Jessie
Jessie Fortier, a vibrant young woman, passed away last year in
a tragic car accident. The sisters in Jessie's sorority, Alpha
Gamma Delta, have established a memorial scholarship in her name.
To date, they have raised $9,500 toward their goal of $12,000
needed to begin awarding an annual $750 scholarship to a Rensselaer
student. If you are interested in supporting the scholarship,
please send contributions to: Alpha Gamma Delta Foundation, Attn:
In Memory of Jessie Fortier, c/o Alpha Gamma Delta International
Headquarters, 8701 Founders Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268. Make
checks payable to Alpha Gamma Delta—In Memory of Jessie Fortier.
Should
I Stay or Should I Go?
When he graduates this summer, Devin Croak will have three degrees
from Rensselaer. And, he's coming back for more-enrolling as a
Ph.D. candidate in information technology in the fall. Croak,
who directs the Omega Worlds project in the Minds & Machines
Lab, has two bachelor's degrees from Rensselaer (in biology/psychology
and computer science) and a master's degree in psychology and
cognitive systems.
Mazel
Tov!
Bob Gluck, a rabbi, will earn his master of fine arts degree this
year. His thesis presentation, "Sounds of Community,"
is an interactive sound installation involving liturgical objects
at the Woodstock Jewish Congregation in Woodstock, N.Y. In 1989,
Gluck graduated from Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote,
Pa.
High Faculty
Honors
Wilfredo "Freddie" Colón, assistant professor of
chemistry, was honored by President Clinton in the fall, with a
prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
(PECASE) from the National Science Foundation. For more on Colon's
PECASE award, go to:
http://www.rpi.edu/web/Campus.News/nov00/nov_6/home.html
Rensselaer
Names Local Man Vice President for Administration
Claude Rounds Recently Served as Vice President at Albany Med
Claude
D. Rounds of East Greenbush has been named vice president for
administration at Rensselaer effective June 4, subject to approval
by the Board of Trustees.
Rounds
recently completed 15 years of service as vice president for
plant management at Albany Medical Center. Prior to that, he
served the hospital for seven years as manager of plant operations
and maintenance.
"Mr. Rounds brings to Rensselaer more than 30 years of
experience in facilities and property management," said
President Shirley Ann Jackson, in making the announcement. "He
is a skilled engineer, administrator, communicator, and strategic
planner.
"In
addition to his professional training and experience, Mr. Rounds
has been a long-time resident and active community member here
in the Capital Region. We are fortunate to have him join the
administration at Rensselaer," Jackson said.
Before
joining Albany Medical Center in 1979, Rounds was director of
physical plant and facility planning at Hudson Valley Community
College. Earlier, he served as Rensselaer County Director of
Environmental Health, director of plant operations at Wilton
Developmental Center, and as senior building construction engineer
for the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene.
Rounds
is a registered professional engineer and is certified by the
State Department of Health as an associate public engineer.
He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from North
Dakota State University, in Fargo, N.D., and has an associate
degree in construction technology from Hudson Valley Community
College.
He
is a board member of the Health Resource Conservation Coalition,
past chair and member of the University Hospitals Consortium
Steering Committee for Technology Management and Facilities
Management, and chair of the Hospital Association of New York
State Technical Advisory Group.
Rounds
is former chair of the East Greenbush Planning Board and chair
of the Town of East Greenbush Project Review Team. He has served
as project planning consultant for the Town of East Greenbush
and as engineering consultant for the Town of Nassau. Rounds
is president of the Board of Directors of Rouse, RPC, and an
instructor at Hudson Valley Community College, where he also
serves as a member of the Advisory Committee for Plant Technology.
Many
Job Options for Students Armed With a High-Tech Degree
Without
a doubt, the job market continues to offer good news for those
graduating students armed with a high-tech degree, according
to the Career Development Center (CDC).
Without
a doubt, the job market continues to offer good news for
those graduating students armed with a high-tech degree,
according to the Career Development Center (CDC).
