Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Why not change the world?

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is the nation’s oldest technological university. The university offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management, and the humanities and social sciences. Rensselaer faculty are known for pre-eminence in research conducted in a wide range of fields, with particular emphasis in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology and web science, and the media arts and technology. The Institute is well known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development. Students are encouraged to work in the lab with faculty in inter- and cross-disciplinary programs that allow them to combine scholarly work from several departments or schools. The university provides rigorous, engaging, interactive learning environments and campus-wide opportunities for leadership, communication, and creativity. The university is home to a variety of cutting-edge facilities that accommodate and advance research initiatives. The Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies houses more than 400 Rensselaer researchers in biotechnology, informational technology, and related disciplines who work in functional tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, integrated systems biology, bioinformatics, biocatalysis, and metabolic engineering. The Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations (CCNI) is among the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputer. The CCNI is designed to continue advancing semiconductor technology to the nanoscale, while also enabling key nanotechnology innovations in the fields of energy, biotechnology, new materials, arts, and medicine. Rensselaer’s Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), opened in October of 2008, provides a platform for exploration and learning at the nexus of research, technology, and the performing arts. The building houses a 1,200 seat concert hall, a 400 seat theater, flexible black box studio spaces, and production facilities to support visualization, simulation, and animation studies, as well as classical and experimental performances. The Institute also opened the new East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV) in October of 2009. The $92 million complex includes a field turf stadium and indoor basketball arena, a fully equipped 4,800 square foot strength and conditioning center connects to a professional-caliber sports medicine suite, and within the arena are offices for athletics administrators and coaches, numerous meeting spaces, a new Athletics Hall of Fame, a pro shop and a caf�. It marks a transformation of athletics and intramurals at Rensselaer. To guarantee an optimal living and learning environment, Rensselaer has renovated residence halls, and created a variety of gathering spaces to promote student collaboration.