Class Notes

Name: Nicholas Bucciarelli

Class Year(s): 2004

Note: Nicholas Bucciarelli MS ’04 (CAST) is pleased to announce the completion of his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Technology at Walsh College, specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Nicholas’s doctoral research, Project Chimera-QCA, introduces a quantum-cognitive framework that he architected and developed for adaptive learning in computational drug discovery. Grounded in the mathematical formalism of quantum theory, the framework represents evolving scientific knowledge through state vectors in Hilbert space and models evidence-driven updates through typed operators. It integrates persistent scientific state, uncertainty monitoring, and governed decision-making to support adaptive, transparent, and auditable research, with the broader objective of contributing to accelerated drug discovery. He is currently pending a patent application, as well as preparing to pilot the platform at several research universities and teaching hospitals with hopes that these initiatives will support empirical evaluation, refinement, and assessment of its practical value in research environments. Nicholas wishes to extend his sincere gratitude to Dr. Dave Schippers; his dissertation committee—Dr. Christopher Heiden, Dr. Abbas Raftari, and Dr. Kurt Godden—and Walsh College President and CEO Dr. Suzy Siegle. Their leadership, scholarly guidance, and critical evaluation strengthened his research and his development as a scholar. He is equally grateful to my family, colleagues, and the Walsh College community for their sustained encouragement and support. As an engineer, researcher, and educator, he looks forward to advancing this work through rigorous evaluation, institutional collaboration, and commercialization, translating its theoretical foundations into practical applications for the scientific community.

Submitted on: November 2, 2026

Name: Kemal Lowenthal

Class Year(s): 2012

Note: Since Kemal Lowenthal ’12 (CIAS)’s graduation, he’s kept busy. He moved to Maine to teach woodwork at the Maine Coast Waldorf School for five years, earning his Masters. He also got married in 2014 and had his first child in 2016. In 2017, him and his family moved back to his hometown to be closer to family and Kemal took a position at the school he attended growing up, teaching math for children grades 6-12. He is now a father of three lovely children, ages 10, 7, and 4, and teaches woodwork and clay to middle schoolers; while teaching pottery, stone carving, woodwork, and weaving to high schoolers.

Submitted on: November 1, 2026

Name: Trenton Witham

Class Year(s): 2021

Note: Yara Rose ’20 (COS), and Trenton Witham ’21 (KGCOE) met in their first year through RIT Outing Club and were married on October 17, 2026 in Lake Placid, NY.

Submitted on: October 27, 2026

Name: Clarissa Guyton

Class Year(s): 2010

Note: Clarissa Guyton ’10, MS ’10 (CAST) founded KidLore Books (kidlorebooks.com) in Franklin, MA, which turns kids’ own stories into published picture books, complete with pen names and a Certificate of Authorship. She also writes The Math Crew, free skip counting songs and a times tables quiz for kids: kidlorebooks.com/pages/math-songs-for-kids

Submitted on: October 26, 2026

Name: Marc-Anthony Arena

Class Year(s): 2005

Note: Marc-Anthony Arena, ’05 SCB, has released his second book, Don’t Be Taken by Big Tech, a Plain English guide to the tech industry. In this book, he explains why tech is getting more complicated, why antivirus software is obsolete, and how we can curb the fear and expenditures.

Submitted on: October 19, 2026

Name: Laura Carbonneau

Class Year(s): 2010, 2012

Note: Laura Carbonneau (COLA ’10, CAST ’12) received the 2026 Ewing Arts Award Arts Advocate recognition for her theatre directing and advocacy work.

Submitted on: October 15, 2026

Name: Kevin Norris

Class Year(s): 2007

Note: The career of Kevin Norris ’07 (CIAS) in commercial photography really started at RIT. The education, technical foundation, and experience Kevin gained there helped shape the way he approached photography and ultimately gave him the foundations he needed to be successful. After RIT, he continued his education with a master’s degree from Long Island University and eventually founded Juno Photo Productions, his commercial photography studio on Long Island, New York. Over the years, he’s been fortunate to build long-term relationships with clients and photograph campaigns and commercial work for brands including Seiko, Timex, Marchon, Nike Eyewear, Bulova, DKNY, Columbia, Converse, Qosina, Rubie’s, and many others. His work today spans product and still life, watches, eyewear, fashion, beauty, healthcare, lifestyle, and e-commerce photography. The industry has changed tremendously with the rise of new technology, and his work has evolved along with it. In addition to traditional still photography, he now creates commercial video, 360° product imagery, and AI-assisted motion and animation. Despite all of the changes in technology, the photographic fundamentals and problem-solving skills he developed at RIT continue to be a major part of how he approaches every assignment. Outside of photography, he and his wife are raising four kids. Their family has also been through an incredible journey after their son was diagnosed with leukemia. He underwent treatment and a bone marrow transplant, with his sister serving as his donor, and today he is in remission. That experience has given their family a very different perspective on what matters and has made Kevin especially grateful to be able to continue doing the work he loves while raising his family. More than 15 years into his career, he’s still doing what he went to RIT to learn how to do: creating images, solving visual problems, and making a living as a photographer. You can view his recent work at kevinnorrisphoto.com.

Submitted on: September 29, 2026

Name: Kazuo Takeuchi

Class Year(s): 76

Note: Mr. Kazuo Takeuchi ’76 (CAST) appeared on the stage of Wakayama Castle Concert Hall (in western Japan) on September 19th to sing in his rusty English “My Way” and “Country Road” to a large audience alongside a talented pianist Ms. Aiko Miyai who is one of the best players in Japan. Mr. Takeuchi worked as the GM and VP at Kao Honolulu and retired in 2008, now living in Japan with his wife Harue.

Submitted on: September 25, 2026

Name: Aristide Economopoulos

Class Year(s): 1994

Note: For the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center Twin Towers, Aristide Economopoulos ’94 (CIAS) was interviewed on CNN by Anderson Cooper to talk about his photos and experience that tragic day. See the video here: https://next.frame.io/share/a5b62159-45c5-4a7b-a01f-99f7dc7417f0/view/2ab55ccc-2106-496f-8c18-7988016a518b

Submitted on: September 24, 2026

Name: Will Johansson

Class Year(s): 2009

Note: Will Johansson ’09 (GCCIS) has created an art installation titled, Can You Read My Lips?, at Burning Man 2026. He shares his experience: As a Deaf person, I’ve spent my whole life reading lips — it’s exhausting, imprecise, and something hearing people rarely think about until they’re asked to do it themselves. The fact that Bad Lip Reading exists just cements the point. Can You Read My Lips? flips that experience. This piece invites burners to try reading the same words I’ve read a few times too many, and then, on the sixth line, asks whether they can read my hands instead. I’ve been attending Burning Man for many years... and it wasn’t until this year I had a complete idea for an art installation there. This art installation combines my Deafness with my passion for art and technical background. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first art installation at Burning Man by a Deaf artist.

Submitted on: September 18, 2026