the future is here · ence program, which has made hundreds of rensselaer students feel part of...

E A R T H Q U A K E R E S E A R C H | R E M E M B E R I N G G A R N E T B A LT I M O R E | A LU M N I T R A V E L P R O G R A M

Alumni Magazine~Winter 2005-06

PRESIDENT SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON MARKS THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF

THE RENSSELAER PLAN, PROMISING, “THE BEST IS YET TO COME.”

THE FUTURE IS HERE

SCULPTOR’S HANDS—Professor Larry Kagan ’68 joined the faculty at Rensselaer in 1972 to help establish an arts department. He’s been here ever since,as a sculptor teaching art to artists and engineers. Today, Rensselaer offers approximately 65 different arts courses a year.

Rensselaer (ISSN 0898-1442) is pub-lished in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter by the Office of Communications,Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy,NY 12180-3590. Periodicals postage ispaid at Troy, N.Y., and additional mailingoffices.

Postmaster: send address changes toRensselaer, 110 Eighth Street, Troy, NY12180-3590. Rensselaer PolytechnicInstitute is an equal opportunity/affirma-tive action institution.

Opinions expressed in these pages do notnecessarily reflect the views of the editorsor the policies of the Institute. ©2005Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

VICE PRESIDENT FORINSTITUTE ADVANCEMENT

David Haviland ’64

MANAGING EDITOR

Tracey Leibach

ALUMNI NEWS EDITOR

Meg Gallien

ART DIRECTOR

Diane Piester

FEATURES EDITOR

Clorinda Valenti

WEB DESIGNER

Jeffrey Caron

CONTRIBUTORS

Theresa BourgeoisAmber ClevelandJason GorssEllen JohnstonNancy KellyTiffany LohwaterJessica Otitigbe

PHOTOGRAPHERS &ILLUSTRATORS

Stanley BlanchardGary GoldLonny KalfusMark McCartyKris Qua

ON THE COVER:Photo by Lonny Kalfus.

FEATURES

16 Rensselaer Plan Update Five years on, The Rensselaer Plan continues to transform the Institute and lays the foundation for a renewed commitment to undergraduate education.

22 What Lies BeneathRensselaer researchers are working with colleagues around the world to plumb the depths of the causes and effects of earthquakes.

28 Honoring a Son of TroyWhen a street was named in September in honor of Garnet Douglass Baltimore, Class of 1881, the City of Troy and Rensselaer celebrated the life and legacy of a trailblazer.

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Prospect Park secured Garnet Baltimore’s fame as a landscape designer. See page 28.

DEPARTMENTS

www.rpi.edu/magazine

4 President’s ViewThe Undergraduate Plan.

5 Mail

6 At RensselaerMaking a Difference 9Rensselaer on the Move 11Focus On: Kathy High 14

34 Staying Connected

35 Calendar

36 Class NotesIn Memoriam 55

56 One Last ThingThe Mathematics of Change.

Please let us know your new address. Update it electronically on AlumServ, e-mail us at [email protected], or write to: Rensselaer Magazine, Office of Communications, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180 or fax to (518) 276-3715.

Moving?

http://www.rpi.edu/magazine/

mailto:[email protected]

SNAPSHOT

2 RENSSELAER/WINTER 2005-06

“At the time of this game,the National Field HockeyCoaches Association Poll hadrecognized Ursinus College asthe No. 1 team in the country,”says Coach Bridget LaNoir ’99.“With the odds stacked againstus, we entered the game wellaware of what we needed toaccomplish.

“It doesn’t happen everydaythat everything comes togetheras you plan. We had experi-enced a difficult run this yearwith a stretch of inconsistentplay. On this Monday in Octo-ber on the field against Ursinus,we glimpsed the light at theend of a tunnel that had beendark for so long. The playersmoved without fear, withouthesitation. They stepped uptheir game and began to play ata level which both they and Iknew was possible.

“During games such as these,for just a moment, I take pridein my place on the sideline astheir biggest fan. As a coach,you know the level at whicheach player on your squad iscapable of on any given day.You work from day one to helpeach excel on and off the fieldin hopes of drawing out thatpotential from them. Althoughwe lost the game, for the teamto display this potential workingas a single entity against anopponent who entered thegame ranked No. 1 in the coun-try, our team was able to experi-ence success.”

RENSSELAER/WINTER 2005-06 3

PRESIDENT’S VIEW


SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON, PH.D.

Raising the Level of Living and Learning

THIS ISSUE OF RENSSELAER

magazine marks the fifthanniversary of the launch of

The Rensselaer Plan, which hasguided the unprecedented trans-formation of the Institute and pro-pelled it to new heights of achieve-ment and prominence (see page16). While the plan is “evergreen”and evolving, it also serves as animpetus for even more ambitiousinitiatives. With a record of solidaccomplishments under the plan inresearch, programs, and facilities,the focus now turns more sharplyon the overall undergraduate expe-rience.

With this in mind, we havelaunched a new initiative: TheUndergraduate Plan. This plan sig-nals a major commitment to raisethe level of the undergraduateexperience at Rensselaer. Throughthe manifold elements of the plan,we will strive to create a living andlearning environment to rival thebest in the nation. Already throughthe implementation of The Rens-selaer Plan, there have been sig-nificant changes at the Institutethat have made the undergraduateexperience livelier and more engag-ing. The Undergraduate Plan willbuild on this momentum as it willreach into myriad facets of the stu-dent experience at Rensselaer.

The plan encompasses academ-ics, student life, and all the ele-ments to serve the undergradu-ates of the future. First, we arecommitted to offering challeng-ing, engaging, and highly relevantacademic programs which com-bine theory with hands-on experi-ences. An exciting element of thiswill be an increased rate of partic-ipation of undergraduates in

research with facultyand graduate students.Today, about 30 percenttake part in researchactivities; the plan callsfor an increase to 80 per-cent over the next fiveyears. Hand in handwith this goal is thefocus on preparing stu-dents to be global lead-ers through increasedopportunities to studyat universities aroundthe world and to partic-ipate in internationalco-ops and internships.

The plan also buildson the strides made bythe First-Year Experi-ence program, whichhas made hundreds ofRensselaer students feelpart of this community from themoment they arrive. Student reten-tion and success begins in the crit-ical first year. Thus, the planexpands upon programs and activ-ities that ease the transition to uni-versity life, including enhancedand strengthened residential lifeprograms, such as theme housesand affinity groups; academic Ear-ly Warning System and Early Inter-vention teams to keep students ontrack and succeeding in their stud-ies; and programs and services tosupport student health, safety, andwell-being.

Athletics are an important com-ponent of the undergraduate expe-rience addressed by the plan, asmore and more Rensselaer isattracting talented and smart stu-dent-athletes. Moreover, the planincludes ambitious projects to servethe more than 5,000 undergradu-

ate and graduate students who playsports each year. Plans to upgradeathletic facilities will focus on whatis called the East Campus Athlet-ic Village, which will include a newathletics support facility, an addi-tional artificial turf field, a basket-ball arena, natatorium, and a fieldhouse for indoor sports, includingindoor track and field.

Finally, we must focus on theundergraduates of the future. It isclear that unless new groups of stu-dents—women, underrepresentedminorities, and students with dis-abilities—enter technological fieldsin greater numbers, we will nothave enough engineers and scien-tists to continue our national capac-ity for innovation and discovery.The Undergraduate Plan is address-ing this and other elements of the“Quiet Crisis” by establishing aplan, led by the Division of Student

Life, to increase thediversity of our studentbody, the pool of appli-cants to the Institute,and our national visibil-ity by building relation-ships with a variety ofnational “pipeline” pro-grams preparing stu-dents who might nototherwise attend college.

This initiative is in theearly stages of planning,study, and implementa-tion. Given its far-reach-ing goals, the support ofall members of the Rens-selaer community is cru-cial to its success. Tomove the plan forward,Prabhat Hajela, viceprovost and dean ofundergraduate educa-

tion, is working across all portfoliosto expand academic programs intargeted areas. Provost G.P. “Bud”Peterson is working with deans,department chairs, center direc-tors, and faculty to ensure that theInstitute has the capabilities toachieve the plan’s goals. Mean-while, Vice President for StudentLife Eddie Ade Knowles is focusingon the myriad aspects of the studentexperience.

With the mounting challenges ofthe 21st century, we can do no lessthan to prepare our students fullyand broadly to lead in a complex,technology-based global future.The Undergraduate Plan representsRensselaer’s strong commitmentto providing a world-class under-graduate experience that will con-tinue to attract talented and prom-ising young people who will changethe world.

The Rensselaer Plan reaffirms a core commitment to the undergraduate experience

Junior Cassandra Kimsey and grad student Shaneen Rowe work together in Professor Jan Stegemann’s biomedical engineering lab

in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.

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I just read the article onRichard Herbert ’83, presi-dent of Pantone Inc., the

leading developer of color meas-uring systems. This reminded meof my own experiences with colorscience at RPI.

When I was a senior chemistrymajor, with a not-too-great GPA,I decided I needed some sort ofpuff chem course to bring mygrades up. An introductory coursein Color Science taught by Profes-sor Fred Billmeyer seemed justthe class to take. I had survived hisclass in Polymer Science as a juniorand he seemed pretty easygoing, soI signed up. I had no idea whatColor Science was.

Amazingly, the course provedone of the best I ever took, andcertainly one of the most fasci-nating. Though I never worked inthe field, I still remember most ofthe precepts, and have alwaysbeen glad I took the class.

The late Professor Billmeyer (hedied in 2004) brought to class sev-eral key attributes, including a bril-liant mind and the experience thatcame from literally inventing thefield. He really wrote the book andwe all couldn’t wait to see himenter the class—but not for thereason you might imagine. He wasa living example of color science inaction. A typical outfit might be aplaid jacket, checkered shirt,striped pants, shoestring tie, argylesocks (different patterns for eachfoot), and a gigantic turquoise beltbuckle as the centerpiece! Weoften wrote down what he wore inour notes, just to tell our disbe-lieving friends.

LAWSON FOWBLE ’77East Worcester, N.Y.

Hurricane Response

I am a Rensselaer Classof 2004 alum and Iwanted to say that it is

wonderful of Rensselaer toallow the students ofLouisiana to attend RPI freeof charge. Out of all theother schools I’ve heard ofand known, no other hasbeen so humanitarian innature and gracious to thepublic. I have never beenin a place that provides agreater sense of communityand a sincere interest inmaking a positive impact onthe world. I am proud andgrateful to have been able to spendfour years of my life there.

CHRISTOPHER LEE WILLIAMS ’04Los Angeles, Calif.

Ethics in Business?

I was disappointed to see nomention of ethics in yourreprint of the BusinessWeek

article on the new MBA program.If all the recent business scandalshave driven home any point, it’sthat U.S. business leaders are total-ly lacking in ethics. They can’t seeanything but increasing their ownpersonal wealth. Perhaps most staywithin the law, but they care noth-ing for their workers, communi-ties, customers, or national well-being. In the short term, they anda few other big shareholders getrich—in the long run, everyoneelse suffers as their companies godown the tube. If I ran the circus,I’d make a thorough indoctrinationin ethical behavior part of every B-school curriculum!

PHIL PERRY ’80Woodstock, N.Y.

Lally Dean David Gautschi responds:

Phil Perry certainly has apoint in highlighting theimportance of ethics in busi-

ness, especially in light of recentethical lapses that have had sig-nificant unfavorable consequencesfor investors, consumers, andemployees. Notwithstanding thesignificance of the widely reportedethical lapses of top executives ata number of corporations, finan-cial services firms, and consultan-cies, it would be misleading to paintall “U.S. business leaders” as being“totally lacking in business ethics.”In fact, there are some businessleaders who set examples that mostof us should consider emulating. Agood source of ethical icons in busi-ness is the Institute for Business,Technology, and Ethics (ethix.org).Mr. Perry was justified to call ourattention to the lack of mention ofethics in the remaking of the Lal-ly MBA program. In fact, it is adimension on which the LallySchool intends to establish dis-tinctive excellence. This fall, we

featured business ethics topicsin two professional develop-ment workshops for the MBAstudents. Additionally, Al Eris-man of the Institute for Busi-ness, Technology, and Ethicshas joined the Lally School’sAdvisory Council.

Conservative Engineers

I t may be the result ofunexplained counter-intuition, but after 55

years I have observed howengineers have been contin-ually shooting themselves inthe foot. The comments ofthe Hillary letters support my

point [MAIL, Fall 2005]. In 1948when I was a junior, a straw poll oncampus was taken and over 80percent of the students and facul-ty supported Dewey against incum-bent Harry Truman... we all knowthe result of that election.

After 54 years of industrial expe-rience I find that nothing haschanged and support is greatestamong my engineering friends forthe more conservative of our twoparties, a party that is not afraid toshow that it is most interested in bigbusiness, not engineers.

I can arguably say that engi-neering, the cost of education, pro-fessional opportunities, and the useof engineers by the governmenthas been on a steady downwardspiral. That’s not to say I advocatea one-party system, but let’s useour personal natural resources, i.e.brains and rational judgment, andmake the two parties compete witheach other on our behalf.

NORMAN ZELVIN ’51Eastchester, N.Y.

MAIL [email protected]

Colorful Memories of Rensselaer



HIGH-TECH INFORMATION HUBS AND

a temperature-controlled LED

lighting system are just a few of

the renovations made to the main

floor of the Folsom Library so that

the space can better serve a new

generation of Rensselaer’s tech-

savvy students.

“Our students today have adopt-

ed new ways of accessing informa-

tion and new ways of interacting

with it,” says Loretta Ebert, direc-

tor of Rensselaer Research

Libraries. “Our challenge is to

meet the new demands of today’s

information seekers.”

