Stressed-out
cells
Humans are often more productive when under stress.
The same can be said for a certain type of mammalian cell, known as a
hybridoma, that produces proteins used in pregnancy tests and the quick
test for strep throat. These proteins, called antibodies, have a variety
of diagnostic and potential therapeutic uses that include anti-
cancer drugs.
Tracking tumors for
treatment
Patients who require radiation treatment may
soon have less of their healthy tissue exposed to the harmful procedure.
Rich Radke is using advanced algorithms to create more accurate images
of tumors from the time of diagnosis to the time of treatment.
THz
wave to better health diagnosis
Xi-Cheng Zhang, the J. Erik Jonsson ’22 Distinguished Professor
of Science, and a team of researchers are the first to image tissue
using single pulses of terahertz (THz or T-ray) radiation. The technique
will improve diagnostic time from hours or days, down to minutes or
seconds.
A
shoe-in for aging bones
Deepak Vashishth, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is
conducting state-of-the-art experiments to replicate conditions of wear
and tear on bones to study the impact of aging on fracture characteristics
of bone. His research could revolutionize the shoe industry and potentially
overhaul exercise programs for older people.
Facility
to enhance biotech research
In May, Rensselaer will break ground for an $80 million center for biotechnology
and interdisciplinary studies. The center will serve nearly 400 researchers
in such fields as functional tissue engineering, regenerative medicine,
integrated systems biology, bioinformatics, biocatalysis, and metabolic
engineering.
The
sound of lung disease
Michael Savic, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering,
and his graduate student, Thrasos Axiotis, are developing computer technology
that will diagnose lung disease using signal processing.
Replacing bone
Two researchers are investigating the potential use of nanoceramics
and nanoceramic/polymer composites as bone implants.
Brittle
bones
As we age, our bones become brittle and can more easily
fracture. At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Deepak Vashishth is working
to pinpoint the cause of brittle bones, which could lead to preventive
diagnostic testing for osteoporosis.
Focusing
on the aging eye
Poor eyesight is an accepted fact of aging, but that may change. Jane
Koretz, professor of biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is
unraveling the intricacies of how the eye focuses as it ages, a step
that could lead toward the development of a new material for artificial
lenses.
Hope
for Sore Joints
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are developing computer
models of joints that could lead to a diagnostic tool fo osteoarthritis
and could make many hip replacements obsolete.
New
robot detects cell damage
Once the only way to find out if a potential new product could be linked
to cancer and other diseases was to expose it to large numbers of rats
or other laboratory animals to see if any of them developed genetic
damage.
Mapping
the eye
Fewer than half of the efforts to improve vision through laser retinal
surgery succeed, but researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
have found a way to greatly improve the odds. Their research could benefit
the nearly 20 million individuals in the U.S. alone who suffer from
age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and AIDS-related
CMV (cytomegalovirus) retinitis.
Two
stars form new constellation
Two renowned scientists—mathematician Michael Zuker and computer
scientist Charles “Chip” Lawrence—are leading a new research
constellation in bioinformatics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Biochip
to determine genetic functions
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have begun developing
a biochip, an active system of enzymes on a microchip that will rapidly
determine the metabolic functions of large numbers of genetic materials.
Taking
a genetic approach
Georges Belfort, professor of chemical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute and a world-renowned authority on separation science, took
a genetic approach to solving a critical problem in affinity fusion
separation of proteins.
Top
Careers
A girl’s guide to
high tech
Pique your daughter’s interest in science, math, and technology early
in life and she’ll be more likely to choose a high-tech career.
Happy in high tech
Bucking a national trend, female engineering students at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute are more satisfied with their education than their
male counterparts and are more likely to remain in school and graduate.
Top
Education
Two
stars form new constellation
Two renowned scientists—mathematician Michael Zuker and computer scientist
Charles “Chip” Lawrence—are leading a new research constellation in
bioinformatics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
A girl’s guide to
high tech
Pique your daughter’s interest in science, math, and technology early
in life and she’ll be more likely to choose a high-tech career.
Happy in high tech
Bucking a national trend, female engineering students at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute are more satisfied with their education than their
male counterparts and are more likely to remain in school and graduate.
Top
Energy/Environment
Measuring radiation's
effects
Xie “George” Xu's 3-D virtual man is the world’s most
sophisticated simulated model for measuring radiation dosage to specific
organs.
