At the President’s Spring Town Meeting, President Shirley Ann Jackson announced some key financial updates that will be occurring during the coming year at Rensselaer. At its meeting on February 27, the Board of Trustees recently approved the Institute Budget, which will “enable us to focus our energy and resources on the core activities that are central to our mission and purpose, with continued investment in faculty hiring and in selected student life initiatives,” according to Jackson. Read more...

On Thursday evening, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center hosted a night dedicated to introducing its new exhibit Dancing on the Ceiling. The evening was held in conjunction with a free viewing of 2001: A Space Odyssey on the Concert Hall’s 56-foot-wide screen and a lecture from the film’s special effects director, Douglas Trumbull. Trumbull discussed both the artistic and engineering sides of the movie’s special effects, giving those in attendance a glimpse into the intersection of arts and technology that EMPAC was created to display. The event was eagerly anticipated by many members of the Rensselaer community and fairly well-attended, with the Concert Hall filled to about 60 percent capacity. Read more...

After several decades, most movies tend to show their age. In the ’80s, Tron was a breakthrough in visual effects. However, watching it now, the film looks ancient, and the effects can be thrown together with today’s simplest design tools. One of the few films to stand the test of time is Stanley Kubrik’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Read more...

Rensselaer baseball finished the week with a 2-1 record after rising to No. 9 in recent polls. The Engineers defeated the Castleton State College Spartans by a score of 12-8 at Robison Field on Friday, followed by a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Montclair State University Red Hawks on Saturday. However, a three-run 10th inning in a rematch against the Red Hawks on Sunday saw RPI as the victor, redeeming itself after the team’s second loss of the season. With the two wins and one loss, Rensselaer is now 8-2 on the year, while Castleton dropped to 2-7, and Montclair sits just over .500 at 5-4. Read more...

During the Spring Town Meeting, President Shirley Ann Jackson announced that Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Barack Obama, will be delivering this year’s Commencement address at the May 29th ceremony. Read more...

On Monday, March 15, the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences held a speaker session to illustrate current opportunities in the field of geology. William J. Siok ’69, executive director of the American Institute of Professional Geologists, and Pat Leahy, ’79, executive director of The American Geologic Institute and former head of the United States Geological Survey were invited to speak at the event. Read more...

I miss home.

That single thought is something I’ve struggled with ever since coming to RPI, and something I continue to struggle with in my writing. For my freshman year poetry class, I wrote: “Whenever someone on Tuesday night asks me ‘When are you going home?’ I always respond ‘I’m going back to my dorm at ...’ followed by a brief explanation (to myself) of where home is: Home is where my family lives, where the old people speak Russian and play dominoes, where the OCD woman (who waters her sidewalk three times a day) gets into arguments with the drug dealer across the street because she doesn’t like his berry tree staining her concrete ...” Read more...

There is a lot that I won’t claim to know about health care or any potential changes coming our way, but I think I can say with some certainty that I’ve learned a few lessons on how to navigate some key aspects. Most recently, I’ve learned firsthand how important it is that you be responsible for your own medical records. This isn’t a rant about how you can’t trust “the system,” or a story about extreme situations: rather a story about how frightening it can be to lose something that can easily be taken for granted, like your medical history. Maintaining up to date and accurate medical records is an important task for anyone and everyone, whether you are a student, an athlete, a caregiver, or chronically ill. Read more...

The student government suite is alive with talk about elections this time of year. I thought I’d give my thoughts on the process and share some of the resources available to the student body. Student government is an influential and important organization on campus, and it provides a voice for students and the organization of activities beyond what can be found on most campuses. Read more...

Over the last week or two, we have seen a flurry of debate regarding the health care bill in Congress. Numerous groups have been putting in their views to shape specific parts of the legislation to their liking, and many outright oppose the bill. Democrats have been trying to pander to certain elements within their party on controversial issues like abortion, and Republicans have been organizing to ensure that the legislation does not pass. The result has been a political stalemate; Republicans have not backed down in their opposition, and Democrats have not been able to find an effective compromise with them. If we wanted to, we could assign blame to everyone in Congress for the failure of the legislation to pass to some extent, but that tends to obscure the most important issues in the health care debate. Read more...