Renovations to meet those

demands included installing infor-

mation hubs consisting of new

IBM computers and pop-up LAN

connectors for additional notebook

computer use around six of the

library’s original concrete columns

at varying heights to facilitate

standing, sitting, and wheelchair

access. Wireless LAN access is

available throughout the building.

New low-profile shelving and

mobile tables were also added, to

provide a flexible “learning labo-

ratory” environment where stu-

dents can work both individually

and collaboratively.

A computer-controlled LED

lighting system is operated by a

Thermonitor program, which sens-

es the temperature outdoors and

produces a spectrum of subtly

changing colors designed to make

the library inviting throughout the

seasons.

Additional upgrades to the main

floor include an art wall featuring

a Hobo-Dyer inverted map of the

world imprinted with the Rensse-

laer phrase “Why not change the

world?” in 21 languages and

scripts, new carpeting, and a com-

pletely revamped Library Café.

Jorge Vidal ’91, project manag-

er and designer with Rensselaer’s

campus planning and facilities

design department, developed the

overall project design wih input

from faculty, students, and staff.

“We now have a space that,

indeed, enables and supports an

engaging experience for everyone

in this community, and creates a

lively environment in which stu-

dents can learn, can do, and can

be,” said President Shirley Ann

Jackson, during a dedication cere-

mony that took place on Dec. 1.

The renewal of the main floor of

the Folsom Library represents the

first major refurbishment since

the space opened in 1976.

RENSSELAER RESEARCH LIBRARIES

Folsom Library Gets a Facelift

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A barge was blown inland and pushed atop a levee wall in East New Orleans.

CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Levee Failures Investigated

IT IS CLEAR THAT THERE WERE MULTIPLE

causes for the levee failures in NewOrleans, but researchers need to gathermore data to better understand whatthey were and how to rebuild properlyafter the devastation caused by Hurri-cane Katrina, according to testimonyNov. 17 before the U.S. Senate Com-mittee on Environment and PublicWorks. Tom Zimmie, professor and acting chair of civil and environmentalengineering at Rensselaer, offered hisperspective on the degree to which thepreliminary findings on the failure ofthe Gulf Coast levees are being incor-porated into the restoration of hurri-cane protection.

“There is not one simple answer asto why the levees failed,” Zimmie saidin a prepared statement. “Field obser-vations indicated various causes: over-topping of the levees, erosion, failure infoundation soils underlying the levees,seepage through the soils under thelevees causing piping failures, and thisis not a complete list.”

Zimmie spent a week in New Orleansas part of an expert team investigatinglevee failures in the aftermath of Hurri-cane Katrina. The team, which wasfunded by a special exploratory grantfrom the National Science Foundation,released their preliminary report Nov. 2

in a presentation to the Senate Com-mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Others at the Environment and Public Works hearing echoed Zimmie’scomments, noting that until all thephysical evidence has been collectedand analyzed, engineers will not have a complete picture of what happened.

“Hopefully the results of our studywill lead to a clear appreciation of whathappened in Katrina, and that the les-sons learned from this event will lead to improved protection in the future,not just in the New Orleans area, butthroughout the nation and around theworld,” Zimmie told the committee.“The emphasis today is New Orleans,but we really have thousands of miles of levees in the United States.”

Zimmie was joined at the hearing byseveral other panelists: Dan Hitchings,director of Task Force HOPE for theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Sher-wood Gagliano, president of CoastalEnvironments Inc.; Larry Roth, deputyexecutive director of the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers; JosephSuhayda, emeritus professor of engi-neering at Louisiana State University;and Robert Verchick, a professor at Loyola University Law School in NewOrleans.

CAMPUS LIFE

Inventor Dean KamenVisits Campus

INVENTOR, ENTREPRENEUR, AND SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

advocate Dean Kamen visited Rensselaer Dec. 1. He

delivered a lecture titled “Why not change the

world?” at Rensselaer’s annual Trustee Celebration

of Faculty Achievement and met with high school and

middle school students involved in robotics competi-

tions, and their Rensselaer student mentors.

Kamen discussed his passion for exciting the next

generation of scientists and engineers, including the

creation of robotics competitions for middle and high

school students. He also spoke of the importance of

innovation that benefits society, and of his current

focus on bringing water purification technology to

those around the globe who would most benefit from it.

Kamen holds more than 150 U.S. and foreign

patents, many for medical devices. His inventions

include the first wearable infusion pump, developed

when he was a college undergraduate, and the Seg-

way™Human Transporter. Kamen now leads DEKA

Research & Development Corporation, focusing on the

development of internally generated inventions and

providing R&D for major corporate clients.

He is founder of FIRST (For Inspiration and

Recognition of Sci-

ence and Technolo-

gy), which initiates

annual robotics

competitions across

the U.S. and around

the world, designed

to inspire students

to pursue careers in

science, technology,

and engineering.

Rensselaer has been

connected to FIRST

since its inception,

and for the past sev-

eral years, Rensse-

laer students and

professors have

worked with area

high school and

middle school stu-

dents participating

in these regional

and national competitions. Four area high school

teams involved in the FIRST Robotics Competitions,

along with their student mentors from Rensselaer,

displayed robots for Kamen and President Jackson in

advance of the lecture.

Kamen received an honorary doctorate from

Rensselaer in 1996.

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MINUTIA FILE

Comic ReliefTHE RENSSELAER NAME IS OFTEN CITED IN NEWS-

papers and journal articles. It’s not so often

that Rensselaer appears in the funny pages.

In the Oct. 25 DOONESBURY comic strip,

Michael Doonesbury’s daughter Alex is talking

with her parents about touring college campus-

es. Alex, who “already holds five patents,” is

interested in pursuing an engineering education.

Her list includes “MIT, Cornell, Rensselaer—

and Walden.”

In a statement relayed by Universal Press

Syndicate, DOONESBURY writer-artist Garry

Trudeau said he used Rensselaer “because it’s

one of the premier institutes of technology.”

He should know. Trudeau delivered the

1986 Rensselaer Commencement address and

received an honorary doctorate in engineering

science.


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PRESIDENTIAL LECTURE SERIES

IBM CEO Outlines Innovation Challenges

SAMUEL PALMISANO, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

and chief executive officer of the IBM Corpo-ration, delivered a Presidential Lecture on“Innovation and Leadership in the 21st Century,” on Sept. 15 in the Center forBiotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.In a ceremony prior to the lecture, Palmisanowas awarded an honorary doctorate inhumane letters from Rensselaer.

“The act of honoring someone whose lifeand work serve as a role model benefits us,because when we honor a person whom weadmire, we reaffirm our high ideals for our-selves,” said President Jackson. “Using anancient tradition to honor a man whose contri-butions help us to understand ourselves andour world better creates a tangible link betweenour rich past and a promising future.”

Palmisano spoke of the “longstanding part-nership between IBM and RPI, a partnershipthat has enriched both of our organizations,”and noted the number of alumni working atIBM, including in leadership positions, and the research partnerships that exist betweenthe two organizations. “But what truly unitesIBM and RPI, I believe, are our shared values.

This is an institution that asks, ‘Whynot change the world?’ What betterpartner for a company like IBM,which for nearly a century has reliedon innovation not only to fuel ourown success, but more importantly,to contribute in meaningful ways tothe global society,” Palmisano said.

Palmisano outlined the innova-tion challenges and opportunitiesfor the United States in the globalmarketplace, and he discussed theimportance of embracing “a newmodel of innovation—one that isopen, collaborative, multidiscipli-nary, and global.”

“The opportunities are tooimportant, and the economic stakesare too high, for America to com-promise its longstanding commit-ment to innovation,” Palmisanosaid. “In an era when commoditization hap-pens at unprecedented speed, innovation hasbecome an economic and societal imperative.And it is a collective responsibility—businesscannot do it alone. Neither can universities.

Neither can governments. Innovation requiresall of us, working together as a society. If wedemonstrate that kind of collaborative leader-ship, the opportunities are ours for the taking.And the benefits will be ours to share.”

Samuel Palmisano (center) and President Jackson are joined by IBM’sNick Donofrio ’67, Linda Sanford ’75, and John Kelly III ’78.

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ELECTRICAL, COMPUTER, AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

Improving Terrain Maps

A RENSSELAER RESEARCHER HAS BEEN

awarded $845,000 in federal funding tocreate improved computer representa-tions of terrain on the surface of the Earthand beyond. The research could have avariety of both military and civilian appli-cations, from strategically positioning sol-diers to placing radio towers on the moon.

“I’m studying better ways to compressthe massive amounts of terrain data nowavailable from radar and laser scans ofthe Earth’s surface,” says W. RandolphFranklin, associate professor of electrical,computer, and systems engineering andprincipal investigator for the project,which is funded by the DefenseAdvanced Research Projects Agency.

Current methods often produce unac-ceptable terrain maps, giving rise to errorsthat are clearly visible in any commercialmapping product, Franklin says. Forexample, one common mapping softwarerenders Niagara Falls as a gentle slope,while another has 50-foot elevation con-tours crossing a shoreline.

The program funding Franklin’s workexists because effective support for mili-tary operations requires better ways torepresent Earth’s surface. A specific focusis on the need to improve navigation ofunmanned aerial vehicles.

“I will be researching and developingthree different terrain representations,”Franklin says. “I will also study someimportant applications of terrain data.”One application is geared toward identify-ing the best sites to position a group of sol-diers to allow them to see as much terrainas possible. Such a technology could alsohave civilian uses, such as in placing cellphone towers or locating visual nuisanceswhere they would be the least visible.

“A far-out application for radio towerswould occur when the moon or Mars aresettled,” Franklin says. “Both have noionosphere to enable long-distance radio,and the moon has no stable satelliteorbits for potential communicationsatellites.” He suggests thatground-based radio relays, visi-ble to each other, could be thebest way to communicate onthese surfaces.

Christian Vogt, M.S.’04, from Liechtenstein,and Col. Clark Ray, Ph.D.’94, assisted in the research.

A depiction of 60 people viewed from above, each at the center of a circle that represents his field of vision.

John Shaw ’67 with hisPatroon Scholars (pictured

left to right) Susan Remondi’09, David Strott ’09, Michael

Flynn ’09, Everett Bradford’09, Sharon Vuong ’09.

TO ENCOURAGE PHILANTHROPY, A NUMBER OF COMPANIES

offer employees the opportunity to increase the value

of their charitable giving through corporate gift

matching programs. One Rensselaer alumnus was

surprised to learn just how much such a program can

magnify the power of giving.

John Hill Shaw III ’67 attended Rensselaer on a

full-tuition scholarship, earning a bachelor’s degree

in electrical engineering. He enjoyed a successful

career with the Exxon Corporation, spending 20 years

in Asia and retiring at age 55.

“I believe that education is very important,” says

Shaw, whose wife, Joanna, is a native of Malaysia.

They provided for the education of three members of

her family at universities in New Zealand and the

United States. “It has been fulfilling,” he says, “to

see the impact on their lives.”

After hearing about THE RENSSELAER PLAN and

its transformation of his alma mater in recent years,

Shaw decided it was time to travel back to Troy to see

for himself. He toured new facilities, met with faculty

and students, and mingled with fellow Rensselaer

alumni, including Ray Ash ’60. Ash, chairman of the

Patroon Scholars Program of the Rensselaer Annual

Fund, told Shaw about a great opportunity to support

students. Through the Patroon Scholars Program, a

donor makes a commitment to support an individual

student throughout his or her four years at Rensselaer.

The news for Shaw, however, was that as a retiree

of Exxon Corporation, he could take advantage of a

three-to-one match through the ExxonMobil Founda-

tion’s Educational Matching Gift Program. He decided

that he couldn’t wait for his estate to help Rensselaer

students and so provided Patroon Scholar support for

five undergraduate students for the next four years.

Shaw enjoyed meeting them at the annual Celebration

of Student Support in December.

“Just look at the numbers,” Shaw says. “I send RPI

a check as a gift. I reduce my fed-

eral taxes, so I reduce

my out-of-pocket

cost. ExxonMobil

matches my gift

three-to-one,

and RPI

receives an

amount for

four times

my own

gift. What

a deal!”

Shaw says.

“I couldn’t

afford NOT

to do it.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Magnifying Giving


CARBON NANOTUBES HAVE ENTICED

researchers since their discovery in 1991,offering an impressive combination ofhigh strength and low weight. Now anew study suggests that they also act like“super-compressible” springs, openingthe door to foamlike materials for justabout any application where strengthand flexibility are needed, from dispos-able coffee cups to the exterior of thespace shuttle.

The research, which is reported in theNov. 25 issue of the journal Science,shows that films of aligned multiwalledcarbon nanotubes can act like a layer ofmattress springs, flexing and reboundingin response to a force. But unlike a mat-tress, which can sag and lose its springi-ness, these nanotube foams maintaintheir resilience even after thousands ofcompression cycles.

In foams that exist today, strength andflexibility are opposing properties: as onegoes up, the other must go down. Withcarbon nanotubes, no such tradeoff exists.

“Carbon nanotubes display an excep-tional combination of strength, flexibili-ty, and low density, making them attrac-tive and interesting materials for produc-ing strong, ultra-light foam-like struc-tures,” says Pulickel Ajayan, the HenryBurlage Professor of Materials Scienceand Engineering at Rensselaer and coau-

thor of the paper.Carbon nanotubes are made from

graphitelike carbon, where the atoms arearranged like a rolled-up tube of chickenwire. Ajayan and a team of researchersat the University of Hawaii at Manoaand the University of Florida subjectedfilms of vertically aligned nanotubes to abattery of tests, demonstrating theirimpressive strength and resilience.

