RPI Student Life

Arch Students: Don’t miss the End of Summer Arch Block Party! It will be filled with fun activities, great food, and entertainment!

Arch Students: Don't miss the End of Summer Arch Block Party! It will be filled with fun activities, great food, and entertainment!

WE ARE LIVE!

Register for this year's Reunion & Homecoming at reunion.rpi.edu. Let's Go Red! 🔴⚪

Join us this Thursday, July 25, to celebrate presidential pup Easton’s birthday! 🐶🎉

We’ll be handing out frozen treats on Freshman Hill near Barton Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. We look forward to seeing you there!

Arch students from the School of Science and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences are invited to join President Schmidt at his home, alongside faculty, staff, and alumni on Tuesday, July 23 from 5–7 p.m.

This is an excellent opportunity to network and have meaningful conversations about your Arch summer semester and plans for your semester away.

Please RSVP by July 19 via Handshake. For details, visit link in bio.

Space is limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Arch students from the School of Science and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences are invited to join President Schmidt at his home, alongside faculty, staff, and alumni on Tuesday, July 23 from 5–7 p.m.

This is an excellent opportunity to network and have meaningful conversations about your Arch summer semester and plans for your semester away.

Please RSVP by July 19 via Handshake at: https://rpi.joinhandshake.com/events/1555479/share_preview
Space is limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Arch students from the School of Engineering and the Lally School of Management are invited to join President Schmidt at his home, alongside faculty, staff, and alumni on Thursday, July 25 from 5–7 p.m.

This is an excellent opportunity to network and have meaningful conversations about your Arch summer semester and plans for your semester away.

Please RSVP by July 19 via Handshake at https://rpi.joinhandshake.com/events/1555492/share_preview

Space is limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Due to the weather forecast, The Arch Mid-Summer Celebration has been moved. Dinner will be served in the Commons Dining Hall and activities will be in the Darrin Communications Center (DCC).

Summer Food Truck Series: Don't miss Pies-on-Wheels this Thursday, July 18!

Arch students: Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, July 17 for The Arch Mid-Summer Celebration 🎉 🥳 Battle for the Field and compete in activities to win a trophy for your school. Enjoy food and other fun activities!

To learn more, visit: https://success.studentlife.rpi.edu/midsummer

Located near ECAV, the Student Food Pantry opened today, inside the East Campus Class Community Center (EC4) at 2 Edgehill Terrace.

For hours and to learn about RPI's on-campus student food pantry, visit https://success.studentlife.rpi.edu/current-students/connect-your-class-dean/rpi-student-food-pantry

RPI is opening an on-campus food pantry tomorrow, Friday, July 12 to supplement our student's primary food source.

To learn about RPI's on-campus student food pantry, visit: https://success.studentlife.rpi.edu/current-students/connect-your-class-dean/rpi-student-food-pantry

At RPI, we're addressing local and national student challenges, including food insecurities. On Friday, July 12, we're opening an on-campus student food pantry to enhance overall well-being and academic success.

To learn about RPI's on-campus student food pantry, visit: https://success.studentlife.rpi.edu/current-students/connect-your-class-dean/rpi-student-food-pantry

Support Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's new Student Food Pantry opening this Friday, July 12. Non-perishable items can be dropped off at the Off-Campus Commons July 15 through July 19.

🐕TODAY'S ACTIVITIES: PUPPIES, FOOD TRUCKS, POPSICLES, OH MY! - https://mailchi.mp/bbe04bfb7504/cogweek8-568626

Get ready to hit the rink! The 2024-2025 hockey schedules for both our men's and women's teams have been released. With 34 regular season games ahead for each team, we're set for some thrilling action on the ice! 🏒

View the men’s schedule: https://bit.ly/4eOLRQH and view the women’s schedule: https://bit.ly/3RSoSum

Our Center for Career and Professional Development recently hosted and sponsored a Capital Region Careers Networking Night for RPI students. Thank you to the representatives of the 29 Capital Region-based employers and the 170+ students who joined us!

