Three NTID Fellowship Winners Named

Three graduate students from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have been awarded fellowships through the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). Craig Flannagan of West Henrietta, N.Y.; Christopher Sano of Albany, N.Y.; and Paul Thompson of Santa Monica, Calif. are this year’s recipients of NTID’s Professional Fellowship Program, whose aim is to increase opportunities in professional and/or technical employment for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons. The program, which accepts applications nationally and is not limited to RIT graduates, includes a full tuition waiver and a $15,000 annual stipend as compensation for a required part-time employment position related to one’s field of study.

Enrolled in RIT’s Software Development and Management Program, Flannagan has earned an associate of applied science degree in electromechanical technology and a bachelor’s degree in information technology, both from RIT. He is a founder of Grapevine2 Internet, an Internet service provider owned by deaf professionals; a member of Kappa Phi Theta Fraternity; and a past Interfraternity Council representative.

"Craig’s broad background in education and business lends great opportunity to contribute to the future teaching needs of the department in business computer support," says assistant professor David Lawrence, one of several who nominated Flannagan for the fellowship. Adds Donna Lange, chairperson of the Applied Computer Technology Department at NTID, "Mr. Flannagan…is organized, prepared for class, and has excellent technical skills in the information technology field. I believe he would be an excellent role model for all NTID students."

Sano received a bachelor of science degree in information technology from RIT in 2001. He currently is matriculated in the Software Development and Management Program and also is working toward a certificate in advanced multimedia development. He is an active member of the Mu Zeta Chapter of Sigma Nu International Fraternity, serving as Eminent Commander (president) for the past two years. Throughout his college career, he has worked for several different Web design firms in New York state and has spent the past two summers working for Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash.

"Chris is one of the more exceptional students with whom I have worked," says Gordon Goodman, associate professor of information technology at RIT. "He has a fine mix of both creative and technical skills that have made him particularly adept. He is highly motivated, works very hard, and has good organizational skills. I have no doubt that he will be an exceptional graduate student."

Thompson is enrolled in RIT’s electrical engineering program. He received his bachelor of science degree in physics from RIT in 2001 and received the President’s Scholarship, the Nathaniel Rochester Society Scholarship, the Feigenbaum Scholarship, and the Lillian Cowin Scholarship. He was a summer intern at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Maryland and a guest researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, also in Maryland, in 1999. He is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society; is an Eagle Scout; and is past parliamentarian and treasurer and current vice president of the Kappa Phi Theta Fraternity.

"Paul has a strong background in physics and engineering and an intense interest and enjoyment of physics," says Dr. Vern Lindberg of RIT’s department of physics. "He works seriously and is very capable of independent work. I feel confident that he will be an excellent and productive employee."

The first and largest technological college in the world for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, NTID, one of eight colleges of RIT, offers educational programs and access and support services to the 1,100 deaf and hard-of-hearing students from around the world who study, live, and socialize with 13,500 hearing students on RIT’s Rochester, N.Y. campus. Web address: http://www.rit.edu/NTID.

For more NTID news, go to http://www.rit.edu/NTID/newsroom.