I know readers may find this hard to believe, but I’m an action movie fan. From dark, gritty action in movies like Taken to over the top fight scenes like those in Kung Fu Hustle, I’m someone who enjoys them all. There’s a reason action movies are part of an enduring and growing genre, because there is something so absolutely cool about a character who goes beyond human ability and expectations to do incredible stunts. One of the pinnacles of this genre, which many would agree with, is The Matrix, a movie that blends an incredible plot, captivating characters, and revolutionary computer-generated images within an incredible action film. The star of the series, Keanu Reeves, has not had as golden a reputation in the movie industry as in The Matrix. However, I’m hoping John Wick, a ridiculous and ridiculously good film, flips Reeves’ public perception. Read more...

In the first game of a two-game home series with the University of Connecticut Huskies on Saturday afternoon, RPI scored three times in the second period to build a commanding 3-0 lead after 40 minutes of play. UConn answered with a power play goal midway through the third period but it was too little too late for the Huskies as they fell to the Engineers 4-1. Read more...

Dr. Kim Michelle Lewis is working within the Physics Department to design molecular electronics. She has been working on techniques to use molecules to build electronic circuits. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in physics in 1998 from Dillard University in New Orleans. She then went on to receive her master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan in 2003 and her doctorate in applied physics from the University of Michigan in 2004. Read more...

Those of us who are United States citizens know that it affords us many opportunities that may not be available to citizens of other countries, and while it may not be a perfect utopian society, the U.S. is quite possibly one of the few nations in the world that can boast such a high degree of personal freedom. This nation has been built on a foundation of hundreds of years of work and sacrifice. Its past may have been less than ideal in some circumstances—the pervasiveness of slavery until the Civil War, the Trail of Tears, and Japanese internment camps during the Second World War come to mind—and it goes to show that nations can be as fallible as the people that make up their populations, but we have always pushed forward. Read more...

One of the most exciting parts of completing a project is being able to show it off. On Wednesday, November 12, students will have the opportunity to do just that at Interactive Demo Day. Between 4 pm and 6:30 pm, the doors of the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center will be open to those interested in finding out what these technological phenomena have to offer. Often, these creations are class projects or derivatives thereof. Sometimes, however, they are organic with the students creating them completely on their own. Some have seen the public eye already, others have not. No matter what, the demos are truly spectacular. The spring version of the show included a collapsible water bottle, a magnetic origami window shade, and numerous augmented reality gadgets, among other things. Read more...

On Sunday, October 26, Anderson Field played host to the RPI men’s rugby club playoff game on a rainy afternoon. Rensselaer faced off against New Jersey Institute of Technology men’s club rugby team. RPI has pulled off an impressive five win and one loss regular season record. This is even more impressive because last season the team had a one win and five loss record. The Engineers’ only loss of the season came in a close matchup against Vassar College, in which they found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard, losing 27-22. The Engineers came out on top of contest 33-7. Read more...

Until recently, three Americans were held against their will in North Korea. Kenneth Bae was convicted on charges of planning to overthrow the North Korean government; he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. Matthew Miller is currently facing six years of hard labor for committing hostile acts. Finally, Jeffrey Fowle, a street-repair worker, was arrested after authorities discovered a bilingual English-Korean Bible that he had allegedly left in a Pyongyang nightclub. Officially, North Korea endorses “freedom of religious belief;” however, Christian evangelism is illegal. North Korean state media has reported that Kim Jong-un personally ordered the release of Fowle at the numerous requests of President Obama. North Korea often trades held foreigners to elicit economic concessions. Secretary of State John Kerry, however, has stated that “there was no quid pro quo” in this case. Read more...

Between Reunion Weekend and Family Weekend, campus has been flooded with alumni in recent weeks and it dawned on me—that could be me next year. When I entered RPI in the fall of 2011, graduation seemed so far away. But now, with Commencement looming in the not-so-distant future, I’m terrified. I’m just beginning to wrap my head around the idea that this could be my last year at RPI or even college and I feel completely unprepared to enter the world of independent, self-sufficient adults. Read more...

