News

Laptop program explores options

Muslim Students Association holds Awareness Week

Ed/Op

Staff Editorial
Before signing contract, consider living off-campus

Editorial Notebook
Hold president accountable

Editorial Notebook
Bring integrity back to game

Derby
Grad fair comes to RPI Bookstore

Independent Council
Council continues tabulating surveys

Top Hat
Sports complex discussed

Features

Valentine’s sales bring love to campus

strum

Rocky endures after 30 years

Dave Barry
Barry’s presidential campaign goes on

Talent found with new Lostprophets

Sports

Engineers stun nationally-ranked Brown

RPI extends winning streak to seven games

Record breaking day for indoor track

Rodriguez joins Jeter, Yankees in the Bronx

Women clinch second in ECAC

Red Hawks eyeing first place in UCAA

Rensselaer in Brief
Anslow returns to jail
Last Tuesday, Mary Beth Anslow returned to jail. She was released on January 19 after serving only three months of a one year sentence on the decision of the Rensselaer County Local Release Commission. She was later ordered back to jail by Supreme Court Justice James B. Canfield as he decided that the commission’s ruling was illegal.

Anslow received a one year sentence after being convicted for operating an illegal day-care center in which a 3-month-old baby died. Gaspar Castillo, Anslow’s attorney, is trying to appeal the decision and his motion for her to be released as the appeal is considered was denied by Judge John Lahtinen. Her attorney can still make arguments on such a motion to a panel of five jurists.

As these events were happening last week, the New York State Senate passed two new laws related to the Anslow case. The first law would make cases of endangering the welfare of a child a felony crime with a maximum sentence of four years in state prison if the child endured serious injury or death. The second law would eliminate conditional release commissions across the state.

Diversity event held
Last Saturday, RPI’s Office of Institute Diversity hosted Black Family Technology Awareness Day in honor of the week called by the same name throughout the country. The event was held on campus for six hours and was designed to pique the interest of area young people and families in scientific and engineering fields.

This was the sixth annual Black Family Technology Awareness Day that RPI has held. Workshops were held throughout the day and current students also shared their experiences with attendees.

According to Vice Provost for Institute Diversity Kenneth Durgans, “Black Family Technology Awareness Day is a great opportunity for young students and their families to get a taste of the excitement and possibilities of careers in science and technology.”

Bacteria and electronics
Research conducted by professor of Materials Science and Engineering Pulickel Ajayan and geobiologist Ronald Oremland ’68 was recently highlighted in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal and Science magazine. Their research involves bacterial processes that could add to the semiconductor and electronic industries.

The pair found that three various forms of common bacteria “grow” the element selenium. The bacteria form selenium in uniform nanospheres, a form that exhibits properties significantly different properties than the selenium found in topsoil.

Currently, Selenium is used in photoconductive and photovoltaic technologies. Any new advances in the area could lead to smaller and faster semiconductors being used in technologies such as photocopiers, photocells, and other electronics.