Many engineers share a similar origin story: An early passion for taking things apart, seeing how they worked, then making them better — or transforming them into something brand new. At RPI, that drive to learn, tinker, and invent now has a headquarters in the Douglas A. Mercer ’77 Innovation and Exploration Laboratory, which officially re-opened its doors on September 25 after a year-long renovation. 

Many engineers share a similar origin story: An early passion for taking things apart, seeing how they worked, then making them better — or transforming them into something brand new. At RPI, that drive to learn, tinker, and invent now has a headquarters in the Douglas A. Mercer ’77 Innovation and Exploration Laboratory, which officially re-opens its doors on September 25 after a year-long renovation. 

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently welcomed Susan Margulies, Ph.D., leader of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering, to its campus to learn about RPI research and education capabilities, participate in a workforce development panel discussion, and give a presentation on NSF programs and opportunities to RPI community members and representatives from the University at Albany, Siena College, and Union College. 

Today, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Hokkaido University of Japan announced their plan to explore collaborative opportunities in semiconductor education and research contributing to semiconductor workforce development initiatives. 

Ozioma Ozioko, a doctoral student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is on a mission to give her home country of Nigeria — and the rest of the world — ready access to solar energy. “Growing up, the power supply was very unstable. Sometimes we could go for a week without power. I remember my brothers and I doing our homework by the light of a kerosene lamp,” Ozioko said. “Nigeria has abundant solar energy resources, but the cost-effective utilization of these resources is a challenge. I want to change that.”

On July 18, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and NORDTECH will host a day-long Workforce Development Summit on the RPI campus that will bring together government, industry, nonprofits, and academic partners to address education and workforce development in chips and semiconductors critical to the prosperity and security of the nation. 

On July 18, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and NORDTECH will host a day-long Workforce Development Summit on the RPI campus that will bring together government, industry, nonprofits, and academic partners to address education and workforce development in chips and semiconductors critical to the prosperity and security of the nation. 

From lane-keep assistance to blind spot detection, today’s cars come equipped with autonomous driving features that make driving easier and safer. Rene Mai, a doctoral student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, imagines a world in which humans and machines complement each other’s strengths to do more together, a concept known as “symbiotic autonomy.”

Hunter Belanger ’18, ’19G, Ph.D., assistant professor in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering (MANE), is one of four researchers nationwide to receive a Department of Energy Distinguished Early Career Award.The five-year, $625,000 grant will fund Belanger’s research aimed at making nuclear power safer and more efficient, supporting state and national efforts to transition away from carbon-emitting energy sources. 

Rich Radke

Rich Radke, Ph.D., professor in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering, has won the IEEE Signal Processing Society Regional Distinguished T