Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has signed a letter of intent with Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani), one of India’s leading technological universities, to establish academic cooperation and offer joint educational programs and research initiatives. The development marks a significant step towards enhancing worldwide academic engagement between two premier institutions in the fields of engineering, science, and technology.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has long been at the forefront of space exploration and discovery. On September 30, that storied legacy met the future at RPI’s Space Science and Technology Day.As part of RPI’s yearlong Bicentennial celebration honoring RPI’s rich history and the promising years to come, this event invited the Capital Region community to hear from alumni, students, and researchers propelling humanity’s space endeavors.

Jeremy Blackthorne, M.S. ’15 is co-founder and CEO of Boston Cybernetics Institute, a public benefit corporation with the mission of promoting and providing cybersecurity education in support of national defense. Beginning this fall, Blackthorne also joined RPI as a visiting scientist with a special designation as the inaugural “hacker in residence.”

Optimizing an investment portfolio to maximize returns while minimizing risk is the ultimate goal for investors and their advisers. However, there is no set path and challenges always arise. One such limitation is the high-dimensional, small-sample problem (HDSS). HDSS refers to a portfolio with a large number of assets but little historical data, leading to unreliable portfolio optimization and resulting in weak investment performance.

Today, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Hokkaido University of Japan announced their plan to explore collaborative opportunities in semiconductor education and research contributing to semiconductor workforce development initiatives.