Nominations needed
The Provost’s office is currently accepting nominations from faculty and students for the 2004 Trustees’ Outstanding Teacher Award. The award was established at the direction of the President in 1994 through donations from members of the Board of Trustees and consists of a $5,000 honorarium.
The Trustees’ Outstanding Teacher Award is given to recognize classroom instruction with exceptional accomplishments. The recipient will be selected based on letters of support from colleagues, students, and alumni as well as student evaluations from the last two years and peer evaluations.
The President will make the final selection based on recommendations from a committee consisting of Provost G. P. “Bud” Peterson, Vice Provost for Administration and Dean of Undergraduate Education Gary Gabriele, Secretary of the Institute and General Counsel Charles Carletta, Grand Marshal Mike Borzumate, and last year’s winner of the award, Professor Harry McLaughlin.
Nominations will be effective for two years and should include a letter of nomination, a resume, and letters of support from administrators, colleagues, alumni, and students. The Provost’s offices will accept nominations until March 8.
Members inducted
Last Sunday, the Phalanx honor society inducted over thirty juniors, seniors, and graduates as new members in a ceremony in the Heffner Alumni House. Also inducted into Phalanx were President Jackson, Dean of the Office of the First Year Experience Lisa Trahan, and Rensselaer Union Operations Coordinator Jean Purtell.
Phalanx is intended to honor those who have “worked to better the standing of Rensselaer both on and off campus.” The current student members are responsible for selecting new inductees.
In addition to the Phalanx inductions, professor and Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering George List gave the Darrin Address as the winner of Phalanx’s 2003 Darrin Counseling Award. The ceremony also included the induction of eight new members of Rensselaer’s junior honor society, for freshmen and sophomores, the White Key Society.
Professors win awards
Two RPI faculty members recently received Faculty Early Career Development Awards, or CAREER awards, from the National Science Foundation. The competitive awards are given to faculty who are just beginning their career and emphasize research and education projects.
Both of the winners joined the RPI faculty in 2001 and are currently assistant professors of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering. Professor Nikhil Koratkar was awarded a $400,000 grant to research nanostructured materials that reduce vibrations occurring in electronic and mechanical devices.
Professor Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc, who also serves as director of the nanoscale, thermophysics, and energy conversion laboratory, received a grant of over $450,000 with his CAREER award. His research will focus on the conversion of energy and movement of heat on the nanoscale in electrical and other devices.
