Campus News: Week of November 5, 2001

Advanced Materials Make Faster Programmable Chips

Rensselaer researchers are using advanced materials to create a faster programmable chip that could set the standard for future high-speed digital circuits.

Russell Kraft (pictured at right), senior project manager in the Center for Integrated Electronics, and Jack McDonald, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering, are using silicon germanium (SiGe) as the basis for the next generation of field programmable gate arrays (FPGA)—chips where the user can program the circuits for specific needs. They have been working closely with IBM on the project.

FPGA chips have been available for many years but the current materials and technologies used to build them typically limit their speed to the 250 megahertz range. The unique combination of SiGe and the researchers' advanced chip-making process can provide the increased speed and high yield rate of circuit fabrication necessary for viable commercial products. According to Kraft, SiGe FPGAs can run in the 1 to 20 gigahertz range.

"A key strategy for scaling up the circuits is intelligent power management. When part of the circuit isn't being used or isn't required to work fast, we can power it down or lower its power. This technique will allow us to use power more effectively," said Kraft.

Kraft believes that this technology could be of interest to the military, which needs extremely fast image processing capabilities or networking circuitry. Available software cannot process images quickly and automatically enough; but this hardware could improve the processing speed by a factor of 100 or more.

The project, supported by an NSF Combined Research and Curriculum Development grant, will teach students how to design systems in the 1-20 GHz range.

New Web Site Updates Campus Preparedness

President Jackson has unveiled a Web site designed to be a central resource for information regarding campus preparedness and safety. The site will feature daily information updates regarding campus security, health safety, mail handling, anthrax facts, travel warnings, and answers to frequently asked questions. The site is located at www.rpi.edu/safecampus.

"My paramount responsibility is the health, safety, and welfare of the Rensselaer family," said Jackson. "Now, as the U.S. Attorney General advises a heightened state of alert for unspecified threats, I wanted campus to know the measures we have in place."

The site provides information on campus services and links to state and federal resources such as the New York State Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Weekly updates from President Jackson will inform campus of any new and related issues.

Additionally, the site contains the full transcript of the Oct. 29 news conference with Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller. Dr. Robert Athanasiou, medical director of Rensselaer's Health Center, also has written a message to the campus community about health-related services.

Questions or suggestions concerning the new site can be sent to katzme@rpi.edu.

Phan Leads Study of Regional Entrepreneurial Activity

Rensselaer is one of 16 U.S. universities selected by the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership to study entrepreneurial activity in the United States.

The results of the scientific study will help policymakers and community leaders craft strategies and partnerships that could pave the way for future entrepreneurial and economic growth.

The $70,000 grant is part of a larger $700,000 effort by the Kauffman Center to understand how entrepreneurship can serve as a catalyst to revitalize former industrial areas.

Phillip Phan, research director at the Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship in the Lally School of Management and Technology, will lead a team of researchers to investigate the drivers of entrepreneurial activity in the Mohawk Valley region, the impact of personal networks on entrepreneurial startups, and the relationship between technological knowledge creation and entrepreneurial intensity in a region.

"The Lally School and Rensselaer intend to play a leading role in accelerating high value-added entrepreneurial activity and thus economic development in upstate New York and in the Capital Region." says Phan, the Warren H. Bruggeman '46 and Pauline Urban Bruggeman Distinguished Associate Professor of Management.

"Our goal is to figure out the factors—financial, cultural, social, historical, and legal—that might be retarding entrepreneurial growth in this area," says Phan.

The results of the project, says Phan, will be used to engage state lawmakers, regional economic development specialists, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists in a discussion on how to enhance entrepreneurial intensity in the region.

Project Links Wins ASME Curriculum Innovation Award

Project Links, a Rensselaer program dedicated to linking the concepts of math to real-world applications through interactive Web-based modules, has been selected to receive the ASME Curriculum Innovation Award

The award, which will be given at the ASME Congress Nov. 11-16 in New York, "seeks to recognize and encourage innovation in mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology education and to encourage the dissemination of exemplary curricular innovations throughout the engineering education community."

Mark Holmes, chair of mathematics, and Robert Spilker, chair of biomedical engineering, head Project Links. Kenneth Manning, adjunct associate professor of engineering, is the project's technical manager. They, along with faculty from numerous departments, developed the content of over 40 modules, all designed for use in a studio classroom with student access to the Internet.

A team from the University at Albany works with faculty in evaluating the modules.

According to Holmes, "Project Links modules are not intended to replace textbooks, professors, or entire courses. They are designed to give the instructor the flexibility to emphasize certain well-contained topics that are a one to three-day part of a regular course." The materials developed in the project are available at no charge from the project's Web site and are widely used by institutions around the world.

The project is a collaborative effort involving Rensselaer, the University of Delaware, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Hudson Valley Community College, and Siena College.

The ASME award consists of a $1,000 honorarium and a forum for a presentation to a joint meeting of the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Technology Department Head Committees at the ASME Congress.

