Leaders at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute relied on a powerful algorithm, COVID Back-to-School - now freely available to the public - to determine that twice-weekly testing of all students would be the optimal regimen for keeping the infection rate on campus safely below 1% for any two-week period.
A new research project for satellite telecommunications, supported by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, proposes to use the properties of light itself to punch a pathway for data through the clouds.
A small energy harvesting device that can transform subtle mechanical vibrations into electrical energy could be used to power wireless sensors and actuators for use in anything from temperature and occupancy monitoring in smart environments, to biosensing within the human body. In research recently published in the Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering, engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute developed a predictive model for such a device, which will allow researchers to better understand and optimize its functionalities.
Armed with evidence that a specific site on heparan sulfate — known as the 3-O-sulfate group — is critical to the transfer of harmful tau proteins in the brain, a research program funded by the NIH’s National Institute of Aging is scrutinizing the interactions between heparan sulfate and tau, determining how misfolded tau spreads in the brain, and developing strategies to block it.
With the support from a NASA Early Career Faculty Award, Shankar Narayanan, an assistant professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, aims to develop new materials that can protect objects from extreme radiation and temperature variations in space — an important step toward enabling long-distance space exploration.
A COVID-19 transmission model inspired by gas-phase chemistry is helping the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) forecast COVID-19 deaths across the country. Developed by Yunfeng Shi, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Jeff Ban, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Washington, the model uses fatality data collected by Johns Hopkins University and mobility data collected by Google to predict disease spread based on how much a population is moving within its community.
Astrophysicists announced today that a 3-billion year old merger between a dwarf galaxy and the Milky Way produced a series of telltale shell-like formations of stars in the vicinity of the Virgo constellation, the first such “shell structures” to be found in the Milky Way.
With the support of a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, an academic-industrial collaboration between General Electric Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Cleerly, and Weill Cornell Medicine will develop cutting-edge techniques for removing the appearance of blurry images — known as blooming artifacts — from cardiac CT scans to improve the accuracy of cardiac diagnosis and prevent patients from having to undergo costly and invasive procedures.
With the support of a new National Science Foundation grant, a team of engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will explore a potentially transformative idea: genetically engineering a microorganism that “eats” petroleum-based plastic waste and converts it to a biodegradable plastic alternative.
With many people stuck inside for months on end, the built environment has played a significant role in the COVID-19 pandemic. With support from a new National Science Foundation grant, a team of engineers and social scientists will study the ways in which that built environment mitigates or exacerbates the pandemic.
In a paper co-authored by Gaurav Jain, an assistant professor of marketing in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer, researchers found that disfluency, or the difficulty for an individual to process a message, increases people’s attitudes toward that message after a time delay.
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute anticipate a future in which a combination of smart wearables and algorithms assess each person’s circadian rhythm and provide personalized feedback as to what light, sleep, and work schedule would be ideal for their particular internal clock. In a foundational step toward that goal, a team of engineers aims to develop reliable mathematical models that can estimate individuals’ circadian rhythms. With the support of a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the team will also develop wearable hardware and software that incorporate various sensors capable of capturing useful biometric information. That data will be used to help build and test the team’s mathematical models.
With the support of a new National Science Foundation grant, Alhussein Abouzeid, a professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will develop a series of mathematical models that will help optimize policies governing spectrum use nationwide.
Students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are back on campus for the start of the fall semester due to significant testing and tracing protocols that have been implemented to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and maximize health and safety.
Developing a physiological test for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one that measures certain components in the blood, has the potential to be a paradigm shift for diagnosing ASD. However, the large heterogeneity of how ASD affects individuals has long been viewed as a key obstacle to the development of such a test.
Research conducted at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and published online today in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, represents a significant step toward addressing this challenge.
A new prize recognizing the work of engineers who promote social justice, human rights, peace, and environmental protection has launched with the help of two faculty members from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
A new program in Biotechnology and Health Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will equip students destined for a science-based career with the quantitative and modeling knowledge in economics needed to succeed in industry and consulting.
More strategic and coordinated travel restrictions could have reduced the spread of COVID-19 in the early stages of the pandemic, data confirms. The conclusion, available in preprint on MedRxiv, an online repository of papers that have been screened but not peer reviewed, stems from new modeling conducted by a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
A new agreement will formalize a long-standing relationship between two pivotal players in the Capital Region gaming industry: the Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Vicarious Visions, the prominent game development company.
In a new article in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, researchers demonstrated how a deep learning framework they call “Brain-NET” can accurately predict a person’s level of expertise in terms of their surgical motor skills, based solely on neuroimaging data.
If builders could incorporate solar harvesting into the siding of a building, the amount of energy from the grid that a structure would need may significantly decrease. In research published recently in Renewable Energy, a team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, led by Diana-Andra Borca-Tasciuc, a professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, demonstrated the potential of wedge-shaped luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). These efficient modular solar units could easily be hung on the side of a building.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an increase in telework and online commerce, and a significant decrease in the number of personal trips people are making. Understanding the effects of these rapid changes on the economy, supply chains, and the environment will be essential, as some of these behaviors will continue even after the pandemic has ended. Researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently presented the results of two sets of surveys they conducted in an effort to quantify and understand these unprecedented shifts.
As the volume of available information expands, the fraction a person is able to absorb shrinks. To break this cycle, computer scientists say we need new algorithms that prioritize a broader view over fulfilling consumer biases.
