News

Albany, N.Y. — Bill Cosby today urged the 1,100 graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to change the world by being honest, remaining humble, and continuing to learn from others.

Troy, N.Y. — The Alumni Relations Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will receive two prestigious Circle of Excellence Awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The awards will be presented July 2 at the CASE International Assembly in San Francisco. Alumni relations awards will be given in 17 categories. Rensselaer and UCLA are the only universities to be honored in more than one category.

Troy, N.Y. — The Honorable Charles E. Schumer, the senior U.S. senator from New York, will join entertainer and educator Bill Cosby in speaking to graduates at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 195th Commencement this Saturday, May 12, at the Pepsi Arena in Albany. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. Schumer, 49, attended public school in Brooklyn and is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He was elected to the New York State Assembly at age 23, one of the youngest members since Theodore Roosevelt.

Honorary Doctorates To Be Conferred on Vinton G. Cerf, the “Father of the Internet,” Entertainer Bill Cosby, and Sociologist William Julius Wilson Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will bestow honorary doctoral degrees on Vinton G. Cerf, known as the “Father of the Internet,” entertainer and educator Bill Cosby, and renowned sociologist William Julius Wilson.

Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer’s department of electrical, computer, and systems engineering (ECSE) was recently awarded an Innovative Program Award for its success in the implementation of studio courses. The award, given by the National Electrical Engineering Department Heads Association (NEEDHA), has been given only twice in the last 10 years.

Troy, N.Y. — Neil de Grasse Tyson, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, will deliver the 11th annual Garnet D. Baltimore Lecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His talk will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18, in Room 337 of the Darrin Communications Center. The lecture is free and the public is welcome.

Troy, N.Y. — Every graduate of a technological university should have a solid grounding in entrepreneurship, says Mike Herman, who has just invested $1 million to transform degree programs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “The real breakthrough ideas for new products and services come from scientists and engineers,” says Herman. “They’re the creators of emerging business opportunities. That’s why they need to be immersed in entrepreneurial know-how.”

Troy, N.Y. — Eddie Ade Knowles, who served Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as dean of students for 18 years, has been named vice president for student life after a nationwide search. Knowles, who has been involved in student life administration at Rensselaer since 1977, was named interim vice president for student life last February.

Troy, N.Y. — Making a bologna and cheese sandwich would seem to be a simple project involving a plate and a knife, some bread and, well, bologna and cheese. But not if you are a contestant in the annual Rube Goldberg Contest, named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist who dreamed up elaborate contraptions to perform the simplest tasks. Four Questar III seniors enrolled in the New Visions program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been planning their project since January.

Graduating students will present traditional and electronic art projects to the public Troy, N.Y. — The final projects of the graduating seniors of the EMAC (Electronic Media, Arts and Communication) Program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will be on display at The Arts Center of the Capital District in Troy from Friday, April 6, through Sunday, April 8. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 6, 5-9 p.m.