Harvard Business Review (2021) released a statement with findings across the pandemic: "Childcare is not a family issue, it is a business issue."  Working parents and particularly women workers need to leave work or reduce hours solely due to lack of childcare and inconsistent care support / lack of back-up care. RPI has done wonderfully in allowing HR to provide pinch-hitter options for back up care, but this system is limited to case-by-case appointments of single days only, which requires approval by a solo HR representative for any care support.
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Launch a fully supported e-sports program in a new esports arena at the '87 gym, modernizing and revitalizing this historical home of competition at RPI, bringing new life and purpose to this building.

ECAV Phase 2 has been talked about since my hiring over a decade ago. Beyond very general conversation and teasers by people throughout campus there has been no vision or actual evidence that it will happen that I have seen. An indoor track and sports center (tennis court or turf on the infield of the track) would provide a competition venue for sports like track and field and tennis, and a safe practice place for winter and spring sports.
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When is the last time you built something – that you thought of – with your hands? If it’s been a while, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. Surprisingly, many of RPI’s students have never done it. This is an alarming fact given the nature of RPI’s primary curricula. Design and engineering cannot exist solely in a virtual space. It is necessary for an individual to experience how things are assembled, how materials perform, and how people interact with their creations.
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We know SODEXO isn't interested because it's not a profitable cafe.  But that's never been it's purpose.  The cafe needs to be open and alive to foster casual interactions between staff, students, faculty, and community.  Lots of work is done during business hours, but the actual face to face communication that takes place at lunch does more to boost technical innovations and morale than any "off site" or "team building" exercise could ever hope to achieve. 
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At the town hall yesterday the idea of food scarcity, especially among graduate students and those who have families or partners without work visas spoke to me. I think it would be worth looking into whether RPI could make its own small, stigma-free food pantry for RPI students, as transportation or delivery may be difficult for these groups if they are trying to get to the larger regional food pantries. 

HVCC has a food pantry: https://www.hvcc.edu/campuslife/student-activities/food-pantry.html
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There are several ways RPI can capitalize on its several strengths and better integrate with the regional community:

 
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We have a ton of local youth sports groups who I am sure would be excited to talk with some of our athletes. Having an opportunity for the kids to have a practice with some of our players or a clinic to work on skills and then go to a game would be a great way to engage with the community and get younger students excited about RPI. 

Many pathways and stairways on campus are deteriorating, have little safety precautions, overly steep, or have bizarre step sizes. Repairing or upgrading these pathways would promote safety, redirect student traffic, and beautify the school. 

Some examples:

The gravel path between 14th and 13th St that connects the Heffner Alumni House parking lot with North Lot. This has disintegrated over the past months.

The two stairwells on the east side of Russel Sage Lab. These stairs are uneven, oddly shaped, and a bit steep.
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Proteins are the molecular machines of biology.  Recent advances in generative AI and Deep Learning have created a breakthrough in de novo protein design.  These advances are creating new opportunities in biotechnology, materials science, computational simulation, biomanufacturing, and machine learning at the interface between Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
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