Troy Mardi Gras
Last Tuesday, February 8, many Troy merchants celebrated an early Mardi Gras. Over a dozen downtown Troy businesses marked Fat Tuesday for the third year in a row.
The event began at 4 pm and ended at about 10 pm, when most of the participating businesses had closed and the beads, costumes, and discounts were put away for next year. Several of the businesses participating were new to the event.
The organizers noted a renewal of energy of all parties involved made this Mardi Gras celebration the most successful yet. Though many stores offered discounted goods and other attractions, the event simply gave most people, RPI students included, the opportunity to see Troy in a different light.
Troy changes insurance
R.J. Carnigan Insurance Company, the business that formerly insured the city of Troy, is suing the city and Mayor Harry Tutunjian for defamation, seeking an unspecified amount of monetary damages.
They allege that Tutunjian defamed R.J. Carnigan by claiming that the city saved $64,000 by switching to another firm rather than remaining with Carnigan and absorbing a rate increase.
Carnigan alleges that he did in fact submit the lowest quote, but in an attempt to defame him and his company, Tutunjian brought the city’s business elsewhere. City attorneys say they are doubtful of the case’s merits and believe that the city will save the amount projected by Tutunjian by switching companies.
Seed grants awarded
RPI’s Office of Research has completed the awarding of $305,000 of seed funding grants for nine Institute research projects involving nineteen faculty members. The projects encompass areas of research including modeling and simulation, fuel cell research, cyber-networks, nonmaterial, and several others.
This marks a sharp increase in research funding at RPI over the past five years, and the projects selected are intended to pave inroads to their respective disciplines.
The Seed Funding Program was created to fund projects with Institute money when they are at an early stage of development. The proposed research projects are evaluated in light of what possibility they have of being funded in the future and how they embody the goals of The Rensselaer Plan.