Turning heat to power
Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) devices produce electric power from infrared
radiant heat. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is playing a leading
role in developing this new energy source.
More garbage than gasoline
Despite popular belief, leaded gasoline wasn't the main contributor
to high atmospheric lead levels in New York City during the 20th century,
says Richard Bopp, associate professor of earth and environmental sciences
at Rensselaer.
Don't call it garbage
Waste cellulose from paper mills usually ends up in landfills. But it
could be raw material for new plastics.
Top
Engineering
Stressed-out
cells
Humans are often more productive when under stress.
The same can be said for a certain type of mammalian cell, known as
a hybridoma, that produces proteins used in pregnancy tests and the
quick test for strep throat. These proteins, called antibodies, have
a variety of diagnostic and potential therapeutic uses that include
anti-
cancer drugs.
Improving
circulation
Natacha DePaola at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a team of biomedical
engineering researchers are examining how blood flow causes changes
in the circulatory system. Her research could lead to a better understanding
of how atherosclerosis develops.
THz
wave to better health diagnosis
Xi-Cheng Zhang, the J. Erik Jonsson ’22 Distinguished Professor
of Science, and a team of researchers are the first to image tissue
using single pulses of terahertz (THz or T-ray) radiation. The technique
will improve diagnostic time from hours or days, down to minutes or
seconds.
A
shoe-in for aging bones
Deepak Vashishth, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is
conducting state-of-the-art experiments to replicate conditions of wear
and tear on bones to study the impact of aging on fracture characteristics
of bone. His research could revolutionize the shoe industry and potentially
overhaul exercise programs for older people.
The
sound of lung disease
Michael Savic, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering,
and his graduate student, Thrasos Axiotis, are developing computer technology
that will diagnose lung disease using signal processing.
NSF funds big plans
on small scale
The National Science Foundation selected Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
this fall as one of six national Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers
(NSEC). Rensselaer will receive $10 million over five years from the
NSF to fund the center. Additional funding comes from New York state,
Rensselaer, and industry.
Replacing bone
Two researchers are investigating the potential use of nanoceramics
and nanoceramic/polymer composites as bone implants.
It goes both ways
Researchers are working toward the day when carbon nanotubes
will help create computing and other electronic systems thousands of
times faster than those in use today.
Electrifying nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes have the potential to be used for smaller
and faster computer chips, but static electricity poses serious problems
with nanoscale elements in a circuit.
Smaller is better
Linda Schadler, associate professor of
materials engineering, is working to engineer new materials that resist
scratching, stand up to twisting and stretching, survive high temperatures,
and insulate electrical current far better than those materials in general
use today.
Thinner barriers,
better performance
Ultra-thin molecular structures—known to researchers for about
20 years—can be used in a new way that could make computers and
other microelectronic devices faster and more efficient.
Happy in high tech
Bucking a national trend, female engineering students at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute are more satisfied with their education than their
male counterparts and are more likely to remain in school and graduate.
Top
Entrepreneurship/Business
Software on the fly
Complex software now must be developed on the fly, and corporate
IT managers—at places such as eBay or General Electric—face
a daunting task of making that happen.
Outsmarting the upstarts
Radical innovation does happen in big corporations—but it's the
exception rather than the rule.
AQ matters more than IQ
In the entrepreneurial food chain, AQ (adversity quotient)—one's
ability to persevere in the face of adversity—may matter more than
IQ.
eBusiness-hope, hype,
power, and pain
A class titled "eBusiness: The Hope, The Hype, The Power, The Pain"
challenges students to examine the sweeping changes technology has dealt
to the business world.
Government keep out!
The less government gets involved, the more small business will thrive,
says Phillip Phan, professor of entrepreneurship at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute.
Toying with invention
Tahira Reid, a senior mechanical engineering major at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute received a patent, with help from a $10,000 grant from the
National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) for her
Automatic Double Dutch Turner, which allows someone to turn two jumpropes
at once without assistance.
Top
Health/Aging
Improving breast
cancer detection
David Isaacson, Rensselaer mathematics professor
who specializes in medical imaging, is developing an additional screening
method for breast cancer.
Keeping tumors from
becoming killers
A cancerous tumor is one that has the deadly
ability to spread uncontrollably to other parts of the body. If a tumor
could be confined to its original location, it could simply be removed
and cancer virtually would be nonexistent, says George Plopper, assistant
professor of biology.
