To: The Rensselaer Community
From: Martin A. Schmidt ’81, Ph.D., President
Re: Bicentennial Speaker and Posthumous Honorary Degree
In just a few weeks, we will proudly celebrate the Class of 2024 at our Bicentennial Commencement. This Commencement will include two very special Honorands: Astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman ’97, our Bicentennial Commencement Speaker; and Emily Warren Roebling, who will receive the first posthumous honorary degree awarded in the history of RPI.
Reid Wiseman ’97
Reid Wiseman ’97, decorated naval aviator, test pilot, and commander of the Artemis II mission — which will be the first crewed mission to deep space since 1972 — returns to RPI as the Bicentennial Commencement Speaker. As a leader in the Artemis Program, Reid will support humanity’s return to the moon.
Reid was selected to be a NASA astronaut in 2009. In 2014, he spent 165 days on the International Space Station, where he and his crewmates conducted more than 300 experiments. He connected with RPI live from the International Space Station, answering questions and doing backflips, during 2014’s Reunion & Homecoming. Reid will receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering at the Commencement ceremony.
Reid continues RPI’s long and deep connection with the U.S. space program, which includes former RPI President and alumnus George M. Low ’48, manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office; Low’s son, astronaut G. David Low ’95; Apollo astronaut John L. Swigert Jr. ’65; and astronaut Richard A. Mastracchio ’87, who conducted nine spacewalks totaling 53 hours.
Emily Warren Roebling
Our second honorand, Emily Warren Roebling, will receive a posthumous honorary degree, the first to be awarded in the history of RPI. Emily was the wife of Washington Roebling, RPI Class of 1857, who was chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Washington Roebling treated Emily as a partner in the project, displaying a respect for and trust in his wife that was both unusual and legendary for the time. As his health declined, Emily took on the worlds of civil engineering and construction, operating as the chief project manager and diplomat, and led the bridge construction to successful completion. Through her intellect, exceptional diplomatic skills, and tenacity, Emily Warren Roebling is a shining example of the Engineers’ spirit.
We are humbled by the important contributions of Roebling and her family to the Brooklyn Bridge, to Troy, and the world. As we celebrate our past, present, and future during our Bicentennial, we honor her lasting contributions to an innovation that changes lives, and to gender diversity in the predominantly male fields of civil engineering and law.
Another first: Generative AI at Commencement and Colloquy
Both Reid and Emily will engage with the RPI community and each other during our Bicentennial Commencement Colloquy. The conversation between these two figures — separated by history but united by their passion for engineering and discovery — will be fascinating. Emily and Reid will also answer questions from members of our community. Please be sure to register for Colloquy and submit your discussion questions online.
Emily’s intrepid character will be with us at Colloquy and Commencement thanks to RPI generative AI experts and the acting talents of Liz Wisan, a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, who played the role of Emily Roebling in Season 2 of HBO’s period drama television series The Gilded Age.
Emily’s AI-assisted participation has been carefully planned by a small team including Rensselaer archivist Jenifer Monger; Computer Science scholar Sola Shirai, Ph.D. ’24; and Roebling descendant Antoinette Maniatty, Ph.D., who is also the first woman chair of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering at RPI. Jim Hendler, Ph.D., director of RPI’s Future of Computing Institute and Tetherless World Chair of Computer, Web, and Cognitive Sciences, led the generative AI work of the team.
As Commencement Speaker, Reid will draw on his experiences to inspire this year’s graduates to reach for dreams that may seem out of this world. Liz will also deliver Roebling’s brief, generative AI-inspired remarks at Commencement. Roebling descendants Antoinette Maniatty and Kriss Roebling will accept the posthumous honorary degree on Emily Roebling’s behalf.
Our Bicentennial Commencement Honorands embody the spirit of RPI, one that builds bridges — literal and figurative — to the new, into the unknown, so that those who come after us can go even further. As we honor our 200-year history of advancing science and technology, Reid Wiseman and Emily Warren Roebling exemplify the ingenuity and determination each RPI graduate takes with them into the world.
Lyn and I invite you to join us for the Bicentennial Colloquy and reception on Friday, May 17, at 3:30 p.m. in the EMPAC Concert Hall. The Honorands will discuss their passions and journey, and answer audience questions. The discussion will be moderated by Provost Rebecca Doerge, Ph.D. Registration is required. Please submit your questions for the Honorands online.
We look forward to seeing you at Bicentennial Colloquy.