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School of Information

During the 15 weeks between spring and fall semester, RIT students are finding ways to embrace new challenges. Some are taking the stage and performing. Others are winning club championships. For many, summer is a time to get work experience and participate in research projects, traveling abroad, and helping others while pursuing their passions.

RIT is offering a new master’s degree in artificial intelligence (AI). The program begins in fall 2023 and enrollment is now open. The Master of Science degree aims to prepare students from diverse educational backgrounds to become well-rounded AI professionals.

More than 30 employers returned to the RIT/NTID campus since the start of the pandemic to recruit a new cohort of talented deaf and hard-of-hearing students and alumni for open co-op or full-time positions.

RIT faculty are a resource not just for students, but for their colleagues as well. Now, a fellowship program will share their expertise through peer mentorship, training, and program development. The Center for Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellows Program launched this fall with eight fellowships.

When RIT’s Computer Science House put out a call for hardware donations last year, Fred Oettinger—an alumnus and staff engineer at Wayfair—got an idea. He knew that Wayfair had just what they needed. Wayfair, one the world’s largest destinations for the home, has gifted RIT’s Computer Science House (CSH) about $850,000 in server equipment.

Matt Huenerfauth has been named dean of the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. Huenerfauth, who is an expert in computing accessibility and served as chair of RIT’s School of Information (iSchool) for the past two years, was chosen after an international search.

The Center on Access Technology at NTID, in partnership with Google and Georgia Institute of Technology, is creating PopSign, a mobile app that will enable parents of deaf children to more easily learn American Sign Language.

RIT students have more than 300 clubs and organizations to choose from today. There are also 24 varsity athletics teams and numerous intramural sports, among other groups. For many students, these extracurricular activities are a great way to try something new, find a niche, and build lasting relationships.

The New York Times interviews RIT/NTID faculty researcher Wendy Dannels and human-computer interaction graduate student Roshan Mathew about assistive technology for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Cecilia Alm, an associate professor in RIT’s College of Liberal Arts, was awarded nearly $2 million by the National Science Foundation to lead a team of RIT faculty addressing a lack of diversity in the artificial intelligence research community and gaps in AI curricula.

RIT received a nearly $1 million National Science Foundation grant that will provide scholarships for computing students and help researchers explore new ways to improve computing education. Sharon Mason, a professor in RIT’s School of Information, is principal investigator of the project.

In 2001, the dot-com bubble was bursting and investors had lost confidence in internet companies. Twenty years later, data has become a new currency, and people can access just about anything from their smartphones. Throughout all these changes, Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences has evolved into the largest college at RIT, with more than 4,600 students this year. Since its creation 20 years ago, GCCIS has awarded more than 14,000 degrees—in a growing number of computing disciplines.