This spring, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the first technological research university in the United States, will award a total of 2,198 degrees — 115 doctoral degrees, 493 master’s degrees, and 1,590 bachelor’s degrees — to 2,174 students, some of whom have earned multiple degrees. These accomplishments will be celebrated during the 215th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 22, beginning at 10 a.m. in the East Campus Athletic Village stadium on the Rensselaer campus.

Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in the United States, and it’s increasingly understood that they share common risk factors, including tobacco use, diet, blood pressure, and obesity. Thus, a diagnostic tool that could screen for cardiovascular disease while a patient is already being screened for cancer has the potential to expedite a diagnosis, accelerate treatment, and improve patient outcomes. 

Alex Connor, a Ph.D. chemical and biological engineering candidate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, won first place in the Agtech and Food Industry track in the 12th annual New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) for his presentation on Ripely, his proposed business geared toward extending the shelf life of fresh produce. Connor was also named a finalist in the Grand Prize competition.

More than 25 students from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will soon graduate from Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs. Commissioning signifies the beginning of a student’s active military service. Each student will take an oath of office in his or her respective branch of service in one of three commissioning ceremonies scheduled during the months of May and June, coinciding with the 215th Commencement ceremony hosted by Rensselaer, which will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 22.

Winners have been announced for the end-of-year entrepreneurship competitions at the Paul J. and Kathleen M. Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The way that air moves over, around, or under an aircraft can greatly affect its aerodynamics. When air flow separates from the wings of a plane, for instance, the change in pressure on the vehicle can reduce pilot control or cause the aircraft to stall out. The development of more effective air flow control techniques depends on a better understanding of flow separation that occurs around aircraft of different shapes and sizes.

After a successful mid-pandemic shift to an all-remote format last year, GameFest – the digital-gaming festival organized by the Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences (GSAS) program in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – will again be held completely virtually this year. GameFest 2021 will take place on Sansar, a multiuser online virtual platform, beginning at 1:30 p.m. on May 8. It will also stream live on YouTube beginning at 2 p.m. A full schedule is available on the GameFest 2021 website. The event is free and open to the public.

Amir Hirsa, a professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has developed a device that could yield valuable insights about the fluid mechanics at play in diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. 

George Slota has been has been granted a prestigious National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to develop approaches that match exascale supercomputers with petascale data.

Peter Wayner Jr., a professor emeritus of chemical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, recently won the 2020 Max Jakob Memorial Award, which recognizes “eminent achievement of distinguished service in the area of heat transfer.”