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The Polytechnic
Vol. CXLIII No. 13
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Library administration cite budget concerns as hours decrease

MIGUEL VAZQUEZ·7 HOURS AGO

Folsom Library Administrators fielded questions about recent changes including a reduction in hours, the reorganization of library administration, and changes to the first floor study rooms.

A reflection of Folsom Library on the glass panels of EMPAC. Ronan Hevenor/The Polytechnic

Editorial Notebook

A review of The Stranger

KYLE PAN

Editorial/Opinion Editor Kyle Pan ’29 gives his thoughts on The Stranger (L'Étranger) by Albert Camus.

The Rensselaer Union houses the "oldest continously-existing all-student government in the United States." Devyn Martin/The Polytechnic

Press Release

Rensselaer Union Apology, RUVS

JORDAN KRISHNAYAH

Grand Marshal Jordan Krishnayah '28 issues an apology on behalf of the Rensselaer Union for the issue with displaying legal names in the Rensselaer Union Voting System during Grand Marshal Week 2025.

Locked in a fierce tackle. Kyle Kershaw/The Polytechnic

Football

Hobart picked apart by Rensselaer

RILEY SOBEL·3 HOURS AGO

Rensselaer picked off Hobart twice in a 33-7 win, snapping a two-game losing skid.

Editorial Notebook

The power of a protagonist as smart as you

ANISHA BISWAS·6 HOURS AGO

Managing Editor Anisha Biswas ’27 discusses the impact of a realistic and relatable horror protagonist as shown in the recently released Resident Evil.

On-Campus Event

Assembling Rally Week, a work in progress

RILEY SOBEL

The week-long Rally Week event was marketed as the premiere of the biggest spirit celebration on campus. Reviews were mixed, but it garnered much attention.

RPI Academia

School of Engineering introduces new Robotics Engineering Major

MATTHEW TREANOR

The Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering announced the approval of the new Robotics Engineering major by the New York State Education Department on August 26.

Editorial Notebook

Curious creatures

MEHER RANDERIA·2 HOURS AGO

Editor in Chief Meher Randeria ’28 shares her experience with undergraduate research.

RPI's IBM Quantum System One at the unveiling, April 2024 Anna Zuniga/The Polytechnic

RPI Academia

RPI’s IBM Quantum System One gets Nighthawk r1 chip

MEHER RANDERIA

Dr. Cameron Cogburn speaks about the IBM Quantum System One on campus, which recently upgraded to the new Nighthawk processor. The system reopened to the public on August 15.

Men's Soccer

Engineers face RIT in opener for Liberty League

SHAH SHEIKH·3 HOURS AGO

Rensselaer traded chances with RIT for 90 minutes but neither side managed to break the stalemate in their first Liberty League match of the season.

Men's Soccer

Engineers defeat the Keene State Owls

MIGUEL VAZQUEZ

Engineers quell the Keene State Owls 3-1, with goals from Christoper McKinney, Justin Woodbine, and Harrison Brownlow, in a tense and chippy game.

GM Jordan Krishnayah '28 oversees the questioning of Conner Wallace '27 Meher Randeria/The Polytechnic

Student Senate

Judicial Board Member recalled at his own Chairperson confirmation hearing

ELENI DOUGHNEY & RONAN HEVENOR & MEHER RANDERIA

The 57th Student Senate called an emergency meeting to confirm Conner Wallace ’27 for Judicial Board Chairperson, but recalled him from J-Board instead.

Student Senate

Senate fails to fully rectify the unconstitutional UAR, freshman representatives confirmed to E-Board

MIGUEL VAZQUEZ

The Student Senate failed to amend the UAR committee to coincide with the Constitution of the Union, and confirmed the appointment of the Executive Board’s Class of 2030 representative as well as two Club and Organization representatives.

Academia Beyond

Navier-Stokes, Euler, and the AI priority question

MEHER RANDERIA

OpenAI announced on September 8 that an internal artificial intelligence model had resolved a version of the Navier–Stokes existence and smoothness problem, one of seven Clay Mathematics Institute Millennium Prize Problems. Mathematicians Dr. Tristan Buckmaster and Dr. Levent Alpöge had just solved a similar version of the problem and were in conversation with OpenAI.

