Professors honored
The R.P. Baker Distinguished Professor of Physics Toh-Ming Lu, and Wilfredo Colón, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, have been elected as fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Lu is cited for “seminal contributions to the fundamental understanding of thin film morphological evolution.”
Colón is cited for “distinguished contribution to the understanding of protein folding and misfolding, and for his encouragement of under-represented minority students into careers in science.”
RPI has had eight faculty members elected as fellows in the past five years.
Lu’s research strives to develop new, high-performing nanostructures that can be used in integrated electronics, semiconductors, and energy storage devices. He joined Rensselaer in 1982, and has formerly served as director of the Center for Advanced Interconnect Science and Technology and chairman of the Department of Physics at RPI.
Colón’s research focuses on proteins and the chemical and physical principles that cause them to acquire and retain their functional three-dimensional structure. His ultimate goal is to facilitate the rational design of therapeutics for protein misfolding diseases like Lou Gehrig’s disease, type II diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Colón joined Rensselaer in 1997 after serving as a postdoctoral associate at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.
Institute receives grant
A polymer chemist from RPI is the recipient of a grant from the National Science Foundation to support a partnership between American and Korean researchers. Chang Y. Ryu, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, will oversee the $2.5 million grant that will bring together engineers, scientists, and graduate and undergraduate students from top U.S. and Korean universities.
The program is funded by NSF under its Partnerships for International Research and Education program. PIRE awards enable American institutions to develop long-term, collaborative research and education programs with international partners. The $2.5 million grant will be managed and allocated by Ryu over a five-year period.
DIS major recognized
RPI has been counted among the 60 “most forward-thinking design schools” in the world, according to BusinessWeek magazine’s second annual survey of the best design schools around the globe. The ranking appears in the publication’s October 15 issue.
A collaborative program of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the Lally School of Management and Technology, RPI’s highly interdisciplinary Design, Innovation, and Society program prepares students to design new products, services, and media while considering the social needs and environmental concerns of the 21st century.
Students enrolled in the DIS program complete seven hands-on design studios focused on a range of topics including the product development process, industrial design and aesthetics, and the impact of new and emerging technologies on design.
New hotel approved
The city’s Planning Board has approved plans for a hotel on Hoosick Street. Backers of a new Hilton Garden Inn on Hoosick Street believe that one of the region’s busiest roads will bring plenty of customers to their lobby.
The $20 million project, which could open in a year, would be owned and operated by Hoosick Hospitality LLC, a company created for the project. Planning Board approval came Thursday night. Construction could begin within a couple weeks, said Jeff Buell, spokesman for Mayor Harry Tutunjian.
It will be built on vacant land opposite a Rite Aid at 258 Hoosick St. The 3.74-acre site is L-shaped. The seven-story hotel, which will be built near the front of the site, will have 125 rooms, 13,000 square feet of meeting space, two restaurants, and some retail stores.
