Photo Spotlights

On Monday, students about to graduate celebrated during Rainbow Graduation, a ceremony for LGBTQIA+ students and allies. Students, left to right, are Sinclaire Ogof, Alexis Gordon, David Prichett, Aidan Grant, and Jordan Carroll.

RIT welcomed Pete Docter, chief creative officer at Pixar Animation Studios, as part of the MAGIC Speaker Series April 14. Docter is the Oscar-winning director of Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out, and Soul. He also helped develop the story and characters for Toy Story. During his visit, Docter, left center, met with students, faculty, and staff, and presented about his animation and directing experiences with Flip Phillips, right center, professor in the School of Film and Animation.

RIT faculty winners of the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, pictured here with RIT President David Munson, were among those honored at the Celebration of Teaching and Scholarship on April 13. The annual spring event recognizes the university’s outstanding faculty, staff, and students for their excellence in innovation, teaching, and developing the next generation of leaders. Several other awards were presented during the event hosted by RIT’s Office of the Provost.

RIT President David Munson, center, emceed the 2023 Alfred L. Davis Public Service Awards on April 11. Recipients Susan Fox, left, and Jade Myers, right, were honored for their outstanding record of service. The Four Presidents Distinguished Public Service Award was presented to Fox, a prospect researcher in University Advancement, for her commitment to the Rochester community through volunteering for the Dining Room Ministry program run by Third Presbyterian Church, and the East Avenue Grocery Run, an annual event that has raised more than $400,000 for 24 food pantries and meal programs. A gift in Fox’s name will be made to the grocery run. The Bruce R. James ’64 Distinguished Public Service Award was given to Myers, a mechanical and industrial engineering doctoral student in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, who focuses on designing prostheses for individuals who have lost limbs. A gift in Myers’ name will be made to the Healing Hands for Haiti Foundation.

Members of RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering gathered with U.S. Representative Joe Morelle, right; Dean Doreen Edwards, second from right; and RIT President David Munson on Wednesday to recognize state and national funding acquired to support upgrades to the university’s Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabrication Lab.

The Student Alumni Union lobby was filled with art and excited chatter during the RIT Zine Fest on March 31. The event, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts journalism program and RIT Libraries, featured a variety of artists from the RIT community, as well as a few regional zine vendors.

The RIT community honored its top scholars March 23 at the annual Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars awards ceremony and reception. The award celebrates the top 1 percent of undergraduate students who achieve academic excellence while also giving back to the community through civic or volunteer work, by conducting research, or being engaged in a co-op or work in their field of study. Students awarded with this distinction have completed at least 83 credit hours of study and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.85 for university work completed as of last year’s spring term. 

More than 240 company representatives came to campus for RIT’s spring career fair on March 8. The fair, which helps RIT students and alumni locate co-ops, internships, and full-time positions, runs until 4 p.m. today in RIT’s Gordon Field House and Activities Center. Follow-up interviews with employers will be held on March 9. The fair includes employers from the Rochester area and from across the country. Some companies, like Paychex, General Electric, GEICO, and Texas Instruments, have returned while others, like eLogic, Sorenson Communications, New York State Department of Health, and Moderna, are visiting RIT for the first time. In addition, RIT welcomed back more than 150 alumni who now serve as corporate recruiters. This year’s spring career fair, coordinated by RIT’s Office of Career Services and Co-op, is expected to be the largest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 100 RIT students, faculty, staff, and administrators donned gloves and orange hairnets to help kick off the university’s United Way Campaign on Monday by making more than 1,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The sandwiches were donated to four community agencies that work with United Way: The Boys & Girls Club, Center for Youth, Willow Domestic Violence Center, and YWCA. The ingredients were donated by RIT Dining and Palmer Food Services.

Students at Rochester Institute of Technology raised more than $8,000 for those impacted by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Members of RIT’s Global Union, Muslim Student Association, Student Government, and Spirituality and Religious Life organized events such as selling henna tattoos and baked goods, even shaving their heads live on social media. Students campuswide participated, with most of the donations raised in just three days.

Did you know there is a 3D molten glass printer on campus? On Friday, Feb. 17, Todd Jokl, dean of the College of Art and Design, invited RIT President David Munson and other leaders from across the university to learn about the new technology and see its capabilities in real time.

Former RIT /NTID Tiger Daniel Durant, known for starring in the Academy Award-winning film CODA, attended a screening of the film on campus Thursday. He answered questions after the movie. He will be speaking to classes and meeting with performing arts students today.