Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Encyclopedia
Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology (abbreviated RHIT), formerly Rose Polytechnic Institute, is a small private college specializing in teaching engineering, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

, and science. RHIT is highly regarded for its undergraduate engineering program, which US News and World Reports ranked in 2011 as No. 1 in the United States of engineering schools where a doctorate degree is not offered, a position it has held since 2000. Its 295 acre (0.460937907548927 sq mi; 119.4 ha) campus is located in Terre Haute
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...

, Indiana.

Academics

The curricula at RHIT concentrate on engineering and the natural sciences. The school's primary focus is undergraduate education, though there is a small graduate program for master's degree students. There are no doctoral programs. In 2005, Rose–Hulman had 161 faculty members, 99% of whom held a PhD The current student-to-faculty ratio is 12:1. Admission to the institute remains competitive due to its self-selecting admissions class and applicant sharing with MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...

, Purdue, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

, and other top universities. In 2010, 510 students enrolled out of over 4,298 applicants. The school currently operates on three academic quarters plus an optional summer session.

Accreditation

The biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, optical engineering, and software engineering programs are accredited by The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
ABET, Inc., formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is a non-profit organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology...

 (ABET). Rose–Hulman is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and by the Department of Public Instruction of the State of Indiana. The chemistry curriculum has been approved by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society.

In addition to institutional membership in the American Society for Engineering Education, the Institute is also a member of the Association of Independent Technological Universities, a group formed to further the interests of private engineering schools.

Rankings and reputation

As of 2011, the institute has been ranked first in its category (engineering colleges whose highest degree offered is a Bachelors's or Master's) by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...

 for 13 consecutive years (2000–2012). Each individual program assessed has also been ranked first since the magazine has published individual rankings. These programs are the chemical, civil, computer, electrical, and mechanical engineering programs.

Other publications giving Rose–Hulman high marks include: Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...

, Fiske
Fiske
Fiske is a surname, and may refer to:* Bill Fiske , British politician* Billy Fiske , US sportsman and fighter pilot* Bradley Fiske , United States Naval officer...

, Peterson's
Peterson's
Peterson’s, founded in 1966, is an American company offering a wide range of live, print, and online products and services including test preparation, school searches, financial aid searches, career exploration tools, and professional writing services...

, Barron's
Barron's Educational Series
Barron's Educational Series, Inc. is an American test preparation company, founded in 1941 as a publisher of materials to help students to prepare for college entrance examinations, and that offers online college entrance exam preparation classes...

, and The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...

. Rose–Hulman Institute is listed among the nation’s top 80 colleges and universities in Barron’s 2009 Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges. Rose–Hulman and the University of Notre Dame were the only Indiana institutions on the prestigious list.

While Rose is not considered in the doctoral institution rankings, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

's Hoover Institute fellow, Thomas Sowell
Thomas Sowell
Thomas Sowell is an American economist, social theorist, political philosopher, and author. A National Humanities Medal winner, he advocates laissez-faire economics and writes from a libertarian perspective...

, mentioned Rose–Hulman as one of the best smaller universities to consider, noting that graduate engineering deans have ranked its graduates ahead of many top schools with PhD programs, such as Duke
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

, Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

, UCLA, and the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

.

History

Founding

Founder Chauncey Rose
Chauncey Rose
Chauncey Rose was a successful American businessman of the 19th century.-Early life:Chauncey Rose was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut to Scottish immigrants on December 24, 1794. Chauncey was one of eight children, all of whom died childless...

, along with nine friends, created the Terre Haute School of Industrial Science in 1874 to provide technical training after encountering difficulties in local engineer availability during construction of his railroads. Mr. Rose donated the land on 13th and Locust St. and the majority of the funds needed to start the new school. A year later, the cornerstone of the new institution was laid and the name was changed to Rose Polytechnic Institute despite the objections of the president of the board of managers and chief benefactor, Mr. Rose. The original campus was a single building, with no dormitories or recreational facilities.

The first class of 48 students entered in 1883, chosen from 58 applicants. Of the 48 students, all were male, and 37 came from Indiana. All but four students chose to major in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...

 with Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...

 and Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

 the only other majors. Nearly half of the original students would eventually quit their studies before graduation for a number of reasons, including poor grades or conduct. The first president was Dr.
Doctor (title)
Doctor, as a title, originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb docēre . It has been used as an honored academic title for over a millennium in Europe, where it dates back to the rise of the university. This use spread...

 Charles O. Thompson, who modeled the education of Rose Poly after eastern institutions. Rose Poly was thus founded as the first private engineering college west of the Alleghenies.

During the beginning years of the school, money was a major concern. A lot of faculty and staff were forced to take pay cuts in order to stay at the institution.

In 1889 the school awarded what it considers to be the first Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...

 degree in the country.

Relocation

In 1917, the school, having grown to more than 300 students, moved from 13th and Locust St. (on which now sits Chauncey Rose Middle School) to a new site consisting of 123 acre (0.49776378 km²) of farm land on U.S. 40 donated by the Hulman family
Hulman family
The Hulman family is a family of Indiana businesspeople and philanthropists best known as the owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy Racing League and Hulman & Co., which produces Clabber Girl Baking Powder.Notable members include:...

 of Terre Haute. The cornerstone of the new campus was laid in 1922. The new campus consisted of an academic building and a dorm – the institute's first.

