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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute invites members of the community to the Hirsch Observatory to view planets, stars, and galaxies with the observatory’s 16-inch telescope. The observatory will be open to the public every Saturday evening from March through November from 8-10 p.m. Anyone from the community is invited to come learn about our universe from Rensselaer students and faculty. Children are welcome. For more information you can check the observatory’s website at.  https://astro.union.rpi.edu/

Humberto Terrones, Rayleigh Endowed Chair Professor in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, is as passionate about community outreach as he is about science.

“Sometimes, it takes a very small thing to inspire someone to become a scientist,” said Terrones. “You never know what will spark a child’s imagination!”

"Get Inspired"

News

Rensselaer Physicist Recognized by the American Physical Society
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Gwo-Ching Wang, Ph.D., Travelstead Institute Chair, is the 2025 recipient of the Davisson-Germer Prize in Atomic or Surface Physics from the American Physical Society (APS).
Inventor, Student Programs Leader, Hockey Player, and Naval Admiral Inducted into Rensselaer’s Alumni Hall of Fame
As Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute celebrates its Bicentennial, we reflect on the many great minds, pioneers, entrepreneurs, and game-changers who are Rensselaer alumni.
RPI Space Science and Technology Day Lifts Off
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has long been at the forefront of space exploration and discovery.
RPI Physicist Moussa N’Gom Is Using Light to Enhance Nuclear Security
Our nation’s security depends on the effective detection of nuclear materials at our borders and beyond.
Rensselaer Researchers Upend Theory About the Formation of the Milky Way Galaxy
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Heidi Jo Newberg, Ph.D., professor of astronomy; Tom Donlon, Ph.D., a visiting researcher at Rensselaer and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Alabama; and their team have recently published research tha
Six RPI Students Receive Prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Six RPI students have been awarded fellowships from the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP).
Rensselaer Professor Esther Wertz Appointed UPWARDS For the Future Faculty Fellow To Support Semiconductor Education, Workforce Training, and Research
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Esther Wertz, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, has been appointed Rensselaer’s faculty fellow of UPWARDS for the Future.
With Pivot Fellowship, RPI’s Jian Shi Tackles Big Quantum Computing Challenge
Jian Shi, Ph.D., associate professor in both the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), has been selected for the Simons Found
Rensselaer Researcher Honored with IEEE Ferroelectrics Young Investigator Award
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Jian Shi, Ph.D., associate professor of materials science and engineering, as well as physics, applied physics, and astronomy, has won the prestigious 2023 IEEE Ferroelectrics Young Investigator Award.
Rensselaer Researcher Uses Artificial Intelligence To Discover New Materials for Advanced Computing
A team of researchers led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Trevor David Rhone, assistant professor in the Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, has identified novel van der Waals (vdW) magnets using cutting-edge tools in artific
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