School of Science

I grew up in Guilderland, NY, about 20 minutes from RPI. From a young age, I always loved math and knew that it was what I wanted to pursue after high school. I was familiar with RPI from living in the area; I knew it was a great school and that it was just what I was looking for to further my mathematics education. Upon arriving at RPI, I knew I had made the right choice. I loved my classes, not to say they weren’t hard. I was definitely more challenged than I ever was in high school, but it motivated me to work even harder, and it definitely paid off.

I have always wondered how exactly the world works. This interest was the main reason why I chose to study physics. When I was accepted into the Accelerated BS/PhD Program, I received an excellent chance to do research early in my undergraduate career. The accelerated program was great because the first year I was able to rotate through different research groups in different fields of physics and then pick the subject I liked best.

I am currently working in Professor Robert Linhardt’s lab studying protein carbohydrate interactions using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), a highly sophisticated instrument that is used to study molecular interactions in a real-time, label free environment.

Jordan Mader says her decision to pursue a career in science began with the encouragement of teachers at Glens Falls Middle and High Schools.

“My science teachers were role models for me,” she says. “I feel lucky to have been involved in such a phenomenal science program before college.”

It was during AP Chemistry in the 11th grade that Mader was first introduced to fuel cells as a special project; one she says interested her because of the need for alternative energy sources. “We didn’t have much success building fuel cells in that class, but the idea stuck in my head,” she says.

Amanda Lund has proven herself to be a team-player – as a student athlete and a researcher.

“It was very important to me to continue pursuing my many interests while in college. At RPI, I have been able to participate in academics, sports, research, and more while taking advantage of the advanced Ph.D. opportunity,” says Lund. “The atmosphere around campus is encouraging because you realize that everyone here has ideas about what they can do.”

Choosing a major at RPI proved difficult at first. Ultimately, I settled on two fields which I was passionate about: Computer Science and Mathematics. Growing up, both of my parents have careers in computer-related fields. My mother is a Database Administrator for Scientech, LLC, and my father, and RPI Graduate, is the owner of Applied Programming Technology, Inc.,which develops software to examine data from nuclear power plants. Also, throughout high school, my favorite classes were always math, and I always had a passion for the subject. At RPI, I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to pursue both of these fields.

It has been an exciting time for Rensselaer student Kinsley French. During the recent Commencement ceremony, French was awarded the J. Erik Jonsson Prize for her perfect 4.0 grade point average and high-caliber undergraduate research. She earned a dual major in mathematics and biology in just three and a half years.

Six years ago, if you had told me what I would be doing today, I would have never believed you. I came from a small town and an even smaller high school. I was never really challenged and consequently never knew of what I was capable. Rensselaer changed that.

When I was growing up, I always eager to learn as much as possible about the natural world. In high school, I narrowed my focus to biology and performed some research on chemotherapeutic drug delivery. In my first few semesters at RPI, I narrowed that further into cell and molecular biology. In order to get working as quickly as possible in a field I knew I would enjoy, I applied to the accelerated BS/PhD Program.

When I first came to Rensselaer the only thing I knew about myself, academically, was that I wanted to study Mathematics. I had no other intentions, except to get the most out of my education. As my first year continued, I started wondering whether I was interested in research, with that in mind, I started taking harder courses giving me more tools for work in Mathematics.