News by Topic: Diversity

Nastaran Nagshineh, a Ph.D. candidate at RIT, successfully bridged the Rochester and Dubai campuses, paving the way for future international students. Nagshineh is one of 67 Ph.D. students who defended their thesis this academic year and who will earn their doctorate.

Two RIT students graduating next week continue their family legacies while pioneering unique paths in their fields.

City Newspaper talks to NTID interpreters Kim Billyard and Terri Reisinger, Blake Nitko '14 (advertising and public relations), and Sara Blick-Nitko '17 (professional studies) about the pivotal role of performance interpreters in providing accessibility and inclusivity for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community at local music festivals.

RIT has announced the establishment of the Mark and Maureen Davitt Endowed Scholarship, which will provide financial support to RIT students pursuing studies in STEM disciplines—particularly those who graduated from private elementary schools in the city of Rochester, N.Y.

Orlando Ortiz took over as the RIT Alumni Association president in January, an association with which he has been a member of for 10 years. He is also active with RIT’s Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity Inc. and is a mentor with RIT’s Men of Color, Honor, and Ambition (MOCHA) program.

At RIT, robots are learning to read the room—especially rooms with humans. Improved communication between robots and people is part of the human-centered philosophy that anchors much of RIT’s work in robotics.

Michael Rizzolo didn’t plan on learning American Sign Language when he came to RIT as a student, but he grew interested and eventually became an interpreter. Today, he is founder and CEO of the interpreting agency Interpretek.

As a child, Shakierah Smith loved watching Law & Order. Now a real estate associate, Smith says that her success was thanks to her support system and positive experiences at RIT.

To help draw attention to the thriving Filipino community in Austin, Texas, Joi Conti created a new magazine guide called TAYO NA: Austin Filipino Artists & Makers Guide in October 2023.

RIT will host its first Latinx graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in the SHED. The event is a chance to honor and celebrate graduating Latinx students and is organized by RIT’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

Independent research projects can help cultivate critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. Whether it’s late nights spent in a RIT lab or a field study in the mountains, research experiences can be a cutting-edge way for students to prepare for the future.

ScienceNews talks to Rain Bosworth, associate professor in the Department of Liberal Studies, about her research.