“These nanotubes can be squeezed toless than 15 percent of their normallengths by buckling and folding them-selves like springs,” says lead authorAnyuan Cao, who did much of the workas a postdoctoral researcher in Ajayan’slab and is now assistant professor ofmechanical engineering at the Universi-ty of Hawaii at Manoa. “After every cycleof compression, the nanotubes unfoldand recover, producing a strong cushion-ing effect.”

The thickness of the nanotube foamsdecreased slightly after several hundredcycles, but then quickly stabilized andremained constant, even up to 10,000cycles. When compared with conven-tional foams designed to sustain largestrains, nanotube foams recovered veryquickly and exhibited higher compressivestrength, according to the researchers.Throughout the entire experiments, thefoams did not fracture, tear, or collapse.

NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanotubes Form “Super Springs”

COMPANIES IN TODAY’S MARKETPLACE FACE INCREASING

pressure to churn out new products more rapidly and

less expensively. To alleviate some of the stress, efforts

are being made to streamline and restructure the tradi-

tional new-product development process. In his new

book, PRODUCT INNOVATION: LEADING CHANGE THROUGH

INTEGRATING PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT (Cambridge Uni-

versity Press, November 2005), David Rainey defines

and discusses a comprehensive framework for overhaul-

ing the product development process in complex and

challenging business environments.

Rainey, who is chair and associate professor of the

Hartford Department of the Lally School of Manage-

ment and Technology, writes the book from an integrat-

ed product development (IPD) perspective, linking all

aspects of marketing, costing, and manufacturing into

the development process.

The IPD perspective is the prevailing structure used

for product innovation in

most large corporations.

It calls for the simulta-

neous development of

new products and

processes using cross-

functional teams that

are strategically

aligned with the

needs of customers,

stakeholders, sup-

ply networks, and

the business

enterprise.

The first part

of Rainey’s book

covers product

innovation,

strategic logic,

and the new product develop-

ment process. Part two deals with establishing a

foundation for new ideas on a conceptual level, all the

way from the idea generation phase to the pre-commer-

cialization and launch phase.

Rainey has more than 30 years of experience and

leadership in industry and academia. He is an interna-

tionally renowned authority on global enterprise man-

agement, sustainable development, technological entre-

preneurship, and product innovation.

LALLY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Book Provides ProductInnovation Insight

Buckled carbon nanotubes under compression.A

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ATRENSSELAER

ATRENSSELAER

A COME-FROM-BEHIND VICTORY OVER

St. John Fisher in the ECAC NorthwestChampionship Bowl marked the end ofthe 2005 football season for Coach JoeKing’s Engineers. With the close of thewinning (8-2) season also came the end ofa 15-year-long football dynasty.

Senior linebacker and team captainGrant Cochran ’06 played his final gameas an Engineer during the ECAC Cham-pionship. He is the last of six Cochranbrothers who have consecutively playedfootball for Joe King at Rensselaer.

Since 1990, at least one Cochranbrother has been listed on the footballteam’s roster. Andy Cochran ’95 receivedan academic scholarship and came toRensselaer to play football, study engi-neering, and join the Navy ROTC in1990. Chris ’98 and Dan ’98 followed intheir brother’s footsteps soon after. NextEvan ’02, Flynn ’04, and Grant came toRensselaer to study and play football.

Although the brothers were alike intheir academic and athletic choices, theywere individuals on the football field,playing different positions at different lev-els of skill.

Andy, a linebacker, played in six gamesand served as assistant coach after gradu-ating from Rensselaer.

Chris, a defensive lineman, led theEngineers with five sacks during his junioryear. Dan played for a year on the juniorvarsity team.

Two of Rensselaer’s best wide-receivers, Evan and Flynn, are both teamrecord-holders. Evan scored a team-high15 touchdowns in 2001 and holds theteam’s career touchdown record at 28.Flynn also holds multiple records includ-ing single-season and career records inboth receptions and yards.

Grant, a four-year starter, two-year captain, and Academic All American,ranked second on the team in terms oftackles.

“They were all different,” said CoachKing in an interview with the AlbanyTimes Union. “Some were offensive line-men. Some were defensive linemen.Some were receivers. They came in allshapes and sizes. But one thing they allhad in common was they wanted to find away to win.”

Last summer Grant was married to hiswife, Alene. The wedding reception washeld on ’86 Field, where—fittingly—thebrothers and even Coach King playedfootball.

The Cochran football dynasty: (l-r) Evan, Chris, Andy, Coach Joe King, Grant, Dan, and Flynn.

HAWK TALK

Football Family Dynasty


RENSSELAER ON THE MOVE

Research Roundup

NIH Supports Cheminformatics Research

Rensselaer has been selected as one of six universi-

ties nationwide to be awarded a two-year, nearly

$1 million planning grant from the National Insti-

tutes of Health (NIH). The grant will provide a

foundation for the development of a center for

cheminformatics research. The Rensselaer

Exploratory Center for Cheminformatics Research

(RECCR) will bring together an interdisciplinary

research team to seek improved understanding of

the relationships between chemical structure and

function for use in biotechnology applications.

Testing the Power of Polymer Membranes

Rensselaer researchers have started a new funda-

mental research project on the component that is

often referred to as the heart of the fuel cell—the

polymer membrane.

The Rensselaer team developed a new polymer

membrane that may facilitate hydrogen separation,

purification, and transport at high temperatures,

according to Brian Benicewicz, professor of chem-

istry and chemical biology at Rensselaer who is the

principal investigator for the project. The new poly-

mer membrane is now being tested for potential use

in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell and

hydrogen applications. The project is funded by a

projected three-year, $900,000 grant from the U.S.

Department of Energy.

Improved Prediction of Bone Fracture Risk

A team of researchers led by Rensselaer has been

awarded a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the

National Institutes of Health (NIH) to work on

improving the prediction of bone fracture risk by

developing a new way to measure bone quality.

Recent studies have shown that current bone mass

index tests are not a reliable means of predicting

fracture risk. Deepak Vashishth, assistant professor

of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer and princi-

pal investigator of the research project, suggests

determining the quality of the bone, not simply the

quantity of the bone mass, can improve the predic-

tion of fracture in the elderly and osteoporotic popu-

lation. Research in his lab focuses on identifying,

establishing, and reversing the effects of age and dia-

betes-related bone fragility. Studies involve the modi-

fication of proteins in bone and their influence on

bone fracture.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

20 Years of Electronic ArtsIN 1985 PROFESSOR NEIL ROLNICK, THEN

director of iEAR Studios, founded iEARPresents, a series of public performances,exhibitions, and lectures that feature pio-neering and emerging artists who explorethe boundaries of electronic art. InNovember the series celebrated its 20thanniversary.

Created to enhance the education ofstudents enrolled in the integrated elec-tronic arts at Rensselaer (iEAR) programduring its earliest years, the series addeddepth to the computer music, animation,and video art courses that were taught inlarge, lecture-style classrooms. Atten-dance at iEAR Presents events becamemandatory for all electronic arts students.

“iEAR Presents was created to act as avenue where significant artists in theirfield could come to Rensselaer and notonly perform, but also interact with ourstudents,” says Rolnick. “There is no bet-ter way to teach our electronic arts stu-dents than to let them experience theworld’s leading performers and their artfirsthand.”

Since there was no single space on cam-pus dedicated to the arts program, earlyiEAR performances were held in a black-box theater in the basement of the DarrinCommunications Center, at the Rensse-laer Chapel + Cultural Center, and evenin empty storefronts in downtown Troy.

Early performers included Alvin Lucier,a pioneer of electronic music who opened

the fall 1988 season. Lucier made historywhen he used amplified brain waves todrive the instruments in one of his compo-sitions. At Rensselaer he performed musi-cal compositions developed from the stud-ies of acoustics, electronics, and physics.

Ed Emshwiller, an influential figure inthe experimental film movement and oneof the first people to work with computeranimation, visited Rensselaer during the1986-87 season of iEAR Presents. Hepresented Sunstone, a groundbreaking 3-D computer work that showcased hisbreakthroughs in the development of anelectronic language to articulate three-dimensional space.

Video installation artist Kathy Highcame to iEAR Presents in March 1988and exhibited Not Black & White, a videoand domestic installation that exploredsocial issues surrounding femininity,including eating disorders and the notionthat females are the less dominant sex.She also exhibited Romance of the Monk, amultimedia installation that used threevideotapes, six audio tracks, and sculptur-al, photographic, and drawing elements.

In 2002 Kathy High returned to Rens-selaer as associate professor of video andnew media. Today she serves as chair ofthe arts department (see page 14), whichis still home to iEAR Presents. Over thepast two decades the series has featuredthe work of nearly 100 electronic artists.

Professor Neil Rolnick founded the electronic arts series iEAR Presents in 1985.


STUDENT LIFE

Giving BackTHE 2004-2005 ACADEMIC YEAR WAS A REMARK-

able one for Rensselaer’s Student Life community

service initiatives. Reports from various con-

stituencies contributed to a year-end total of

12,003 volunteer hours, 32,234 federal work

study community service hours, and $38,939

raised in programs sponsored by Student Life

groups. The figures as of June 30, 2005, follow.

“I enjoy working with Habitat simply because

it’s a really fun way to make a big impact,” says

Johanna Wogaman, president of Rensselaer’s

Habitat for Humanity student chapter. “There’s

the practical side of just learning construction

techniques, simple home repairs, building sched-

ules, material purchasing, etc. On top of learning

all those skills, you’re able to not only build a

house but create a home for a family in need.

Being in college, as much as you might want to

help, it can be hard to donate money through the

semester. Habitat is a really easy opportunity for

students to take a day, half a day, or a few hours

and just work.”

Community Service Contributions by Rensselaer Students for 2004-2005

Total Community Service Hours 44,237

Volunteer Hours 12,003

Community Service Work Study Hours 32,234

Money Raised $38,939

Pints of Blood Donated 584

Computers Installed 24

Bags of Toiletries Donated 2

Pounds of Food Collected 22,090

Bins of Clothing Collected 21

Big Boxes of Toys for Tots Collected 5

Basket of Holiday Food Donated 1

Tutoring Sessions 1,258

Registration for Football Camp Donated 1

ATRENSSELAER

ARCHITECTURE

Student Designs Go Global TWO TEAMS OF FIFTH-YEAR ARCHITECTURE

students at Rensselaer garnered top hon-ors—first and third place overall—in theGlobal House 2005 International DesignCompetition, selected from among morethan 250 entries from 44 countries.

Hosted by Arquitectum, an enterprisededicated to the organization of architec-tural contests, theGlobal Housecompetition chal-lenged professionalarchitects andarchitecture stu-dents ages 28 andunder to create ahouse that bestrepresents the values of contemporaryglobal society and that can exist on anysite, anywhere in the world.

Stephanie Cramer of Castleton, N.Y.,and Ryan Salvas of Old Saybrook, Conn.,saw an opportunity to incorporate hous-ing into the bridges, sign trusses, and onand off ramps associated with highways.Their proposal involved using highwaysign trusses as a structure for houses thatwould be suspended over the roadways.The team was awarded first place and aprize of $2,000 for their design, titled

56West: Utopia.NOMAD, designed by Priyanka Mara

of New Hartford, N.Y., Moniera Buck ofBrooklyn, N.Y., and Brian Janeczko ofGarden City, N.Y., won third place, and aprize of $500. The group proposed areconfigurable housing unit, designed fornomadic users, made up of telescoping

tubes that couldbe shifted, pushed,and pulled, pro-viding users with ahigh level of flexi-bility within asmall amount ofspace.

“Once againRensselaer students have demonstratedtheir capacity as global thinkers, creatingarchitectural designs that have thepotential to enhance living environ-ments, and improve the human conditionon a universal scale. I applaud them fortheir creativity and for this achieve-ment,” said Alan Balfour, dean of archi-tecture.

This is the eighth year Rensselaer stu-dents have been selected as finalists ininternational professional competitions,according to Balfour.

56WEST: UTOPIA earned first place in the Global House 2005 International Design Competition.


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NATIONAL MEDIA ATTENTION

Rensselaer in the NewsRENSSELAER’S RESEARCH AND PEOPLE CONTINUE TO

garner national media attention.

The November issue of FORTUNE SMALL BUSINESS

magazine featured a full-page photo of Rensselaer

alumni and students John Blackburn, Tom Rossi, and

Ryan O’Donnell. The trio garnered an honorable men-

tion in the publication’s student startup competition

for their company, BullEx, which offers a safe and

clean solution to fire extinguisher training.

After previous coverage in THE NEW YORK TIMES

and VOICE OF AMERICA, the collaboration between

Pulickel Ajayan, the Henry

Burlage Professor of Materials

Science and Engineering, and

scientists at the University of

Akron continues to attract

attention. Their research proj-

ect to mimic the sticky feet of

the gecko lizard recently

appeared in the October issue

of SMALLTIMES magazine.

IEEE SPECTRUM included

Rensselaer’s Gulf Coast Scholars Program for stu-

dents displaced by Hurricane Katrina in an Oct. 31

story about how technically oriented schools have

responded to recent disasters. Rensselaer President

Shirley Ann Jackson noted: “You want to do as much

as you can, but you also want to be able to deliver on

what you promise.”

Two winners of the Change the World Challenge, an

idea competition funded by a $1 million gift from

Sean O’Sullivan ’85, were featured in their hometown

newspapers. The DESMOINES REGISTER carried a story

about Casey O’Donnell, a Ph.D. student whose “Virtu-

al DJ” program teaches students how to manipulate

mathematical equations. The SPRINGFIELD (Mass.)

REPUBLICAN wrote a piece about Brendan Kavanagh, a

senior who designed a way to send a signal to a car’s

taillights when the brakes are applied forcefully.

