A team of RIT engineering majors won first place and $75,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its design of a low-cost solar oven for use in developing countries in Latin America. The EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Award recognized “innovative solutions for an environmentally sustainable future.” RIT’s seven-member interdisciplinary team was one

Motorcycle enthusiasts will be able to easily personalize their Harleys, thanks to the ingenuity of RIT engineering and business students. Magnum Shielding, a Pittsford-based manufacturing company and supplier to Harley-Davidson, set the wheels in motion by sending a business proposal to be considered for a College of Business capstone project. Last fall, three consultants from the Executive MBA program agreed to spend 20 weeks analyzing company data and formulating business strategies.

The “prognosis” is excellent—RIT printing students are outstanding among their peers in the graphic arts field. For the fifth consecutive year, RIT’s student chapter of the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts claimed top prize in TAGA’s Student Chapter Publication Competition with its publication entry, Prognosis.

The initiative to understand the latest business technologies turned into a learning experience for two College of Business students. Alla Kaplan and Jason Taylor recently attended the RFID Journal LIVE! 2005 Conference in Chicago. But before they could get there, the pair needed to explore funding options. They developed a proposal and budget to present to RIT organizations and staff.

Two members of RIT administration have been recognized for their accomplishments and dedication. President Albert Simone announced the promotions of James Watters and James Miller to the newly created positions of senior vice president. Watters will serve as senior VP for finance and administration while Miller will serve as senior VP for enrollment management and career services.

The Kate Gleason College of Engi-neering is receiving a $20,000 grant from the Semiconductor Industry Association for a pilot program aimed at improving retention among engineering majors, particularly minorities, through peer support during students’ first two years of college. The pilot, led by Edward Brown, assistant professor of electrical engineering, includes a summer enrichment program prior

Summer jobs for students often involve a minimum-wage salary and a drive-through window. However, thanks to RIT’s cooperative education program, Mike Zelinski’s summer job will quite possibly save lives. Zelinski, a fourth year student in the Chester F. Center for Imaging Sciences, is spending his summer in Roskilde, Denmark

Stonehenge is one of the earth’s great mysteries—a circle of megaliths standing on a plain in England. Built in stages from 2800 to 1800 B.C., experts conjecture whether the temple, astronomical observatory and burial site was erected by the Druids, Greeks, Phoenicians or Atlanteans.

Leigh Hochella, fourth-year nutrition management major, was chosen RIT’s Outstanding Female Senior by the RIT Women’s Coun-cil. The award honors students who have shown high scholastic achievement while overcoming difficult circumstances.

Six student teams built and defended computer networks in the first McAfee Day hacking contest on May 13.The contest celebrated McAfee’s recent donation of $1 million in equipment to help launch the computer security and information assurance master’s degree. The hackers—McAfee engineers and members of the RIT student group SPARSA

Support from Hewlett-Packard is enhancing RIT’s information technology curriculum. The B. Thomas Golisano College of Computer and Information Sciences has been selected for the 2005 H-P Technology for Teaching grant. The award, valued at $74,000, will finance the implementation of wireless technology in needs assessment, a class that challenges students’ problem-solving techniques.

Mary Beth Kitzel of NTID interpreting services and Gus Weber of development have been elected to one-year terms as chair and vice chair, respectively, of RIT Staff Council. For full results, visit http://www.rit.edu/staffcouncil.

RIT’s Formula SAE team earned 16th place among 111 teams in the 2005 Formula SAE collegiate design and racing competition, May 18-22, in the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. RIT captured second place in the sales presentation category, third place in the Society of Plastics Engineers Composites Division Award challenge for the most innovative use of polymer-matrix composites, sixth place for engineering design, and top-20 finishes in the cost and skid-pad contests.

RIT and University of Rochester joined to design the portion of a new high-speed statewide network that will connect the Rochester area in support of research and education applications. The infrastructure is built on optical fibers called light waves that deliver state-of-the-art network services to members of the New York State Education and Research Network.

Zach Bednarz and David Thering, Empire 8 first team members of the RIT men’s lacrosse team, were selected as honorable mentions of the 2005 STX-Geico Division III All-American Team. “These two players led a young team this past year,” says head coach Gene Peluso. “It is great that the coaches in Division III recognize their accomplishments.”

Mary-Beth Cooper, vice president of student affairs, is one of Rochester’s most “influential women,” according to the Rochester Business Journal. Cooper is among 20 female business and community leaders chosen for the award, created to honor the achievements of women who are actively working in the highest ranks of area organizations and making or influencing policy decisions, according to the newspaper.