For the eighth year in a row, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will host hundreds of high school students as they gather for the season kickoff event of the FIRST ® Robotics Competition. The event will take place in Room 308 of the Darrin Communications Center starting at 9:15 a.m. on Saturday, January 5.

Lydia Kallipoliti, assistant professor in the School of Architecture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has authored The Architecture of Closed Worlds: Or, What is the Power of Shit? in collaboration with Storefront for Art and Architecture.

Four researchers affiliated with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been named in the 2018 Highly Cited Researchers list, which recognizes influential scientific researchers and their institutions across the globe.

The Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering (MANE) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will host a student design competition this January to solve real challenges faced by individuals supported by The Center for Disability Services of Albany, New York.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranks sixth nationally in its overall engineering program, according to rankings published by College Factual, a source of data analytics and insights on college outcomes.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has recognized biocatalysis expert Richard Gross with the 2019 ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry, bestowed for outstanding scientific discoveries or chemistries that lay the foundation for cost-competitive environmentally friendly products or manufacturing processes that are less expensive than existing alternatives.

The European Association of Geochemistry has recognized paleoclimate expert Morgan Schaller for early career achievements with its prestigious 2018 Houtermans Award, bestowed annually to  scientists who are within 12 years of beginning their doctoral studies.

The use of pressure to alter semiconductor properties is showing increasing promise in applications such as high-performance infrared sensors and energy conversion devices.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded over $1 million to support research led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that will create models to improve emergency response capabilities in the Arctic. The Arctic waters have recently experienced longer ice-free seasons than ever before, resulting in an increase in tourism and industrial activity. These excursions can be up to 1,000 miles away from communities that have permanent emergency response infrastructure, such as Anchorage or the Aleutian Islands.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced nearly $64 million in awards for advanced nuclear energy technology to DOE national laboratories, industry, and 39 U.S. universities in 29 states. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been awarded $800,000 for analysis of nuclear power plants’ accident propagation and mitigation processes.