The Rensselaer Polytechnic
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Monday, July 17, 2017 Volume CXXXVII, No. 27 • poly.rpi.edu FEATURES Page 8 SPORTS Page 6 EDITORIAL Page 2 Peter Python language has Gramenides diverse uses Maria Fake news drowns out Kozdroy interesting stories ‘Despacito’ puts Puerto Rico Men’s and women’s hockey Staff Pointers from The Poly on the map programs undergo changes Editorial for incoming students RESEARCH FINANCES GLASE center to improve Standard & Poor’s greenhouse industry downgrades RPI’s credit rating to BBB+ Peter Gramenides Senior Reporter ON JANUARY 5, 2017, STANDARD AND POOR’S DOWNGRADED Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s long-term and underlying debt ratings. S&P, one of the “Big Three” credit rating agencies, discloses credit ratings for the debt of public and private entities. The highest credit rating on the S&P scale is defined as “AAA,” while “CCC” is considered vulnerable to non-repayment. The last time S&P revised RPI’s credit rating was in 2014 when the Institute’s fiscal outlook was revised to negative, but remained stable at an “A-.” The most recent Jack Wellhofer/The Polytechnic revision downgraded RPI’s credit rating to “BBB+.” Ac- PLANTS ARE GROWN under varried lighting conditions, changing physiology (file photo). cording to S&P, the rating category “exhibits adequate Peter Gramenides and clean food, water, and energy sup- protection parameters,” but “adverse economic condi- tions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead Senior Reporter plies under President Jackson’s research to a weakened capacity” for RPI to meet its financial paradigm known as “The New Polytechnic.” commitments to debt issuers. As of May 27, 2017, S&P ON JUNE 1, NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW A new public-private research consor- considers RPI’s fiscal outlook to be stable. Cuomo joined Washington Governor Jay tium called GLASE, or the Greenhouse According to financial documents obtained by The Inslee and California Governor Jerry Lighting and Systems Engineering Poly, RPI’s long-term debt was $742.37 million as of Brown in creating the United States Consortium, was announced at a press June 30, 2016, a decrease of roughly one percent from Climate Alliance—a group of states that conference in the Darrin Communica- $749.43 million in 2015. In that same time frame, are committed to upholding the Paris tions Center at Rensselaer. RPI’s total liabilities grew by roughly 1.4 percent Agreement following President Donald The consortium will be led by researchers from $1.048 billion to $1.062 billion. Net assets, Trump’s pledged departure from the at Cornell University and Rensselaer Poly- concurrently, fell to their lowest point in the past five deal. The goals of the accords include technic Institute with the goal of transform- years to $373.4 million from $443.7 million the prior reducing emissions by 26 to 28 percent ing the way greenhouses operate in order to year, a decrease of 15.8 percent. Net assets and the from 2005 levels and limiting the average reduce electricity usage by up to seventy endowment were negatively impacted by a decline in increase of global temperatures to two percent. The seven year, $5 million project interest rates and flat investment performance, which degrees celsius by 2030. is currently being funded by the New York led to a negative return on the endowment. The deal was negotiated during the State Energy Research and Development The strain on the Institute’s finances is also par- presidency of Barack Obama, under the Authority in order to advance Governor tially due to RPI’s minimum pension liability, which leadership of Secretary of Energy Ernest Cuomo’s Clean Energy Standard that aims rose from $118 million to $154 million, an increase Moniz. Moniz led the United States to have 50 percent of electricity come of 30.5 percent. The total value of the defined pen- Department of Energy from May 2013 to from renewable sources by 2030, satisfy- sion plan liability was $329 million in 2015, rising January 2017 and was an honorary degree ing requirements held by the Paris Climate by 13.4 percent to $373 million in 2016. Serving the recipient and commencement speaker for Accords and the federal Clean Power Plan. Regardless of Rensselaer’s current financial status, Rensselaer’s Class of 2017. Plant physiology expert Dr. Tessa Po- the Institute is currently far from unable to pay off its debt obligations. Increased enrollment and the up- Rensselaer During his commencement address, cock, senior research scientist at the Center coming implementation of the Summer Arch program Moniz noted President Shirley Ann for Lighting Enabled Systems and Ap- community will likely have a long-term and significant impact Jackson’s influential nature on both the plications, will lead Rensselaer’s portion on the Institute’s finances. It is currently unclear if since 1885 President’s Council of Advisors on Sci- of the investigation focusing primarily on enrollment figures will be impacted by the addition of ence and Technology and the Secretary of systems engineering applications. the Excelsior