During Rensselaer’s recent Family Weekend, the Institute Archives held a “show & tell” for campus visitors.  We displayed an assortment of items documenting the student experience at Rensselaer, focusing on the changing campus landscape, housing over the years, Grand Marshall history and activities, and RPI hockey.

November 1 is the 250th anniversary of Stephen Van Rensselaer’s birthday. Fifth in direct descent from Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the first Patroon, Stephen Van Rensselaer III (1764-1839) inherited a vast landed estate in Rensselaer and Albany counties at age 5.

Political Strategy  In 1900 the United States was planning for a Nicaraguan canal. Meanwhile, the French were desperate to sell their Panama Canal Zone rights to the U.S. for $109,000,000.

The construction of the Panama Canal begins with the French. In 1875, while the United States was conducting surveys across Mexico and Nicaragua, trying to find the right canal route, France became very active and ambitious, eager to make their mark. The French spirit had been so greatly aroused by Ferdinand de Lesseps’s completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, that France decided to take the lead and attempt to conquer the Isthmus of Panama. Again, RPI Engineers were involved, in varying capacities.

August 15, 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal - its completion being one of the greatest feats of engineering by mankind, and one which rested on an idea four centuries old!

We don't really know what to make of this photograph! Can any of our readers shed light on the Who, When, and Why of it? Of course anything else you'd like to share about the photograph will be appreciated. Thanks! Yours Truly, the Archivists

During the mid-19th and early 20th centuries fire twice played a seminal role in determining the Institute’s future location.

I was looking for a good sports theme for this post when I read that the RPI women’s lacrosse team was hosting the Liberty League championships this year.  I decided 2014 would be as good a time as any to watch my first lacrosse game.  I was not disappointed!

In our efforts to bridge the gap between the past and present, we share with the Class of 2014 a look back one hundred years ago, when Rensselaer bid farewell to the Class of 1914.

Who is this man? What is he looking at? What is he doing? I think documentation meets artistic license, but my colleague thinks she knows things about the image and the gentleman depicted that might challenge my subjective interpretation. Our student assistant has offered a scientific perspective.