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Michael
Straus, armed with a bachelor's in computer science, received
several lucrative offers before the Verona, N.J., native decided
to take a job offer for $72,000 plus bonuses from Oracle as
a software developer.
While
big corporations are making a comeback in recruiting on campus,
dotcoms and smaller companies are not out of the competition.
Cara
Jones, 22, who will receive her bachelor's in computer engineering
this year, recently accepted a $70,000 job with FactSet, a Connecticut
company that offers online investment tools to the investment
management and banking industries.
She
received job opportunities from major corporations, including
one from Goldman Sachs, a leading global investment banking
and securities firm that's one of the largest and oldest of
its kind.
For
Jones, things like identifying a corporate culture, how she'll
fit in, what part of the decision-making process she'll be involved
in are essential. "Goldman Sachs is a great company,"
she says, "but smaller and newer companies have a different
culture-a younger culture that I can relate to.
"When
you have a computer degree, you're set-you can get a job almost
anywhere," says Jones. "So, why not take a chance?"
Two Students Receive Coveted Intel Fellowships
Two
students from Rensselaer's Center for Integrated Electronics
and Electronics Manufacturing (CIEEM) have been named Intel
Fellows for the 2001-2002 academic year by the Intel Foundation.
Intel
awards approximately 35 fellowships annually for the "best
of the best." The CIEEM has participated in the fellowship
program since 1994 and has had at least one fellow each
year.
— Ronald
Gutmann—
|
Kausik
Chatterjee, from electrical, computer, and systems engineering,
and John Nugent, from materials science and engineering, were
awarded the 12-month fellowship that covers tuition and provides
a generous stipend and a high-end Pentium-based PC during the
fellowship period.
Chatterjee,
supervised by Yannick LeCoz, associate professor of ECSE, is
conducting research on a full-wave interconnect parameter extraction
simulation program funded by the Center for Advanced Interconnect
Science and Technology. Nugent, supervised by Pulickel Ajayan,assistant
professor of materials science and engineering, is researching
carbon nanotubes and is funded by the Interconnect Focus Center.
Intel
awards approximately 35 fellowships annually for the "best
of the best," said Ronald Gutmann, professor of ECSE and
coordinator for the Rensselaer CIEEM Fellowship Program. The
CIEEM has participated in the fellowship program since 1994
and has had at least one fellow each year.
Darrin Counseling Award: Peter Persans
 Peter
Persans, professor of physics, is this year's recipient of the
David M. Darrin Counseling Award, presented annually at Commencement.
The award was established by David M. Darrin '40 to recognize
a faculty member who has made an unusual contribution in the
counseling of students. Selection of the award recipient is
made by Phalanx, the student leadership honorary society, based
on nominations received from students.
"He
genuinely cares about the students, not only for their research
results, and I found him to be a great teacher and research
adviser," wrote one nominator. "He made my research
experience at RPI a highly rewarding experience, and I am
not likely to forget it, or him."
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Persans,
who received a B.S. in physics from Polytechnic Institute of
New York and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago,
was selected for his commitment to both graduate and undergraduate
students inside and outside of the classroom, according to Phalanx.
"He genuinely cares about the students, not only for their
research results, and I found him to be a great teacher and
research adviser," wrote one nominator. "He made my
research experience at RPI a highly rewarding experience, and
I am not likely to forget it, or him."
"Aside
from his outstanding commitment as an educator, the student
has no better friend than Professor Persans," wrote another.
"There is no instructor more deserving of this award."
RAA Teaching Award: Charles Boylen
 The
Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA) has named Charles W. Boylen
as the recipient of the 2001 RAA Teaching Award. Boylen is professor
of biology and associate director of the Darrin Fresh Water
Institute. Boylen received a bachelor's degree in microbiology
from Indiana University and a doctoral degree in bacteriology
from the University of Wisconsin.
Letters
of recommendation came from students, alumni, and faculty spanning
three decades who described Boylen's personal approach to teaching,
his ability to challenge his students, and his strong commitment
to his work.
Boylen
was recently quoted in the New
York Times on the controversial
proposal by the Lake George Park Commission to use herbicide
to combat Eurasian watermilfoil.
