Latest news from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) on Newswise en-us Copyright 2024 Newswise 115 31 / /images/newswise-logo-rss.gif /articles/rensselaer-researcher-seeks-new-treatment-for-blindness-causing-diseases/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-researcher-seeks-new-treatment-for-blindness-causing-diseases/?sc=rsin Mon, 28 Oct 2024 11:25:37 EST Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Christopher Cioffi, Ph.D., Thomas and Constance D'Ambra Professor in Organic Chemistry, has been collaborating with Konstantin Petrukhin, Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmic Science at Columbia University, to develop compounds to treat dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Stargardt disease -- both blindness-causing diseases. The team's work has led to the discovery of an advanced preclinical candidate. Now, Cioffi and Petrukhin have received a $6.4 million grant over five years from the National Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute to conduct drug development work and investigational new drug (IND)-enabling toxicology studies. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rpi-appoints-dena-beard-executive-director-of-curtis-r-priem-experimental-media-and-performing-arts-center/?sc=rsin /articles/rpi-appoints-dena-beard-executive-director-of-curtis-r-priem-experimental-media-and-performing-arts-center/?sc=rsin Thu, 24 Oct 2024 09:35:43 EST Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has named Dena Beard, M.A., the new Executive Director of the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rpi-alzheimer-s-disease-research-program-gets-multimillion-dollar-boost/?sc=rsin /articles/rpi-alzheimer-s-disease-research-program-gets-multimillion-dollar-boost/?sc=rsin Mon, 21 Oct 2024 08:40:30 EST Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has been awarded two grants by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to train graduate students on Alzheimer's disease (AD) research and commercialization. NIA is one of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the primary federal agency supporting and conducting AD research. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/harnessing-vibrations-rpi-engineered-material-generates-electricity-from-unexpected-source/?sc=rsin /articles/harnessing-vibrations-rpi-engineered-material-generates-electricity-from-unexpected-source/?sc=rsin Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:05:59 EST Imagine tires that charge a vehicle as it drives, streetlights powered by the rumble of traffic, or skyscrapers that generate electricity as the buildings naturally sway and shudder. These energy innovations could be possible thanks to researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-researcher-overcomes-portfolio-optimization-limitations-with-new-approach/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-researcher-overcomes-portfolio-optimization-limitations-with-new-approach/?sc=rsin Tue, 24 Sep 2024 10:05:03 EST Optimizing an investment portfolio to maximize returns while minimizing risk is the ultimate goal for investors and their advisers. However, there is no set path and challenges always arise. One such limitation is the high-dimensional, small-sample problem (HDSS). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-researcher-receives-3-million-grant-to-explore-gut-health/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-researcher-receives-3-million-grant-to-explore-gut-health/?sc=rsin Thu, 19 Sep 2024 14:05:33 EST Blanca Barquera's investigation into the energy-generating processes of Bacteroides, the most abundant member of the gut microbiome, and their impact on our well-being holds the promise of significant advancements in human health. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rpi-and-hokkaido-university-sign-letter-of-intent-for-semiconductor-collaboration/?sc=rsin /articles/rpi-and-hokkaido-university-sign-letter-of-intent-for-semiconductor-collaboration/?sc=rsin Tue, 20 Aug 2024 18:05:16 EST Today, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Hokkaido University of Japan announced their plan to explore collaborative opportunities in semiconductor education and research contributing to semiconductor workforce development initiatives. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rpi-physicist-moussa-n-gom-is-using-light-to-enhance-nuclear-security/?sc=rsin /articles/rpi-physicist-moussa-n-gom-is-using-light-to-enhance-nuclear-security/?sc=rsin Tue, 13 Aug 2024 10:05:40 EST Our nation's security depends on the effective detection of nuclear materials at our borders and beyond. To address this challenge, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) physicist Moussa N'Gom, Ph.D., is leading research aimed at developing a quantum sensing probe to detect and characterize special nuclear materials precisely and without contact. Special nuclear materials are only mildly radioactive but can be used in nuclear explosives. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-researcher-draws-insights-from-covid-19-to-inform-improved-health-care-in-times-of-crisis/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-researcher-draws-insights-from-covid-19-to-inform-improved-health-care-in-times-of-crisis/?sc=rsin Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:05:39 EST Among the many challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presented, disruptions in health care were among the most impactful. The pandemic was large-scale, lasted over two years, and resulted in millions of hospitalizations and 1.2 million deaths in the United States alone. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/researchers-find-that-frogs-can-quickly-increase-their-tolerance-to-pesticides/?sc=rsin /articles/researchers-find-that-frogs-can-quickly-increase-their-tolerance-to-pesticides/?sc=rsin Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:05:21 EST Although there is a large body of research on pests evolving tolerances for the pesticides meant to destroy them, there have been considerably fewer studies on how non-target animals in these ecosystems may do the same. