Campus and Community

Rebecca W. Doerge Named Provost of RPI

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) today announced the appointment of Rebecca W. Doerge, Ph.D., as Provost, effective August 1, 2023. Doerge joins the Rensselaer community from Carnegie Mellon University, where she is the Glen de Vries Dean of the Mellon College of Science and a member of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Department of Statistics and Data Science and the Mellon College of Science’s Department of Biological Sciences.

A person stands confidently outdoors, holding the straps of a backpack. They are in front of a large building and a blooming tree.

Finding My Way: How RPI Taught Me to Write My Own Story

By Ryan Cheng ’26, psychological science major I came to RPI as a biology major. This was mostly out of circumstance, in all honesty. I was directionless, and biology seemed like a catch-all for me to figure out what I wanted to do. Not to discount any biology majors out there — it is hard work. That first year was one intense wake-up call, and when I got my transcript back at the end of freshman year, I was devastated. I thought I was done for. 

The Path That Led Me To Cancer Research

By Jayashree Balaraman ’26, dual major in computational biology and biochemistry

An individual with long brown hair stands with arms crossed, smiling confidently, in front of a brick archway building with red architectural accents and trees.

What Being Part of So Many Communities Taught Me

By Vivian Rost-Nasshan ’26, dual major in industrial and management engineering and sustainability studies 

A person stands smiling in a modern indoor space with large red letters spelling "LALLY" behind. They are leaning on a decorative staircase railing.

What I Gained From a Schedule That Never Slowed Down

By Zisi Blades ’26, dual major in business and management and psychological science If my college application essay was my intro to RPI, this is my outro. Three years ago, I was a freshman beginning my journey — taking those daily walks across the bridge to class and trekking up to ECAV for practice, then stopping at BARH or Commons to grab food with my friends before a nighttime study session.  

Anisha Gurumurthy standing outside smiling, posing with a backpack on one shoulder. EMPAC in the background

What Finishing an MBA While Starting a Family Taught Me

By Anisha Gurumurthy, master’s student in business administration When I began searching for an MBA program, I was looking for a specific kind of rigor. I didn’t want a degree for the sake of the letters. I wanted a program that spoke the language of my technical background — one that lived at the intersection of business and STEM. RPI felt right from the start.

Person with brown and pink hair and glasses standing on a campus pathway in front of a columned brick building, with blooming trees and greenery.

No Wrong Turns: From Law to the Lab

By Rene Mai, Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering If you talk with me long enough to hear about my background, I’m sure you will have the same question everyone always does: why did you leave patent litigation to go to graduate school as an engineer? Most people do it the other way, leaving engineering for the lucrative world of patent law. 

A group of individuals in lab coats work in a laboratory. One person pipettes liquid into an orange tray, while others focus on a microscope and notes. Various lab equipment and chemicals are visible on the counters. The environment is bright and organized.

Six RPI students awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

Six RPI students have been awarded fellowships from the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). A highly prestigious and competitive award, the fellowship supports full-time graduate students with the potential to make significant contributions in STEM. 

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Starman Screening and Director Q&A at EMPAC April 29

Academy Award®-nominated director Robert Stone is coming to RPI’s campus for a special screening of his film Starman, followed by a live Q&A. The event is free and open to the public and will take place in the EMPAC Theater on April 29 at 4:30 p.m.

A distant view of the NASA Artemis rocket on the launch pad, surrounded by four lightning towers. The scene is set across a body of water, with a backdrop of trees and a cloudy sky.

RPI Leaders Witness Historic Artemis II Launch

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) leaders were in Florida last week to witness the historic launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission, which includes RPI alumnus Reid Wiseman ’97 as its commander.