Arch students from the School of Engineering and the Lally School of Management are invited to join President Schmidt at his home, alongside faculty, staff, and alumni on Thursday, July 25 from 5–7 p.m.

This is an excellent opportunity to network and have meaningful conversations about your Arch summer semester and plans for your semester away.

Please RSVP by July 12 via Handshake at https://rpi.joinhandshake.com/events/1555492/share_preview

Space is limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Arch students from the School of Science and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences are invited to join President Schmidt at his home, alongside faculty, staff, and alumni on Tuesday, July 23 from 5–7 p.m.

This is an excellent opportunity to network and have meaningful conversations about your Arch summer semester and plans for your semester away.

Please RSVP by July 12 via Handshake at: https://rpi.joinhandshake.com/events/1555479/share_preview

Space is limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis.

As our celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month winds down, we spotlight Trevor David Rhone, assistant professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy at RPI.

Trevor received a liberal arts education from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University and spent several years at NTT Basic Research Laboratories in Japan, where he received the BRL Director Award for his research.

While working at the National Institute of Materials Science in Japan, he transitioned to materials informatics research. He then continued this work at Harvard University, where he used machine learning tools to search for new 2D magnetic materials.

Trevor received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Joseph A. Johnson III Award for Excellence from the American Institute of Physics American Institute of Physics and the National Society of Black Physicists.

Where in the Caribbean are you from?
Jamaica

What about your culture makes you proud?
Jamaicans have a passion for education and the pursuit of excellence.

What is your favorite Caribbean dish?
That’s a battle between jerk chicken, oxtail, and beef patties.

Why is celebrating important to you?
When we know where we came from, we know better who we are, this anchors us and guides us toward realizing our best selves.

Who inspires you?
My father, Trevor Rhone, and my mother, Camella Rhone. My father was a famous playwright who defined Jamaican theater. My mother inspired my love of science and curiosity about the world.

In celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month, meet RPI students Kevin Shreenauth and Lorson Blair (from left to right).

Kevin is a computer science major at RPI who is pursuing a minor in video, performance, and social practice. Raised in West Hartford, Connecticut, Kevin became an advocate for inclusion by working with individuals with disabilities during high school. He currently serves on the board of the RPI Caribbean Students Association and is a member of the RPI Indian Students Association.

Lorson is a computer science Ph.D. candidate and a research assistant in the Center for Computational Innovations at RPI. His research focuses on low-precision and efficient machine learning. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Grambling State University and his master’s degree in computer science from RPI in May 2023.

Where in the Caribbean are you from?
Kevin: My family is from Guyana
Lorson: Antigua and Barbuda (Antigua).

What is your favorite Caribbean dish?
Kevin: Chicken curry and dhal puri (notice how I say chicken curry and NOT curry chicken)
Lorson: I have two — pepperpot and seasoned rice.

Why is celebrating important to you?
Kevin: I believe our community is lacking much-needed recognition that truly shows the diversity of the Caribbean. The Caribbean is home to more than just people of African descent; our Indian, East Asian, and indigenous communities rarely get the spotlight, and celebrating them would raise awareness to hopefully change this in the future.
Lorson: It gives the RPI community the opportunity to learn about the diversity and uniqueness of the Caribbean people and their cultures.

🐕TODAY'S ACTIVITIES: NETWORKING, PUPPIES, CUPCAKES, MUSIC! -

🐕TODAY'S ACTIVITIES: NETWORKING, PUPPIES, CUPCAKES, MUSIC!

As our celebration of Caribbean American Heritage Month continues, we feature two of our alumni, Makenna Noel ’24 and Ariel Nirmala Narine ’23 (from left to right).

Makenna is a new alumna of RPI. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in computer and systems engineering this past May, she will be returning to RPI in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in information technology. During her time as an undergraduate student, Makenna was very involved in several student organizations, including the Black Students’ Alliance, the African Students Association, and the Caribbean Students Association. She also served as president of the National Society of Black Engineers.