Stressed-out
cells
Humans are often more productive when under stress.
The same can be said for a certain type of mammalian cell, known as
a hybridoma, that produces proteins used in pregnancy tests and the
quick test for strep throat. These proteins, called antibodies, have
a variety of diagnostic and potential therapeutic uses that include
anti-
cancer drugs.
Tracking tumors for
treatment
Patients who require radiation treatment may
soon have less of their healthy tissue exposed to the harmful procedure.
Rich Radke is using advanced algorithms to create more accurate images
of tumors from the time of diagnosis to the time of treatment.
Improving
circulation
Natacha DePaola at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a team of biomedical
engineering researchers are examining how blood flow causes changes
in the circulatory system. Her research could lead to a better understanding
of how atherosclerosis develops.
THz
wave to better health diagnosis
Xi-Cheng Zhang, the J. Erik Jonsson ’22 Distinguished Professor
of Science, and a team of researchers are the first to image tissue
using single pulses of terahertz (THz or T-ray) radiation. The technique
will improve diagnostic time from hours or days, down to minutes or
seconds.
A
shoe-in for aging bones
Deepak Vashishth, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is
conducting state-of-the-art experiments to replicate conditions of wear
and tear on bones to study the impact of aging on fracture characteristics
of bone. His research could revolutionize the shoe industry and potentially
overhaul exercise programs for older people.
Improving
breast cancer detection
David Isaacson, a mathematics professor who specializes in medical imaging,
is developing a better screening method for breast cancer.
Facility
to enhance biotech research
In May, Rensselaer will break ground for an $80 million center for biotechnology
and interdisciplinary studies. The center will serve nearly 400 researchers
in such fields as functional tissue engineering, regenerative medicine,
integrated systems biology, bioinformatics, biocatalysis, and metabolic
engineering.
The
sound of lung disease
Michael Savic, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering,
and his graduate student, Thrasos Axiotis, are developing computer technology
that will diagnose lung disease using signal processing.
Brittle
bones
As we age, our bones become brittle and can more easily
fracture. At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Deepak Vashishth is working
to pinpoint the cause of brittle bones, which could lead to preventive
diagnostic testing for osteoporosis.
Focusing
on the aging eye
Poor eyesight is an accepted fact of aging, but that may change. Jane
Koretz, professor of biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is
unraveling the intricacies of how the eye focuses as it ages, a step
that could lead toward the development of a new material for artificial
lenses.
Hope
for sore joints
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are developing computer
models of joints that could lead to a diagnostic tool fo osteoarthritis
and could make many hip replacements obsolete.
Mapping
the eye
Fewer than half of the efforts to improve vision through laser retinal
surgery succeed, but researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
have found a way to greatly improve the odds. Their research could benefit
the nearly 20 million individuals in the U.S. alone who suffer from
age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and AIDS-related
CMV (cytomegalovirus) retinitis.
Top
Information
Technology
Improving breast
cancer detection
David Isaacson, Rensselaer mathematics professor
who specializes in medical imaging, is developing an additional screening
method for breast cancer.
Tracking tumors for
treatment
Patients who require radiation treatment may
soon have less of their healthy tissue exposed to the harmful procedure.
Rich Radke is using advanced algorithms to create more accurate images
of tumors from the time of diagnosis to the time of treatment.
Speeding
up microchips
James Crivello, professor of chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
has developed and patented a new insulating material that has the potential
to double the processing speed of microchips.
Improved
industrial robotics
Srinivas Akella, assistant professor of computer science at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, is developing software that will allow assembly-line
robots to do what they’ve never done before: fold cardboard boxes
into their usable
3-D shape and manipulate other flexible objects.
Thinner
barriers, better performance
Ultra-thin molecular structures—known to researchers for about
20 years—can be used in a new way that could make computers and
other microelectronic devices faster and more efficient.
Software
on the fly
Complex software now must be developed on the fly, and corporate
IT managers—at places such as eBay or General Electric—face
a daunting task of making that happen.
Hope for
sore joints
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are developing computer
models of joints that could lead to a diagnostic tool for osteoarthritis
and could make many hip replacements obsolete.
New
robot detects cell damage
A robotic system developed by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute is now available that rapidly scans cell cultures to detect
if potential new products could be harmful.
