Save the Date!
Join us on Friday, May 15, 2026 for our annual colloquy with RPI President Martin A. Schmidt ’81.
Detailed Speaker information will be released prior to the event.
Doors open at 3 p.m. Colloquy begins at 3:30 p.m. in the EMPAC Concert Hall followed by a reception at Evelyn’s Café.
Free and open to the public.
Martin A. Schmidt ’81
Dr. Martin A. Schmidt is the 19th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), the first technological research university in the U.S. Founded in 1824, RPI is recognized as a premier university, noted for its robust and holistic learning community that connects creativity with science and technology. Under his leadership, RPI is advancing emerging fields like quantum computing and semiconductor research to address urgent global challenges.
An accomplished researcher and entrepreneur, Dr. Schmidt holds more than 30 U.S. patents and has founded or co-founded seven startups, several rooted in his pioneering work in microfluidics. Prior to RPI, Dr. Schmidt served as provost and senior academic and budget officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He earned his B.S. from RPI in 1981 and his S.M. (1983) and Ph.D. (1988) in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT.