Campus transforms into innovation showcase at 2026 Imagine RIT

Campus transforms into innovation showcase at 2026 Imagine RIT

Robots, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and performing arts were just a sampling of what visitors experienced at the 2026 Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival on April 25.

Since 2008, RIT has welcomed visitors to campus each spring to get a glimpse of the creativity and innovation that students, faculty, and staff experience every day.

“Our goal is to inspire the next generation of problem solvers and spark excitement about science, technology, engineering, and math,” said Lisa Stein, executive director for events and conferences. 

More than 450 exhibits were on display. Some were class, senior, or capstone projects. Others were demonstrations from some of the more than 300 student clubs and organizations at RIT. All were prime examples that you can have fun while learning.

Extraordinary on Display

Visitors in a brightly lit, themed room watch and interact with a playful display featuring oversized teeth props and glowing blue foam “toothbrush.” A crowd stands in the background under colorful lighting and decorations
A student sits beside a large orange test rig with warning stripes and a vertical signal light while other students and visitors gather around tables in a bright atrium. A red rocket display is visible in the background.
Two people in protective gear pour glowing molten metal from a crucible into molds lined up on a worktable. A workshop furnace and tools are visible in the background.
A student in an “Imagine RIT” shirt explains a project to visitors gathered around a workbench with a monitor and a small machine. Other attendees and displays fill the busy indoor event space.
In a dark, neon-lit lab space, a student looks out from inside a large blue machine or cockpit-like frame on a worktable. People and a large projected computer screen are visible in the background.
Six students in black-and-orange team shirts pose inside a large glass-walled atrium at an event, holding a metal display frame with orange “RIT” letters. Tables, attendees, and an “Imagine RIT” sign are visible in the background.
An adult uses a device made from white PVC pipe and electronics while a group of students wearing “Imagine RIT” shirts watch in a workshop space. Equipment and other attendees are visible in the background.
A dance group performs on a theater stage, captured mid-jump under colorful stage lights. Multiple dancers in matching jeans and dark tops move in unison across the stage.
A child and an adult use a laptop and handheld controller to operate a model aircraft at a crowded indoor event. The plane’s propeller and part of the aircraft body are visible in the foreground.
An attendee sits while a volunteer applies molding material to their face during a 3D face-portrait activity at Imagine RIT.
A prospective student and parent speak with an RIT staff member in a campus hallway near a table display with dental models. A sign for RIT’s global public health program is visible in the background.
A student demonstrates a cervical collar or neck brace prototype at an event table while visitors watch and ask questions. Prototype parts and straps are spread across the table.
A student demonstrates an autonomous wheeled robot to visitors, including children, in a bright indoor atrium. The robot sits in the foreground with sensors and wiring visible as the group watches.
A student wearing a virtual reality headset sits at a bioinformatics club table while another student speaks across from a laptop and monitor showing a protein model. A sign reading “Bioinformatics Club” is displayed on the front of the table.
A student facilitator guides a participant through a robotics challenge at a workstation in the Toyota Lab while visitors watch. The table holds tools and computer equipment, with other lab stations and attendees in the background.

You can explore more images from Imagine RIT on our Facebook page.

Watch what happened at Imagine RIT

Screenshot of first frame of Imagine RIT summary video.
Imagine RIT logo cloud

 

We hope you can join us next year on April 24, 2027!

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