Lacrosse Hall of Fame Taps Harkness

Among the 10 new members inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Oct. 19 was former Rensselaer lacrosse and hockey coach Ned Harkness, for whom the Harkness Track and Field is named.

"Nevin D. (Ned) Harkness, one of lacrosse's most successful coaches, is being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a truly great coach who has contributed noteworthy services to the game of lacrosse over the years," read the Hall of Fame citation.

Harkness graduated from Worcester Academy in 1939. He began the lacrosse program at Rensselaer and from 1945 to 1960 led the school to a record of 136-21-1, including a USILA co-national championship in 1952. Harkness later coached at Cornell from 1966 to 1968, compiling a record of 36-1 with Ivy League titles in 1966 and 1968. Harkness also was one of Rensselaer's leading hockey coaches, guiding the 1954 team to Rensselaer's first NCAA hockey championship. He left Cornell in 1973 to coach the Detroit Red Wings in 1973.

Harkness, whose father, William J. Harkness, is also a member of the Hall of Fame, resides in Palm Harbor, Fla.

"The induction of Ned Harkness into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame was an extraordinary event," said Todd Walsh '58, a former player who attended the event from his home in California. "Over 80 former players came from Rensselaer, along with 30 from Cornell." Board of Trustees Chairman Samuel Heffner '56 also attended the induction ceremony in Hunt Valley, Md., and presented Harkness with a framed photo of the 1952 championship team.

Honors Convocation Celebrates Academic Achievement

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"Value your achievements—be proud, because we are exceptionally proud of you," President Jackson told the honorees and guests at Rensselaer's eighth annual Honors Convocation held last Friday in the Alumni Sports & Recreation Center. The event honored students and faculty for their outstanding academic achievements.

Rita Rossi Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation, was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree. In her keynote address, she praised Rensselaer's newly designated NSF Nanotechnology Center for its "bold vision for research on an ultra-small scale" and she talked of the national importance "now more than ever, to continue to keep science, engineering, and technology visible and at the cutting edge."

After the events of Sept. 11, Colwell said, "education and research must be inextricably bound together; it is paramount for the future of the planet."

The Honors Convocation honored more than 300 students for their academic achievements. Six faculty award winners also were recognized.

2001 United Way Campaign Kicks Off at Rensselaer

The 2001 United Way Campaign will kick off at the Institute on Nov. 7 and will run through Nov. 30.

The President's Cabinet has selected a team of employees who represent each administrative and academic unit to manage the campaign. Volunteers from each campus unit will contact faculty and staff for contributions.

All employees will receive a pledge card and a brochure that lists local agencies supported by the Northeastern New York Division of United Way.

Last year, with a total of more than $93,875, Rensselaer was ranked ninth in the region for corporate and employees contributions to the United Way of Northeastern New York. In terms of per capita giving, Rensselaer was among the region's top 10 corporations, with an average of $64 per employee.

Committee coordinators are Cynthia McIntyre, Office of the President; Donna Tomlinson and Phylis Federici, Engineering; Barbara Dzembo, Administration Division; and Denise Elwell, Government and Community Relations.

Other committee members are: Anne Bilynsky (Human Resources); Bonnie Carson (Science); Tracey DiScanio (Institute Advancement); JoAnn Drost (Humanities & Social Sciences); Traci Griffin (Finance); Vicki Messick (President's Office); Cindy Novak (Provost's Office); Mauvorneen Roy (Management); Cynthia Smith (Student Life); Barbara Stubblebine (Architecture); Tanya Struzinsky (Finance); Lu Uber (Research); and Lori Winslow (Chief Information Officer).

Economist Will Speak on "The Awkward Economics of Higher Education"

Gordon Winston, an expert on college and university business practices, will speak at a public lecture Friday, Nov.16, at 3:45 p.m. in room 337 of the Darrin Communications Center.

Winston's lecture, "The Awkward Economics of Higher Education," will explore the reasons why running a university is different from running a business or a charity.

According to Winston, "some people think that if you can run a successful Ford dealership, you can run a college. And that what higher education really needs are hard-headed business practices that would increase productivity, get costs under control, and sell the product." In other quarters, "thinking of education as a product, students as customers, tuition as a price, and faculty as employees, is met with revulsion," Winston says.

The economic facts that make a college different from either a business or a charity are decidedly unfamiliar, says Winston. He will explore these awkward economics and respond to questions at the Nov. 16 public lecture, sponsored by Rensselaer's Finance Division and the Department of Economics.

The Orrin Sage Professor of Economics at Williams College, Winston directs the Williams Project on the Economics of Higher Education, which he founded with esteemed colleagues Michael McPherson and Morton Schapiro. The project is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Winston is the author or co-author of more than a dozen major scholarly studies of the financing of higher education. Having served as provost at Williams College from 1988-1990, Winston is also experienced in higher education administration.

He earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Whitman College in 1950 and a doctorate in economics from Stanford University in 1964.

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