Photo Spotlights

The 31st RIT Big Shot illuminated iconic Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, on Oct. 3. More than 1,800 volunteers provided the primary light source for a 30-second exposure at f11, ISO 100.

RIT held a grand-opening celebration on Oct. 2 for the Clinical Health Sciences Center, part of the College of Health Sciences and Technology. The building houses the college’s clinical programs, headquarters for the Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition and a physician office, Rochester Regional Health Family Medicine. Pictured here, left to right, Dr. Eric Bieber, Rochester Regional Health President and CEO, Rep. Louise Slaughter, Bill Destler, RIT president, Dr. Dan Ornt, RIT vice president and dean of the Institute and College of Health Sciences and Technology, and Vivian Nguyen, 5th year physician assistant BS/MS student.

The Clinical Health Sciences Center in the College of Health Sciences and Technology is home to the Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition and the behavioral health, diagnostic medical sonography (ultrasound) and physician assistant programs. Rochester Regional Health will open a physician office in the 45,000-square-foot facility on Oct. 19.

ROAR Day, the official launch of the 2015-2016 Fund for RIT annual giving campaign, was held today across campus. Lily Cisco, a second-year student in the College of Science from Livonia, N.Y., and treasurer for the RIT Swing Dance Club, collected 26 donations from the club to hand in.

More than 250 companies and 4,000 students looking for employment attended the 2015 RIT Career Fair on Sept. 30. Here, students line up to speak with representatives from Boeing.

Don Figer, left, director of the Center for Detectors at RIT, talks with Clayton Turner ’90 (electrical engineering). Turner, deputy director at NASA’s Langley Research Center, opened the 2015 Dean’s Alumni Speaker Series Sept. 24 in the the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. During his visit, Turner also met with students and toured the Center for Detectors.

Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, participated in two panel discussions at RIT on Sept. 24. He later spoke at the Memorial Art Gallery. His talks concerned the future of digital initiatives in journalism and museum applications. His visit was sponsored by The Digital Journalism Incubator, The Knight Foundation, Memorial Art Gallery, RIT’s School of Communication and RIT’s museum studies program.

Victoria Pitawanakwat, a second-year international business major from Manitoulin Island, Ontario, soaks in the festive atmosphere at ALO-Hockey pep rally that kicked off the 2015-16 season for both the men’s and women’s hockey programs. The women start the season with an exhibition contest against the Ottawa Lady Senators 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Gene Polisseni Center. Tickets are available at the Gene Polisseni Center Box Office.

RIT/NTID’s performance poetry group Dangerous Signs presented at the First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival. The American Sign Language group uses mime, dance, sign and music. Their next event is Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at the Little Theatre. The schedule for additional free RIT events can be found at: http://www.rit.edu/gcr/fringefest/

Certified therapy dogs with their owners provided a welcome break for RIT students in the Fireside Lounge. Here, Tulip, a Lhasa Apso, gets some attention from Khyati Vyas, a graduate student in computer science from India. The event was sponsored by the Center for Student Wellness as a stress reduction activity. Research indicates that pet therapy improves psychological well-being and self-esteem.

Nearly 120 teams of 10 competed in Mud Tug 2015, the annual tug-of-war tournament held behind Grace Watson Hall on Sept. 19. All proceeds from the event, hosted by Phi Kappa Psi and Zeta Tau Alpha, are donated to Hillside Family of Agencies through the RIT United Way Campaign. This year’s event raised more than $10,000.

The RIT/NTID community celebrated the official opening of the Jan Strine Memorial Labyrinth Sept. 17. Strine, an award-winning assistant professor at NTID for 30 years, was a mentor to deaf students until her death from cancer in 2013. Strine taught a wellness and spirituality course in RIT’s Instructional Wellness Program, often discussing labyrinths. A blue lotus flower representing rebirth and the victory of the spirit is the focal point of the installation’s seven-circuit path, and the design incorporates delicate pieces of sea glass gathered by Strine throughout the years. According to her longtime partner, Jeanne Colombo, who spoke at the ceremony, “Jan made the world a better place.” Following the ceremony, guests were invited to walk the labyrinth, placing one foot in front of the other, which is said to relax the body and refresh the spirit.