Student Senate

Senate approves one motion and deadlocked on another in the first meeting of the fall semester

AUDREY JOHNSON & MIGUEL VAZQUEZ

At the first Student Senate meeting of the Fall 2026 semester, Griffin Oliver ’27 introduced two new amendments to the Senate bylaws, only one of which passed.

Interview

Transcript: Dr. Cameron Cogburn interview

MEHER RANDERIA & DEMETRIOS SKORDAS

The Poly recently sat down with Dr. Cameron Cogburn to discuss RPI's IBM Quantum System and the Nighthawk r1 chip. The following is a transcript of the interview.

Student Senate

Senate endorses STAR and RPA petition, multiple committee appointments

ELENI DOUGHNEY

Senate endorsed the Student Transgender Association RPI and Rensselaer Pride Alliance petition surrounding the school's process for changing sex classifications. Griffin Oliver '27 was appointed VGMIA, Ryan Kilgore '27 was appointed VGMEA, Zach Nobles '27 was appointed AAC Chairperson, and Charlie Fowle '29 was appointed FSC Chairperson.

Student Senate

Senate splits the role of Vice Grand Marshal, establishes Rules and Administration Committee

ELENI DOUGHNEY

Senate passed an amendment to split Vice Grand Marshal into external and internal roles, created the Rules and Administration Committee, and confirmed multiple committee chairperson appointments.

Executive Board

E-Board grants reimbursement for EWB’s emergency plane ticket out of Qatar

KYLE PAN

E-Board grants many travel subsidies and reimbursements, but almost reduces the emergency subsidy requested by Engineers Without Borders’, by citing the RUGP.

Press Release

Where did the money go?

ISABELE LIEBER

136th President of the Union Isabele Lieber shares her insights about the FY27 Union Annual Report.

Paris Syndrome lead artist Miho Hatori lends her vocals to the performance. Maryam Farooqi/The Polytechnic

EMPAC

Percussive feedback, Strange Jazz, doom metal at EMPAC’s TOPOS festival

THE POLYTECHNIC

EMPAC's annual festival built itself off of experiment, cultural conversation, and stretching the boundaries of what a “music festival” can be.

On-Campus Event

Rensselaer Games Showcase changes the game

ELENI DOUGHNEY

RPI’s Game Development Club hosts their 2025 Games Showcase, highlighting the achievements of student game developers.

On-Campus Event

UPAC Cinema hosts its fourth annual student film festival

ANISHA BISWAS

UPAC Cinema hosted the fourth annual film festival on March 28, displaying the skills of many young filmmakers at RPI.

Features

Rock, blues and games

ANISHA BISWAS

6 pm on March 28 was a popular time slot for many student events across campus. A rock and blues concert took place in the McNeil room while a retro game showcase took place in Sage Laboratory.

Anthony Santiago/The Polytechnic

Features

Onstage and behind the scenes of the ordinary life of The Living Tombstone

RILEY SOBEL

UPAC Concerts brought out the "Five Nights at Freddy’s band” this April.

Public-use chalk art on the patio of the Union at the festival. Riley Sobel/The Polytechnic

Photo Short Story

Touch Grass Music Festival continues performance season at RPI

RILEY SOBEL

In the one-weekend gap between the RPI Players’ last performance of Something Rotten! and The Living Tombstone coming to campus, appreciators of the arts got something new.

Mayhem at the Provost Picnic, a challenge to stay in the game. Anthony Santiago/The Polytechnic

GM Week 2026

Uncovering the mysteries of GM Week: 2026

ELENI DOUGHNEY

A week full of mystery-themed events to celebrate Grand Marshal Week 2026, including a casino night, a scavenger hunt, and the annual Provost Picnic.

Sam Javanrouh/The Polytechnic

Opinion

On the precipice: six national teams that lie on the World Cup’s doorstep

MOIZ STEENHUIS

Six stories picked from the twenty-two teams that remain in the running for spots in this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

Letter to the Editor

Study the humanities to make the most of your STEM education

MITCH MURRAY

Dr. Mitch R. Murray is a scholar who teaches literature, culture, and media in the School of HASS at RPI. In this article, he shares his thoughts on the importance of the arts now, more than ever, in a STEM-focused society.