As I am sure a few of you have noticed, campaigning for student government positions is in full swing, but beyond the creative decorations and snarky comments they provide, why should we, as students care? There are so many answers to that question. Read more...

So, as we delve deeper into the semester, I would like to take this week to remind everyone to fill out all of their financial aid documents for the next semester. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid worksheet has been given a makeover, making it more convenient and user friendly. No matter how much your parents make or what you think you know about the financial aid that you will be given, it is always a good idea to fill out a FAFSA form. You don’t get charged for filling out the application. If you are bogged down with exams, presentations and the works, kindly ask mom or dad to fill it out for you. Spending a few hours to fill out the FAFSA would be a wise investment. Also, if you participated in co-op or took a semester off for a full time job you must file a tax return. This may affect numbers on your FAFSA. Read more...

When offered the opportunity, I often tell people that Relay For Life is “a 12-hour fundraising event for the American Cancer Society.” I then tack on, “participants form teams that have tents and themes for their sites, and each team is expected to have someone walking throughout the night.” I tend to leave the basic summary of Relay For Life at that … Really, though, Relay is much more than these 33 bland words can describe. So, what is Relay For Life? Read more...

Look up the word tango in the dictionary, and the words ‘passion’ and ‘intensity’ almost always show up in the definition. With the smooth combination of slow and fast steps and the ability of the dancer to be in tune with both the music and their partner, there certainly is an exciting fervor to the Argentine tango. Having no dancing heels or ruffled dresses in the closet, comfy sweats and flats had to do for the intro lesson. Read more...

Any dilute solution of carbohydrates, such as grain and fruit juices, will ferment. The microorganisms in the mix produce carbon dioxide and alcohol (or acetic acid) as waste products. The organisms die when the alcohol reaches about 15 percent or so, thus a naturally brewed brewage can only be made so strong. The alcohol content has another important benefit (besides the obvious). It kills off any waterborne pathogens. Prior to chlorination (c. 1913), drinking water was rarely safe. One way to deal with this was to drink tea or coffee, which meant boiling the water. The other way was to drink beer or wine. Read more...

The Swiss have one of the best environmental records in the world and show great concern for the environment. Switzerland was one of the first countries to sign the Kyoto Protocol in 1998 and is one of the top recyclers in the world, with 66 percent to 96 percent of recyclable materials being recycled, depending on the region. Several years of living in Switzerland have taught me a lot about how to live green. Read more...

The business cycle and its financial analog create a similar cycle in the psychology of investors, citizens, and governments. During and immediately after many financial crises, investors’ fear and governments’ paranoia undermine the functioning of the financial markets and the economy at large. The memory soon starts to fade, and during the most sustainable and real economic times, both groups are optimistic about the potential of the markets but wary of their excesses. As growth and profits increase, though, investors and citizens forget the lessons of the last crisis, and banks and investors take on greater debts, dramatically increasing profits but also increasing risk and forming bubbles. A new book, This Time is Different, draws its name from the recurring rationalization for this behavior. Read more...

This weekend, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center hosted Frederic Rzewski, described as an “instrumental virtuoso and [a] composer of revolutionary ambition.” The house was not full and the crowd was not young, but the pianist played to an appreciative audience. Read more...

The men’s lacrosse team was back in action this past week and continued to write its undefeated season. Read more...

Lake Placid, N.Y.: the undisputed Winter Sports Capital of the world. For five days in late March, the best ski racers in the United States descended upon the site of the 1932 and 1980 Olympic games, just a short drive up the Northway from Rensselaer. Whiteface, located in nearby Wilmington, N.Y., played host to the U.S. Alpine Championships from March 19–23, hosting three disciplines: Super-Giant Slalom, Slalom, and Giant Slalom. Read more...