Scholarship, a tuition award for in-state Energy’s Advisory Board in creating and “The engineered LED lighting and residents attending public schools which eliminates implementing integrated energy policy, sensing systems with advanced feedback tuition expenses for those with a household income which included a report on the applica- control are being pioneered at LESA. Inte- below $100,000 per year. Rensselaer, along with two Inside tions of high-performance computing grated with Cornell’s advanced greenhouse thirds of New York’s private universities, recently to clean energy problems. Many of the management technologies, GLASE has the chose not to adopt the Enhanced Tuition Award, suggestions included in the report are potential to create a more sustainable and which would have granted a subsidized tuition- Comics . 6 currently being pursued at Rensselaer, profitable greenhouse industry. The systems discount of $6,000 for in-state residents equivalent Editorial/Opinion . 2 which Moniz lauded as “groundbreaking engineering expertise at LESA and the ag- to the value of the Excelsior Scholarship. Features . 8 work” and “just a snippet of what is an riculture expertise at Cornell make this an President Shirley Ann Jackson is planning to launch a transformative capital campaign on October 13, Sports . 6 incredibly broad and deep program in ideal partnership,” said NYSERDA. energy-related technologies.” Dr. Neil Mattson, an associate professor in 2017 specifically focused on student aid and faculty “My basic message is that schools horticulture at Cornell’s College of Agricul- resources. Rensselaer’s last capital campaign, called like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and ture and Life Sciences, will be the principal “Renaissance at Rensselaer,” began in 2004 and sur- my home institution, MIT, provide our investigator at Cornell, determining precise passed its goal of raising over $1.4 billion nearly nine Connect graduates with the skillset to perform all LED light conditions needed for tomatoes and months before the targeted end of the campaign. of these functions, including managing strawberries, both commonly grown in com- The last capital campaign led to immense changes Visit us online at: change, if they also continuously stick to mercial greenhouses. Mattson, who directs the on campus with the construction of the Experimental poly.rpi.edu the underlying innovation and entrepre- Controlled Environmental Agriculture Group Media and Performing Arts Center, the first phase of the East Campus Athletic Village construction, and Like us on Facebook: neurship framework which is inherent in at Cornell CALS, said investment in energy- the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary facebook.com/thepolytechnic our core business model of technologically efficient greenhouse lighting will ensure New Studies. Rensselaer was also able to hire more than Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: grounded excellence,” he said. York’s leadership in local food production and @RPIPoly 300 professors since 1999 while steadily increasing One of the many aspects of Rensse- that reactive LED lighting, much of which is cur- enrollment, bringing the student-faculty ratio from laer’s environmentally-conscious research rently being developed at Rensselaer, will enable 18:1 in Fall 1999 to 13:1 in Fall 2016. enterprise revolves around sustainable optimal lighting conditions in greenhouses. Editorial Monday, July 17, 2017 EDITORIAL NOTEBOOKS Python: utilitarian language for everyday life Programming languages like Python are powerful, yet simple for side projects, professional work HEY GUYS, I HOPE YOUR SUMMERS ARE GOING matter, EasyGUI or Tkinter are pretty good, and a great library for developing tradi- of PHP’s uses and how it’s already being ad- well! It’s always great to write a notebook leaving more wiggle room to work on more tional 2D games. In a pretty short period opted in industry. Django, just like Python, for The Poly, but I have to say that complex tools with greater value. of time, you could probably even make is very easy to use, has great documentation this one is particularly special. I find that Python is one of simple game-clones of popular releases online, and has a pretty easy learning curve. First because I have writer’s block my favorite languages. It isn’t like Starbound and Terraria. And the best feature of all about Python— and second because I’ve really always the language of choice, If you’re interested in 2D game devel- you don’t have to configure libraries! This learned a lot this summer. but for simple, light-weight opment and haven’t already looked at it, is probably what I love the most and what The greatest thing I would like solutions and web-based proj- I’d recommend checking it out. I’ve had has saved me the most time. Using Visual to share that I wish I knew earlier ects Python does a great job a great time working on personal projects Studio and C++, especially with projects is that Python is really frickin’ of combining ease of use with this summer in Pygame, and it’s really that require many libraries like games, it’s awesome.