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.

The construction of the Main Building in 1864 marked the beginning of the steady expansion of Rensselaer’s campus up the hill on Troy’s eastern edge. There were two exceptions: the Gymnasium (the subject of our December 3 post) built just below the Main Building in 1887 and the lesser known Alumni Building erected on Second Street next to the Troy Savings Bank in 1893.

Julius Skilton In remembrance of Cinco de Mayo, I thought I would share an interesting RPI connection to the end of the French occupation of Mexico. Julius A. Skilton, Class of 1849, became a physician and practiced as a surgeon during the Civil War.

Visitors to the Archives often remark that we have a lot of cool stuff.  I agree!  Most recently, I found a small photographic flip book.  The subject of the flip book is William B.

The Class of 1838 included some rather notable alumni.  Two of them are in the Alumni Hall of Fame and several more are worthy candidates.  When I read over the accomplishments of these alums, I'm amazed at their ambition.  Ezra Carr, for instance, had an astounding resume.&nbsp

The first civil engineering graduates pursued a variety of careers.  In addition to the obvious careers in railroad or bridge engineering, some were lawyers, some doctors, and a couple were even men of the cloth.  Fletcher Hawley was one of those men.  Fletcher was a care

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.

It's busy here on campus with Reunion & Homecoming in full swing. Here are a few old reunion photographs to mark the occasion. Enjoy!