Research News

An electrical engineer turned creative technologist, Ricky Figueroa is invigorated by working at the intersection of technology, the arts, and design. Embracing an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research has led to success for both Figueroa and the students who pass through his classroom.

RIT’s interdisciplinary collaborations enrich research across the university and beyond. Two of these collaborative projects recently received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of a total $22.6 million in grants given to support humanities projects across the nation.

The dean of Carnegie Mellon’s College of Engineering is praised for his research credentials, success in global partnerships and entrepreneurship, and strong student engagement. He starts at RIT July 1.

Lorraine Justice's career journey was filled with leading, learning, and designing what's next. True to her innovative spirit, she plans to remain busy in her retirement from RIT by exploring AI's role in design and creativity.

Professor Susan Lakin's career-long commitment to leading collaborative initiatives related to emerging technology in the arts was honored with the Vanguard Award for Outstanding Service from the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru).

RIT's MFA in photography and related media's commitment to sustainable practices includes a "photographic garden" containing plants that students and faculty can use for various photographic processes.

Six faculty are featured in an exhibition in Venice that showcases the College of Art and Design's breadth of creative disciplines through the unification of sculpture, film, photography, and industrial design. 

Emma Herz Thakur ’24 feels fortunate that at RIT she met people who have won major grants, had their work featured in museums, and are connected with scholars from around the world. Now, she is one of them.

Diane Catsburrow Linnet ‘24 MFA (film and animation) has had her films accepted into film festivals around the world, with the latest being one of the circuit's crown jewels.

Emma Herz Thakur '24 (ceramics and illustration) aims to create connections between practicing artisans and museum collections as a Fulbright Scholar working in partnership with French potters and France's Natural Museum of Natural History.

While at RIT, Nathan Irving '24 (motion picture science) developed problem-solving technology for creatives and arcade-style video games with novel mechanics. 

Students leveraged the variety of makerspaces in RIT's brand-new SHED facility to create arts-integrative work responding to a theme of "Play."