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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the nation’s oldest technological research university.

The university offers degrees from five schools: Engineering; Science; Architecture; Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; and the Lally School of Management; as well as an interdisciplinary degree in Information Technology and Web Science.

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Beginning this summer, you might need to upload a selfie and a photo ID to a private company, ID.me, if you want to file your taxes online. Oscar Wong/Moment via Getty Images

Government agencies are tapping a facial recognition company to prove you’re you – here’s why that raises concerns about privacy, accuracy and fairness

Federal and state governments are turning to a facial recognition company to ensure that people accessing services are who they say they are. The move promises to cut down on fraud, but at what cost?
Government agencies are increasingly using facial recognition technology, including through security cameras like this one being installed on the Lincoln Memorial in 2019. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Feds are increasing use of facial recognition systems – despite calls for a moratorium

Politicians of all stripes, computer professionals and even big-tech executives are calling on government to hit the brakes on using these algorithms. The feds are hitting the gas.
Planes have many sensors, supplying all kinds of useful data. vaalaa/Shutterstock.com

Too many airplane systems rely on too few sensors

A pilot and researcher knows that airplanes are full of sensors – and finds a way onboard computers can use the data to detect equipment failure and tell pilots what’s a real emergency and what’s not.
The Statue of Liberty has been a welcoming sight for immigrants for decades. Susan Ragan/AP Photo

Want a stronger economy? Give immigrants a warm welcome

Trump’s plans to build a wall with Mexico and deport millions of people in the US illegally cast immigrants as an economic threat to Americans. The evidence suggests otherwise.
An anti-immigrant mood has been sweeping the West, such as in Finland. Scanpix Sweden/Reuters

Why we’re wrong to blame immigrants for our sputtering economies

Many politicians in the West – from backers of Brexit to Donald Trump – have convinced voters that immigrants are hurting their economies. The evidence suggests otherwise.
A volunteer receives a trial Ebola vaccine at the Centre for Clinical Vaccinology and Tropical Medicine in Oxford, southern England January 16, 2015. Eddie Keogh/Reuters

It’s time to fix our outdated guidelines for human vaccine trials

Prior to the 1970s, almost all Phase I and II drug trials were conducted on prisoners. Our standards have gotten better since then, but still need revision.
That skinny latte was awesome? We knew before you tweeted. Matt Biddulph

Algorithms can predict how tweets spread

The deluge of data we are subjected to daily can be a good thing sometimes. It gives us a wide-open window to look at people’s behaviour, say, through their use of social media. The obvious question then…

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