Simplify the following text for a Grade 9 native English-speaking person.
Original: It was founded in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer for the `` application of science to the common purposes of life '' , and is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world .
Simplified: It was made in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer because he wanted there to be schools that taught science and engineering .