News

TROY, N.Y. — A device capable of automatically disinfecting common surfaces, such as doorknobs, light switches, and elevator buttons, could be a vital tool in virus and disease mitigation during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michael Shur, an endowed chair professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has conceived of a plan to disinfect high-traffic surfaces using deep ultraviolet light from LEDs.

Bob Karlicek, the director of the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will discuss ultraviolet (UV-C) technology and how it may be used to kill viruses and other pathogens during a webcast, hosted by LEDs Magazine.

This topic has come into focus as one possible solution for preventing and mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

The RAA Boston Chapter hosted an interactive online discussion on “Innovation and Opportunities in Robotics," featuring a panel of alumni and alumnae leaders in the industry.

This Spring, we have around 140 graduating undergraduates earning their B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer and Systems Engineering, 15 Masters graduates, and 3 Ph.D. graduates. We were thrilled to celebrate their achievements through a digital ceremony.

Jeffrey Braunstein, a senior lecturer in the School of Engineering, has been selected as the recipient of the David M. Darrin ’40 Counseling Award, which will be presented during Commencement. This award was established by David M. Darrin ’40 to recognize a faculty member who has made an unusual contribution in the counseling of undergraduate students. The selection of the award recipient is made by Phalanx, Rensselaer’s student leadership honorary society.

On May 21, 2020, at the annual Grainger Scholars ceremony 9held digitally this year), five ESCE students received the prestigious Grainger Scholars Award, which is given every spring. Funding for the awards is provided by the Grainger Foundation, a private organization based in Lake Forest, IL which supports U.S. technical education and workforce development. The foundation has been awarding this scholarship to RPI students in the electric power field for the last fourteen years.

With the support of a $2.66 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a research team led by Aparna Gupta, an associate professor of quantitative finance in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will develop crucial risk management tools for the power sector to better incorporate renewable energy into the energy market in the coming decades.

TROY, N.Y. — With a recent grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), planning is underway for a new center that will bring researchers from business, computer science, engineering, and law together with public and private sector representatives for interdisciplinary collaboration around cyber and financial technologies.

Congratulations to ECSE advisory council member and alumnus Dr. Chandra Narayanaswami, who has just been elevated to be an IBM Distinguished Research Staff Member (RSM)!

Distinguished RSMs are established technical Research leaders who have demonstrated consistent outstanding and extraordinary contributions, including significant IP contributions with sustained impact on the business. These individuals are also exemplary leaders of organizational and technical teams, enabling others to recognize their potential.