Linda Teitelman McCloskey, director of the Archer Center for Student Leadership, has been selected as a recipient of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Region II Outstanding Contribution to Student Leadership Programs Award. NASPA annually recognizes individuals who have made significant and outstanding contributions to their campus, student affairs, and the field of higher education. She will be formally recognized at the annual NASPA Region II Conference, June 5-7, 2016. According to Kurt Anderson, professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering and associate dean of engineering, McCloskey is being recognized “in large part due to the work she and the Archer Center have done for our engineering students through their Professional Development I and Professional Development III courses.” Anderson stated that the recent review and evaluation by ABET highlighted the work of the Archer Center as something that sets Rensselaer apart from other programs. “Ms. McCloskey’s role in the success of these courses and their value to Rensselaer’s engineering students cannot be overstated,” Anderson said.
Tessa Pocock, senior research scientist in the Rensselaer Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC), delivered the keynote address at the 2015 U.S. Department of Energy Solid-State Lighting Technology Development Workshop in November in Portland, Oregon. Pocock’s talk, titled “Tuning the Spectrum for Plant Growth,” discussed how the ability to tune the spectrum of LED light sources has opened up new possibilities for horticultural lighting—to improve indoor plant production and associated energy use as well as plant nutrient and pharmaceutical value. Her talk shared findings from the Smart Lighting ERC’s work to examine what we know about the effects of different portions of the spectrum on plant growth, and where future research will focus.