Letter to the Editor

Orion and Dr. Bae’s litigation continues as RPI’s own discovery documents refute it’s “good faith” defense

CHULSUNG BAE

Dr. Bae addresses his ongoing litigation against RPI, citing specific discovery documents and calling for transparency from the university's leadership, in this letter to the editor.

Staff Editorial

What is The Poly watching?

THE POLYTECHNIC STAFF

Not sure what to watch next? The Polytechnic staff shares their favorite shows worth streaming.

Editorial Notebook

Project Hail Mary is the friends we made along the way

AUDREY JOHNSON

Contributing Editor Audrey Johnson ’29 gives her review of Project Hail Mary, a movie adaptation of Andy Weir’s book of the same name. It’s a science fiction movie about friendship that will make you want to discover more.

Top Hat

Beware the Fratification of Student Government

TIBURON BENAVIDES

Grand Marshal Tiburon "T" Leon Benavides '21, '27G looks to future RPI student leaders to advocate for both Greek and graduate students as RPI navigates a long-term demographic shift away from Greek Life and toward a larger graduate population in this Top Hat.

Top Hat

Tradition!

TIBURON BENAVIDES

Grand Marshal Tiburon "T" Leon Benavides makes his case for why student representation and government is important, especially at RPI. He urges students to vote and run for elected office during the upcoming GM Week in this Top Hat.

Alumni Interview

Transcript: Priti Langer alumni interview

AUDREY JOHNSON

The Poly sat down with Priti Langer to discuss her heart attack at 46 that led to her becoming a Go Red For Women Ambassador, and how RPI helped influence her ability to advocate for herself.

Alumni Interview

Transcript: Dr. Jennifer Freedberg alumni interview

MEHER RANDERIA

The Poly sat down with Dr. Jennifer Freedberg ’18 before the winter break to discuss her journey in physics from RPI undergraduate to a condensed matter post-doc at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and how a collaborative scientific community is essential in shaping a career in academia.

Engineers rallying for a change in strategy. Kyle Kershaw/The Polytechnic

Football

Rensselaer gets clobbered by the Pioneers

MOIZ STEENHUIS

Rensselaer collapsed in the second half in a 38-14 drubbing to visiting Utica University.

Men's Soccer

Engineers suffer a heartbreaking loss vs SUNY Oneonta

MIGUEL VAZQUEZ

The Engineers concede a penalty kick in the 84th minute to lose 1-0 to SUNY Oneonta in devastating fashion.

Women's Soccer

Engineers undefeated at home

SHAH SHEIKH & MIGUEL VAZQUEZ

RPI Women’s Soccer brought home a resounding 5-0 win over VTSU Castleton and a dominating 6-1 over SUNY Potsdam to keep their undefeated streak alive.

Interview

Transcript: Eric Lang interview

MOIZ STEENHUIS

The Poly sat down with men's hockey coach Eric Lang last semester to get his thoughts on his first season with the team.

The men's team celebrating their well-earned win. Kyle Kershaw/The Polytechnic

Men's Football

Roll red, roll white: Rensselaer rumbles over WPI for the Transit Trophy

SHAH SHEIKH & MOIZ STEENHUIS

Rensselaer stifled rivals Worcester Polytechnic Institute 35-7 to claim their sixth consecutive Transit Trophy.

The Engineers celebrate after a Callista Adorno homer.
The Engineers celebrate after a Callista Adorno homer. Moiz Steenhuis/The Polytechnic

Women's Softball

Tigers thrashed twice at Troy

MOIZ STEENHUIS

A Callista Adorno home run and scoreless outings by Engineer pitchers sees Rensselaer rout RIT with 15-1 and 7-5 victories Friday afternoon.

Cedrone on the field. Anthony Santiago/The Polytechnic

Women's Lacrosse

Balancing lax with the facts: how Cedrone and Pritts handle the everyday grind

MOIZ STEENHUIS

Lacrosse takes up to four hours a day for Sofia Cedrone and Kacey Pritts, which adds to their productivity academically and professionally.

Sports

Weekend Sports Roundup 10/31 - 11/1

MOIZ STEENHUIS

Football continues their strong season.