Early life at Rose consisted of social fraternities, athletics, and the occasional "high jinks." A popular "high jinks" involved the sophomore class inviting the freshmen class to a baseball game but were told to "leave their pipes with the nurse." The freshmen would produce the pipes at a specific time and a brawl would ensue.

War years

During World War I Rose Poly trained students in technical subjects like vehicle maintenance, and created a ROTC
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...

 Engineer unit. During World War II the ROTC unit was replaced with an Army Specialized Training Unit and students could enter and graduate after every quarter in order to support the war effort. This enrollment schedule continued through the post-war years until 1951. A tank is located behind the north sides of Moench Hall and Myers Hall as a reminder of Rose Poly's war contributions.

Renaming and Logan years

In recognition of the Hulman family's significant contributions and continued financial support, Rose Polytechnic was renamed Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology in 1971.

During the 1960s and 70s, growth accelerated under president John A. Logan. Five new residence halls, a new student union, library, and a student recreation center were all constructed between 1963 and 1976. Permission was sought and received to increase the student population to 1000.

The quarterly cryptology journal Cryptologia
Cryptologia
Cryptologia is a journal in cryptography published quarterly since January 1977. Its remit is all aspects of cryptography, but there is a special emphasis on historical aspects of the subject. The founding editors were Brian J. Winkel, David Kahn, Louis Kruh, Cipher A. Deavours and Greg Mellen...

 was founded and published at RHIT from 1977 to 1995, at which time it was moved to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

.

Hulbert years

For most of its history, Rose–Hulman was a men's-only institution. It voted to become coeducational in 1991, with the first women students starting in 1995. Also in 1995, the college required all incoming freshmen
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...

 to purchase laptop computers, becoming one of the first schools to do so. Since then, laptops have been required for all freshmen, and the curricula
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...

 have heavily integrated computers into classroom instruction.

In the decade following 1995, Rose–Hulman's growth was aided by a major fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...

 campaign called "Vision to be the Best." Originally a $100 million campaign over ten years, it met its goal in half the time. The goal was extended to $200 million, and by the end of the campaign in June 2004, over $250 million had been raised. In 2002, Hatfield Hall, a state-of-the-art theater and alumni center was opened. Five years earlier Shook Field House was replaced with the $20 million Sports and Recreation Center, which is a major reason that the National Football League's
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

 used the campus for their summer training camp from 1999–2010.

John J. Midgley's Tenure

After the 2004 retirement of institute president Samuel Hulbert, who had led the school since 1976, the college faced a leadership crisis. Soon after John J. Midgley
John J. Midgley
Dr. John J. Midgley is an educator, management consultant and former army officer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He has been on the faculties of Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh and the United States Military Academy, and held executive positions with Ernst & Young, the...

 arrived as the new president, rumors of conflict between Midgley and the administration started to circulate. Students, some wearing T-shirts proclaiming "Hit the Road Jack", held a rally calling for Midgley's resignation. Dr. Midgley resigned as president of the institute on June 11, 2005, less than a year into his presidency, after the faculty, staff, and Student Government Association approved votes of no confidence. During the succeeding academic year, Robert Bright
Robert Bright
Robert Bright is the published illustrator and author of more than 15 children's books and 3 novels. He was born August 5, 1902 in Sandwich, MA...

, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, served as interim chief executive officer.

Gerald Jakubowski Serves

At a press conference on March 17, 2006, Mr. Bright named Gerald Jakubowski
Gerald Jakubowski
Gerald S. Jakubowski, P.E., is the Provost at the California Maritime Academy. Prior to this he was the president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He became the 13th President of Rose-Hulman on 1 July 2006, and was inaugurated on 27 April 2007. On 23 February 2009, he announced his...

, Vice President and Professor of Engineering at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...

, as the thirteenth president of the Institute. Dr. Jakubowski took over effective July 1, 2006. Dr. Jakubowski was respectfully referred to as "Dr. J." by the students and he held meetings with those interested a few times during the year to catch up on campus life. On February 23, 2009, Dr. Jakubowski announced that he would be resigning from the position of president, effective June 30.

Current President Matt Branam

On June 11, 2009, the college announced that the Board of Trustees had elected Matt Branam
Matt Branam
Matt Branam is the 14th and current president of Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology.Branam became president after serving as interim president for two years. Branam, a 1979 civil engineering graduate of Rose-Hulman, was elected president of his alma mater by the college’s Board of Trustees during...

 to serve as interim president. On December 4, 2009, the Board elected Branam as permanent president.
Upon election of Branam as interim, Rose–Hulman began a search for a permanent president which had identified a number of impressive potential candidates. "Early in that process, the Trustees became convinced that it was in the institution's best interest to ask Matt Branam, who has been serving in an interim capacity, to become our permanent president,” said Board Chairman William Fenoglio.

With his election, Branam became the 14th president in the 135-year history of the college.