Mapping the eye
Badri Roysam, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering,
and Chuck Stewart, associate professor of computer science, are developing
a preliminary design for a laser surgery instrument that uses computer
vision technology.
Two
stars form new constellation
Two renowned scientists—mathematician Michael Zuker and computer scientist
Charles “Chip” Lawrence—are leading a new research constellation in
bioinformatics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Top
Lifestyles
A girl’s guide to
high tech
Pique your daughter’s interest in science, math, and technology early
in life and she’ll be more likely to choose a high-tech career.
Happy in high tech
Bucking a national trend, female engineering students at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute are more satisfied with their education than their
male counterparts and are more likely to remain in school and graduate.
A girl’s guide to
high tech
Pique your daughter’s interest in science, math, and technology early
in life and she’ll be more likely to choose a high-tech career.
Top
Lighting
Lighting the way for
the elderly
This summer, Rensselaer’s Lighting Research Center (LRC) will publish
one of the first comprehensive guides to improve lighting for seniors.
High-tech dashboards
IVan Derlofske, senior research scientist and head of transportation
lighting for the School of Architecture’s Lighting Research Center
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is developing the next generation
of lighting for automotive instrument panels.
Top
Manufacturing
Improved industrial
robotics
Srinivas Akella, assistant professor of computer science at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, is developing software that will allow assembly-line
robots to do what they’ve never done before: fold cardboard boxes
into their usable 3-D shape and manipulate other flexible objects.
Top
Materials
NSF funds big plans
on small scale
The National Science Foundation selected Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
this fall as one of six national Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers
(NSEC). Rensselaer will receive $10 million over five years from the
NSF to fund the center. Additional funding comes from New York state,
Rensselaer, and industry.
Replacing bone
Two researchers are investigating the potential use of nanoceramics
and nanoceramic/polymer composites as bone implants.
It goes both ways
Researchers are working toward the day when carbon nanotubes
will help create computing and other electronic systems thousands of
times faster than those in use today.
Electrifying nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes have the potential to be used for smaller
and faster computer chips, but static electricity poses serious problems
with nanoscale elements in a circuit.
Smaller is better
Linda Schadler, associate professor of
materials engineering, is working to engineer new materials that resist
scratching, stand up to twisting and stretching, survive high temperatures,
and insulate electrical current far better than those materials in general
use today.
Thinner barriers,
better performance
Ultra-thin molecular structures—known to researchers for about
20 years—can be used in a new way that could make computers and
other microelectronic devices faster and more efficient.
Top
Math
Improving breast
cancer detection
David Isaacson, Rensselaer mathematics professor
who specializes in medical imaging, is developing an additional screening
method for breast cancer.
Tracking tumors for
treatment
Patients who require radiation treatment may
soon have less of their healthy tissue exposed to the harmful procedure.
Rich Radke is using advanced algorithms to create more accurate images
of tumors from the time of diagnosis to the time of treatment.
Improving
breast cancer detection
David Isaacson, a mathematics professor who specializes in medical imaging,
is developing a better screening method for breast cancer.
Improved industrial
robotics
Srinivas Akella, assistant professor of computer science at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, is developing software that will allow assembly-line
robots to do what they’ve never done before: fold cardboard boxes
into their usable
3-D shape and manipulate other flexible objects.
Two
stars form new constellation
Two renowned scientists—mathematician Michael Zuker and computer scientist
Charles “Chip” Lawrence—are leading a new research constellation in
bioinformatics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Math in African culture
Ron Eglash, assistant professor of science and technology studies, feels
that the prevalence of fractal geometry—the geometry of similar
shapes repeated on ever-shrinking scales—in African heritage could
be an effective new tool for teaching African-Americans about their
mathematical heritage.
Top
Nanotechnology
Controlling
nanotube growth
Next-generation computer chips, integrated circuits,
and the microelectro-mechanical (MEMS) devices that power them depend
upon carbon nanotubes that can be grown up, down, sideways, and in all
three dimensions. Pulickel Ajayan and G. Ramanath are the first to achieve
this unprecedented, specific, and controlled nanotube growth.
Creating tiny junctions
Single-walled nanotubes are pure carbon cylinders
with remarkable electronic properties. Pulickel Ajayan and his colleagues
recently have discovered how to weld these nanotubes, paving the way
for fabrication of molecular circuits and nanotube networks.
