On June 1, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joined Washington Governor Jay Inslee and California Governor Jerry Brown in creating the United States Climate Alliance-a group of states that are committed to upholding the Paris Agreement following President Donald Trump's pledged departure from the deal. The goals of the accords include reducing emissions by 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels and limiting the average increase of global temperatures to two degrees celsius by 2030. Read more...

Hey guys, I hope your summers are going well! It’s always great to write a notebook for The Poly, but I have to say that this one is particularly special. First because I have writer’s block and second because I’ve really learned a lot this summer. Read more...

On April 29, the RPI Flying Club hosted its sixth annual Thiers Memorial Fly-in & Car Show at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum in Glenville, New York. The Fly-in & Car Show, created in memory of Lawrence Thiers ’99, collected donations for the Thiers Fund in honor of their former president who passed before graduation. This fund supports RPI Flying Club members’ private pilot licenses as well as the annual representation of RPI in NIFA SAFECON. The event did not fall short of remembering a fellow RPI Flying Club member, with an abundance of vehicles and an attendance of thousands including RPI students, RPI alumni, and members of the upstate New York community. Attracting aviation and car enthusiasts in the area, the event showcased six aircrafts, two helicopters, and more than 100 cars. Read more...

The Rensselaer men’s and women’s hockey teams will be facing major changes in the upcoming season. Both teams will be entering the season with new coaches: the men’s team with head coach Dave Smith, and the women’s team with interim head coach Bryan Vines. The men’s team is also facing a large change in its roster in the upcoming season, with nine new players joining the team. Read more...

On January 5, 2017, Standard and Poor's downgraded Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's long-term and underlying debt ratings. S&P, one of the "Big Three" credit rating agencies, discloses credit ratings for the debt of public and private entities. The highest credit rating on the S&P scale is defined as "AAA," while "CCC" is considered vulnerable to non-repayment. Read more...

The news—fake or real news—it’s always around us. I’ve tried reading up on more articles, but it’s become too difficult. Read more...

As a budding horror movie fan, I tend to judge movies by their covers. I look at movie posters, and if the poster entices me, or if I’ve heard good things about the movie, I usually sit down and watch it. It Comes At Night was a different story for me, as I had never heard of it and had pretty much zero knowledge as to what it was about. All I knew was the title, and from that I inferred that somewhere, at some time, something would appear, probably in the evening or at night. Surprisingly, I was wrong. Read more...

Many of us here at The Poly remember how overwhelming it felt to be a freshman, and after reflecting on our experiences, we have gathered a few bits of advice we wish we knew before we came to Rensselaer. Read more...

Wonder Woman, Warner Bros. Pictures’ latest superhero movie, was released last month, transforming it from a long-awaited retelling of the superhero’s origin story for comic book fans, to a pop culture sensation thriving off of word-of-mouth recommendations. The movie illustrates Wonder Woman’s rise to prominence in the midst of World War I, but it also proves to be a journey of discovery for all. Longtime fans can rediscover the universe in live action, newcomers can familiarize themselves with her backstory, and even Diana—Wonder Woman herself—can embark on a daunting first adventure in the human world that leads to both self-discovery and worldly understanding. Read more...

Happy summer! First off, welcome to the Class of 2021! My name is Justin Etzine, and I’m the current Grand Marshal, which is RPI’s student body president and chief officer of the Union. As you arrive on campus for orientation, and then for Navigating Rensselaer and Beyond in August, I hope you feel the same excitement that I did; if you’re feeling nervous, that is completely normal, and I’m sure that nervousness will be replaced with thrill as the semester begins. Read more...

I was pondering ways of starting this podcast review, devising a way to convey how a podcast about economics is one I actually look forward to listening to. I think Planet Money’s about page sums it up: “Imagine you could call up a friend and say, ‘Meet me at the bar and tell me what’s going on with the economy.’ Now imagine that’s actually a fun evening. That’s what we’re going for at Planet Money.” I’m going to tell you right away, I took Economics I, and it turns out I didn’t like it that much. Planet Money, though, I like. Read more...

Hello everyone, and happy summer! I hope that you are all enjoying the warm weather, because we all know that it doesn’t last very long once we all return to campus. Summer is a great time for students all across the Institute to relax, to get valuable job experience, and to spend time with friends and family. I wish you all the best and cannot wait to see everyone refreshed once you all return to campus! Read more...

I’m an only child who’s never had to share a room, and I’m living in Barton Hall with two roommates. Do you have any advice for sharing a room with people?

Having a good experience with your roommates will require all of you to communicate and be considerate toward one another. Since you’ve never shared a room with anyone else, some of your habits might piss off your roommates. Go through your daily routine at home and try to identify these, since I’ll just be covering the basics. Read more...

Photos: Brookelyn Parslow/The Polytechnic