Branam brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to Rose–Hulman. His expertise in fundraising, board relations, public relations, brand management, legal, labor, and financial affairs brings Rose–Hulman a seasoned leader. He managed the American Red Cross through a period of tremendous growth and change for its then president, Elizabeth Dole, as its first ever chief operating officer. Branam’s experience also includes a distinguished 24-year career with UPS (formerly called United Parcel Service) where his local job as a teenager evolved through numerous positions of increased responsibility, including the position of vice president of public affairs in Washington, D.C. A native of Terre Haute, Ind., Branam has attended Indiana State University, Taylor University and Georgetown University, and he graduated from Rose–Hulman in 1979.

Campus

Rose–Hulman's 295 acres (119 ha) campus includes a baseball field, a softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

 field, and a soccer field at the west end, two bodies of water (known on campus as "Scum Pond" and "Speed Lake") surrounded by residence halls in the middle, the academic buildings east of that, and a row of fraternities further to the east. The Sports and Recreation Center (SRC), Cook Stadium, and other sports-related facilities anchor the north side of campus, and Oakley Observatory sits on the far east edge.

The entrance of the campus leads to Hadley Hall, the main administrative building. The center of campus is marked by the Grace and Anton Hulman Memorial Union, which includes dining facilities and administrative offices, as well as other campus-run businesses such as the bookstore and game room.

Rose–Hulman maintains a safe campus: the crime rate for all of campus is low with only a few incidents reported each year. The Office of Public Safety provides 24-hour security and operates emergency call boxes situated throughout the campus to summon help for emergencies, for the escort service, or to get one's car unlocked to retrieve keys. All of the sidewalks are well lit, and during winter the stairways and sidewalks are kept clear of snow and ice.

Residence halls

There are ten residence halls on campus: Deming, Baur-Sames-Bogart (BSB), Speed, Mees, Scharpenberg, Blumberg, Skinner, Percopo, and the Apartment Style Residence Hall (which consists of Apartments East and Apartments West). Combined, these halls can provide housing for over 1,100 students.

The oldest, Deming Hall, was built in 1926 and is an all-male hall. Deming houses 109 students, mostly freshmen, on four floors. BSB Hall, built in 1956, is an L-shaped building with room for 144 students on three stories, mostly freshmen. The offices and studios of the campus radio station occupy much of BSB's basement. There are also some rooms in the basement for upperclass male students.

Speed Hall was built in 1963 and holds 116 freshmen on three floors, all male. North of Speed Hall is Speed Lawn and Speed Lake. Mees, Scharpenberg, and Blumberg (all built in 1966) constitute the Triplets, three halls housing 76 students each on 4 H-shaped floors. Mees and Scharpenberg are identical, with Blumberg being a mirror image of the two. Skinner, built in 1976, is an apartment-style residence hall on the east side of campus. Apartments in Skinner were originally composed of three bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen shared with three other apartments, but were remodeled to have only two bedrooms and a private kitchen. Skinner is the smallest residence hall, housing only 44 students and 2 resident assistants.

Percopo, built in 1999, is a Sophomore-only hall, designed to retain and help educate Sophomore students. Percopo has in-house tutors and other resources geared towards assisting Sophomores through what is generally considered the hardest academic year. Percopo has 109 double-rooms (sharing a bathroom) on four floors. The Apartment Style Residence Hall is the newest hall; it opened in the fall of 2004. The Apartments actually consist of two halls, referred to as East and West, connected by a commons area. Apartments East and Apartments West are identical, each having suites with two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a living room. The commons area contains a Subway restaurant
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...

, a convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...

, a barber shop
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....

, and laundry facilities.

All residence halls are kept clean by the devoted Residence Hall staff. Each room is cleaned once a week by a housekeeper. This cleaning consists of emptying the trash cans, making the beds with clean sheets, wiping the mirrors in the room, and vacuuming the floor. The lobbies of each hall are cleaned every day, and the restrooms are cleaned several times a week.

Academic buildings

Rose–Hulman has four main classroom buildings plus a library, a mechanical engineering lab, and an administration building. The four main buildings are Moench Hall, Olin Hall, Crapo Hall, and Myers Hall. Olin came as a result of a proposal by Sam Hulbert
Sam Hulbert
Samuel Foster Hulbert is a scientist working in Ceramics Science and Biomaterials. He has carried out biomaterial work in artificial knees, hips and dental prostheses. He was president of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.-Education:...

 and was later expanded to add eight more advanced learning classrooms. Olin includes a large occupancy by the Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...

 and Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...

 Departments. Crapo is home to the Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 Department and has two floors of classrooms. The John T. Myers Center for Technological Research with Industry, the newest academic building, holds the Graduate Studies Office and some Bioengineering Department labs. The largest, Moench Hall, is composed of four floors of classrooms, offices, and labs, and was the original academic building on campus built in 1922. All of the remaining departments have offices in Moench.

The Logan Library is a small engineering library whose lower floor is occupied by The Learning Center, with tutors and help available to students, Homework Hotline, and the ROTC offices. Near Myers Hall is the Rotz Mechanical Engineering Lab which houses three wind tunnels and other mechanical engineering labs. Connecting Moench Hall and Olin Hall is Hadley Hall. This building contains the offices of the President, the Registrar, Admissions, and Financial Aid.

