Continuing the year-long celebration of its Bicentennial, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hosted a weekend of events bringing local communities together around shared achievements and excitement about what the future holds. 

“It’s wonderful to see all our community members enjoying this special time with us,” said Martin A. Schmidt ’81, Ph.D., president of RPI. “Technological innovation and creativity play a starring role in the festivities. I hope that spirit inspires us to make our next century a time of vitality and growth for RPI, the Capital Region, and the nation.”

The weekend launched — literally — with the Bicentennial Drone Show, where 750 drones took to the night sky to tell the story of RPI’s past, present, and future with dazzling 3D images. 

Thousands of onlookers watched in awe as the drones depicted RPI milestones from its 200-year history, including the Institute’s founding and the building of the Brooklyn Bridge; the installation of the IBM Quantum System One at RPI, the first ever deployed on any university campus; and the university’s contributions to space exploration and sustainability. 

The weekend also included Rensselaereum, an exhibit of RPI’s history in the heart of Troy, New York. RPI was founded in Troy in 1824.

The Rensselaereum is a team-designed and curated exhibition by RPI students and the Institute Archives and Special Collections that serves as a material history of the Institute. Displayed in nearly 200 linear feet of storefront windows of the Chasan Building in downtown Troy, Rensselaereum will be on view 24 hours a day for six months. 

The exhibit features items such as a hockey jersey worn during a championship season, a proposed model for EMPAC, and a greeting from NASA Astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman ’97, who is leading America back to the moon in 2025. 

On Monday, September 30, Space Science and Technology Day will showcase RPI’s space legacy and the Institute’s impact on humanity’s future space endeavors. 

RPI has long been at the forefront of space exploration and discovery. RPI alumni lead missions to the moon and Mars; its faculty peer into the depths of the Milky Way and search for the origins of life; and its students are setting their sights on crossing the Kármán Line. 

At RPI’s Space Science and Technology Day, that space legacy will meet the bright stars of its future. As part of RPI’s yearlong Bicentennial celebration honoring the Institute’s rich history and the exciting years to come, this event invites the community to hear from members of the RPI community propelling humanity’s space endeavors.

“We’ve all looked up at a starry night and wondered, what’s out there? Our researchers, students, and alumni work every day to answer that question,” Schmidt said. “They are using their passion and dedication to help humankind, a true extension of our founding principal, first articulated 200 years ago, to apply science and technology to the common purposes of life.”

The event will feature inspiring talks from RPI alumni, including NASA Astronaut Rick Mastracchio ’87, veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and two ISS expeditions.

RPI’s Bicentennial celebration will continue with special events until the end of the year.