When legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock took the podium at the 212th Commencement at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday, he told a story from his own years as a young graduate, at a time when he was playing piano with the Miles Davis Quintet.
This year, 34 students will graduate from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and start active military service as officers with the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
On Saturday, May 19, 1,945 students will receive degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the oldest technological research university in the United States, beginning at 8:15 a.m. in the East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV) stadium on campus. They represent the next generation of leaders, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, patent holders, game designers, architects, and innovators, in fields ranging from engineering to architecture, fine arts to science, game design to information technology, and business to active military service.
The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will open its doors to visitors as part of the Industry City Open Studios event in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
For many, college coursework is difficult enough in your first language. For Swedish-born Viktor Liljegren, who will be graduating from the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in business and management on May 19, navigating the last four years as a student-athlete has been a challenge, but he is proud of what he has been able to accomplish.
One year into her college experience at a small liberal arts school, Melissa Mann realized she wanted a different kind of business education—one that could equip her to solve challenges in a data-driven world. Mann found what she was looking for in the Lally School of Management, transferred to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and soon began drawing on her business education both on and off campus.
The day Laura Antoniello attended a campus job fair at Rensselaer Polytechnic Instititue changed everything. She was an electronic media, arts, and communication (EMAC) major and the fair was geared for engineering jobs. But Hasbro was at the event and Antoniello was really interested in working at the company, having grown up near its headquarters. The Hasbro recruiter gave her valuable pointers.
Along with the challenges of pursuing a dual degree at a technological university, Alejandra Jaime-Rodriguez joined the university’s equestrian team, and with passion and perseverance, but no prior experience, qualified for a regional competition of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association.
From an early age, Cate Mann envisioned a future connected to the biological sciences. But it was only at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that she found her future in bioinformatics, a blend of computer science and biology.
In the weeks before completing her master’s of architecture degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Nwaram-Billi Ugbode was preparing to present her senior thesis, a look at the staying power of the Shaker community of southern Maine.