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/loss-of-oxygen-in-lakes-and-oceans-a-major-threat-to-ecosystems-society-and-planet/?sc=rsin /articles/loss-of-oxygen-in-lakes-and-oceans-a-major-threat-to-ecosystems-society-and-planet/?sc=rsin Mon, 15 Jul 2024 09:05:09 EST Oxygen is a fundamental requirement of life, and the loss of oxygen in water, referred to as aquatic deoxygenation, is a threat to life at all levels. In fact, in research recently published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Associate Professor Kevin Rose, Ph.D. and his collaborators describe how ongoing deoxygenation presents a major threat to the stability of the planet as a whole. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-professor-receives-3-7-million-grant-for-alzheimer-s-disease-research/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-professor-receives-3-7-million-grant-for-alzheimer-s-disease-research/?sc=rsin Tue, 18 Jun 2024 10:05:18 EST Chunyu Wang, M.D., Ph.D., professor of biological sciences and chemistry and chemical biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been awarded a five-year grant of more than $3.7 million by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging to study Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) isoform interactions with heparan sulfate (HS) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-researchers-upend-theory-about-the-formation-of-the-milky-way-galaxy/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-researchers-upend-theory-about-the-formation-of-the-milky-way-galaxy/?sc=rsin Thu, 06 Jun 2024 09:05:15 EST Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Heidi Jo Newberg, Ph.D., professor of astronomy; Tom Donlon, Ph.D., a visiting researcher at Rensselaer and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Alabama; and their team have recently published research that reveals a shocking discovery about the history of our universe: the Milky Way Galaxy's last major collision occurred billions of years later than previously thought. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-researcher-sheds-new-light-on-circadian-rhythms/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-researcher-sheds-new-light-on-circadian-rhythms/?sc=rsin Tue, 04 Jun 2024 09:05:51 EST Circadian clocks, which drive circadian rhythms, are entwined with many essential systems in living things including plants, fungi, insects, and even humans. Because of this, disruptions to our circadian clocks are linked to higher disease rates in humans, including certain cancers and autoimmune diseases. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/national-science-board-elects-first-industry-leader-in-30-years/?sc=rsin /articles/national-science-board-elects-first-industry-leader-in-30-years/?sc=rsin Wed, 29 May 2024 12:05:08 EST Dario Gil, Ph.D., IBM Senior Vice President and Director of Research and a member of the Board of Trustees for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), has been elected chair of the National Science Board (NSB). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rpi-builds-bridges-to-the-future-during-bicentennial-commencement-weekend/?sc=rsin /articles/rpi-builds-bridges-to-the-future-during-bicentennial-commencement-weekend/?sc=rsin Tue, 21 May 2024 14:05:53 EST From building the Brooklyn Bridge to sending humans to the moon, much has changed in the world since Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was founded 200 years ago in 1824. RPI honored its two centuries of driving technological progress during its Bicentennial Commencement Weekend. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-researcher-finds-that-users-seek-out-echo-chambers-on-social-media/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-researcher-finds-that-users-seek-out-echo-chambers-on-social-media/?sc=rsin Thu, 09 May 2024 09:05:23 EST We all know that communication encompasses so much more than words. Facial expressions, intonations, hand gestures, and more contribute to our expressiveness. However, in social media, these intricacies are lost. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute-announces-reid-wiseman-as-bicentennial-commencement-speaker-and-will-award-its-first-posthumous-honorary-degree-to-emily-warren-roebling/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute-announces-reid-wiseman-as-bicentennial-commencement-speaker-and-will-award-its-first-posthumous-honorary-degree-to-emily-warren-roebling/?sc=rsin Wed, 08 May 2024 12:05:29 EST Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) today announced two special honorands for its Bicentennial Commencement celebrations. Astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman '97 will return to RPI as the Bicentennial Commencement Speaker, and Emily Warren Roebling, who led the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge to completion, will receive a posthumous honorary degree, the first to be awarded in the history of RPI. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/rensselaer-researcher-publishes-groundbreaking-study-on-labor-market-discrimination-against-transgender-people/?sc=rsin /articles/rensselaer-researcher-publishes-groundbreaking-study-on-labor-market-discrimination-against-transgender-people/?sc=rsin Mon, 29 Apr 2024 17:05:55 EST In 2020, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Bostock vs. Clayton County that transgender people are legally protected from employment discrimination. This came at a time of increased visibility, but also of legal and social challenges to the rights of transgender individuals. Meanwhile, there has been very little study of labor market discrimination against them. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) /articles/three-rensselaer-polytechnic-institute-faculty-members-honored-by-aaas/?sc=rsin /articles/three-rensselaer-polytechnic-institute-faculty-members-honored-by-aaas/?sc=rsin Mon, 29 Apr 2024 14:05:29 EST Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Boleslaw Szymanski, Ph.D., and Chunyu Wang, M.D. Ph.D., have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement Science (AAAS). Steven Cramer, Ph.D., who was elected AAAS Fellow in 2017, was elected Council Member of the Section on Engineering. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)