Photo Spotlights

RIT’s School of Hospitality and Service Management welcomed back alumni employed by Renaissance Hotels and Resorts for an interactive workshop on March 10. Among the presenters was Michael Murphy ’84 (hotel and resort management), who discussed brand strategy with more than 150 current RIT students and alumni. The workshop was sponsored by the hospitality alumni society.

RIT's men's lacrosse team breaks in the new artificial turf field in early March. The team was the first to practice on the field and under a new set of lights that needed to burn brightly for 100 hours to test their durability and remove residue on the filters. The lacrosse team opened the 2004 season with a 14-10 win over Endicott College.

RIT staff and Athenaeum members gather on Feb. 19 to celebrate reaching their initial goal to establish The Athenaeum Legacy Fund. The fund was established with contributions from Athenaeum members to offer a source of income to ensure the future growth of the organization. From left are Lisa Cauda, associate vice president of development, Bonnie Salem, chair of the Legacy Fund committee, and Margie Klotz, committee member.

This work by RIT professor Alan Singer will be on exhibit in “Slice of Life: A Retrospective Look at the Art of Alan Singer, in Paintings, Prints and Drawings, 1993-2003" in the NTID Dyer Arts Center from March 11 to April 9. The opening reception is from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 11.

RIT students and faculty learn the art of paper folding at Midnight Breakfast on Feb. 20. Around 400 students attended the feast, held just before winter quarter final exams, and many faculty and staff volunteered to serve food and hang out with students to ease their pre-final fears.

Jim Watters, vice president of finance and administration, became chef for a day as he assists Jose Vargas in preparing food for the Celebrating Our Cultures Luncheon, on March 5. The event highlighted the cultural diversity of the entire F&A staff by offering ethnic dishes prepared by guest chefs selected from the staff. Here, Vargas prepares his offering of “Chicken ala Jose” from the Dominican Republic.

The New York State Assembly has awarded the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies $400,000 to support research and industry outreach efforts in remanufacturing. Assemblyman Joseph Morelle made the announcement on March 4 during a press conference in CIMS’ Imaging Products Laboratory. Morelle's advocacy of CIMS' programs has resulted in nearly $4 million in state funding since 1998. He states the overriding benefit has been the ability to create and retain manufacturing jobs in New York.

RIT President Albert Simone commends Linda Meyer, director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program, during a ceremony honoring RIT’s principal investigators. Meyer is among four PIs whose cumulative research grants since 2000 have exceeded $1 million. During 2003, the total value of RIT research projects funded by various grants exceeded $31 million.

Christopher Morrison, fifth-year computer engineering major, right, explains the ICU home-security system to Harvey Palmer, dean of the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. Morrison created the remote-access and notification home-monitoring system as a senior design project with fellow student Kyle Jones. Among other projects demonstrated on Feb. 12 in Erdle Commons were a wireless weather-monitoring system, a wireless PDA text-messaging device and an automotive diagnostic data logger.

Barry Culhane, executive assistant to RIT President Albert Simone (right), was presented with the second Four Presidents Distinguished Public Service Award in a ceremony on Feb. 12. Al Davis, RIT vice president emeritus (left), created the award in honor of RIT’s past presidents. RIT honored Culhane for his commitment to groups like the Al Sigl Center, the Vietnam Veterans Association and the Rochester Rotary Club.

Medal of Honor recipient Gary Beikirch stands in front of a portrait of himself, recently unveiled in front of ROTC offices in the Ross Building. Beikirch served in an Army special forces unit during Vietnam and is one of only 131 living Medal of Honor recipients in the U.S. He frequently works with RIT ROTC. Beikirch’s medal of honor citation from the president and congress is adjacent to the painting. The portrait was painted by a fellow Vietnam soldier.

Chef Tricia Miller, from RIT’s Student Alumni Union Café and Catering, recently won a silver medal for texture and a chef’s choice award for her chocolate creation at the 18th annual Chocolate Ball sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation. Copacabana is an orange macadamia brownie that supports layers of chocolate orange buttercream, macadamia, macaroons and orange.