Rose–Hulman's wireless network covers the academic buildings, Hulman Memorial Union, the Sports and Recreation Center, Logan Library, and the residence halls. Every classroom and residence hall room is also equipped with high-speed ethernet connections.

Chauncey's

Chauncey’s is the campus game room for Rose–Hulman. It is managed and staffed by Rose–Hulman students, with the guidance of the Student Activities Department. It is open to all Rose–Hulman students, faculty, staff, and guests. There are two pool tables, a ping pong table, a foosball table, and recently added an air-hockey table. Rose–Hulman Residence Hall Association provides Chauncey’s with DVD’s that are made available for students to rent at no cost (Currently over 600 titles). The lounge in Chauncey’s is furnished with five big-screen TV’s, and plays host to a number of events.

Throughout the year, Chauncey’s hosts several different tournaments and events, including:
  • Video Game Tournaments
  • TV Premier Parties
  • Texas Hold ‘em Tournament
  • NCAA Bracket Tournament
  • Billiards Tournament
  • Table Tennis Tournament
  • Foosball Tournament
  • Super Bowl Party


During the academic year, Chauncey’s is open during the week from 11 am to 11 pm, and from noon to 11 pm on the weekends, except during exams and breaks when schedules change.

Artwork

Public artwork is displayed across the campus. The Flame of the Millennium, designed by Leonardo Nierman
Leonardo Nierman
Leonardo Nierman Mendelejis is a Mexican artist and sculptor. Often referred to as the Jackson Pollock of Latin art, his work is known for its vibrant colour....

, and its surrounding fountain is the largest and one of the newest of the sculptures. Other works can be seen in the Root Quadrangle around Olin, Moench, and Crapo, and opposite Olin toward the south end of campus. Out of all the sculptures around campus, one of the favorites among students is Naked Lady Riding Fish, located in the Root Quadrangle near Olin Hall. Many students pose with this sculpture to have their pictures taken. Another campus favorite is the Self-Made Man, located near the entrance to the SRC.

Paintings and prints can also be found throughout the school. The largest collection is that of the late Omer "Salty" Seamon
D. Omer Seamon
D. Omer "Salty" Seamon was an American painter known for his folksy watercolors and landscapes of Indiana and the Midwest. His work can be found in galleries and homes across the United States.-Early life:...

, a Hoosier watercolorist and illustrator. A 115-piece collection of 19th century British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....

 watercolors can be found in the Hulman Memorial Union. The art curator for Rose–Hulman also is in charge of rotating the art collections on the main floors of Moench Hall which are changed during the summer and also over Winter Break.

Student life

The student body tends to come mostly from the Midwest United States, though as the school has gained prominence it has gradually attracted a more geographically and ethnically diverse applicant pool. 39% of students hail from the state of Indiana with large numbers of students from the nearby states of Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Minnesota. A 2003 gift of $7 million from an alumnus was specifically established to increase geographic diversity. International students currently make up about 3% of the student body. Approximately 25% of students are female. A sizable population is involved in Army and Air Force ROTC programs.

Greek life and honor societies

There are eight social fraternities and three social sororities, some of which have their houses on campus. The fraternities are: Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Tau Omega
Alpha Tau Omega is a secret American leadership and social fraternity.The Fraternity has more than 250 active and inactive chapters, more than 200,000 initiates, and over 7,000 active undergraduate members. The 200,000th member was initiated in early 2009...

, Delta Sigma Phi
Delta Sigma Phi
Delta Sigma Phi is a fraternity established at the City College of New York in 1899 and is a charter member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference. The headquarters of the fraternity is the Taggart Mansion located in Indianapolis, Indiana...

, Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...

, Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...

, Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...

, Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia...

, Theta Xi
Theta Xi
Theta Xi was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York on 29 April 1864. Theta Xi Fraternity was originally founded as an engineering fraternity, the first professional fraternity...

, and Triangle
Triangle Fraternity
Triangle Fraternity is a social fraternity, limiting its recruitment of members to male students majoring in engineering, architecture, and the physical, mathematical, biological, and computer sciences...

. The sororities are Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Delta Delta , also known as Tri Delta, is an international sorority founded on November 27, 1888, the eve of Thanksgiving Day. With over 200,000 initiates, Tri Delta is one of the world's largest NPC sororities.-History:...

, Chi Omega
Chi Omega
Chi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....

, and Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the Fraternity and community. ΑΟΠ was founded on January 2, 1897 at Barnard College on the campus...

. As of 2003, nearly half of the students were members of Greek social organizations.

Various academic, honor and service organizations are also represented, including Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Chi Sigma
Alpha Chi Sigma is a professional fraternity specializing in the field of chemistry. It has both collegiate and professional chapters throughout the United States consisting of both men and women and numbering more than 63,400 members...

, Alpha Lambda Delta
Alpha Lambda Delta
Alpha Lambda Delta is an honor society for students who have achieved a 3.5 GPA or higher and are in the top 20% of their class during their first year or term of higher education.-History:...

, Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega
Alpha Phi Omega is the largest collegiate fraternity in the United States, with chapters at over 350 campuses, an active membership of approximately 17,000 students, and over 350,000 alumni members...

, Eta Kappa Nu
Eta Kappa Nu
Eta Kappa Nu is the electrical and computer engineering honor society of the IEEE, founded in October 1904 by Maurice L. Carr at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The organization currently has around 200 student chapters and about 3,000,000 members and is headquartered in Chicago,...

, Pi Mu Epsilon
Pi Mu Epsilon
Pi Mu Epsilon is the U.S. honorary national mathematics society.The society was founded at Syracuse University on May 25, 1914, by Professor Edward Drake Roe, Jr, and currently has chapters at 337 institutions across the nation.-Goals:...

, Pi Tau Sigma
Pi Tau Sigma
Pi Tau Sigma is an International Mechanical Engineering Honor Society. Pi Tau Sigma's core values are:*Integrity ,*Service , and...

, Sigma Pi Sigma
Sigma Pi Sigma
Sigma Pi Sigma is the National Physics Honor Society. It strives to promote physics at all stages, to promote fraternity between those who excel at physics, and to promote service among its members. It is closely associated with the Society of Physics Students .- External links :*...

, Tau Beta Pi
Tau Beta Pi
The Tau Beta Pi Association is the oldest engineering honor society in the United States and the second oldest collegiate honor society in America. It honors engineering students who have shown a history of academic achievement as well as a commitment to personal and professional integrity...

 and Upsilon Pi Epsilon
Upsilon Pi Epsilon
Upsilon Pi Epsilon : International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines, is the first and only existing one of its kind....

.

Performing arts

The performing arts at Rose–Hulman have a wide base of support. There are currently 6 different performing arts groups on campus, Chorus, Drama Club, String Ensemble, Jazz Band, Concert Band, and Pep Band. All of the groups use the recently constructed Hatfield Hall for performances, rehearsal space, and storage. All performing arts groups have been recording CDs for the past couple of years to use as recruiting measures and to show off the talent of the Rose–Hulman students. In addition to these groups, Rose–Hulman also has the Performing Arts Series which brings mainstream acts to Hatfield Hall for the cultural enrichment of both the campus and community. Recent acts have included Diavolo, the Harlem Gospel Choir, and the East Village Opera Company all of whose shows sold out completely in only a few days. This year's Performing Arts Series is expected to be a success with many shows selling out due to the expected popularity of the shows including: Barrage, the Russian National Ballet, and Taikoproject.

Rose Chorus

The Rose Chorus performs many times throughout the year including the National Anthem before the Homecoming football game, the Golden Gala dinner during Homecoming weekend, three concerts a year, commencement ceremonies, and either Mom's Day or Dad's Day festivities.

Rose Drama Club

The Rose Drama Club performs many times throughout the year including fall and winter plays, a spring musical, a 24-hour play festival (where plays are written, rehearsed, and performed in 24 hours), and one-acts. Recent productions include The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, Night of the Living Dead, Once Upon a Mattress, The Three Musketeers, and The Wizard of Oz. This years' shows include Noises Off and Curtains. As most Rose students are engineering majors, the drama club prides itself on its technical theater group and their special effects.

Rose Jazz Band

The Rose Jazz Band plays different styles of jazz from a jazzy Let it Snow to Tank. The Rose Jazz Band partners with the Chorus, String Ensemble, and Concert Band to put on an excellent Christmas concert.

Athletics

There are many facilities for sports events. The Sports and Recreation Center (SRC) is home to basketball courts, racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...

 courts, an indoor track, an 8-lane, 25 yards (22.9 m) swimming and diving pool, a weight-lifting room, a basketball arena (Hulbert Arena), and a multi-use room (for dance, wrestling, etc.). Outside of the SRC is Cook Stadium and its football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 field surrounded by the William Welch Outdoor Track & Field Complex. Inside of Cook Stadium grandstand is the RHIT rifle range. Adjacent to the football field is a series of tennis courts as well as two intramural fields (used by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

 during their summer training camp) near these courts. Rose–Hulman's sports facilities also include the Art Nehf
Art Nehf
Arthur Neukom Nehf was an American baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Braves , New York Giants , Cincinnati Reds , and the Chicago Cubs...

 baseball field, a softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

 field, and the Jim Rendel soccer field.

In 2007 and 2009, the SRC was home to the Division III Men's
NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA team champions for Men's Indoor Track and Field-See also:*NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*Pre-NCAA Indoor Track and Field Champions...

 and Women's
NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA team champions for Women's Indoor Track and Field-See also:*AIAW Intercollegiate Women's Indoor Track and Field Champions*NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship...

 Indoor National Track Championships, after having previously hosted the Division III Women's Basketball National Championships in 2002 and 2003.

Rose–Hulman currently competes in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio...

 (HCAC), an NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 Division III athletic conference
Athletic conference
An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other at the professional, collegiate, or high school level. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller and smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels...

. It was previously a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference , founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas...

 (SCAC) and Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference (ICAC), the latter now known as the HCAC
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio...

. Despite no longer sharing a conference affiliation with the SCAC
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference , founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas...

, Rose–Hulman has always had a rivalry with DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...

, and has consistently had nonleague rivalries with other nearby strong academic schools such as Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...

, University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...

, and Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...

.

The men and women's Swimming and Diving team will participate in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin is a college athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Its member teams are located in Illinois and Wisconsin. CCIW schools have won 35 Division III national championships since 1973. The conference was founded in 1946 as the...

. The colors of the Rose–Hulman Fightin' Engineers are rose and white, and their mascot is Rosie the Elephant.

As of 2005, Rose–Hulman has had a student athlete named to an NCAA Division III Academic All-America
Academic All-America
Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program...

 Team for 21 consecutive years. Sixty-four Academic All-Americans have been named from the school since 1978.

For the 2007–2008 school year, Rose–Hulman won the Commissioner's Cup from the HCAC. This award is given to the school with the most number of points based on the teams performance in the conference.

Football

The Rose–Hulman football program was started in the year of 1882. That year, Rose (then known simply as Rose Polytechnic Institute) played one game against Wabash College which they lost 12–0. In the early years, Rose played the likes of the University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, University of Illinois, Indiana University, and Indiana Normal School, which is now Indiana State University. Led by head coach Steve Englehart and senior Quarterback Derek Eitel, Rose–Hulman finished the 2009 season with a 6–4 record.

Baseball

Baseball first made an appearance at Rose–Hulman in 1888. Since then, the baseball team has been a mainstay on the Rose–Hulman campus except for the stretch of time between 1929 and 1947 when Rose–Hulman could not field a team. In 2008, the team received a bid to the NCAA Division III Mideastern Regional Tournament which was held at Art Nehf Field on the campus of Rose–Hulman. The regional tournament has also been held on Rose–Hulman's campus in 2005 and 2006. The team also won the HCAC Conference Tournament, receiving and automatic bid
Automatic bid
Automatic bid is a term generally used to describe a bid or berth to a tournament, granted based on performance in prior competition, and not based on subjective picking...

 to the NCAA Division III Mideastern Regional Tournament. In 2008, 2009, and 2010 the Engineers won their first game, all started by Derek Eitel, before losing the following two to be eliminated from the tournament.

Soccer

The Women's soccer team was the 2007 HCAC Champions and made an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament in the same season. They repeated at the regular season conference champions in 2009. They also have record of 98–45–6 since. The Men's soccer team was the best team in the HCAC regular season in 2008 and 2009 and 2nd in 2006 and 2007, making the program's first ever appearance in the NCAA Division III National Soccer Tournament in 2008. They also have a record of 53–21–7 between 2006 and 2009.

Swimming

The Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology swimming and diving program has earned regional respect and achieved national accomplishments during the past decade. Rose–Hulman’s swimming and diving resume features one national champion, six All-American awards and 64 all-conference awards since 1998. The men’s squad finished either third or fourth in the nationally competitive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference , founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas...

 for eight consecutive years, while the women improved from seventh to fourth in the 2005 campaign. The accomplishments include 17 provisional national qualification times, 11 conference champions and four individual swimmers competing at the NCAA Division III National Championships.

Rose–Hulman’s ascent to national prominence began in 1999, when Sean Valentine captured the first two All-American awards in school history. Valentine placed fourth in the 50 yards (45.7 m) freestyle and sixth in the 100 yards (91.4 m) breaststroke at the NCAA Division III Nationals. Matt Smith became Rose–Hulman’s first swimming national champion in 2003. Smith’s career included four All-American honors, highlighted by a first place in the 100 yards (91.4 m) breaststroke in 2003. He captured eight individual league championships, including three 100 yards (91.4 m) breaststroke titles. David Breiding, a 2004 graduate, also qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships during a career that featured nine individual all-conference awards. Adam Effinger continued the tradition with a pair of honorable mention All-American efforts at the 2006 NCAA Division III National Championships.

The women’s swimming and diving team earned its first significant regional and national accolades in 2005. The 200 yards (182.9 m) medley relay team of Jessica Frank, Anita Isch, Elaine Kratz and Erin O’Connor earned the first national provisional qualification in the history of the women’s program and captured all-conference honors. The all-conference accolades continued with two individual and one relay award in 2006.

Track and Field

The track and field squads has grown into a strong program, more and more talented athletes coming in each year. Five Engineers have won national titles, with the most recent coming from 1998 graduate Ryan Loftus. The men's program has won the HCAC
Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio...

 title in 2008 and 2009. The more recent individual successes include 2007 graduate pole vaulter Ryan Schipper placing 3rd in the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Championships, then freshman Sutton Coleman earning eighth place in 400-intermediate hurdles at the 2009 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, and then freshman Liz Evans earning national runner-up honors (2nd) at the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Championships along with receiving two Great Lakes Field Athlete of the Year Awards. Liz Evan became a two time National Champion by winning the 2011 Indoor and Outdoor National Championship for NCAA Division III in High Jump.

