RIT News, others from RIT finalists for tech award

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The top portion of today’s edition of News & Events Daily. RIT’s e-newsletter is a finalist for a GREAT Award, in the communication technology category, from Digital Rochester.

RIT University News is among six finalists with RIT connections in Digital Rochester’s second annual GREAT Awards. Standing for Greater Rochester Excellence and Achievements in Technology, the awards honor “entrepreneurial spirit in technological achievement” and innovation in the Greater Rochester region.

University News was nominated in the communication technology category for its e-newsletter, News & Events Daily, along with a custom-built content management system—created by RIT University Publications—used to produce the daily digital newsletter. N&E Daily, launched in 2008, reaches more than 28,000 subscribers—representing growth of more than 40 percent in a year. The online and e-mailed newsletter replaced News & Events, RIT’s longtime printed newsletter.

Other GREAT Award finalists include Jeremy Jensen and Praneeth Pulusani, engineering majors in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, both in the student achievement category. Jensen was the project leader for TigerBot, a “humanoid” robot that mimics human behavior and movement. Pulusani was the project leader for the Wandering Ambassador robot, which autonomously carries a plant around in search of the most ideal growing conditions. Also, Sean Petterson, an industrial design major, and Justin Hillery, a multidisciplinary studies student, are finalists in the same category for their Strong Arm Ergonomic Lifting Safety System.

In addition, two Venture Creations graduates are award finalists. OptiCool Technologies was nominated in the going green category and Vnomics is a finalist for the Rising Star Award.

Winners will be announced at a dinner on Sept. 11 at the Rochester Plaza Hotel.