THE SCIENTIST magazine highlighted a Rensselaer

team’s approach to predicting how proteins separate

based solely on their chemical structure. The team was

led by Curt Breneman, professor of chemistry and

chemical biology, and Steven Cramer, professor of

chemical and biological engineering.

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FOCUSON:

ARTS DEPARTMENT CHAIR KATHY

High was drawn to Rensselaer bythe opportunity to connect art withthe world beyond it. For more than20 years she has done just that,through documentaries, experi-mental videos, sculptures, andmultimedia installations shownaround the world. High’s work alsohas put the spotlight on socialissues related to women’s health,medical ethics, and advances inscience and technology.

“I love teaching art, but for meit’s more fulfilling to teach the dis-cipline at a university where it’s not the only subject students are

studying,” says High. “I wanted to teach at a university that hadeducational focuses stretching farbeyond the arts, allowing me toextract pieces of the research, thescientific, the technical world andincorporate them into my artworld. The strength of the engi-neering and science programs really attracted me to Rensselaer.”

Currently High is finalizing thedepartment’s new Ph.D. programin electronic arts. “Everybody’sreally ready for it,” she says.“We’d like to admit our first students by fall 2006.”

Also under way is the implemen-

tation of an international exchangeprogram. High expects to establisha visual arts student and facultyexchange program with the HongKong Arts Center and the City University of Hong Kong, and anelectronic music exchange pro-gram with the Central Conservato-ry of Music and Peking Universityin Beijing.

In the future, High would like to develop a “Living Art Center”at Rensselaer, which would collaborate with the Center forBiotechnology and Interdiscipli-nary Studies on projects bridgingthe arts and sciences. She envisions

the center as a public venue thatintegrates science and technologyinto the arts to increase awarenessand understanding of biotechnolo-gy and other science and technolo-gy-based disciplines. Similar cen-ters exist in other countries, but arerelatively uncommon in the UnitedStates, according to High.

“I see the Living Art Center as a place where people—all people,not just scientists—can feelinvolved and participate in theadvances made in biotechnology,”says High. “Science advancesextremely quickly. Art gives peoplethe opportunity to stop and look atboth the risks and the rewards ofthese advances.”

The growing arts department isbased in the renovated West Hall,part of the envisioned “arts corri-dor” along Eighth Street that willinclude the Experimental Mediaand Performing Arts Center(EMPAC) when it opens in 2008.

“I see EMPAC as an invaluableresource for our arts departmentand for our students,” High says.“I think the international connec-tion that EMPAC will bring toRensselaer is only going toenhance our students’ educationalexperience—it’s going to be agreat resource for them.”

High is active in the arts scenebeyond campus as founder and editor of FELIX: A JOURNAL OF

MEDIA ARTS AND COMMUNICATION,a publication geared toward alter-native film and video makers thatshe started in 1991. The newestvolume of FELIX, a print publica-tion and DVD titled TOOLS: ANA-LOGUES AND INTERSECTIONS, willfocus on the intersections betweenearly video art and new media artpractices. A curated festival of“old” and new media works will be held at Rensselaer in the springof 2007, to celebrate its release.

High credits her fellow profes-sors for the increased prominenceof the program. “The faculty—each one of them—brings theirunique strengths to our departmentand to our students,” she says.“They are the foundation of thearts program; I am simply buildingon top of that foundation.”

Kathy High: Bridging the Arts and Sciences

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MILESTONES

JOHN WEN has beenappointed newdirector of theCenter forAutomation Technologies andSystems (CATS).

Wen brings extensive experience in robotics to the newly renamedcenter, which matches Rensselaerresearch with targeted industrialapplications ranging from manu-facturing and microsystems assem-bly to the automation of medicalsystems. Wen earned a bachelor’sdegree from McGill University in 1979, a master’s from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1981, and a doctor-ate from Rensselaer in 1985, all in electrical engineering. He joinedthe Rensselaer faculty in 1988, andwas named a fellow of the Instituteof Electrical and Electronics Engi-neers in 2001.

CHRISTOPHER DAVEY, lead environ-mental specialist, has received the2005 Pillars of Rensselaer Award,the highest honor Rensselaer givesto a staff member. The PillarsAward is presented annually to astaff member who understands theInstitute’s mission and history, hasbeen a role model for otheremployees, has showed concern forstudents and their welfare, hasadded to the human dimension ofthe school, and who has played anactive role in his or her home com-munity.

NATACHA DEPAOLA

has been appoint-ed chair of theDepartment ofBiomedical Engi-neering. A mem-ber of the Rensse-

laer faculty since 1994, DePaolareceived a National Science Foun-dation Faculty Early Career Devel-opment Award in 1996 and is amember of the Biomedical Engi-neering Society, American Societyof Mechanical Engineers, Ameri-can Society for Cell Biology,American Association for theAdvancement of Science, andAmerican Society for EngineeringEducation. Her research focuses

on the fundamental aspects of fluidmechanics and mass transportinvolved in the modulation ofmammalian cell function.

JAN STEGEMANN,

assistant profes-sor of biomedicalengineering, wasawarded the RitaSchaffer YoungInvestigator

Award at the Biomedical Engineer-ing Society annual meeting. As partof the award, Stegemann delivereda plenary lecture on currentresearch in his group.

PETER COLLOPY ’71 has beenappointed director of environmen-tal health and safety. He has morethan 30 years of experience inhealth physics and environmentalhealth and safety in both industryand academe, and is board certi-fied as a health physicist andindustrial hygienist. Collopyearned both master’s and bache-lor’s degrees in environmentalengineering from Rensselaer.

MICHAEL SHUR, the Patricia W. andC. Sheldon Roberts ’48 ChairedProfessor in Solid State Electronicsat Rensselaer, has been elected afellow of the American Associationfor the Advancement of Science(AAAS). Shur is one of 376 newlyelected fellows recognized for theirefforts to advance science applica-tions that are deemed scientificallyor socially distinguished, accordingto AAAS. Shur is director of Rens-selaer’s Center for Broadband DataTransport Science and Technology.

MICHAEL TENTNOWSKI has beenappointed director of the Rensse-laer Incubator, one of the first uni-versity-based incubators in thecountry. Tentnowski has had morethan a decade of experience insmall business and entrepreneur-ship development in the academicand business arena. Tentnowskireceived a bachelor’s degree inaccounting, and an MBA from theUniversity of Montana, Missoula.

GARY SAULNIER, associate professorof electrical, computer, and systems

engineering, has received the 2005Military Communications Confer-ence Technical Achievement Awardfrom the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers. The awardis given in recognition of sustainedcontributions to military communi-cations.

G.P. “BUD” PETER-

SON, provost, hasbeen honoredwith an interna-tional award forhis commitmentto science educa-

tion. The Frank J. Malina Astro-nautics Medal, presented yearly bythe International AstronauticsFederation, is given to an educatorwho has demonstrated excellencein promoting the study of astronau-tics and related space sciences. Afellow of both the American Soci-ety of Mechanical Engineers andthe American Institute of Aeronau-tics and Astronautics, Peterson haswritten more than 125 refereedjournal articles and holds ninepatents.

ANGEL GARCIA, sen-ior constellationchaired professorin biocomputa-tion and bioinfor-matics and pro-fessor of physics,

will be presented the 2006 EdwardA. Bouchet Award by the Ameri-can Physical Society (APS) at the2006 APS March Meeting. Theaward recognizes Garcia’s contri-butions to the understanding of therole of water in the dynamics andfolding of proteins through com-puter simulations.

TOH-MING LU, the Ray Palmer BakerDistinguished Professor of Physics,was presented the first-ever Semi-conductor Research Corporation(SRC) Faculty Leadership Awardat the TECHCON 2005 meeting inPortland, Ore. The award was cre-ated by the SRC Board of Direc-tors and seeks to recognize individ-uals who have demonstrated out-standing leadership in addressingthe most important problems fac-ing the semiconductor industry

through excellence in the creationand management of large SRC-sponsored multi-university andmultidisciplinary collaborativeprograms. Lu was recognized forhis work as past director of Rensse-laer’s Center for Advanced Inter-connect Science and Technology.

STEPHEN DERBY,

associate profes-sor of mechani-cal, aerospace,and nuclear engi-neering and co-director of the

Flexible Manufacturing Center,won the best paper award in theMaterial Handling EngineeringDivision at the ASME Internation-al Mechanical Engineering Con-gress and Exposition Nov. 5-11.The paper, which was co-authoredby Bernhard Bringmann ’02, a for-mer master’s student at Rensse-laer, discussed a novel method forstacking mixed case lot palletloads on top of one another.

STEVEN ROECKER, professor of earthand environmental sciences,recently received a medal from theU.S. Civilian Research & Develop-ment Foundation in recognition ofhis support in developing interna-tional science and technology col-laborations. Roecker has served asan adviser to the funding agency onscience in central Asia, primarilyin Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan,and served on a number of reviewpanels (see article, page 16).

FRANK SPEAR, professor and chairof earth and environmental sci-ences, has been named the 2007Dana Medal recipient by the Min-eralogical Society of America. Themedal is intended to recognize amid-career individual’s continuedoutstanding scientific contributionsthrough original research in themineralogical sciences. Spear’sresearch is focused on developingnew techniques to read the historyof the Earth through metamorphicrocks, constructing pressure-temperature-time histories used tointerpret tectonic evolution.

“The transitions so evident in all facets of life, learning,research, scholarship, all across our campuses, are signsof an intellectual vigor and vibrant activity. As we renew ourcommitment to our roots—the very premises upon whichRensselaer was founded—we are marking a transition froma storied past to a breathtaking future.”—President Shirley Ann Jackson

PLAN FOR SUCCESS

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of The Rensselaer Plan. A strategic blueprint for the future,

the plan put Rensselaer on the road to its most significant and far-reaching transformation in more than a cen-

tury, with the goal to raise the Institute to the level of a “top-tier technological research university with global

reach and global impact.”

The results have been wide-ranging, reaching into almost every aspect of life at the Institute. Under the plan,

Rensselaer already has made its mark nationally and globally in the targeted areas of information technology, nan-

otechnology, and biotechnology. The Institute has recruited some of the most talented and distinguished facul-

ty in the world. Research awards have more than doubled, from $37 million to $80 million, and the number of

doctoral students has increased. Student quality and diversity is on the rise as well. More than $400 million

has been poured into new construction and renovations of facilities for research, teaching, and student life. A renewed

commitment to undergraduate education has sparked the recent introduction of the Undergraduate Plan, to

strengthen the overall undergraduate experience at Rensselaer.

Meanwhile, the parallel transformation of Rensselaer at Hartford continues. The refocusing of the Education

for Working Professionals program, which is based at Hartford and includes distance components, involves the

reshaping of course offerings and the strengthening of ties to business and industry.

To support these and other initiatives, the Institute publicly launched its largest fund-raising campaign in its

history, Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.BY JODI ACKERMAN FRANK

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Five years on, The Rensselaer Plan continues to transform the Institute and

lays the foundation for a renewed commitment to undergraduate education.

“Rensselaer is an educational institution whosemission sits at the very heart of what has changedthe world for the last 100 years. Namely, it is auniversity centered around science and engi-neering,” Jackson says. “Many of the great dis-coveries, inventions, and innovations of the lastcentury have completely transformed this coun-try multiple times, and have made it the pre-emi-nent global leader that it is. If you look at thosewho have been connected to Rensselaer, theyare people who have done just that in their time.That gives us a tradition to build upon.”

The plan has propelled Rensselaer to promi-nence in critical areas, including health, safetyand security, the environment, and energy secu-rity, among others. Innovation and discovery inthese largely have grown from the plan’s strate-gic research focus on one of the Institute’s sig-nificant strengths, information technology, andon an area in which Rensselaer was relativelyunknown until recently—biotechnology.

In her inaugural address, Jackson challengedthe Rensselaer community to take the bold stepof investing in biotechnology, an area that, shesaid, “holds out great promise and great value tohumanity.”

“[I]n the 21st century, genomics, combina-torics, and their marriage with informationtechnology will impact the human conditionas strongly as quantum science did in the 20thcentury,” Jackson said in her address. “This isa field whose impact is so great, so full of prom-ise, so well-suited to Rensselaer, that we simplymust drive our stake into the ground of this newfrontier.”

Since then, Rensselaer has developed its ownniche in biotechnology by combining researchin the biological sciences with engineering andinformation technology. The result has been anexplosion of new research, education, and tech-nology commercialization that has fostered col-laboration and innovation across all disciplines.

“The Rensselaer Plan has given us the focus,vision, and investment necessary to put the uni-versity back on the map with respect to ground-breaking research and leadership,” saysOmkaram “Om” Nalamasu, vice president forresearch.

From developing new methods to rapidly syn-thesize and screen new potential drugs to creat-ing a living heart wall patch to treat congestiveheart failure, Rensselaer faculty are increasing-ly being recognized for their work, attractinggreat interest—and funding—from governmentand the private sector.

The Center for Biotechnology and Interdis-ciplinary Studies, which opened in September2004, lies at the heart of the plan’s transforma-tional research initiative. The 218,000-square-foot center houses faculty and researchersengaged in interdisciplinary research. Its coreresearch facilities contain laboratories for molec-ular biology, analytical biochemistry, microbiol-ogy, imaging, histology, tissue and cell culture,proteomics, and scientific computing and visu-alization.

“This center is a cornerstone in realizing TheRensselaer Plan’s top priority of increasing theuniversity’s research portfolio exponentiallywhile improving the quality of education andexpanding the Institute’s prominence and glob-al impact,” says the center’s director, RobertPalazzo, a world-recognized cell and molecularbiologist. “The building itself is the physical

embodiment of Rensselaer’s commitment to cre-ate an atmosphere for transformational researchendeavors that will generate new models forinterdisciplinary research at the university.”

