Featured News
Unique System for Using UVC Light to Sterilize Masks in Bulk Developed at Rensselaer
LESA researchers in collaboration with the Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary (CBIS) at Rensselaer, developed a new device for making masks reusable in the fight against COVID-19. This project began at the request of longtime research partners at Mount Sinai. As the pandemic worsened in New York City, and the shortage of PPE deepened, they asked if Rensselaer could develop a way to make critical resources last longer without losing their effectiveness. The speed with which the Rensselaer team devised and built this solution expedites the possibility that it will be helpful in the fight against the pandemic. A design and construction process that often takes months, or even years, was completed in a matter of weeks.
U.S. Department of Energy Awards $2.8M to LESA
The Department of Energy announced February 10, 2020 – $74 million awarded for 63 selected projects to, ‘research, develop, and test energy-efficient and flexible building technologies, systems, and construction practices to improve the energy performance of the Nation’s buildings and electric grid.
11th Annual Industry-Academia Days Speakers Announced
IADays2020 has been postponed due to issues related to COVID-19 and Resnsselaer’s protocol for social distancing at this time. This year’s theme:“How do we get to SMART Cities?” will include insights on how we take the fundamentals of the built environment, integrated into the elements of a SMART Cities infrastructure, and use them to create the SMART Connected Communities of the Future. […]
Engineered Solutions for Circadian Function & Human Centric Lighting
The LESA Healthcare Research team has been busy! In case you missed it, check out what’s been happening around health and lighting.
UNM Study Gauges Effectiveness of Light Therapy to Reshape Circadian Rhythms
University of New Mexico researchers and their colleagues from the LESA Center have demonstrated a new technology for gauging the effectiveness of light therapy to synchronize human circadian rhythms as a potential treatment for insomnia, mood disorders and other health problems. In a report published online in the IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine (and set to lead the journal’s December issue), the team reported on a pilot study using the Smart Lighting Clinical Testbed at UNM Hospital. The lighting, sensing and control systems used were based on a system first installed in the Smart Conference Room Testbed at the LESA Center.
[…]
Accolades
LESA Center Director’s Interview with HealthDay Featured in U.S.News
Dr. Robert Karlicek was interviewed by HealthDay on the ‘unique system for using UVC light to sterilize masks in bulk developed at Rensselaer‘ as part of a feature article, UV Light Won’t Treat COVID-19 — But it Might Disinfect Medical Gear that appeared in USNews.com. […]
Center Director Included in LD+A Magazine Article
Robert Karlicek‘s insights on smart lighting were included in Illuminating Engineering Society LD+A Magazine’s January 2020 Emerging Markets Rreport.
LESA Researchers Published in LEUKOS for Work on Dynamic Changes in Light on Cognition
Arunas Tuzikas, Robert Karlicek and former LESA Researcher Lauren Hartstein completed human factor studies to better understaend how rapid, dynamic changes in light spectral power distribution can impact cognitive performance and comfort. Their findings on the ‘Impact of Dynamic Changes in Light Spectrum Power Distribution on Cognitive Performance & Wellbeing‘ were recently published in LEUKOS – The Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). […]
LESA & GLASE Experts Offer Insights into Controlled Environment Agriculture in LEDs Magazine Blog Series
The LESA Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the Greenhouse Lighting & Systems Engineering (GLASE) consortium experts from Cornell University participated in a four-part guest blog series with LEDs Magazine between July and October. Throughout the series, they discussed research methods, applications, industry trends and future farming insights for controlled environment agriculture. The blog series was extremely popular generating significant interest around LESA and GLASE research initiatives. Two of the four blogs were ranked among LEDs ‘Top 5 Blogs of 2019’ – including the number 1 spot. […]
LESA Researchers Published in PLOS ONE for Work on Optimizing Sleep and Alertness
Agung Julius and John T. Wen’s research findings were recently published in PLOS ONE for their work on time optimal entrainment control for circadian rhythm regulation. They have developed ‘new ways to optimize sleep for alertness through light exposure‘ and were featured on Rensselaer News. Their work is part of ongoing research at LESA, resulting in several subsequent publications around circadian function, circadian phase shift, and the effects of healthy lighting funded by the Army Research Office, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense. […]
@LESA_erc
Annual Industry-Academia Days
Postponed – TBD 2020
Information
LESA Highlights
LESA ERC
Achievement Showcase
Center Collaborations
Employment Opportunities
No openings at this time.
Visit the RPI job board for employment opportunities.
Research Areas
Quantifiable Outcomes (through 3/31/2020)
