Photo Spotlights

Community members welcomed RIT President Bill Sanders on July 1, his first official day at RIT. Sanders arrived with his wife, Emily, and their Labradoodle, Ollie. “I am deeply honored to join this extraordinary community, and I already feel the energy that makes RIT so unique,” Sanders told the crowd.

RIT hosted the GENIUS Olympiad international competition for high-school students June 9-13. More than 975 students from 34 states and 69 countries participated in this year’s competition, presenting their projects in science, the arts, short film, coding, robotics, speech, engineering, design, and business development to panels of judges. GENIUS Olympiad, which was founded in 2011, promotes a global understanding of environmental issues and the achievement of sustainability. Here, three student teams test drive their robotics creations in the Gene Polisseni Center ahead of the competition.

RIT employees helped clean up Mount Hope Cemetery on May 15 as part of United Way Day of Caring. Day of Caring is the largest volunteer event across the Rochester region.

RIT’s Army ROTC detachment held its annual commissioning ceremony on May 11 in the SHED. Eleven cadets graduated to the rank of lieutenant and will enter the U.S. Army as officers. Here, William King, front, leads cadets at the start of the ceremony.

Liam Greier, a computer engineering major, right, and Jack Digrigoli, a film and animation - animation option major, center, embraced their friends in celebration after Academic Convocation.

Four honorary degrees were conferred during the Academic Convocation ceremony on May 9. Among those recognized was Gregory Robinson, engineer and former director of the James Webb Space Telescope. He received an Honorary Doctor of Science. Pictured, from left to right, are RIT Provost Prabu David, Robinson, and RIT Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson Susan Holliday.

The exhibits that will be featured at the Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival on April 26 represent some of RIT’s many strengths. Many of the exhibits, like the Data Sonification Weather Chimes being assembled here, highlight how an idea can be enhanced by working across disciplines. The exhibit was born from a collaboration between RIT’s School of Performing Arts and the Kate Gleason College of Engineering’s Multidisciplinary Senior Design project initiative. The completed set of chimes will be on view during the festival.

Marissa Tirone, principal lecturer in the School of Design, is congratulated by President David Munson, right, for receiving the Provost’s Innovative Teaching Award at RIT’s Celebration of Teaching and Scholarship on April 9. Tirone is joined on stage by Neil Hair, second from left, executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Andre Hudson, left, dean of the College of Science, accepted the same award on behalf of Dina Newman, professor in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences. These were two of dozens of awards presented to faculty members.

Don Pophal, left, a senior lecturer and lead guide in the Multidisciplinary Senior Design Capstone Program in Kate Gleason College of Engineering, and Christian Waldschmidt, right, a fifth-year biomedical engineering major, are this year’s Alfred Davis Award winners. They received the awards for their public service work on April 8 from RIT President David Munson.

Trey Choate, left, a third-year visual media major, and Melson Miranda, a second-year visual communications design major, spent part of Spring Break painting a mural. Designed by Amber Stokes, a multimedia graphic designer with RIT’s Finance and Administration division, the mural was made for a relaunch of the former Ritz Sports Zone. Now officially “Ritz,” the space gives visitors a new vibe, focusing on energy, pride, and unique connections that make RIT a vibrant community. A week of events are planned in the space including making charm bracelets, photos with Ritchie and Balloon Ritchie, trivia, table and lawn games, interactive crafts, giveaways, and more.

Aashka Desai, left, a 2024 graduate of RIT’s computer science master’s degree program, returned to campus for RIT’s spring Universitywide Career Fair held on March 5 in the Gordon Field House. Hundreds of RIT students in search of co-op opportunities or full-time employment met with representatives from 170 companies. Here, Desai, who is from India, interviews with Jordan Noll-Lamantia from ITT.

 

RIT’s next president, Bill Sanders, met with members of Reporter Magazine on March 3. The meeting was one of many for Sanders during his visit to campus on March 3 and 4. The current dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering assumes RIT’s top post on July 1.