With COVID-19 still spreading in the United States, where it has already killed more than 140,000 people, improved screening and treatment options are critically important for high-risk patients with comorbidities, such as diabetes, pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. A new grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support the rapid development and integration of a series of artificial intelligence algorithms that will analyze multiple pieces of health data — from chest computed tomography (CT) images to vital signs — in order to help clinicians assess disease severity and predict patient outcomes. The effort is being led by Pingkun Yan, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
When the Shewanella oneidensis bacterium “breathes” in certain metal and sulfur compounds anaerobically, the way an aerobic organism would process oxygen, it produces materials that could be used to enhance electronics, electrochemical energy storage, and drug-delivery devices. The ability of this bacterium to produce molybdenum disulfide — a material that is able to transfer electrons easily, like graphene — is the focus of research published in Biointerphases by a team of engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
In a test of antiviral effectiveness against the virus that causes COVID-19, an extract from edible seaweeds substantially outperformed remdesivir, the current standard antiviral used to combat the disease. The research is the latest example of a decoy strategy researchers at Rensselear Polytechnic Institute are developing against viruses like the novel coronavirus that spawned the current global health crisis.
With hurricane season already underway and projected to be active, communities throughout the U.S. are trying to balance disaster preparation amid an unprecedented public health crisis. While significant attention is rightly being given to COVID-19, leaders – especially those in communities along the coast – must plan for the possibility of dual disasters.
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have extensive experience studying and responding to natural disasters and are available during this hurricane season to share their research and perspectives.
Stephanie Loveless has been named the new director of the Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which stewards the philosophy and practices of sonic awareness pioneered by the late Pauline Oliveros.
A common drug, already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), may also be a powerful tool in fighting COVID-19, according to research published this week in Antiviral Research.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded $65 million in grants to support research that will advance safe, reliable, and clean nuclear energy. Among those projects are two led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which received a combined total of $1.2 million.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) recently announced the winners in its Future Grid Challenge, which was created to support the development of solutions that will help integrate renewable energy into the electric grid. Among them was a project in which a lab run by Luigi Vanfretti, an associate professor of electrical, computer, and systems engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will play a key role.
Consider this scenario: A vaccine for the novel coronavirus has been developed that is 91.27% effective. If public health officials present this information using the specific number, people are likely to think the vaccine is actually less effective than if it is presented as being 90% effective.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered how people shop, how much they buy, the trips they take outside their homes, and the number of tele-activities — like work, medicine, and education — that have become commonplace. These changes were rapid and have tremendously impacted the economy, supply chains, and the environment.
Two sets of surveys were conducted by researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in an effort to quantify and understand these unprecedented shifts — and evaluate the likelihood they may last after the pandemic has ended.
With the support of a grant from the National Science Foundation, chemical engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute aim to develop a new polymer that can replace polystyrene, a commonly used plastic that is inexpensive and easy to make — but is difficult to break down into its original components for reuse, a process called depolymerization.
Chemically engineered peptides, designed and developed by a team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, could prove valuable in the battle against some of the most persistent human health challenges. The team’s findings, recently published in Nature Scientific Reports, demonstrate how researchers can engineer peptides capable of selectively and specifically binding to polysialic acid (PSA) — a unique carbohydrate that is present on critical human cells and plays a key role in various physiological and pathological processes, including neurological development and disease progression.
A new $2.3 million grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health will support a research effort led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to develop a virtual operating room team training.
M. Hakan Hekimoğlu, an assistant professor in the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and his co-author, Burak Kazaz of Syracuse University, have developed a robust and highly accurate pricing model for Bordeaux wine futures using four factors: temperature, precipitation, market index, and expert reviews.
Short of cameras, there are few tools at the disposal of health care providers or loved ones to remotely monitor patient safety within hospitals and assisted living care facilities. A new system of infrared sensors, developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is able to provide real-time data while also maintaining privacy.
The manner in which the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare racist and systemic inequalities in the United States has parallels in other environmental health threats, such as lead exposure, according to an essay written for the online magazine Toxic News by two researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
A team of researchers led by Sufei Shi, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has uncovered new information about the mass of individual components that make up a promising quasiparticle, known as an exciton, that could play a critical role in future applications for quantum computing, improved memory storage, and more efficient energy conversion. The team's research was published today in Nature Communications.
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seeks a better understanding of the benefits and limitations involved in the potential use of ultraviolet lighting in battling the COVID-19 virus through a new survey aimed at decision makers who use, or are considering implementing, ultraviolet technologies for use in the disinfection of public spaces.
The Jefferson Project at Lake George is making real-time water quality and weather data from its unprecedented scientific monitoring and research program available directly to the public through a new digital Data Dashboard at jeffersonproject.live.
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.
As coastal communities prepare for the possibility of hurricanes this summer and fall, they are doing so amid the uncertain landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic — a crisis that has already taxed health care systems, governments, and supply chains.
A faculty and student team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been modeling how the combined disasters may make community recovery vastly more difficult. What they have found serves as a stark warning to policymakers preparing for hurricane season.
With the support of a new grant from the Office of Naval Research, aerospace engineers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are using their extensive knowledge of flow physics to determine how air flow will affect new jet fighters and how that flow can be manipulated or changed for optimal operation.
In the spring 2020 semester, more than 2,000 students and 242 professors, teaching assistants and mentors relied on Submitty, the open-source tool designed and built by students, faculty, and teaching assistants at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.