Rensselaer’s School of Engineering is committed to

Rensselaer’s 100 g-ton Geotechnical Centrifuge

technological excellence in integrating research and education and in educating for career success.

Engineers, by virtue of their education, must be able to apply the laws of science effectively, economically, and creatively for the benefit of humanity.

Rensselaer, renowned for leadership and innovation in engineering education, seeks to graduate visionary and versatile professionals who will have a solid foundation in mathematics, science, and engineering, and be able to apply these to practical use. They will be able to identify, model, analyze, and solve challenging real world problems; have specialized technical knowledge in their chosen field; have strong communication skills with emphasis on technical writing and interpersonal communication; be able to design innovative products, processes, or systems; perform effectively on diverse, multidisciplinary teams, both as leader and as contributor; be informed citizens broadly educated in the humanities and social sciences; be prepared to practice engineering in a socially responsible and ethical manner; and have learned in a creative, stimulating environment that prepares and motivates them to continue to grow and learn.

While maintaining its strengths in traditional engineering disciplines, Rensselaer is continually revitalizing its curricula to accommodate the evolving needs of the engineer. Rensselaer’s award-winning core engineering program assures the student a non-parochial approach to technical education—providing each engineering student with a broad and solid scientific base on which to build specific technical skills, augmented by both inside and outside the classroom activities that enhance human relations skills. The School of Engineering at Rensselaer is continuously consolidating and streamlining course sequences; increasing the application of interactive learning methods, studio-based methodologies, and multimedia delivery; opening up the curricula to more multidisciplinary design, computing, and analysis courses; combining course materials so that students can learn math and science concepts within the context of engineering problems; taking steps to formally integrate topics like quality, ethics, cultural sensitivity, safety, environmental impact and entrepreneurship into courses and curricula; and, within a hands-on or discovery-based environment, ensuring that leadership, interpersonal communications, teamwork, problem formulation, system synthesis, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are practiced and enhanced.

In addition to numerous research centers, current facilities include many classroom laboratories, the Institute’s vast computing resources, one of the largest Class 100 clean room facilities on an academic campus, a 100 g-ton centrifuge, a Linear Accelerator (LINAC), the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratories, and the student-faculty shops. Extensive interactive workstation facilities are used by all engineering students for studies in computer-aided design, analysis, and/or manufacturing. The clean rooms are where integrated circuit and interconnect technology are researched and taught. The centrifuge is used for geotechnical research and is a state-of-the-art facility. Major upgrades to the centrifuge facility are being made under a NSF NEES (Network for Earthquake Engineering) award. The manufacturing laboratories provide students an opportunity to design and manufacture their own product. The new 11,000 ft2 O.T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory is a world-class distinctive facility consisting of state-of-the-art design space, rapid prototyping and fabrication space, and a system integration space.

Other specialized and more disciplinary-oriented facilities include laboratories in areas such as fluidization, heat transfer, biochemical engineering, biomedical engineering, structures, earthquake engineering, image processing, plasma dynamics, mechatronics, microelectronics, microwaves, electron optics, electrical machines, subsonic and supersonic flow, tribology, viscoelasticity, two-phase flow, mass spectrometry, and ion physics. These facilities and the extensive research programs at Rensselaer offer both graduate and undergraduate students numerous opportunities for research projects. This research is supported by a variety of government (federal and state) agencies and by private industry. Of the major university engineering research programs in the United States, Rensselaer has one of the largest fractions of its support from private industry since we focus our research on topics of significant commercial interest.

Educational Objectives of the School of Engineering

The School of Engineering is committed to continuous improvement of its programs and to preparing students for career success. In consultation with faculty, students, and industry representatives, we have set the following nine objectives for our students.

Graduates will:

• Have a solid foundation in mathematics, science, and engineering, and be able to apply
these to practical use.
• Be able to identify, model, analyze, and solve challenging real world problems.
• Have specialized technical knowledge in their chosen field.
• Have strong communication skills with emphasis on technical writing and interpersonal
communication.
• Be able to design innovative products, processes or systems.
• Perform effectively on diverse, multidisciplinary teams, both as leader and contributor.
• Be informed citizens broadly educated in the humanities and social sciences.
• Be prepared to practice engineering in a socially responsible and ethical manner.

Research programs focus on seven areas: computational mechanics, composite materials, earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering (including geo-environmental), infrastructure engineering, structural engineering, and transportation. The modeling of dynamic behavior is stressed throughout. Professional practice and practical application are integrated with all research activities.