News

Hundreds of millions of people around the globe are engaging in electronic sports, called esports. It’s a billion dollar industry, where fans watch as their favorite professional and amateur players take each other on in some of the most popular video games. Since starting an esports club in 2016, RIT has become one of the nation’s largest and best collegiate esports programs.

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.

The best white hat cybersecurity students will work to phish and exploit their way to a championship trophy at the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition (CPTC) global finals Jan. 13–15. The event is the culmination of the world’s largest offense-based collegiate cybersecurity competition, hosted by RIT.

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.

Forbes has named RIT alumnus Colin McDonald among the top young entrepreneurs helping to make tomorrow a brighter day. McDonald ’22 (computer science) and his software development agency, Moonsworth, were named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2023 in the Games category.

The K-12 University Center at RIT& runs the Apprenticeships and Fellowships division of the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), helping high school students through post-doctoral students find positions at research labs and centers affiliated with the U.S. Army and with universities across the U.S.

The Catholic Courier features Chase Lear, a new media interactive development major.

A team of researchers from RIT was recently awarded a grant to develop curricular modules on infrastructure improvement and resilience that introduce students to public and private sector standards, including industry standards.

RIT cybersecurity experts are helping make instant messaging safer for activists in countries controlled by restrictive regimes. Pentesters from RIT’s ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute performed a security assessment of Partisan Telegram, a customized version of the Telegram messaging app. RIT was selected to conduct the assessment by a nonprofit organization that supports global internet freedom.

RIT is vying to be the first university to develop and have a game character accepted into the wildly popular online game Dota 2. The character, or courier, in the form of a tiger, was developed in MAGIC Spell Studios by a team of former RIT students and a faculty adviser.

Professor S. Jay Yang sees collaboration as the key to combating international cybersecurity threats. That’s why the director of global outreach for RIT’s ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute is helping lead an alliance of cybersecurity researchers from the U.S., Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland.

Animation Career Review has named RIT one of the top augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) colleges in the country. RIT ranked No. 8 on the 2022 list of Top 50 AR/VR Colleges in the U.S.