NSF director recognized

Rita Colwell, director of the National Science Foundation, will receive an honorary doctor of science degree and deliver the keynote address at the eighth annual Honors Convocation on November 2.

Colwell, who has worked at the NSF since 1998, has guided the foundation’s initiatives in nanotechnology, biocomplexity, and information technology.

Professor honored

Mohammed Zaki, assistant professor of computer science, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award by the National Science Foundation.

Zaki received a five-year, $500,000 grant for his creation of data mining techniques for bioinformatics, astronomy, and materials informatics during work on the SPIDER project.

Workshops offered

The Folsom Library is presenting seminars to students, staff, and faculty to teach how to access and to use electronic books and electronic journals.

The upcoming dates for the seminars are October 5, October 17, and October 24. All of the presentations take place from 12 pm to 1 pm in the Fischbach Room of Folsom Library.

Two hands-on workshops will also be held in Folsom Library’s PC Room on October 31 and November 9.

For more information, contact Mary Anne Waltz, coordinator of reference and instructional service, at 276-8345.

Arts celebrated

The festival of Religion and Arts 2001 will be held on November 2 at 7:30 pm in the Chapel and Cultural Center.

It will feature a special tribute to Tom Phelan and "Concert of Ideas" presented by Creative Leaps International.

Diversity explored

The Muslim Students Association and the Center for Ethics in Complex Systems will present Islam: Element of Faith, an STS film series presentation, Thursday at 8 pm in Sage Lab room 3510.

The film, part of a PBS series entitled Empires: People and Passions that changed the World, tells the story of the rise of the Islamic faith, the history of Islamic empires, and the influence of Islamic culture on western civilization.

Speaker forum begins

The 2001-2002 Rensselaer Union Speaker Forum begins this semester on Thursday in DCC room 318. Aimee Mullins, a handicapped NCAA Division I track athlete and model, will speak about "Succeeding in a Perfect World" at the forum.

The forum is open and free to the Rensselaer community.