Today, Rensselaer is leading a new wave in information technology. We have a long-established and highly respected program in microelectronics. Additional research programs cover a wide spectrum of related disciplines. Information technology's relevance to all fields of human endeavor is unquestioned, and Rensselaer is poised for great opportunity. Still, we face choices of where to invest for leadership, and how much to invest, even as we extend our presence in this arena.
Applied mathematics provides a second example.
Here we enjoy considerable strength, yet to secure genuine leadership will require focus and new investment. Because it embodies modeling, analysis, algorithmic development, even new mathematics, applied mathematics, as a discipline, can be viewed as a common core which undergirds all the sciences and engineering. It is inherently interdisciplinary. We must study this and decide whether we can propel ourselves to a true leadership position. Imagine that a biosensor gives you the ability to communicate directly from the brain to the computer, to give instructions to a machine, without the intervention and use of a keyboard.