No birthday party is complete without ice cream.

That’s why Stewart’s Shops is helping Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute kick off its bicentennial year with a new name for the store’s “Fireworks” ice cream flavor. The freshly dubbed “Quantum Freeze” will hit stores February 5, 2024. 

Named in reference to RPI’s new IBM Quantum System One — which will reach temperatures colder than outer space — Quantum Freeze features a tart cherry swirl and red and blue Pop Rocks in vanilla ice cream. Last November, RPI students, faculty, staff and alumni submitted more than 500 names for the ice cream, and Quantum Freeze won the final vote.

“The name Quantum Freeze is quite fitting for this moment,” said Martin A. Schmidt ’81, Ph.D., president of RPI. “It reflects both how far we’ve come as an institution and the exciting era of discovery ahead of us that will include quantum computing and much more. I’m pleased that people from our community will soon be able to go into their local Stewart’s Shop, get a scoop — or two — of Quantum Freeze, and celebrate the moment with us.”

Customers can enjoy Quantum Freeze at Stewart’s Shops throughout the Capital Region. 

“We are honored to partner with RPI on such an important milestone for the institution,” said Stewart’s Shops marketing director Bill Majewski. “Stewart’s strives to be part of the fabric of the communities we serve and Rensselaer has been nurturing future leaders for generations. What sweeter way to celebrate than with ice cream?”

Quantum Freeze is just one of many ways RPI will commemorate the 200-year milestone. 

RPI recently announced its bicentennial tagline, “Foundations to Future: A 200-Year Reflection,” and its bicentennial logo. The logo features a mobius strip, a shape without a beginning or end, signifying RPI’s ongoing impact on the world since its founding. The mobius strip also lacks a boundary between inside and outside, representing RPI’s collaborative, discipline-bending and adaptable ethos. 

Planned events include a Bicentennial Big Red Freakout hockey game, an evening with U.S. Poet Laureate Tracey K. Smith, and the unveiling of the IBM Quantum System One. 

Community members can also participate in bicentennial celebrations online by visiting rensselaerfirsts.com, following RPI on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn, and sharing their RPI story on their own social media accounts using the hashtags #RPI200 or #RPI200Years.