Commencement speaker announced
Futurist and entrepreneur Peter Schwartz ’68 will deliver the 2009 Commencement address on Saturday, May 16. Schwartz will receive an honorary degree at the ceremony, along with honorands Samuel Josefowitz ’42, Kenneth I. Chenault, and Robert C. Richardson.
Schwartz is an internationally renowned futurist, business strategist, and author. He is cofounder and chairman of Global Business Network and also participated in the colloquy that kicked off Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center grand opening weekend.
On May 15, the four honorands will also participate in the annual Commencement Colloquy, to be held in EMPAC. The Colloquy—entitled The Long View: Leading and Thriving in Challenging Times—will open with remarks by Chenault.
Lindhardt, Ferland receive grants
Two groups of Rensselaer researchers have each received a $1.08 million grant from New York through the state’s stem cell research initiative. Both grants will fund research on the growth and development of stem cells and will work to provide information about the role specific genes and biological molecules play in stem cell function in the human body.
The lead researchers for the grants are Ann and John H. Broadbent Jr. ’59 Senior Constellation Professor of Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering Robert Linhardt and Assistant Professor of Biology Russell Ferland.
Linhardt will join Director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies Jonathan Dordick—as well as researchers from the University of Georgia—to study the web of carbohydrates that surround human stem cells and supports the growth and specialization of stem cells within the body.
Ferland’s lab, on the other hand, will work on researching the interior of the cell to understand how specific genes control stem cell function.
He will partner with Volney Sheen at Harvard Medical School on the research. The team will analyze mouse bone and neural stem cells to determine what changes within an organism when these genes are altered or removed.
Geisler leaves LL&C Department
Head of the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication Cheryl Geisler will be leaving Rensselaer to take the position of Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Art, and Technology at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In her new position, Geisler will be overseeing approximately 70 tenured and tenure-track faculty on three campuses.
Provost Robert E. Palazzo and Dean of the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences John Harrington will be working to appoint an acting head of the department, and will launch a search to hire a permanent head of the department.
Geisler joined the Institute in 1986 as an assistant professor and was named a full professor in 1988.
Student Senate appoints officers
The Student Senate held its first meeting on Monday, April 6, greeting next year’s new group of senators. New Grand Marshal Michael Zwack ’11 started the first meeting by appointing his Cabinet and chairs of several committees.
First for appointment was the position of Vice Chair of the Senate, for which Andrew Neidhardt ’11 was confirmed in a 15-0-1 motion. William Jones ’11 was then appointed as the Senate’s Treasurer in a 14-0-3 vote.
Following Jones, the Chief Information Officer slot was filled; Brian Michalsk ’10 was confirmed to the position in a 16-0-0 vote. Phil Sarid ’12 was then appointed as Senate Parliamentarian by the Senate in a 15-0-2 vote.
Following the completion of approving Zwack’s cabinet for next year, the Senate voted to confirm several committee chairs.
Steven Siden ’11 was appointed as the Chair of the Student Life Committee, which was confirmed in a 15-0-1 vote of the Senate.
Following Siden, Jones was confirmed in a 14-0-2 vote for a second term as Community Relations Committee Chair.
Finance Facilities & Advancement Co-Chair was the next position to be filled. Lee Sharma ’12 was appointed to the post in a vote of 14-0-2.
The Senate also hosted Pizza with the Cabinet last Thursday from 6–8 pm in the second floor banquet hall of Russell Sage Dining Hall. The turnout was around 80 students, and most members of the Cabinet were present to answer questions both informally and during a question-and-answer session.