Media

The campus radio station is WMHD
WMHD
WMHD-FM is the student radio station at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. The broadcast studio is located on campus in the basement of the Baur-Sames Bogart Residence Hall, while the antenna is located across the Wabash in West Terre Haute, Indiana.The staff consists of...

 90.7 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...

, "The Monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...

." Until recently, the station broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...

 with a very low power antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...

 on campus, but now operates an off-site transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...

 at 1400 Watts. The studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...

 facilities are in the basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...

 of the BSB residence hall. The station is operated entirely by volunteers, and all disc jockeys choose their own format and playlists.

The school is served by an independently-funded, student-run newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....

, The Rose Thorn, that focuses on campus news.

The Rose–Hulman Film Club currently produces student-directed short films.

In the last few years, students have led an initiative to start a campus television station, RoseView, although currently this station does not exist.

Rose also has an amateur radio club callsign W9NAA.

Homework Hotline

The Homework Hotline provides free homework help and tutoring to Indiana middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

 and high school students. Thirty Rose–Hulman students per night field calls from around the state and help students answer math and science questions. In the 2007–08 school year, the hotline received a total of 44,151 calls. The hotline also conducted over 3000 online tutoring sessions. The program started in 1991 and is funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc. and Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology.

Operation Catapult

In 1968, the college launched Operation Catapult, a science-based summer camp for rising high school seniors. The eighteen day program is designed to immerse students into the role of an engineer attempting to solve problems posed by their group's project. It continues today. In 1977, the college held the first summer computer camp in the nation for high school students, Camp Retupmoc ('computer' spelled backwards). This camp continues through the summer of 2009, with Operation Catapult LXXXVI, with intent to continue further. The 1980s also saw "T.I.P.," The Iceberg Project, a summer camp for rising high school seniors lasting a week and a half, where students were given detailed introductions to scientific areas of interest such as writing software or performing qualitative chemical analysis. The T.I.P. program was short-lived.

PRISM

PRISM (Portal Resources for Indiana Science and Mathematics)
PRISM (Portal Resources for Indiana Science and Mathematics)
' is a free web site originally designed for Indiana middle school math, science, and technology teachers. It links Indiana Academic Standards for middle school science, technology, pre-engineering, and math to appropriate, teacher-reviewed online learning activities...

, is a free web portal
Web portal
A web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way....

 run by the school for teachers of sixth to eighth grade science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in Indiana. The project is also funded by the Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....

.

Rose–Hulman Ventures

Rose–Hulman Ventures is an engineering educational experience located at Rose–Hulman's South Campus, three miles (5 km) south of the main campus. It serves as a source of internships and job opportunities with startups and established companies of all sizes for Rose students and alumni. From 1999–2009, 749 students have worked as interns for 117 companies. Rose–Hulman Ventures was established in 1999 with a $30 million grant from the Lilly Endowment and received a $24.9 million follow-up grant in 2002.
Rose–Hulman Ventures Website

Student engineering projects

There are many activities and clubs at Rose–Hulman, but there are several engineering projects that frequently take the spotlight. The institute has recently started an Advanced Transportation Initiative that has attracted national attention. With its close proximity to the most prominent automotive and transportation companies in the United States, Rose–Hulman is able to partner with companies to integrate current technology and industry developments into the curriculum beyond senior projects so that students can have a four-year experience understanding the engineering world.

Challenge X and EcoCAR

The team at Rose–Hulman was initially created to compete in the Challenge X competition. ChallengeX was a competition among 17 Universities in the United States and Canada that partner with General Motors and the Department of Energy to re-engineer a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox to improve fuel efficiency and decrease emissions. The team ranges from 30–70 students and has been an integral part of the Universities Mechanical & Electrical Engineering programs. The vehicle uses a power-split hybrid architecture as the team modified their vehicle into a rear wheel drive diesel-electric hybrid using B20 biodiesel fuel. The university allows them to use a designated section of the Rotz Lab on campus as team headquarters. Students receive course credit for this project. Rose–Hulman ChallengeX Team Website

The start of the 2008–2009 school year brought with it a new challenge, EcoCAR. The EcoCAR challenge is a three-year competition that is the latest in the 19-year history of the Department of Energy advanced vehicle competitions. Rose–Hulman competes with 16 other schools throughout the United States and Canada to reengineer a Saturn Vue crossover. Rose–Hulman EcoCAR Team Website

Efficient Vehicle Team

The team includes 18 students majoring in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and civil engineering – – four students remaining from the original team that formed the RHEV group in 2003. The goal of this team is to develop a vehicle with very high gas mileage. The team competes in several national and international competitions each year. The driver lays flat on her back and steers the car by adjusting independent front wheel mechanisms. The vehicle is driven by a single rear wheel that’s attached to the motor, located behind the driver’s compartment.

Human-Powered Vehicle Team

The Rose–Hulman Human Powered Vehicle Team constructs a man-powered land vehicle to compete in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Human Powered Vehicle Challenge. The vehicle must be light, highly efficient and powered only by its single occupant. The team at Rose–Hulman is a volunteer engineering club.

The team has competed for five years. The first year, the "Hautian Hazard" gave a strong showing at the sprint and endurance events. However, due to a low design report score, the team only received 7th place at the ASME East Coast competition.