In addition to biotechnology and informationtechnology, Rensselaer is pushing the frontiersof knowledge in other strategic research areas,including nanotechnology and advanced mate-rials, microelectronics, and modeling and simu-lation of complex systems, among others.

“Discovery and innovation are critical to solv-ing important problems facing humanity today,and multidisciplinary inquiry at new interfacesof any number of disciplines is imperative,” Nala-masu says. “For instance, we are looking atbiotechnology and nanotechnology as impor-tant new toolboxes to work on crucial energyissues.”

DRIVING THE RESEARCH RENAISSANCEExpanding the research enterprise required theuniversity to make a significant investment in acritical mass of faculty to not only create thestrength needed in focal areas, but to build uprelated areas in engineering, the sciences, andthe arts. In the past five years, 150 new facultymembers have been hired, 73 of them in entire-ly new positions.

Several of these new faculty members are partof the plan’s strategy to create “constellations”as a means to build new research programs fromthe ground up. Each constellation is focused onspecific research programs and comprises a mul-tidisciplinary mix of senior and junior faculty,postdocs, and graduate students.

Last year, Rensselaer completed the FutureChips Constellation, which focuses on innova-tions in materials and devices and in solid stateand smart lighting, and extends to applications


Shirley Ann Jackson came to Rensselaer in 1999 with the belief that,based on its history, the Institute hadthe potential to change the world.


such as sensing, communications, biotechnolo-gy, and energy conservation. The Institute hasdeveloped seven constellations, including mul-tiscale computation, and functional tissue engi-neering and regenerative medicine.

WHERE THE ARTS MEET TECHNOLOGYAs Rensselaer embarked on new areas of scien-tific research under the plan, it also blazed a trailat the intersection of the arts, media, and tech-nology with the introduction of the Experi-mental Media and Performing Arts Center(EMPAC), a unique building and program tolink the arts with leading-edge research and per-formance across the disciplines.

“Rensselaer combines innovation and successin research and education with an equally sophis-ticated and demanding cultural environment.This is what EMPAC will build upon,” saysEMPAC Director Johannes Goebel. “EMPACwill provide programs and a place where artists,students, and faculty from a wide spectrum ofdisciplines can convene, exchange, collaborate,watch, listen, think, create, and allow themselvesbe to challenged.”

In September 2003, the university brokeground for the $141 million building that is ris-ing on the southwestern corner of the Rensse-laer campus. Construction is well under way for the 206,000-square-foot building, with thegrand-opening festival planned for September2008.

EMPAC will house a 1,200-seat concert halland a 400-seat theater. It also will have a 3,500-square-foot black-box studio optimized for the-ater, dance, and visual presentations. EMPACwill incorporate acoustical properties, artisticlighting, and technologically adaptable per-formance spaces to support research in visuali-

zation, simulation, animation, haptics, acoustics,and more.

In the summer of 2002, Goebel joined Rens-selaer to begin developing comprehensive pro-gramming for EMPAC even before constructionbegan. Previously the director of the Institutefor Music and Acoustics, which he founded atthe Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, Ger-many, Goebel has brought to Rensselaer hisexperience as composer, producer, and mentor ofintermedia art and interdisciplinary research.

A number of EMPAC performances havealready taken place. In September, the midpointbetween the groundbreaking and opening wasmarked with “EMPAC 360: On Site+Sound,”an event held at sunset that included aerialdance, music, live visuals, and fireworks enjoyedby an audience of 2,000 spectators from the Troycampus and the surrounding community.

EMPAC will anchor what is becoming an artscorridor along Eighth Street on the western sideof the campus. It is joined by the highlyacclaimed arts department, which is housed inthe newly renovated West Hall. EMPAC drawsheavily from the department’s leadership posi-tion in the electronic arts. The departmentboasts some of the university’s fastest-growingprograms and has attracted a highly diverse,internationally recognized faculty whose workis regularly viewed and heard around the world.

In fact, the department’s iEAR (IntegratedElectronics Arts at Rensselaer) graduate pro-gram that has been promoting leading-edge artfor 20 years, and the successful EMAC (elec-tronic media, arts, and communication) under-graduate program convinced Jackson thatRensselaer had the foundation and the vision toestablish an experimental arts center that wouldbe unique in the world.

OUTWARD SIGNS OF PROGRESSWhen Peter Baldwin ’06, president of the Rens-selaer Union, was a freshman three years ago, aparking lot stretched between the Playhouse andAcademy Hall on 15th Street. Baldwin alsonoticed the abandoned building that oncehoused a T-shirt shop in the midst of rundownhouses and sidewalks where 15th Street meetsCollege Avenue.

“As far as I was concerned, the south side ofcampus ended at the Armory. College Avenueseemed to be anything but a part of the college,”says Baldwin, who is completing a dual major inmechanical engineering and economics.

The north side of campus didn’t fare muchbetter. “When I was a freshman, I can remembervisiting my friends’ dorms that still appeared tobe like Army barracks. The entire landscape ofFreshman Hill left much to be desired,” Baldwinsays. “But, that was then and the Rensselaer oftoday is not what it was three years ago.”

Today, the intersection Baldwin remembersas a no-man’s land is a new gateway to the southside of the campus, with new walkways and light-ing. The extensively renovated Academy Hallnow serves as a student service center. The Insti-tute also transformed an empty T-shirt shop intoa lively coffeehouse, Java++, where studentscan get a cappuccino, eat organic, and takeadvantage of wireless Internet access. In fact,the Troy campus is replete with new and reno-vated cafes in the Darrin Communications Cen-ter, the Folsom Library, and other locations, withfuture plans for expanded dining options in theUnion.

Indeed, under The Rensselaer Plan, a wholenew physical campus has sprung up with newand renovated facilities serving all aspects of theuniversity community.

“The Rensselaer Plan has given us thefocus, vision, and investment necessaryto put the university back on the mapwith respect to groundbreaking researchand leadership,” says Omkaram “Om”Nalamasu, vice president for research.

In addition to construction of the Center forBiotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies andEMPAC, Rensselaer has invested millions ofdollars in new and renovated freshman resi-dence halls that are becoming places of livingand learning. Barton Hall, completed in 2000,was the first new residence hall built on cam-pus since 1977. The investment extends toimproved housing for graduate students as well,including the renovation of abandoned buildingsalong Peoples Avenue and other areas nearcampus.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME“What we have accomplished at Rensselaer inthe past five years is remarkable,” Jackson says.“While The Rensselaer Plan is a document ofwhich we all can be proud, it is the people ofRensselaer who have made the promise of it areality. What is more, our success is gaining forRensselaer a national reputation as a model foracademic transformation.”

And, “as the song says, ‘the best is yet tocome,’ ” she adds.

The next major initiative is the Undergrad-uate Plan, which will build on The RensselaerPlan’s commitment to develop a world-classundergraduate experience. The Institute’s grow-ing faculty, expanding facilities, and model pro-grams are attracting ever more outstandingstudents. Average freshman SAT scores haveincreased 60 points in recent years. The under-graduate program has received the highest rank-ing in years from U.S.News & World Report—43rd, up from 46th last year.

“If we are to continue to attract the very bestand brightest, we must focus on elevating ourprograms and expanding opportunities for our undergraduate students,” says Prabhat

Hajela, vice provost and dean of undergradu-ate education.

With this in mind, Rensselaer is developingone of its most ambitious initiatives for theimmediate future: the Undergraduate Plan.

The initiative will build upon Rensselaer’sinnovative experiential approaches to educa-tion. Living and learning communities, whichprovide opportunities for groups of students whoshare common academic interests, are amongprograms being developed under the umbrellaof the plan.

The plan calls for more opportunities forundergraduates to participate in research withfaculty and graduate students. It sets a goal forresearch participation to nearly triple in the nextfive years, with up to 80 percent of studentsactively taking part in research activities.

“Our undergraduate programs must go hand-in-hand with what is being done at the gradu-ate level because the most contemporary,forward-looking education one can expect hap-pens when teaching is informed by research,”says Hajela, who is working across all portfoliosto expand undergraduate academic programs.“Such expanded research efforts will alsoencourage entrepreneurship and contribute tobuilding mentoring relationships between fac-ulty and students.”

Another goal of the Undergraduate Plan isto provide an international experience for everyundergraduate student. In preparing studentsto be good global citizens, comfortable in a mul-ticultural environment, Rensselaer will provideenhanced and new opportunities for studentsto study abroad at universities around theworld. In addition, the plan will increase offer-ings in international co-op and internship expe-riences and summer overseas semesters led by

Rensselaer faculty.Strengthening the student-advisement sys-

tem is another focus. To support this effort, anew position has been created for an associatedean for academic advising, assessment, andspecial programs in the Office of Undergradu-ate Education.

The Undergraduate Plan will build upon Stu-dent Life’s well-established First-Year Experi-ence (FYE) program and services. FYE, now inits fourth year, welcomes new students with afull schedule of orientation events, parent andfamily programs, and social, cultural, and edu-cational activities.

“We want to help students become part ofthis community, discover their interests andtheir passions, and form friendships and socialconnections with their peers, from the momentthey first step onto campus,” says Eddie AdeKnowles, vice president for student life.

A new FYE program this year is “TuesdayNight Toolbox,” which offers programming andevents that focus on topics of concern to newstudents, such as healthy living, academic sup-port, and career development. Student Life alsois focusing on strengthening student supportand counseling well beyond the orientation peri-od. For example, the early intervention programinvolves a new role of “class dean,” named foreach class after the freshman year. These deanslead a team that provides support for and out-reach to the class, addressing concerns to helpstudents stay on track.

For years, Jackson has warned that the Unit-ed States faces a shortage of scientists and engi-neers, which could cause a decline in America’seconomic leadership. She calls this phenomenonthe “quiet crisis.”

“Unless we begin, now, to attract new groups


of students, including women, underrepresent-ed groups, and students with disabilities intoscience and engineering, we will not haveenough scientists and engineers to maintain ournational capacity for innovation and discovery,which undergirds our economy,” she says.

To address this issue as an integral part of theUndergraduate Plan, the Division of StudentLife is increasing diversity, the applicant pool,and national visibility for the Institute by cre-ating internal pipeline programs, and buildingrelationships with national pipeline programsthat focus on preparing students who might nototherwise go to college.

One recently established internal pipelineprogram is the Rensselaer Presidential Schol-ars, a six-week national summer program toattract talented high-school seniors. Beginningnext summer, up to 30 seniors from around thecountry will take a credit-bearing course in sci-ence or engineering with a research componentin biotechnology, information technology, engi-neering, or another science.

FIELDS OF DREAMSThe Undergraduate Plan also encompasses thefar-reaching expansion of athletics facilities.

“Athletics is a key element of the Under-graduate Plan, and creating new and bettersports facilities for students is a high priority,”Knowles says. “When you consider that morethan 4,000 Rensselaer students play varsity,club, and intramural sports each year, you can seeour need for the update and expansion.”

Plans are being developed to build a new EastCampus Athletic Village, a complex of build-ings and spaces that will include a new footballfield with a 7,500-seat stadium, and a basket-ball gymnasium with seating for 2,000 that will

also serve as a centralized location for all theathletics offices. Also part of the plan is to buildan athletics support center that will have sportsmedicine and weight training facilities as wellas multipurpose conference rooms, concessions,and lounges.

In addition, during the first phase of the planthe Houston Field House will be expanded toaccommodate offices for women’s and men’s icehockey as well as to provide room for athleticstraining facilities to support both programs. Thefirst phase of this all-encompassing project isexpected to begin next summer.

Later phases will include a 50-meter natato-rium, a track-and-field facility with inside ten-nis courts, and eight outside tennis courts.

SUPPORTING THE RENAISSANCETo support the vision of The Rensselaer Plan, theInstitute publicly launched its largest capitalcampaign in its history with a goal of raising $1 billion by the end of 2008.

The campaign, titled Renaissance at Rensse-laer: The Campaign for Rensselaer PolytechnicInstitute, has raised more than $660 million todate—more than three times the amountraised in the last campaign that ended almost10 years ago.

The campaign’s nucleus phase began in 2000.Less than a year later, the university received alandmark $360 million gift from an anonymousdonor. The largest unrestricted gift on record,the donation constituted a powerful endorse-ment of the transformational goals of the plan.

Several alumni since have made their ownsignificant contributions, including Rensselaeralumnus and Trustee Curtis Priem ’82, whopledged an unrestricted gift of $40 million toRensselaer on the day of the public launch of

the campaign in September 2004. In recogni-tion of this gift, Rensselaer will name EMPACin his honor. In addition, the Rensselaer Alum-ni Association has made its largest-ever giftcommitment of $300,000 to support the expan-sion of athletics facilities.

THE NEW FACE OF RENSSELAERWhat will the Institute look like when the goalsof The Rensselaer Plan are achieved?

“There is no one ‘look’ in the future becauseif we are stagnant then we are not making thecontributions that we intend to make,” Jack-son says.

Jackson intended the plan to be “ever-green”—a living document continually evolv-ing and challenging the Institute to reachgreater heights.

For example, early discussions referred toEMPAC as the “electronic media and per-forming arts center,” but as the understandingof the center evolved, “electronic” wasreplaced with “experimental” to include newdomains of exploration in the nexus of the artsand technology.

The Institute also has invested heavily inemerging disciplines that did not exist just a fewyears ago, such as terahertz science and nano-electronics. Rensselaer faculty are pioneers inthese exciting new areas of science that holdenormous potential in biomedical imaging,genetics diagnostics, and microelectronics.

“We have been opportunistic as we’ve gone,”Jackson says. “But these things still derive froma fundamental desire to build out from strengthswe have had all along.”


A renewed committment to undergrad-uate education has sparked the recentintroduction of the Undergraduate Plan,to strengthen the overall undergraduateexperience at Rensselaer.

Rensselaer campus regulars may not be aware of it,but earthquakes frequently surge through the base-ment of the J. Erik Jonsson Engineering Center. Pro-ducing a powerful shaking sensation, these seismicevents have taken a considerable toll, leaving behinda trail of broken pipes, damaged pilings, and otherserious structural problems.

Not to worry, though. These “earthquakes” are actu-ally scale-model simulations, generated by civil engi-neers in Rensselaer’s recently redeveloped Geotech-nical Centrifuge Center, part of the George E. BrownJr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simula-tion (NEES), a nationwide academic research con-sortium. The tests often use Rensselaer’s centrifuge,an imposing device with a mechanical arm that canswing model structures around at 250 miles per hour,exerting forces real buildings would face only at catas-trophic moments.“We cannot wait 20 or 30 years for an earth-quake to occur,” says Ricardo Dobry, professor ofcivil and environmental engineering and director ofthe Geotechnical Centrifuge Center. “This allowsus to test structures and full systems.” Recent catas-trophic natural disasters—particularly the Decem-ber 2004 earthquake and tsunami originating inSumatra and the earthquake in Pakistan and Indiain October, which have killed tens of thousands—underscore the importance of research in these areas.

Rensselaer researchers are working with colleagues around the

world to plumb the depths of the causes and effects of earthquakes.

Earthquake researchers (clock-wise from top left) Rob McCaffrey,Steve Roecker, Tarek Abdoun, and

Ricardo Dobry in Rensselaer’s 150 g-ton geotechnical centrifugefacility located in the basement ofthe Jonsson Engineering Center.


BENEATHWHAT LIES

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By Peter Dizikes

While Troy, like all of New York state, rarely expe-riences significant seismic activity, Rensselaeris a hive of research activity on the subject. Insti-tute researchers stand at the leading edge of

studying both the causes and the effects of earthquakes,examining everything from the physical constructionof fault zones to the safe construction of buildings inthose zones.

The Geotechnical Centrifuge Center is just one nodeof earthquake research at Rensselaer. Institute earthscientists have fanned out across the globe to performsignificant fieldwork for years, studying faults and earth-quake activity from Kyrgyzstan to California and fromIndonesia to Oregon. Rensselaer research on earth-quakes also engenders interdisciplinary projects: engi-neers work with computer scientists, and geophysicistscollaborate with mathematicians. Earthquakes may bean age-old problem, but the research methods used tounderstand them are distinctly new.

I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE…Earthquakes are a product of the motion of the plan-et’s tectonic plates—the 20 or so large segments of theEarth’s crust slowly moving around the globe—whichare responsible for the ongoing rearrangement of theworld we see. A head-on collision between tectonicplates, which has happened at the edge of the Indiansubcontinent, can produce spectacular features such as

the Himalaya mountain range and the recent Kashmirearthquake.

Tectonic plates do not always meet in this precisefashion, however. When a plate largely supporting anocean meets a continent-bearing plate, the heavieroceanic plate tends to dive underneath its neighbor, inthe process called subduction. And sometimes platesscrape past one another in a lateral motion, as is thecase with the San Andreas Fault in California.

Whatever the precise movement, a single earthquakerepresents the release of tension that accumulates alonga fault, where plates move in fits and starts. “It’s like aspring getting loaded,” says Rob McCaffrey, professorof geophysics, who has helped pioneer the use of Glob-al Positioning System (GPS) technology to measure themovements of plates. “The number-one question is howmuch of the fault will go at one time,” McCaffrey adds.“That determines the magnitude of the earthquake andthe duration of its shaking.”

In geologic time, spanning billions of years, an indi-vidual earthquake is a tiny, incremental event. In humanterms, however, as Dobry notes, major earthquakes areinfrequent (although small ones happen every dayaround the globe). Yet that is only one reason engineersneed to generate their own steady stream of data throughsimulated quakes.

“With earthquakes, another big problem is, you neverknow when or where they’re going to happen,” saysTarek Abdoun, assistant professor of civil engineeringand associate director of Rensselaer’s centrifuge cen-ter. “Whenever you put instruments in a certain area,earthquakes never happen there. But for us, as engi-neers, to be able to understand a certain phenomenonand design for it, you need to know what is happening.With a centrifuge, you have instrumentation, you canrecreate the event, you learn a lot, and now you canimprove the design and the foundation of buildings.”

The sheer scale of the planet means researchers stillare just beginning to collect earthquake data in manyplaces. In the 1980s, McCaffrey was among the first sci-entists to use GPS measurements in Indonesia, the siteof last year’s catastrophic earthquake. Today, much ofMcCaffrey’s work involves “measuring the buildup ofthe energy right now” in complex fault systems in orderto develop a detailed picture of fault activity and, even-tually, a better sense of which fault segments might bemost prone to move in a given period.

Specific earthquake predictions remain an elusivegoal. The outlines of tectonic plates might look simpleon a world map, but the view from the ground is anoth-er matter. Within a fault zone itself, tectonic plates donot just neatly collide or grind past one another, butcan shatter into smaller pieces, like a fractured eggshell.The more scientists measure subduction zones, the morethey realize how complicated they can be—especially inplaces like Sumatra.


Professor Steve Roecker is partof a team of researchers study-ing the Tien Shan mountains inCentral Asia, considered a geo-logic puzzle because they exist

not at the edge of a tectonicplate, but in the middle of one.

The house, above, sits at thebase of tilted strata.

Rensselaer earth scientists have fannedout across the globe to perform significant

fieldwork for years, studying faults andearthquake activity from Kyrgyzstan to

California and from Indonesia to Oregon.

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“It’s not just a simple subduction,” says McCaffrey,who over the years has become something of a special-ist in such regions, including Oceania and the PacificNorthwest of the United States. “What New Zealandand Cascadia and Sumatra have in common is that theupper plate in the system is breaking apart and formingthese little plates that are moving around indepen-dently.” Oregon, for example, sits on a small plate rotat-ing clockwise relative to the rest of the United States.Such intricacies make charting the mechanics of a faultzone much more difficult.

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTHThe challenges inherent to earthquake research do notdaunt Rensselaer researchers. “The fact that the Earthis complicated, well, that’s what you have to deal with,”says Steve Roecker, professor of earth and environ-mental sciences. Roecker is undertaking multiple pro-jects designed to help reveal, case by case, what sub-stances lie underneath faults, and how these materialsrelate to their motion.

Roecker spent the summer of 2005 in Kyrgyzstan,studying the Tien Shan mountains—considered a geo-logic puzzle because they exist not at the edge of a tec-tonic plate but in the middle of one, the Eurasia Plate.“The real mystery is why there are mountains there atall,” Roecker says. It’s possible that there could be alarge fault covered up by the mountains, or a series ofsmaller fractures near the Earth’s surface that act likeminiature plate boundaries.

To study the Earth’s insides, Roecker sets up net-

works of seismometers—sensitive measuring devices—and records the speed of the waves generated by earth-quakes. For a geophysicist, this data reveals much aboutthe materials lying underground. High-temperaturerocks, for instance, slow down earthquake waves. Recenttechnological advances now allow small seismometersto pick up waves originating far away. “We’re able tomake some nice pictures just by setting up instrumentsand waiting for an earthquake to happen anywhere inthe world,” says Roecker.

For the Tien Shan project, those pictures may involvethe Earth’s mantle, the viscous layer underneath thecrust that ranges roughly 20 to 2,000 miles below theEarth’s surface—a distance almost impossible to reachwith today’s technology. By contrast, in California,Roecker is part of a project called the “San AndreasFault Observatory at Depth,” an attempt to drill just acouple of miles into the Earth’s surface. Scheduled forcompletion in 2006, it aims to reveal what substancesenable plates to slip and slide past one another (under-ground water is a prime suspect).

Roecker’s efforts to turn the data into maps of theEarth’s interior, at any depth, are often conducted withcolleagues at Rensselaer’s Inverse Problems Center,including mathematicians Margaret Cheney and JoyceMcLaughlin, who have years of relevant experiencefrom analogous areas like medical imaging. “They havea very fundamental understanding of these techniques,”says Roecker. Ultimately, he says, “the idea is to try toconnect the stuff at the surface, like mountain-build-ing, with the forces driving it beneath the surface.”


Rensselaer researchers and students are part of a projectcalled “San Andreas FaultObservatory at Depth,” whichaims to reveal what substancesenable plates to slip and slidepast one another. Pictured at leftis Aaron Fitts, who earned a B.S.in applied physics in 2005.

To study the Earth’s insides,researchers set up networks ofseismometers—sensitive mea-suring devices—and record thespeed of the waves generatedby earthquakes.

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Understanding the composition of the Earth in afault zone also happens to be where geophysicistsand civil engineers find common ground. Theground a building stands on has an enormous

impact on the stability of that structure. In an earth-quake, soft areas like landfill often undergo the phe-nomenon of “liquefaction,” the Jello-like shaking thatdramatically increases the chances of a building collapse.

Thus, when engineers in the centrifuge center con-duct tests, they both expose a structure to a powerfulforce and examine how that structure will react in cer-tain ground conditions.

Consider pilings under a building, or pipes runningthrough the ground. Near the surface, the Earth cre-ates little stress. But further down, the stress increases.The centrifuge can mimic those stresses—either as acatastrophic event or an accumulation of stress overtime—and tell engineers if their structures will passmuster.

A typical test in the Rensselaer centrifuge might havea length of pipe embedded in a mix of soil, on a trayfixed to the whirling arm of the machine. The pipe willbe heavily wired with sensors transmitting informationfor analysis. “The interaction between the soil resist-ing and the building pushing in, that’s what creates theactual response,” says Abdoun.

Indeed, the roots of the center go back to soil studiesDobry and Thomas Zimmie, professor of civil engineer-ing, started pursuing in the 1970s. In the late 1980s,Rensselaer acquired the centrifuge. A decade later,spurred on by the National Science Foundation (NSF),a new idea in earthquake research took hold: FormingNEES as a network of linked labs. “The information rev-olution was in full swing, and the emphasis changed,”says Dobry. “Instead of upgrading a bunch of separateearth engineering centers around the country, the ideabecame to build an integrated national laboratory.”

Backed by NSF funding for refurbishment—includ-ing $5 million over the next five years—the upgradedcenter, along with the rest of NEES, opened in the fallof 2004. The center is replete with intriguing-lookingequipment, in addition to the centrifuge, including a“shake table,” a rectangular metal frame with segmentedwalls that can replicate seismic effects; a related octag-onal tool the staff call “the slinky;” a robot on the cen-trifuge that alters models while swinging around in mid-experiment; and a videoconferencing center. The staffincludes computer specialists and a variety of engineers.

“As we build things in the center, we’re interactingwith mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, robot-ic engineers, and information technologists,” says Dobry.“It’s the definition of interdisciplinary research.”

GOING GLOBALDobry believes information technology will change earth-quake research profoundly, with remote sensors becom-

ing an increasingly pervasive way of gathering data.Abdoun has developed a wireless sensor that can be low-ered into the ground and has initiated a California-basedproject along with Caltrans, the state transit agency, tak-ing real-time ground movement measurements near high-ways. Eventually, Dobry says, there will be “hundreds ofthousands” of sensors in use, on the ground and in “theconstructed environment—buildings, bridges, pipes,structures. When an earthquake happens, we will getdata from the real world.”

For now, the increasingly networked nature of engi-neering research compensates for what researchers haveyet to learn. At Rensselaer they are participating in anovel computer-simulation project, testing a bridge withfaculty at two other NEES universities. The bridge’sdeck is being tested at Lehigh University, its piers at theUniversity of Illinois, and the foundations at Rensse-laer, with the results shared via the NEES supercom-puter in San Diego.

Rensselaer researchers also are conducting NSF-fund-ed tests jointly with engineers from Cornell of “criticallifelines” such as pipes during quakes. The Cornellresearchers can produce ruptures on full-scale pipes ina large testing facility in Ithaca, but Rensselaer’s cen-trifuge, because of its smaller scale, can subject modelpipes to a greater relative range of forces. The result isa combination of data otherwise unavailable to a singlegroup of experts.

Beyond NEES, Rensselaer engineers are using theirshake table to share test data with researchers in Japan,who use the world’s largest shake table in a warehouse-sized facility. And along with the flow of data comes aflow of people: Visiting researchers at the centrifuge this

academic year will include two experts from theAdvanced Institute of Science and Technology in Korea.

This globalization of research seems a natural devel-opment in the study of a global phenomenon, withexperts in geographically disparate regions, from Japanto Chile to Australia, and other earthquake-prone areas.Meanwhile, in Troy, where research rolls on, residentsdo not have to worry much about earthquakes—evenwhen they are in the Jonsson Engineering Center.

Professor Rob McCaffrey hashelped pioneer the use of GlobalPositioning System (GPS) tech-nology to measure the move-ments of plates. Today, much of McCaffrey’s work involves “measuring the buildup of theenergy right now” in complexfault systems in order to developa detailed picture of fault activity.At left, one of his assistants setsup the GPS equipment at OhmeGardens, just north ofWenatchee, Wash.


“As engineers, to be able to understand a certain phenomenon and design for it, youneed to know what is happening. With a centrifuge, you have instrumentation, you canrecreate the event, and now you can improvethe design and the foundation of buildings.”

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When a street was named in September in honor of GarnetDouglass Baltimore, Class of 1881, the City of Troy andRensselaer celebrated the life and legacy of a trailblazer.

