Campus.News: Features

Stephen Onyeiwu is a clinical assistant professor of ecological economics at Rensselaer. He's also a native of Nigeria, born in the tiny tribal village of Umuluwe (oo-ma-LOO-we), made up of about 2,000 peasant farmers and traders. Onyeiwu wants to "wire" his village with e-mail and Internet access.

Onyeiwu feels so strongly that information technology can empower the people of this village—where the average yearly income is $300—that he has raised a small sum of money to begin an e-mail dialogue between the villagers, Rensselaer students and faculty, and The Ark, an afterschool technology program for urban children in the Taylor Apartments in Troy.

Information technology is driving the future, Onyeiwu says, and he doesn't want the people in his village to be left out. "In this age of globalization, no community should be isolated," Onyeiwu says.

The money will underwrite the costs for Umuluwe villagers to travel to a city and send and receive e-mail, a process that is currently expensive and tedious. Every two weeks a villager rents a motorcycle and drives to a small town to catch a bus into the nearest city. The villager must then patronize a commercial business that offers a "pay per e-mail" service. The entire process takes about one day and costs $3—three times a villager's daily income.

Onyeiwu and his colleagues at Rensselaer have begun collecting old computer equipment to send to Umuluwe. They've begun a "sister village" project with an ambassador from Umuluwe and their future plans are to establish a technology center there.

The Internal Strategic Planning Committee (ISPC) for Information Technology has issued its final report and recommendations.

The committee was created as part of the Rensselaer Plan, to examine and recommend focal research areas in IT based on Rensselaer's strengths. Chaired by Art Sanderson, vice president for research, the ISPC was comprised of 16 faculty members.

The report identified three core areas for targeted growth, focused research, and funding:

In addition, three areas of cross-cutting IT research were recommended for consideration in strategic planning:
Social and Economic Implications: Policy, Perspective, and Analysis;
Biocomputation and Bioinformatics;
Electronic Media, Arts, and Minds.

The ISPC identified current Rensselaer research strengths in networking and communications, nanotechnology, microelectronics, and robotics and automation. These research strengths were regarded as "existing building blocks of excellence." The report cited the CIEEM, SCOREC, and the CAT as academic centers with significant reputation and research in those areas.

"Rensselaer has an opportunity to excel and gain international recognition in the area of new media arts by building on current strengths in the Academy of Electronic Media, the Arts Department, the Minds and Machines Lab, and the Human-Computer Interaction research groups," said the report.

The report also noted that the School of Humanities and Social Science could position itself at the center of major scholarly, public interest, and policy issues in the growth and implications of information technology.

The projected growth of Rensselaer research in information science and technology will require significant investment in resources and infrastructure, including human support, major space allocations, and high-end facilities, the report said.

The ISPC's report took into account prior studies, including the national President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) report. In addition, the findings of a panel of external experts, who conducted a campus site visit in May, were integral to the ISPC's recommendations.

This fall's Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) exhibit focuses on improving home life through design and will take place Friday, Dec. 8, 4-8 p.m. in the Darrin Communications Center Great Hall. The event is open to the campus and all are encouraged to attend.

Forty-two student teams 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 is that the design should not 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 include 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 have 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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Free TB Screenings To Become Routine

No cases of active TB were found during the October screening by the Rensselaer County Health Department.

This year's free tuberculosis screening program attracted more than 450 students, faculty, and staff. Inaugurated with a special grant from the Centers for Disease Control, the free screenings will now become a routine part of the Institute's focus on preventing disease, said Medical Director Dr. Robert Athanasiou.

"Since many people in our community travel a great deal, to all parts of the world, the risk of exposure can be significant," Athanasiou said. "To protect our students, faculty, and staff, we plan to make the TB screening a regular event. I hope even more members of the Rensselaer community will take part next year."

No cases of active TB were found during the October screening by the Rensselaer County Health Department. Those who tested positive, indicating that they had been exposed to TB, received a chest X-ray and were offered a course of preventive treatment. That treatment will last for nine months and is coordinated through the county health department, Athanasiou said.

Many other places throughout the United States have been conducting similar programs in the effort to detect and treat the disease in its earliest, non-infectious stage.

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Home Sweeter Home

As part of the Rensselaer Plan's Neighborhood Renewal Initiative (see section 7.4 at www.rpi.edu/web/President/Plan/) the Institute has purchased six tax-foreclosed properties that border the campus. The property purchase is a first step in an Institutewide initiative to promote homeownership in the neighborhoods surrounding campus.

The structures, located along the campus edges, were all purchased for approximately $28,000. Most will be rehabilitated as multi-family homes and sold to qualified homeowners.

The structures, located along the campus edges, were all purchased for approximately $28,000. Most will be rehabilitated as multi-family homes and sold to qualified homeowners. A few may be candidates for expansion of the Incubator Center if appropriate funding can be attained, said Barb Nelson '80, project manager for campus planning and facilities design.

The Neighborhood Renewal Initiative is guided by a committee, appointed by President Jackson, which includes representatives from government relations, finance, administration, student life, the School of Architecture, and the city of Troy.

Focused on the "Hillside Neighborhoods" (8th to 17th and Hoosick Street to Peoples Avenue), the project seeks to engage Rensselaer's neighbors in partnerships that foster development of commercial areas, promote infrastructure improvements, and enhance the quality of life.

"One driving force behind this particular initiative is the fact that Peoples Avenue, and 8th and 15th streets are gateways to the campus," Nelson says. "Infrastructure, streetscape, and property improvements along those corridors will be beneficial to Rensselaer, the neighborhood, and the city at large. This is just the first of several innovative programs we are developing."

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Building Projects Honored

In recognition of the newly built Mueller Center and Barton Hall, the Institute has received two 2000 Chamber Community Beautification Achievement Awards from the Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce.

Approximately 35 properties in Rensselaer County as well as in several gateway communities were judged in the contest that consisted of three categories—business, residential, and community/neighborhood. The awards are issued annually by a beautification committee that looks at exterior building improvements and design. Special merit and recognition awards were also presented in each category. The Mueller Center was honored with the Chamber Community/Neighborhood Honor Award while Barton Hall was recognized with the Special Merit Award in the same category.

"Our staff has worked hard to make possible the necessary physical improvements that ultimately enhanced the overall environment at Rensselaer, and it's nice to be recognized for that," said Ted Mirczak '66, acting vice president for administration.

Barbara Nelson '80, project manager for campus planning and facilities design, attended an honorary breakfast to receive a plaque for the Mueller Center on behalf of Rensselaer. Bruce Kunkel '71, major projects construction manager, accepted the Institute's award for Barton Hall.

Baron Construction Corp. in Albany and MLB Industries in Latham, the off-campus construction managers for Barton Hall and Mueller Center respectively, also were recognized at the ceremony.

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