Much needed renovations for North and E-Complex Residence Halls are underway this summer, providing additional on-campus housing space for the freshmen class. The newly renovated buildings will house a total of 177 students—170 incoming freshmen and seven residence assistants. Read more...

Hello, freshmen. While the rest of the campus barrages you all with their own opinions about the first year of college, the editorial staff of The Polytechnic want to take a moment to explain to you Rensselaer’s pride: our beloved Rensselaer Union. Read more...

I had my first experience at Dinosaur BBQ earlier this summer. I am surprised that my friends and I have never discovered such great barbeque in our exploration of Troy. Sitting right next to Hudson River, the restaurant has two parts—one is under AC with band performances on Wednesday nights; the other side is outdoor, exposed to river breeze and the sunset. Read more...

On Saturday, June 4, Rensselaer Board of Trustees member Nancy Mueller opened her home to alumni of Rensselaer, returning students, and accepted incoming freshmen. She hosted this event in her home in Palo Alto, California, in the form of a business casual luncheon. Before the meal was served and the official announcements were made, students and alumni had a chance to mingle and exchange “war stories” of attending RPI. It was also an opportune time for students to network and expand their occupational horizons. Read more...

Welcome, freshmen! You’re about to go on an eight month vacation! Here’s some packing tips for embarking on your first year. Read more...

For those of you who enjoyed watching Transformers or Power Rangers as kids, this reboot of the 1980’s cartoon series Voltron: Defender of the Universe is for you. Produced by DreamWorks Animation Television and World Events Productions, the series was distributed by Netflix and animated by Studio Mir (a rather familiar name for those Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra fans out there). And, in a fit of boredom one Saturday afternoon, I watched the entire series straight. Read more...

Rensselaer has given me countless opportunities to grow and become a more mature person since I started last year. College is a time where you have the chance to refine who you are and grow in ways that you never could have imagined. First semester of your freshman year can be overwhelming, because it is the first time, for a lot of us, that we are living away from the rest of our families. There is nobody telling you when your curfew or bedtime is; in fact, it seems like parts of campus are more active at night than they are during the day. Many establishments in Troy are open past midnight, not to mention the fact that the RPI workload often requires efforts at all hours of the day. Talking to many upperclassmen, I’ve found that freshman year was the year that people had the most free time and the least amount of responsibilities. Read more...

Less a year after its announcement in September 2015, Pokemon GO has hit the App Store and Android Market and has seemingly instantly taken the world by storm. A collaboration between The Pokemon Company and Niantic Labs, a game design studio formerly part of Google, Pokemon GO allows users to "experience" Pokemon in the real world, using augmented reality and global positioning to simulate what being Pokemon Trainer might be like in the real world. Read more...

On behalf of the Division of Student Life, it is with great excitement that I welcome you to Rensselaer and the Class of 2020. You are joining the Rensselaer family as part of the largest freshman class in our history! We are very proud of you and the accomplishments that have brought you to RPI, and we expect you will achieve great things during your time here. Read more...

Blood and Wine, released on May 31, 2016, signals the last adventure of protagonist Geralt of Rivia. As the second and last expansion of The Witcher 3, the 50 hour downloadable content journey brings the famous witcher to Toussaint. Vibrantly colored with an almost fairy tale-like atmosphere, Toussaint provides a stark contrast to the murky swamplands of Velen in the base game. The White Wolf makes his way to this land of chivalry and knights to hunt a mysterious beast, on the request of its esteemed duchess. Read more...

In this first Derby of the year, I want to address our soon-to-be students who are likely, at this moment, experiencing the old familiar mixture of excitement, nervousness, and maybe even dread. The first thing I want to say is this: as tumultuous as this upheaval in your life may seem, you’re not alone. For nearly 200 years, tens of thousands of students have been in the exact same spot in which you currently stand, with the same hesitations. I want to take this opportunity to dispel a few rumors, and provide you with some reassurance and advice, for what it’s worth. Read more...

Summer reading: I’ve been dreading it ever since elementary school. However, after recently visiting my local library I came across a book in the New Book section titled No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons From a Man Who Walked on the Moon by Buzz Aldrin. I flipped through the pages to get an idea of it, noticing each chapter had a witty title. For example, as chapter one: “The Sky is Not the Limit… There are Footprints on the Moon!” Before even beginning to read this 219-page autobiography, I could tell Buzz is a funny guy. Read more...

I’ll begin with the same phrase you’ll probably hear 200 times over the next few weeks, Welcome to Rensselaer! I am Paul Ilori ’17, the 151st Grand Marshal and wearer of headwear that was more fashionable when the Class of 1917 were seniors. The position was created in 1866 to honor Albert Harper, a student from Pittsburgh, PA who returned to graduate after fighting in the Civil War. Over the past century and a half, the role has transformed and has undertaken different roles and symbols. Currently, as GM, I serve as the presiding officer of the Student Senate and an officer of the Rensselaer Union, one of few truly student run student unions in the United States. Our Union gives us the opportunity to explore ourselves outside the classroom and allows students to explore a wide range of interests, along with providing us with a direct voice in decisions made at RPI as a whole. Our school holds a unique place in history as the oldest technical university in the English speaking world. But with all the information you’re having thrown at you right now, that’s enough history. Read more...