RIT women in the news

The $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has expanded RIT’s accredited Priority Behavioral Health and Clinical Psychology Internship program to focus on delivering integrated care for young clients who struggle with substance use, mental health issues, and trauma from exposure to high rates of violence within the community.

W. Michelle Harris, an associate professor in RIT’s School of Interactive Games and Media, has had her piece In Their Wake, an interactive digital memorial to the forgotten Black people who developed Rochester, selected for the 67th Rochester-Finger Lakes Exhibition, the region’s longest-running juried exhibition. Harris is one of 28 members of the RIT community who had pieces selected for the exhibition.

Guiping Hu recently began her new role as the sustainability department head at Golisano Institute for Sustainability. Hu arrived on campus from Iowa State University, where she served on the faculty of the Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering department.

WXXI’s “Connections” program features Enid Cardinal, senior advisor to the president for strategic planning and sustainability, and Kimie Romeo, adjunct professor of environmental management.

LaVerne McQuiller Williams, professor and current interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, has been named associate provost for Faculty Affairs at the university, effective Sept. 1. In this role, McQuiller Williams will oversee the Office of Faculty Affairs, within the Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Shanti Thakur—who began her new role as director of RIT’s School of Film and Animation in the College of Art and Design earlier this month—is an award-winning fiction and documentary filmmaker who has taught for nearly two decades.

Laural Hartman and Sarah Kinard created a large-scale mural combining painting and printmaking for the annual PLAY/GROUND showcase in downtown Buffalo.

The National Institutes of Health has awarded RIT the NIH Prize for Enhancing Faculty Gender Diversity in Biomedical and Behavioral Science. The prize went to 10 institutions that have acted to effect systemic change in gender diversity and equity among faculty members within their biomedical and behavioral science departments, centers, or divisions.

Sarah Brownell, senior lecturer in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, and Clark Hochgraf, associate professor in RIT’s College of Engineering Technology, have been named 2021 KEEN Engineering Unleashed Fellows by the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN).

Ten College of Science students received funding to work with faculty mentors on summer-long research projects as part of the HHMI Inclusive Excellence Summer Research Experience. The program is for students who just completed their first year at RIT and helps broaden RIT’s research groups to include a greater diversity of culture.

College of Art and Design participated in this summer's Studio930 design consultancy, an interdisciplinary studio that focuses on the development of assistive healthcare solutions by leveraging the use of technology, art, and design.

Marissa Schroeter’s summer undergraduate research explores a global health issue with a local twist. Her work prospects for new antibiotic compounds produced by two bacterial strains collected from Lake Ontario. She will present her findings at the RIT Undergraduate Research Symposium.