Long hairlike
nanotubes
For the first time, Pulickel Ajayan and other researchers
have created a simplified method for making long, continuous, hairlike
strands of carbon nanotubes that are as long as eight inches.
Carbon nanotubes ignite
Researchers Pulickel Ajayan and G. Ramanath
have discovered a surprising new property of single-walled carbon nanotubes.
When exposed to a conventional photographic flash, the nanotubes emit
a loud pop and then ignite.
Symmetrical crystals
created
Researchers Pulickel Ajayan and G. Ramanath
have created large symmetrical crystals that rarely occur in nature.
These crystals could be harder than conventional engineering materials.
The discovery was made during attempts to make superconducting nanostructures
with a simple technique used to create carbon nanotubes.
NSF funds big plans
on small scale
The National Science Foundation selected Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
this fall as one of six national Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers
(NSEC). Rensselaer will receive $10 million over five years from the
NSF to fund the center. Additional funding comes from New York state,
Rensselaer, and industry.
Replacing bone
Two researchers are investigating the potential use of nanoceramics
and nanoceramic/polymer composites as bone implants.
It goes both ways
Researchers are working toward the day when carbon nanotubes
will help create computing and other electronic systems thousands of
times faster than those in use today.
Electrifying nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes have the potential to be used for smaller
and faster computer chips, but static electricity poses serious problems
with nanoscale elements in a circuit.
Smaller is better
Linda Schadler, associate professor of
materials engineering, is working to engineer new materials that resist
scratching, stand up to twisting and stretching, survive high temperatures,
and insulate electrical current far better than those materials in general
use today.
Top
Science
Improving breast
cancer detection
David Isaacson, Rensselaer mathematics professor
who specializes in medical imaging, is developing an additional screening
method for breast cancer.
Keeping tumors from
becoming killers
A cancerous tumor is one that has the deadly
ability to spread uncontrollably to other parts of the body. If a tumor
could be confined to its original location, it could simply be removed
and cancer virtually would be nonexistent, says George Plopper, assistant
professor of biology.
Stressed-out
cells
Humans are often more productive when under stress.
The same can be said for a certain type of mammalian cell, known as
a hybridoma, that produces proteins used in pregnancy tests and the
quick test for strep throat. These proteins, called antibodies, have
a variety of diagnostic and potential therapeutic uses that include
anti-
cancer drugs.
Tracking tumors for
treatment
Patients who require radiation treatment may
soon have less of their healthy tissue exposed to the harmful procedure.
Rich Radke is using advanced algorithms to create more accurate images
of tumors from the time of diagnosis to the time of treatment.
Improving
breast cancer detection
David Isaacson, a mathematics professor who specializes in medical imaging,
is developing a better screening method for breast cancer.
Speeding up microchips
James Crivello, professor of chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,
has developed and patented a new insulating material that has the potential
to double the processing speed of microchips.
Brittle
bones
As we age, our bones become brittle and can more easily fracture. Deepak
Vashishth is working to pinpoint the cause of brittle bones, which could
lead to preventive diagnostic testing for osteoporosis.
Hope for
sore joints
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are developing computer
models of joints that could lead to a diagnostic tool for osteoarthritis
and could make many hip replacements obsolete.
Focusing
on the aging eye
Poor eyesight is an accepted fact of aging, but that may change. Jane
Koretz, professor of biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is
unraveling the intricacies of how the eye focuses as it ages, a step
that could lead toward the development of a new material for artificial
lenses.
Mapping
the eye
Badri Roysam, professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering,
and Chuck Stewart, associate professor of computer science, are developing
a preliminary design for a laser surgery instrument that uses computer
vision technology.
New
robot detects cell damage
A robotic system developed by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute is now available that rapidly scans cell cultures to detect
if potential new products could be harmful.
Biochip
to determine genetic functions
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have begun developing
a biochip, an active system of enzymes on a microchip that will rapidly
determine the metabolic functions of large numbers of genetic materials.
Taking
a genetic approach
Georges Belfort, professor of chemical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute and a world-renowned authority on separation science, took
a genetic approach to solving a critical problem in affinity fusion
separation of proteins.
Top
Space
& Aviation
Surveying the sky
Astronomers have long suspected that our home galaxy, the 100-billion-star
Milky Way, has a gluttonous appetite for its smaller neighbors, and research
by Heidi Newberg and her colleagues in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has
confirmed it.
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