The first civil engineers were travelers.  Many of them went far and wide to engage in their work.  This may not seem like a big deal in modern times, but when you think about the means of travel in the mid-nineteenth century; it's quite amazing.  These men were creating the next best mode of transportation -- railroads.  While much of this work was in progress in the United States, other countries were also investing in this transportation infrastructure.  Some of the first U.S.

This is the first installment in a series of profiles on the first civil engineering graduates at RPI.  The very first civil engineering degree was awarded by the Rensselaer Institute in 1835.  Among the first degree recipients, was a guy named Amos Westcott.  Westcott never practiced civil engineering; he taught chemistry for a few years and then entered medical school.  He obtained an M.D.

If the blackboard and keyboard are any indication, this guy had something to do with music.  Do you know who he is?

The opening of the '87 Gymnasium marked a new focus on physical education at Rensselaer.  The effort to acquire appropriate fitness facilities had been largely student driven up to this point.  Students chronically complained about the lack of athletic venues and gym facilities on campus.  In 1912, the administration, led by

The '87 Gymnasium opened its doors in 1912 and thus began an new era in athletics and physical education at Rensselaer (I'll write more about this in a future blog post).  The new gym required a new custodian to take care of it and so Emil H. Page was hired to do the job.

Once upon a time, in the land of geeks and nerds known as RPI, there was a very important position occupied by a well-known and revered woman.  Her name was Mrs. Warren a.k.a. Mrs.

Commencement is right around the corner, and the anticipation is building!  During the ceremony, cameras will inevitably become focused on the commencement speaker.  In a long-held tradition, a person of honor will step up to the podium and address the graduates.  To mark the occasion of commencement, I've brought together some selected images of past RPI commencement speakers.  If you are interested in consulting a full list of speakers, look here. 

For the first time in the 145-year history of the Grand Marshal, there is the possibility that an incumbent will serve a second term.  Remarkable?  Perhaps, but it may be useful to put this historic moment into perspective with some past election criteria.  From 1866 to 1970, the Rensselaer Union constitution stated that: "The Grand Marshal and President of the Union shall be members of the Junior class at the time of their elections, having been a student at Rensselaer fo

I was browsing through some newspapers from this date in history (St. Patrick's Day) and came across an interesting sports article. Since the NCAA men's basketball championship tournament begins this week and our neighbor to the west -- Syracuse University -- is a top seeded team, this headline caught my eye, BASKETBALL TEAM IS BEATEN BY SYRACUSE IN FAST GAME.  It was the last game of RPI's regular season, played on March 11, 1922, at home.

My post regarding big name concerts has been one of the most popular posts on this blog. There are some great comments about concert memories and tips that have led me to more information.  I have referred to "my list" of RPI concerts and it's about time I shared that list!  I put it in a pdf file so the blog is not barraged with extraneous concert searches.  If you remember any of these concerts or have information about concerts not on the list, please leave a comment!