Ariel was born to Trinidadian immigrants in Queens, New York. While traveling to Trinidad to visit family as a child, Ariel developed a love for airports, which later turned into a passion for aviation. Last year, she graduated from RPI with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering and is now a 787 airframe service engineer at The Boeing Company in Seal Beach, California.

Where in the Caribbean are you from?
Makenna: My mom's side is from Trinidad and Tobago, and my dad's side is from Haiti.
Nirmala: Trinidad and Tobago

What is your favorite Caribbean dish?
Makenna: Pholourie with tamarind sauce, and potato chana with roti.
Nirmala: Beef dhalpuri roti (bonus if it’s from Maracas in Trinidad)

Why is celebrating important to you?
Makenna: It provides an opportunity to recognize and honor the rich cultural contributions of Caribbean people and to promote understanding and appreciation of the diverse traditions, histories, and experiences that shape our community. By celebrating this month, we not only preserve our heritage but also inspire future generations to take pride in their roots and continue the legacy of excellence and resilience.
Nirmala: Growing up, I was never sure how to describe myself. I have always been proud to be Trinidadian, but when I would tell people they would never know where that was. I always wished people would understand the Caribbean and our culture, but I’ve come to learn that as a Caribbean-American, it is my job to tell people about our history as it has been lost in the textbooks…the Caribbean is one of the most diverse places, with different traditions and cultures that never gets seen beyond the pop culture scope, and I urge everyone to take a deeper look.

Attention, RPI students! Grant Wilfley Casting is casting individuals to portray 1880s background characters in The Gilded Age. Learn more and apply today: https://bit.ly/3KZctAQ

Congratulations to Professor Rich Radke, who won the IEEE Signal Processing Society Regional Distinguished Teacher Award! He is honored for his contributions to signal processing education and his inventive approach to immersing students in the fast-moving field of generative artificial intelligence (AI).

Photo look familiar? Students in Radke’s Computational Creativity course used generative AI to make a short, animated film set on the RPI campus.

Learn more about Radke’s innovative approach to teaching AI in the classroom: https://bit.ly/3RAeJ5r

We are proud to shine a spotlight on RPI students Camille Duncan and Miles Fortuno in honor of Caribbean American Heritage Month. Both Camille and Miles have been deeply involved in the RPI Caribbean Students Association, with Camille currently serving as president and Miles having served as president during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Camille is a biomedical engineering major working to promote Caribbean culture, traditions, history, and more on the RPI campus and on other college campuses throughout the Capital Region. Her passion is largely inspired by her mother, who participates in the Atlanta Jamaican Association.

Miles was born in Queens, New York, to an immigrant father from the Dutch side of Sint Maarten and a second-generation Jamaican Chinese mother. He is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and has interned at Boeing for the past two summers.

Where in the Caribbean are you from?
Camille: Jamaica.
Miles: Jamaica and Sint Maarten.

What is your favorite Caribbean dish?
Camille: My grandma’s oxtail, specifically.
Miles: Stew chicken, rice and peas, sweet plantain, with Kola Champagne.

Why is celebrating important to you?
Camille: It allows the preservation of the rich culture and traditions of the Caribbean diaspora as a whole. It not only promotes the culture, but it allows the opportunity for people to be educated about the region’s history and contributions. It fosters a sense of pride and community within the Caribbean community. By broadcasting this diversity and the vibrancy of the Caribbean, it enriches the fabric of society and honors the legacy of Caribbean heritage.
Miles: Caribbean culture has such a huge impact on the world…and we must recognize that.

Today, we commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

In observance of , RPI is closed so that members of our community can reflect on our nation’s history and celebrate the importance of freedom and equality.

This month, as part of The Arch summer semester on campus, a group of students and faculty representing nearly 20 majors visited the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. They explored exhibitions focused on topics including space, life on Earth, ancient and modern elephants, and Australian sea lions. They also saw 80 species of butterflies up close in the Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium.