Mark Wentland, professor of chemistry, has received a $1.59 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse. The five-year award will continue Wentland's drug discovery research aimed at identifying new therapeutics that have the potential to treat cocaine abuse in humans. Wentland is the principal investigator and his colleague Jean Bidlack of the University of Rochester is co-PI. For further information on the research, go to http://www.rpi.edu/~wentmp. 10/14/02

Frances Bronet, professor and acting associate dean in the School of Architecture, and Gary Gabriele, vice provost, have been awarded a $315,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a two-year project titled "Design as Creative Model for Technical Education: The Development and Implementation of Interdisciplinary Studio Models-Graduated National Distribution Concept." The project's goal is to create and execute studio models for teaching engineering design in a way that effectively integrates technical, social/cultural, and aesthetic issues. It is based on Rensselaer's NSF-funded interdisciplinary Product Design and Innovation Program and Deep Dive design exercises. 10/7/02

Several Rensselaer researchers will present papers at the 114th annual meeting of the Geological Society of America Oct. 27-30 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. Approximately 6,300 geoscientists are expected to attend. Joseph Pyle, a post-doctoral research associate in earth and environmental sciences, along with Frank Spear, professor of earth and environmental sciences, will present "Electron Microprobe Dating of Monazite: Dissection of a Multivariable Analytical Protocol, With Application to 'Triple-Point' Rocks, Northern Picuris Mountains, New Mexico." Lara Storm, graduate student in geology, along with Spear, will present "Taconian and Acadian Rims on Southern Adirondack Monazites: Hydrothermal Fluids From Appalachian Metamorphism." 10/7/02

A team of undergraduate students won first place in the undergraduate category in the 19th American Helicopter Society Student Design Competition, sponsored by Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. The team consisted of four aerospace engineering seniors — Nate Gray, Joseph Gillman, Samuel Butler, and Jason Anger — who were asked to redesign the most successful commercial helicopter ever built, the Bell 206. The team successfully modernized the existing design to increase the cruise speed from 115 knots to 150 knots and the range from 374 miles to 510 miles. The design was conducted under the supervision of Nikhil Koratkar, assistant professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, through the senior-level capstone design course. The winning team is invited to the AHS Annual Forum and Technology Display to present its winning entry. 10/7/02

David Carson, professor emeritus of communication and literature, was honored at Colorado Springs by the U.S. Air Force Academy's Falcon Heritage Forum for his public service to the nation. Carson came to Rensselaer in 1976 as director of graduate programs in technical communication. In 1994, he was recognized as Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the International Society of Technical Communication. 9/23/02

Samuel Heffner '56, chairman of Rensselaer Board of Trustees, has been named to a five-year term on the University of Maryland Medical System Board of Directors. The appointment, which began June 1, was made by Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening. The University of Maryland Medical System was created in 1984 when the state-owned University Hospital became a private, not-for-profit organization. It has evolved into a six-hospital system with academic, community, and specialty service missions reaching every part of the state and beyond. The board includes state representatives, the chancellor for the University System of Maryland, physicians, community leaders, and significant business leaders. Heffner, president of Dickinson-Heffner Inc. in Baltimore, Md., was selected because of his interest in the Baltimore/Washington region, his community ties and involvement, his interest in growth in the region, and his career and personal success. 9/23/02

Bridget LaNoir '99, Rensselaer's field hockey coach; Leslie Khachadourian, women's soccer and women's lacrosse coach; and Jon Rowan of the Mueller Center participated in the Adirondack Marathon in Schroon Lake on Sept. 22 as members of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Team in Training. They each raised at least $1,500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while running in honor of specific patients who are fighting their own battles with cancer. 9/23/02