When Garnet Douglass Baltimore quietly celebrated his 84th

birthday in April 1943, the Troy Record published an article

lauding the distinguished civil engineer and landscape archi-

tect as “one of the best known residents of Troy.” ❦ Three

years later his death was front-page news, and the Times Record

followed up his lengthy obituary with an editorial eulogizing

this first citizen of Troy who, born into a family of barbers,

and grandson of a slave, became in 1881 the first African-

American graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He

then built his accomplished engineering career around the city

that was his lifetime home.❦ “There are citizens who become

so valuable that race, religion, ancestry or any other divisive

attribute is merged in the standard of service,” wrote the Record.

“Garnet D. Baltimore is not thought of in Troy by any nar-

rower conception than that of Trojan. He was born here,

educated here, practiced here, served the public here, died

here. He represented Troy; he helped to develop it; he bet on

it from birth to death.” B Y M E G G A L L I E N

Honoringa Son

of Troy


The sentiments of his contempo-raries were echoed in Septemberwhen the City of Troy renamedin his honor a section of the

street on which Baltimore was born, lived for manyyears, and died. At a ceremony announcing thenaming of Eighth Street between Federal and FerryStreets “Garnet Douglass Baltimore Street,” MayorHarry Tutunjian said Baltimore was “one of thefirst believers that the City of Troy was a jewel thatshould be cherished by all those who live in upstateNew York.”

The section of Eighth Street chosen to bear Bal-timore’s name ends at the foot of Prospect Park,which secured Baltimore’s fame as a landscapedesigner.

Jannie Gibson Daggs, a descendent of Baltimore’swho lives in Cohoes, N.Y., and attended the cere-mony, says she is happy that Baltimore, who alsowas recently inducted into the Rensselaer Alum-ni Hall of Fame, is finally being recognized in a verypublic way.

“The street was more than I ever dreamed of,”says Daggs, who has been researching Baltimorethrough published sources as well as stories hand-ed down through the family. Daggs’s great-grand-mother Annie Baltimore was a cousin of GarnetBaltimore.

“He was the first one in the family to go to col-lege,” she says. “This was important. There is a lotof pride.”

Family and Community RootsGarnet Douglass Baltimore was born April 15, 1859,in a cottage at 162 Eighth Street, the same addresshe occupied at the time of his death.

He was the son of Peter F. Baltimore and Caro-line Newcomb Baltimore. Peter was a larger-than-lifefigure in Troy in the 19th century. He carried on thefamily trade, that of barber, at an establishmentknown as the Veranda, on First Street. It wasdescribed in Peter’s obituary as “a high-class tonso-rial resort and it was used as a gathering place for themost prominent citizens of Troy.” Peter was a respect-ed and well-liked citizen who “exercised through hispersonality a wide influence in this vicinity.”

Garnet grew up mingling among this clientele,says Daggs. “He was accustomed to conversation.He learned the gift of gab from his father, his uncles,and went on to school and did what he could do.”

Garnet Baltimore, according to his father’s 1913obituary, was the grandson of Samuel Baltimore, aslave who fought in the Revolutionary War. WhenSamuel’s owner refused to honor an agreementpromising freedom to slaves who fought in the war,Samuel fled north.

“To think that you come from a slave,” says

Daggs. “And that a grandchild went on and fin-ished college.”

Peter Baltimore had christened his son in honorof two towering figures in the anti-slavery move-ment, Henry Highland Garnet and Frederick Dou-glass. Peter was a pupil of abolitionist minister Gar-net, who from 1840 to 1848 was minister of the firstAfrican-American church established in Troy, theLiberty Street Presbyterian Church. Peter also asso-ciated with Frederick Douglass, black mathemati-cian Charles Reason, and Underground Railroadactivist Robert Purvis.

Troy attracted such notables because it was hostto many state and national conventions for AfricanAmericans. Troy also was an important stop forrunaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. Ina well-known incident in 1860 involving the arrestof escaped slave Charles Nalle, Peter Baltimore andhis brother, William, were central figures in thelarge crowd that helped Nalle get away.

William Baltimore, Garnet’s uncle, also was well-known and respected in Troy. According to his1877 obituary in the Troy Daily Times, he served“in various representative offices for the coloredpeople of this state, including the presidency oftheir state conventions and membership of impor-tant committees. His counsel was sought by themas a cool-headed and true-hearted man.”

But for all the activity among the African-Amer-ican community in Troy, in which his father anduncle played prominent roles, Garnet himself seemsnot to have been involved. He graduated from theTroy Academy in 1877 along with the sons of Troy’smost successful citizens, graduated from Rensse-laer in 1881 with a degree in civil engineering, andpursued a lifelong career as an engineer.

“Garnet always stuck to the business of his pro-fession,” says Daggs. “I don’t think he saw a blackand white world. I think he saw a world of people.”

Elegant NatureBaltimore took on a wide variety of engineeringassignments—building bridges, railroads, canals andwaterways, designing cemeteries and, most notably,creating Prospect Park in Troy. He was a noted sur-veyor and consulting engineer throughout his career.

According to newspaper accounts, Baltimorestarted his first job the day after graduation fromRensselaer when he was appointed assistant engi-neer on construction of the Albany and GreenbushBridge, between Albany and Rensselaer. He thenwas engaged in several assignments with the SandyHill, Granville & Rutland, and Greenwich & John-sonville railroads.

For eight years he was employed by the statedepartment of public works. It was in this capaci-ty that he made notable accomplishments in his


Editorial from The Times Record,Troy, N.Y., Thursday Evening, June 13, 1946

Garnet D. Baltimore. A great student of racial relation-

ships once said that the problem wasto build up character to such a pointthat observers would “forget thecolor for the man.” There are citizenswho become so valuable that race,religion, ancestry or any other divi-sive attribute is merged in the stan-dard of service.

Garnet D. Baltimore is not thoughtof in Troy by any narrower conceptionthan that of Trojan. He was born here,educated here, practiced here, servedthe public here, died here. He repre-sented Troy; he helped to develop it;he bet on it from birth to death.

There was a time when he was inthe thick of municipal affairs. He wasarchitectural engineer at OakwoodCemetery. He laid out Prospect Park.He was probably the greatest surveyorof the city’s history. People have notyet forgotten this part of his career.

But the present generation willremember him better when, on thesunny side of life, perhaps in its laterafternoon, he walked the street,speaking to very nearly everyone hepassed, stopping for a friendly chatalong the curbside. He was as muchof Troy as the monument—or theancient elm at State Street and FifthAvenue. Until it adjusts itself to theswinging pendulum of time and pass-es on to the affairs of another daymany a Trojan will find himself some-what lost without him.

T

At Prospect Park, Baltimore created a circular landscape with winding roads andpathways, gardens, tennis courts, a pond, and a scenic overlook, made out of red cedarin an Adirondack style, on the western edge of the plateau… The park was describedat its completion as 84 acres of elegant nature.



work with New York state waterways. After serv-ing as assistant engineer and surveyor on the ErieCanal, Baltimore was put in charge of the Shin-necock and Peconic Canal on Long Island.

His most renowned work with canals came in1884, when he supervised the extension of theOswego Canal lock known as the “mud lock.” Con-fronted with quicksand on the site, Baltimoredevised a system of cement testing that became astandard for the state. The state engineer’s reportnoted: “Although the masonry was built in sec-tions, and the character of the material so soft thatbearing piles, 20 feet in length, often floated out ofplace, no settlement sufficient to show a crack inthe cement could be found, the quicksand beingso confined that a solid foundation was formed.”

The focus of Baltimore’s work returned to Troyin 1891 when he was hired as assistant engineer forthe city’s Public Improvement Commission. Threeyears later he became assistant city engineer, and in1906 he was named engineer for the city’s Depart-ment of Parks.

It was in 1903, when he was appointed landscapeengineer for the public park system at a salary of$2,000 a year, that Baltimore was engaged to drawup plans for the park on what was then known asWarren Hill. Today this prized asset of Troy, trans-formed by Baltimore into the popular Prospect Park,stands as testament to the blossoming of Baltimore’stalents as a landscape engineer.

The City of Troy purchased the lands for thepark from the Warren estate for $110,000. In the1700s, Samuel Wilson, the meat supplier whobecame known as “Uncle Sam,” settled there andopened a brickyard and slaughterhouse. A centu-ry later, prominent Troy families, the Warrens andthe Vails, had built homes on the site. The 84-acreplot included an impressive 25-mile panorama ofthe Hudson Valley. Baltimore’s charge was to cre-ate a public park for use by people of all ages.

“It is the calling and duty of the Landscape Engi-neer to devise ways of arranging land and its accom-panying landscape so that whatever the particularpurpose in view may be, the result shall be as thor-oughly beautiful as possible,” wrote Baltimore inhis July 10, 1903, Report of The Landscape EngineerOn the Examination of the Parks Systems of Var-ious Municipalities.

The report was the result of an ambitious tourBaltimore made in preparation for his work in Troyof several model parks, including Central Park inNew York City, the Bronx Zoological Gardens,Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and parks in NewHaven, Hartford, Providence, and Boston.

He noted that the attractions found in the parksoutside of their landscape beauty included music,boating, tennis, croquet, swings, sand courts, andeven the agreeable presence of gray squirrels. But

he remained convinced that the most importantgoal in designing a park was to enhance the land-scape’s natural assets.

To provide for “the refreshment of the bodiesand souls of great numbers of people,” he wrote, itis desirable to “follow as far as possible the dictatesof poetic and artistic feeling for breadth of compo-sition and picturesqueness of detail.”

He concluded: “It is a law of nature, which mustnot be forgotten, that satisfying beauty springs fromfitness or adaptation to purpose, much more sure-ly and directly than from added ornament or themost careful imitation.”

At Prospect Park, Baltimore created a circularlandscape with winding roads and pathways, gar-dens, tennis courts, a pond, and a scenic overlook,made out of red cedar in an Adirondack style, onthe western edge of the plateau. A playground pro-vided areas to play croquet and other sports, and asand court, where children could dig with spadesand shovels. The park was described at its com-pletion as 84 acres of elegant nature.

Baltimore’s long career included cemetery design,including Troy’s Forest Park Cemetery (which sub-sequently suffered bankruptcy and was unable tocomplete his plans), Graceland Cemetery in Albany,and cemeteries in Hoosick Falls, Glens Falls, andAmsterdam. He was a consulting engineer at Troy’simpressive Oakwood Cemetery for 30 years. Balti-more is buried at Oakwood, along with his parents,three siblings, and his wife, Mary Lane, about whomvery little is known. He had no children.

In his later years he made surveys and maps forattorneys of scenes of accidents and crimes, andtestified in court about those measurements. TheTimes Record hailed Baltimore as “probably thegreatest surveyor of the city’s history.”

There is little evidence that Baltimore suffereddiscrimination. Accept for one incident in whichsomeone tried unsuccessfully to have him removedfrom a position by changing the job qualifications,Daggs is aware of none.

“This man has never been discriminated upon,”she says. “He was well into his job with the city ofTroy before anybody tried to ruffle his feathers.”

With the street dedication and Baltimore’s induc-tion into the Rensselaer Hall of Fame that sameweekend in September, Daggs sees a future for herillustrious ancestor as a role model not only for Rens-selaer students, but for the local youth.

“This comes at a time when the children of Troyneed someone to look up to,” says Daggs, who accept-ed the Hall of Fame award on behalf of the manyfamily members attending the ceremony. “There’sFrederick Douglass, who was a great man, and Mar-tin Luther King, who was a great man, but theyweren’t Trojans. Now when these kids go by thatstreet sign, they will know about Garnet Baltimore.”

Garnet D. Baltimore Lecture Series

The Garnet Baltimore Lecture Series was established at Rensselaer in 1991 to focus on issues of equality and cultur-al diversity. The 2005 lecture was deliv-ered by Sylvester James Gates Jr., direc-tor of the Center for String and ParticleTheory at the University of Maryland atCollege Park, who spoke on “Thoughtsfor a Third Millennial United States.”

1991 Johnetta Cole President, Spelman College

1992 H. Patrick Swygert President, University at Albany, SUNY

1993 Sharon E. Sutton Associate Professor, University of Michigan

1994 Col. Charles Bolden Astronaut, NASA

1995 Freeman Hrabowski President, University of Maryland

1996 H. Carl McCall New York State Comptroller

1997 Shirley Ann Jackson Chair, U.S. Nuclear RegulatoryCommission

1998 Yvonne D. Cagle Astronaut, NASA

1999 Glegg L. Watson Xerox Corp.

2000 Shirley Malcom Directorate for Education and HumanResources Program of the AAAS

2001 Neil de Grasse Tyson Frederick P. Rose Director, HaydenPlanetarium, American Museum ofNatural History

2002 Eugene M. DeLoatch Dean, School of Engineering, Morgan State University

2003 Morris H. Morgan III Dean, School of Engineering & Technology, Hampton University

2004 Julian M. Earls Director, Glenn Research Center, NASA

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Baltimore remained convinced that the most important goal in designing a parkwas to enhance the landscape’s natural assets.


STAYINGCONNECTED

A GROUP OF 39 U.S. ALUMNI AND THEIR GUESTS

learned firsthand about the global reach ofRensselaer during a recent trip to China withthe Rensselaer Alumni Association (RAA)Worldwide Travel Program.

In October, alumni visited Xi’an, Shanghai,Hong Kong, and many other fascinating desti-nations. “In a phrase, the China trip wasbeyond superlatives in almost every respect—the trip of a lifetime,” says Basil Whiting ’60.

Travelers visited big cities and remote country-sides, touring museums, restaurants, shops, factories, and experiencing for themselves theChinese people and the culture.

“It seems everything is under constructionfor the 2008 Olympics,” Whiting says. “Weendlessly walked Tiananmen Square, the For-bidden City, the Ming Tombs, and the GreatWall, and visited a freshwater pearl jewelry fac-tory where our guide opened a huge freshwaterclam to find almost two dozen pearls inside!”

One of the trip’s highlights was the stop inChongqing. “We explored this bustling city atthe western terminus of the new Yangtze lake,”Whiting says. “We saw five pandas at the zoo,and some of us actually patted one. Oneexpects them to be fluffy; actually, I can testify

that their fur is rough and coarse and feels likestroking a doormat.”

Another highlight was a reception in Beijingwhere 20 members of the new China AlumniChapter met with U.S. travelers. Many chaptermembers graduated from a specialized MBAprogram in the Lally School, and have nowassumed leading roles in both government andindustry. Guobin Zhao ’99, founder of GuobinAmerican English Learning Center, acted as

host and master of ceremonies. “It was a wonderful opportunity to swap RPI stories and for us to learn from some of those whowere making the China miracle happen,” saysRAA President Bob Forman ’61.

The RAA’s Worldwide Travel Programoffers many opportunities to bring togetheralumni from around the world. To learn more,contact Michael Wellner ’64 at [email protected] or call the alumni office at (518) 276-6205. For information on international alumnichapters, contact Dawn Chen [email protected] or (518) 276-6099.

Whiting has compiled a trip memoir withphotos and vivid descriptions. To read theentire story and see the pictures, go towww.alumni.rpi.edu/travel.html.

RAA VISA CARD

The popular Rensselaer credit card pro-gram has a new provider—U.S. Bank. Thecard offers competitive rates and services,carries the image of the Heffner AlumniHouse, and supports the programs of theRAA. Visit www.alumni.rpi.edu or call (800) 853-5576 ext. 8385 for info.

JOIN RAA BOARD AND COMMITTEES

Do you want to have an impact on cam-pus? Do you have ideas about alumni programs and services? Then get involvedwith the Rensselaer Alumni Association(RAA). The RAA board, working with theAlumni Relations Office, meets threetimes per year in Troy, and serves as thevoice of alumni to the campus. Nomina-tions to serve on next year’s board andcommittees are now being accepted. Senda brief statement of support to Joyce KellyMartin at [email protected] by Feb. 10, orcall (518) 276-6208.

RAA SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER AWARDS

Each year, hundreds ofalumni volunteer for Rens-selaer. Nominations arebeing sought to recognize these dedicatedindividuals through the RAA awards pro-gram. Awards include:

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD—Rec-ognizes distinguished service by alumni or non-alumni to Rensselaer, to a profes-sion, to the nation, or to humanity.

ALBERT FOX DEMERS MEDAL—Estab-lished to recognize and stimulate interestin the welfare of the Institute by alumnior non-alumni.

ALUMNI KEY AWARD—Recognizes out-standing service supporting the advance-ment of Rensselaer, by alumni or non-alumni.

RAA TEACHING AWARD—Recognizes current faculty members for outstandingteaching techniques, contributions to thecampus experience, and commitment tostudents.

Submit a nomination at www.alumni.rpi.edu/awardsnomination.asp by Feb. 10 or write to Laura Bedford O’Donnell,Alumni Relations, 1301 Peoples Ave.,Troy, NY 12180-3500.

Worldwide Travel Program Visits China

The ancient mountains of the Guilin area in south China.


http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/travel.html

http://www.alumni.rpi.edu


http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/awardsnomination.asp

http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/awardsnomination.asp

F E B R U A R Y

1School of Architecture 75th Anniversary

Lecture Series. Guest speaker will be

James Bradburn ’66. Greene Building

Gallery, 6 p.m. Contact Dale Masten at

[email protected] or (518) 276-6478.

11Big Red Freakout Ice House. Enjoy a

pre-game dinner, have your face paint-

ed, and get psyched for the 29th Big Red

Freakout hockey game against Brown. Tick-

ets to the sold-out game are available for

Ice House attendees. Register at www.alumni.

rpi.edu/hockey or contact Peter Pedone at


Alumnae Basketball Weekend. Former

women’s basketball players will play at

11 a.m. in the Robison Gym, followed by the

varsity game vs. Hamilton. During halftime

of the varsity game, former players will be

introduced and a special ceremony recogniz-

ing the 2001 UCAA Championship Team

will be held. Contact Coach John Greene at


Alumni Hockey Weekend. Watch former

men’s hockey players take to the ice in the

Houston Field House. This free event begins

at noon. Contact Peter Pedone at


1550 Year Club luncheon at the High-

land Beach Holiday Inn, Florida.

Guest speaker will be Frank Devine ’43,

former ambassador to El Salvador. Contact

Laura Bedford O’Donnell at [email protected]

or (518) 276-3757 for information.

1650 Year Club luncheon at Michael’s

on East, Sarasota, Florida. Guest

speaker will be Rensselaer history book

author Carl Westerdahl. Contact Laura

Bedford O’Donnell at [email protected] or

(518) 276-3757 for information.

18 Alumnae Hockey Weekend. Watch

the former women’s hockey players

take to the ice in the Houston Field House.

This free event will begin at 11 a.m., prior

to the Division I women’s game against

Quinnipiac at 4 p.m.

M A R C H

1School of Architecture 75th Anniversary

Lecture Series. Peter Gorman ’67 will

present “Designing Luxury Hotels and

Urban Mixed-Use Complexes.” Greene

Building Gallery, 6 p.m. Contact Dale Mas-

ten at [email protected] or (518) 276-6478.

8 School of Architecture 75th Anniver-

sary Lecture Series. Richard Rittel-

mann ’60 will present “The Future of the

Profession.” Greene Building Gallery, 6 p.m.

Contact Dale Masten at [email protected] or

(518) 276-6478.

16 “Global Impact of the Renaissance

at Rensselaer.” President Jackson

will discuss highlights of the ongoing

Renaissance at Rensselaer with Delaware

Valley area alumni. Contact Susan Haight,

[email protected], (518) 276-6042.

22School of Architecture 75th

Anniversary Lecture Series. Peter

Bohlin ’58 will present “The Nature of

Circumstance.” Greene Building Gallery,

6 p.m. Contact Dale Masten at masted@

rpi.edu or (518) 276-6478.

23San Jose Games Developer Confer-

ence (GDC) Reception for Rensselaer

Alumni. All interested alumni are welcome.

For more information, contact Geoff Seber

at [email protected] or (518) 276-2324.

29 School of Architecture 75th Anniver-

sary Lecture Series. Guest speaker

will be Steven Ehrlich ’68. Greene Building

Gallery, 6 p.m. Contact Dale Masten at

[email protected] or at (518) 276-6478.

A P R I L

6”Rensselaer on the Road.” Lally School

Dean David Gautschi will discuss the

ongoing Renaissance at Rensselaer with

Dallas-area alumni. Contact Susan Haight

at [email protected] or (518) 276-6042.

12 School of Architecture 75th

Anniversary Lecture Series. Hugh

Hochberg ’67 will present “Where Architec-

ture Is Headed.” Greene Building Gallery,

6 p.m. Contact Dale Masten at masted@

rpi.edu or (518) 276-6478.

13Reception for Rensselaer Alumni at

the Chicago Biotechnology Industry

Association Annual Convention. Contact

Geoff Seber at [email protected] or (518)

276-2324.

25”Rensselaer on the Road.” Engi-

neering School Dean Alan Cramb

will discuss the ongoing Renaissance at

Rensselaer with Detroit-area alumni.

Contact Susan Haight at [email protected]

or (518) 276-6042.

M A Y

10 ”Rensselaer on the Road.” Lally

School Dean David Gautschi will dis-

cuss the ongoing Renaissance at Rensselaer

with Atlanta-area alumni. Contact Susan

Haight, [email protected] or (518) 276-6042.

20 200th Commencement. Harkness

Field, Troy campus. www.rpi.edu/

academics/commencement/

EVENTSCALENDAR



http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/hockey/















http://www.rpi.edu/academics/commencement/

http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/hockey/

http://www.rpi.edu/academics/commencement/






AS MY 45 YEARS AT RPI COMES TO

an end, it is fitting that I recall myfirst days on campus.

I arrived from a small town butwith vivid images of universities andthe academic life: musty buildings,clever professors, and studies ofwondrous things. My very first classfilled the bill: Prof. Dis Maly wasslight of build, covered with chalkdust, and wreathed in pipe smoke.Pleasant but somewhat distracted,he delivered lectures that were drollbut laced with wit. His eyes sparkledand danced when he spoke of Cal-culus: The Mathematics of Change.

Calculus was exciting and bold,something new and different for aconfident freshman who had pridedhimself on All Things Mathemati-cal in high school. This math courserequired a new alphabet—Greek—adding to its mystique. And, it wasnot that difficult. My first bi-week-ly quiz proved it: A. I was rolling.

The Greek alphabet gave way tomore complicated stuff: functions,and then limits. My next two quizgrades: B and C. Then came differ-entiation and Quiz #4: F.

It was clear that I was going tohave to come to terms with TheMathematics of Change, or my col-lege career was going to be serious-ly foreshortened. I had two choic-es: dig deep and figure it out, or gohome in shame. In retrospect, therewas no choice. I pulled it out.

Fast forward 45 years. I am stillheavily involved with The Mathe-matics of Change.

Consider the Rensselaer of 2005.In the past six years, it has hired150 new faculty, and in areas un-heard of when I sat in Carnegie 02,Prof. Maly’s dusty classroom. Thefaculty received $80 million in re-search awards—more than dou-

bled in six years—and theyare taking on many of thekey challenges of our times.Average scores of enteringstudents have increaseddramatically in six years.The Institute has initiatednearly $500 million in newconstruction and renova-tion, and has raised morethan $660 million.

Among colleges and uni-versities, this represents ex-traordinary—no, titanic—change. Within the rubricof The Rensselaer Plan, everypart of the Institute hasplaced bets and is achievingstartling results.

My own school, Archi-tecture, has undergonedramatic growth in the pastsix years. Undergraduateenrollment has grown tonearly 300, and there are65 graduate students. TheLighting Research Center is theworld’s best. The school hasopened graduate programs in light-ing, acoustics, and building con-servation, and is offering a newlyapproved Ph.D. in architecturalsciences.

The undergraduate student ex-perience has changed dramaticallyas well. Academic programs, whilerigorous as ever, place a premiumon student initiative, teamwork, andinnovation. Mobile computing al-lows students to work anywhere andeverywhere. Clubs, organizations,sports, and community service pro-vide ubiquitous opportunities forinitiative and accomplishment. Wesee the results in the math: Fresh-man to sophomore persistence ratesare in the 91-93 percent range, andthe six-year graduation rate is at 81

percent (compared to 68 percent10 years ago).

Rensselaer has moved boldlyinto the life sciences and biotech-nology. If I had known that, I wouldhave listened more attentively toProf. Faigenbaum in Chemistry I,or tried harder to get those Satur-day morning chemistry lab exper-iments to work!

We’ve moved, too, into the arts.Here we architects had opportuni-ty—and also Prof. George Rickey,an outstanding teacher who was be-coming America’s leading kineticsculptor. His sculpture, Six RandomLines Excentric, stands in front of theGreene Building today.

Life sciences and the arts are bigbets for RPI in the 21st century, andbig changes are already under way.Faculty members are both changing

lives and saving lives withtheir research and teach-ing. The digital platform ishosting an extraordinaryconvergence of science,technology, visualization,art, and performance.

For my part, I am proudto have served my almamater as professor, dean,and vice president duringthe formative years of someof these initiatives, and es-pecially during the past sixyears when so many won-derful changes have cometo full blossom in the fertileenvironment provided byThe Rensselaer Plan.

Those many years ago,The Mathematics of Changebrought me to a fork in theroad at RPI. Following YogiBerra’s advice, I took it! Forthe past four-and-a-halfdecades, I have lived The

Mathematics of Change, as Rens-selaer Polytechnic Institute hasgrown from a small, lean and meanengineering school in upstate NewYork into a top national techno-logical research university. I feel Ihave thrived in this environment,and I owe it all to an extraordinaryprofessor named Dis Maly.

David Haviland, amember of the Classof 1964, has threeRensselaer degreesand has served his

alma mater as professor, dean of ar-chitecture (1980-1990), vice presidentfor student life (1993-2000), and vicepresident for institute advancement(2000-2005). This column literally ishis “last word” as he retired Dec. 31,2005.

ONELAST THING…

The Mathematics of ChangeReflections on a lifetime at Rensselaer | BY DAVID HAVILAND ’64

We welcome contributions to “One Last Thing.” Send personal essays of 750 words or less to [email protected].

WRITE TO US!



A renaissance is under way at Rensselaer. Our world-class faculty, state-of-the-art research facilities, and dynamic campus environment attract top students from around the world. Recently admitted classeshave been among the highest quality in Rensselaer’s history, with record numbers of women, minorities, and Rensselaer Medalists.

> Quality Students—Average freshman SAT scores have increased 60 points in the last six years.

> Creative Curriculum—The undergraduate program received the highest ranking in years from U.S.News & World Report— 43rd, up from 46th last year.

> Commitment to Teaching—Reduced faculty/student ratio from 17:1 to 14:1.

Join us on this remarkable journey. Call (518) 276-2566 to visit the campus and see for yourself, or visit us online at rpi.edu/campaign to learn more about Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Inspiring Tomorrow’s Leaders

http://www.rpi.edu/campaign/

“RENSSELAER”

ONE WORD FROM YOU CAN CHANGE HER LIFE...

Visit http://admissions.rpi.edu/oneword to request an information packet and application fee waiver—spread the word.

She’s one of the best. Strong in math and science. Involved and active. Very bright. But does she know all of her options?Recommend Rensselaer. A top-tier technological university with broad degree paths. A supportive, intimate atmosphere.A place where she will learn—how she can change the world. Call Rensselaer Admissions at (518) 276-6216.

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the future is here · ence program, which has made hundreds of rensselaer students feel part of...

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