SWERSEY--Burt L., of Stephentown, N.Y., age 78, died unexpectedly on March 9. An inventor, entrepreneur, farmer, teacher and dreamer, he believed in the power of engineering to improve the world. He attended Bronx Science and Cornell and founded four medical technology companies and a plant nursery. He taught for 23 years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where his Inventors Studio course fostered creativity and innovation and spawned numerous successful companies. In 2009 it was named one of the best entrepreneurship courses in America. His latest course How to Save the World emphasized creative solutions to important problems. In addition to his wife Alice and brother Arthur, he is survived by a son, William, daughters Sarah and Rachel, and six grandchildren, to whom he was utterly devoted.