The second year, the "R5" came on strong and took second place overall at the ASME East Coast competition. It was clocked at over 40 mi/h in the sprint event. It also had a sustained one-hour endurance speed of 31 mi/h at an HPRA event.

The 2008 bike, "Infinity", has performed extremely well at the both the East and West Coast ASME competitions. The team achieved first place overall at West Coast by earning a first-place finish in the women's sprint and design report, second place in the men's sprint, and third place in the endurance event. In the men's sprint the vehicle traveled at 45 mi/h through a 100-meter time trap. The team also achieved first place overall at the East Coast Competition by earning a first-place finish in the men's sprint, second place in the women's sprint and endurance event, and third place in the design report. Rose–Hulman was the second team ever to win both the East and West Coast ASME competitions in the same year.

The team continued to win in 2009 and 2010, winning the both the ASME East and ASME West Human-Powered Vehicle Challenge in each year. The vehicles built were dubbed "Mark IV" and "Ragnarök", respectively. In 2010, the team competed in a new vehicle class, Unrestricted, which required more practicality from the competing vehicles.

In 2011, Rose–Hulman will be hosting the ASME HPVC East Coast competition.

Noted alumni

  • George R. Putnam 1890, First Commissioner of Lighthouses
    United States Lighthouse Service
    The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 until 1939...

  • Mat Roy Thompson
    Mat Roy Thompson
    Mat Roy Thompson , known also as Matt Roy Thompson, Matthew R. Thompson, Mathew R. Thompson, M...

     1890–1891, Civil Engineer and builder of Scotty's Castle
    Scotty's Castle
    Scotty's Castle is a two-story Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style villa located in the Grapevine Mountains of northern Death Valley in Death Valley National Park, California, U.S.. It is also known as Death Valley Ranch...

    .
  • Art Nehf
    Art Nehf
    Arthur Neukom Nehf was an American baseball pitcher. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball for the Boston Braves , New York Giants , Cincinnati Reds , and the Chicago Cubs...

     1914, Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     pitcher
  • Leroy A. Wilson
    Leroy A. Wilson
    Leroy August Wilson , born in Terre Haute, Indiana, was a U.S. telephone businessman. He served as president of AT&T from 1948 to 1951....

     1922, Former President of AT&T
    AT&T
    AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...

  • Arthur F. Reinking 1926, Former President/CEO Dresser-Rand http://www.dresser-rand.com/
  • Abe Silverstein
    Abe Silverstein
    Abraham "Abe" Silverstein was an American engineer who played an important part in the United States space program. He was a longtime manager at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics...

     1929, Aeronautical engineer, NASA
    NASA
    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

     center director, and Guggenheim Medal winner
  • Lawrence Giacoletto 1938, Transistor pioneer
  • Bernard Vonderschmitt 1944, Co-founder of Xilinx
    Xilinx
    Xilinx, Inc. is a supplier of programmable logic devices. It is known for inventing the field programmable gate array and as the first semiconductor company with a fabless manufacturing model....

  • Frederick W. Garry 1951, Jet designer and National Medal of Technology
    National Medal of Technology
    The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology...

     winner
  • Ernest R. Davidson
    Ernest R. Davidson
    Ernest R. Davidson, born October 12, 1936 in Terre Haute, Indiana, is Professor of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. He graduated from Wiley High School, Terre Haute and Rose Polytechnic Institute....

     1958, National Medal of Science
    National Medal of Science
    The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and...

     winner
  • Marshall Goldsmith
    Marshall Goldsmith
    Marshall Goldsmith is an American author of management-related literature, professor, executive educator and coach. Born in Valley Station, Kentucky, he received his BS from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1970, his MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business in 1972 , and his...

     1970, Noted Management consultant
  • Chris Mack 1982, Noted Lithography
    Lithography
    Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...

     expert
  • John Hostettler
    John Hostettler
    John Nathan Hostettler , was a Republican candidate for the open U.S. Senate seat in the state of Indiana held by retiring Senator Evan Bayh. On December 3, 2009, Hostettler announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, but lost to former Senator Dan Coats.Hostettler served in the U.S...

     1983, Former U.S. Congressman
    United States House of Representatives
    The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

     from Indiana
    Indiana
    Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

  • Frederec Green 1983, President and COO of Delek Refining, Delek Group
    Delek Group
    Delek Group is of one Israel's largest companies, owned by Isaac Sharon , a self-made multi-millionaire. Delek Group is involved in the energy and infrastructure, with investments in upstream and downstream energy, water desalination and power plants. Delek Group' subsidiaries are also involved in...

  • Tim Cindric
    Tim Cindric
    Tim Cindric is the President of Penske Racing. A native of Indianapolis, he is an alumnus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he was a four year basketball letterman in 1990. He was promoted to the position of president at Penske Racing in January 2006.-References:...

     1990, President of Penske Racing
    Penske Racing
    Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske...

  • Derek Eitel 2010, First graduate to be drafted into a professional sport in 96 years, signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks
    Arizona Diamondbacks
    The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...

  • David Lakey, M.D., Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, B.S. Chemistry

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK