News

Virginia tragedy felt across campus

Creations showcased

GRE exam changes cancelled by ETS

Ed/Op

Staff Editorial
Leusner, Swanson start terms productively

Editors Corner
Safety needs careful balance

Editorial Notebook
PDII proves counterproductive

Elephants Peanut Gallery
Tuition allocation reminiscent of socialism

Derby
PU encourages setting goals

Presidents Corner
Tragedy affects all

Prevent the possibility of cancer affecting you

Undergraduate Council
New leadership focuses on reversing year of inaction

Letter to the Editor
Cancer often unavoidable, unpredictable

Letter to the Editor
Administrative response appropriate

Letter to the Editor
Help appreciated

Going Gray
Freshmen promising

Features

A cappella groups deliver song and mystery

Dave Barry
TV news provides humorous entertainment

Hairspray hits it off on Proctor’s main stage

Sports

Women kick-start offense, win twice

Softball sweeps SLU despite dampened weekend

Memory of Jackie Robinson lives on strong

Men’s lacrosse loses to SLU, falls to 9-2

D-I rugby prepares for a more successful spring

Tennis stands at 3-2

Red Hawks split with U of R Yellowjackets

Rensselaer in Brief
IET Fellow announced
RPI professor Michael Shur has recently been elected as the 2007 Institution of Engineering and Technology Fellow. IET is the largest professional engineering society in Europe and second largest in the world. Shur is being recognized for his “individual responsibility, sustained achievements, and exceptional professionalism,” according to an RPI press release.

Shur is the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts ’46 Chaired Professor in Solid State Electronics at RPI, and is internationally recognized for his development of new materials and processes that enhance semiconductor and circuit performance. Notably, he has initiated efforts to produce smaller as well as more cost-efficient technologies in lighting and electronics. His research to create a revolutionary type of lighting could have dramatic impacts on energy savings and improving living and working conditions.

Shur is acting director of the Center for Integrated Electronics, director of the Center for Broadband Data Transport Science and Technology, and director of Rensselaer’s “Connection One” site, which is a National Science Foundation and University Cooperative Research Center.

RPI graduate honored
RPI graduate Major William D. Chesarek Jr. ’96 recently became the first American since World War II to be awarded one of Great Britain’s highest awards for braving enemy fire and saving the life of a wounded British officer in Iraq. Queen Elizabeth II presented him with the Distinguished Flying Cross on Wednesday during a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

The medal is awarded to soldiers for “an act or acts of valor, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against the enemy.”

Chesarek was in command of the Lynx helicopter that was assigned to a British unit to disrupt fire that insurgents had targeted against allies at Camp Abu Naji, and his crew spent five hours in the air, directly supporting troops on the ground.

Chesarek’s helicopter came under fire and at one point, a rocket-propelled grenade nearly hit the rear of the aircraft; the unit, however, continued to fly low over the area in an attempt to disperse the insurgents and transmit updated reports to the ground troops. The act of heroism that won Chesarek the medal, however, was when one of the British soldiers suffered a life-threatening wound, he landed the helicopter, grabbed the wounded solider and took him to a local field hospital at Shalibah Logistics Base.

Chesarek graduated from RPI in 1996 and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and attended flight school in Pensacola, Fla., and Corpus Christi, Texas from 1997-1999. He has previously been awarded the Air Medal Individual Action with one gold star, the Air Medal Strike/Flight with the Numeral 14, and the Navy Commendation Medal.

Senate appoints chairs
The Student Senate continued its appointments of various committee chairs at this week’s Senate meeting.

The first appointment was for the Chair of the Technology Affairs Committee, which has been absent from the Senate for several years. Christopher Gearns ’08 will take on this position, in addition to parliamentarian. Lin Yang ’10 will serve as the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee undergraduate representative, typically held by the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, the position to which Yang was appointed to last week.

The representatives for the Board of Trustees’ committees were also appointed at this meeting, with Chase Miller ’10 as student representative for the Student Life Committee and Dan Horvath ’08 as representative for the Finance Committee.

The Senate also appointed August Fietkau ’08 as the undergraduate representative to the Parking Review Board.

Lastly, Christopher Goldsmith ’09 was appointed as the new Chair of the Rules and Elections Committee.