This past weekend, RPI men’s hockey hosted the Bentley University Falcons of the Atlantic Hockey Association for a two-game series. Games were played on Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25. Both games ended in defeat for the Engineers, who simply couldn’t keep a potent Falcon offense at bay. Read more...

After not meeting last Thursday, this week’s Rensselaer Union Executive Board meeting had a lot on their agenda. The meeting started with a food discussion among the board members, and that discussion was followed by several clubs coming before the board with different proposals and updates. Read more...

Good morning RPI; Halloween weekend is coming up, and with it, a great number of exciting events and opportunities, both on campus and throughout our community. Read more...

On Senior Day for RPI women’s soccer, senior midfielder Taylor Korytko scored six minutes in to give the Engineers a 1-0 lead. Senior midfielder Dana Sailor assisted the score, recording her first point of the season. Read more...

This week’s Student Senate meeting began with a motion that would confirm the Grand Marshal’s appointment of Molly Dugan ’18 to Independent senator. Dugan gave some background about her past experience, and referenced her success in increasing membership in her previous projects. No questions were asked by the Senate, and Dugan’s appointment was confirmed with a vote of 21-0. Read more...

Hey RPI!

It has been a whirlwind of a week and I cannot believe October is already coming to an end. Family weekend was a blast and I want to thank all of the clubs, organizations, sports teams, and administrators who helped make this weekend possible. From the sports games, to music concerts and dances, to the international festival I always enjoy seeing the breadth of involvement here on campus. I would like to congratulate all of the students who were honored at this year’s honors convocation on Saturday; you deserve to be in the spot light for all of your hard work and dedication to your studies and to RPI. I would also like to congratulate John Spangenberger ’15, this year’s winner of the Nussbaum Award, for his service to RPI and the surrounding community. I am constantly amazed by my peers; it is always a pleasure to give recognition to your hard work and achievements. Read more...

On Saturday, October 25, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hosted eighth-ranked Hobart College. Rensselaer, coming into the game with four wins and three losses, hoped to break their two-game losing streak. Hobart entered the game with an undefeated record. The Engineers came into the game with a lot of energy as they attempted to dethrone the Statesmen and put their season back on track. Sadly, Rensselaer couldn’t handle the physicality that Hobart displayed, losing 35-3. Read more...

Our committee was thinking about how to make college courses better by using the knowledge of cognitive science, particularly learning theory, and the skills of successful developers of video games. Such knowledge with the technology afforded by computers and the Internet can probably be used to improve college courses.1 Because the best educational practices might be time and effort intensive, we addressed a basic issue: What is a reasonable amount of study (“work” at learning) that is expected to successfully complete a college course? Read more...

The Graduate Student Council has been working since the beginning of the semester to address the new Graduate CLASS Fee that has been charged to all full-time graduate students this semester. The fee is $85 per semester in addition to the normal Rensselaer Union Student Activity Fee for all students. This week, to formally address the GSC’s position and interests, we sent a letter to the administrations on campus who are responsible for deciding how the additional money will be spent, the letter is as follows: Read more...

On Thursday, October 16, Standard and Poor’s revised Renssealer Polytechnic Institute’s outlook concerning the Institute’s debt. S&P, an American financial service company and one of the Big Three credit rating agencies, discloses credit ratings for the debt of public and private companies. For the past few years, the debt situation has been a problem that even had students concerned. In 2011, the 42nd Student Senate reviewed the then-current financial status of the Institute and its ability to meet immediate fundraising and faculty hiring goals. According to Moody’s Investor Service, another one of the big credit rating agencies, last December, the Institute had $787 million of direct debt and a pension liability/comprehensive debt that is higher than $891 million. Read more...

Many students have a wonderful opportunity this weekend to showcase to their parents their home, their current life, the result of their secondary education, and the destination of their parent’s hard-earned money. For freshmen, especially, family weekend is likely the first in-person interaction with their parents since August. We all have our own lives now, independent of our home life, which our parents and siblings are dimly aware of. Hopefully, we’ve all personally grown and found a passion here. This is the time to show to our families what our life is in a way that is much more than a conversation at home can bring, and to help them realize and experience the nuances of college life. Read more...