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"I
can't think of an award that means more to me than this, because
it comes from students I have had down across the years,"
said Boylen.
The
RAA Teaching Award was created by the RAA Board of Trustees
to recognize current members of the Rensselaer faculty for their
outstanding teaching techniques, contributions to the campus
experience, and commitment to students.
Business
Plan Competition Winners Announced
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| (Back
row, l-r) Competition judges Paul Ross, Robert Godgart,
John Cococcia, and Andrew Dressel with etransmedia principals
(front row, l-r) Avin Joshi, Vikram Agrawal, Brian Zweig,
and Vikash Agrawal. Photo by Thomas Griffin. |
etransmedia
Technologies Inc., a company run by Rensselaer
graduate students with offices in the Incubator Center and
in Bangalore, India, has won first prize in the sixth annual
Rensselaer-Lucent Technologies Business Plan Competition.
The company will receive $3,000 in seed capital and be eligible
for another $20,000 in venture funding. The company garnered
another $1,000 by placing third in the Lally School's Open
Business Plan Competition.
Founder
and CEO Vikram Agrawal, a computer science graduate student
and native of India, says etransmedia is capitalizing on the
convergence of information technology, an international time
difference, and a tech-savvy Indian population. The company
provides transcription services to medical, business, and
legal organizations, and expects to report a revenue stream
of more than $2 million in its first year. Agrawal projects
third-year earnings to be about $25 million.
"We
have a distinct advantage in the marketplace, We can deliver
a product for 30 to 50 percent less than our competitors.
We can match or exceed any of our competitors in quality,
customer service, and price."
— Vikram
Agrawal—
|
"We
have a distinct advantage in the marketplace," says Agrawal.
"We can deliver a product for 30 to 50 percent less than
our competitors. We can match or exceed any of our competitors
in quality, customer service, and price."
Two
companies run by MBA students won second and third prizes,
which carry awards of $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The
business plan for Ultralipometer, a device that uses ultrasound
to measure fat below the skin, won second place. And Emergency
Tracking System for firefighters placed third.
The
Open Business Plan competition, which carries a $3,000 prize,
was won by Ve-Design, an Incubator company run by Robert J.
Graves, professor of decision sciences and engineering systems.
Ve-Design
has an
exclusive license from Rensselaer to commercialize technology
that allows engineers to evaluate millions of product design
alternatives in a fraction of the time it takes with existing
tools. A patent is pending.
Second
and third place went to Silicon Imaging and etransmedia Inc.
Previous
winners of the student business plan competition have included
ProductivityNet and ReQuest MultiMedia. Both companies have
encountered great success recently. ReQuest won $100,000 from
the Tech Valley Summit, and ProductivityNet landed $250,000
in venture funding.
A
Gift for the Ages: Class of 2001 Millennium Scholarship
 Rensselaer
students are remarkable. Remarkable in their talents, their
drive, their ability to tackle difficult problems, and their
desire to give back to Rensselaer for the education they received.
A long-standing tradition has been established by the outgoing
senior class to make a gift to Rensselaer. Past gifts have included
a time capsule, a clock, and the granite "Rensselaer"
sign on the lawn of the Student Union.
This
year, the senior class decided upon a gift that will be both
unique and meaningful to students for years to come—the
Class of 2001 Millennium Scholarship Fund. This endowed fund
will provide one or more Rensselaer undergraduates with a four-year
scholarship; this is the first time the senior class has chosen
to endow a scholarship.
The
idea for the gift grew out of brainstorming discussions by the
Class of 2001 Council. "We wanted to give something back
that would impact students personally and last long after we
have left Rensselaer," says Shaelynn Hales, 2001 Senior
Class Council President. Hales adds, "We hope we have started
a new tradition for the Rensselaer classes of this millennium."
The
goal is to set up an endowment of at least $25,000, the income
from which will support undergraduate students in perpetuity.
Each member of the class is being asked to consider making a
pledge, payable over the next five years.
If you are interested in learning more about the scholarship,
please log on to
http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/services/class/2001/scholarship.html.
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