Photo Spotlights

RIT students were treated to a Halloween-themed dinner at Grace Watson Dining Hall on Oct. 31. The meal included roasted chicken, grilled salmon, pumpkin ravioli, kielbasa and ghoulish desserts like chocolate pudding graves and Oreo mummies. Here, Erin Nguyen, a second-year student in 3-D design, created her costume to resemble Link from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

On Oct. 29, the Schmitt Interfaith Center Rededication ceremony celebrated the renovation of the upper lobby, the Allen Chapel and the Jones Chapel. The Kilian J. and Caroline F. Schmitt Foundation made a lead gift to kick off the renovation. It was designed to transition the center from its original focus on mainline Protestant and Jewish faith groups to include modern Christian faith groups, the growing Muslim population and other faiths, such as Zen Buddhist groups. It has also improved the center’s facilities for cultural events, such as concerts, recitals and social gatherings. The rededication featured readings, prayers and reflections from the chaplains and leaders of RIT’s Center for Religious Life’s many faith groups.

Kim Kolb initially joined the Center for Detectors as a senior undergraduate in the microelectronics program. After gaining industry experience, she returned to RIT on a fellowship from the military contractor BAE Systems to pursue a master’s degree from the Center for Imaging Science.

Owners with their certified therapy dogs provided a welcome break for RIT students in the Fireside Lounge Oct. 25. Here, Mike and Barbara Serve’s goldendoodle, Tucker, gets attention from students. The event was sponsored by Student Wellness as a stress reduction activity. Research indicates that pet therapy improves psychological well-being and self-esteem.

Frank Sciremammano, professor of mechanical engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, serves as a member of the St. Lawrence River Board of Control. The board provides specialized studies, oversight and regulation of Lake Ontario water levels for the International Joint Commission, the organization that manages the shared water resources on the U.S. and Canadian sides of the lake. He was appointed to the board in 1995 and is one of 10 members—five each from the U.S. and Canada—overseeing system operations. Through community outreach and education, he provides insights into how the regulatory process works and acts as an advocate for the protection of the economic, environmental and residential resources that surround the lake.

Jenn Poggi joined RIT this fall as a visiting assistant professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences following four years at the White House, where she served as a picture editor and deputy director of the Photo Office.

A roundtable titled “Growing Computer and Video Game Development in New York,” was held Oct. 22 at RIT to gather comment from interactive entertainment leaders, entrepreneurs and legislators on how New York state can attract and support the video game design and development industry. The session was hosted by New York State Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Science, Technology, Incubation and Entrepreneurship. Pictured here are RIT President Bill Destler, MAGIC Center Director Andrew Phelps and Golden.

Students Senam Akorli, left, and Sarah Fairbank have designed jewelry that was worn on the runway at Fashion Week of Rochester Oct. 16-20. Akorli is a Ghana native and second-year graduate student in the jewelry design program. Her work shows traditional aspects of her culture while also employing copper, brass, feathers and precious stones. Fairbank is a fourth-year jewelry design student who makes pieces that incorporate elements such as fur and feathers.

Roger Harnish, professor of psychology in RIT’s College of Liberal Arts, has been researching dreams for nearly 30 years. He has developed an app called Dream Professor that uses a series of algorithms to provide detailed analyses of users’ dreams.

Barnes & Noble @ RIT hosted a meet-and-greet with the RIT women’s hockey team on Oct. 19. Money raised from autographed team photos and a silent auction benefits AutismUp, an autism organization in Rochester.

RIT industrial design alumnus Scott Wilson, founder of Chicago-based Minimal Inc. and former global director at Nike, delivered the keynote address at the 10th annual RIT Entrepreneurs Conference hosted by Saunders College of Business on Oct. 18. Since founding Minimal in 2007, National Design Award winner Wilson has designed a variety of commercially successful products that include the Xbox 360 + Kinect, the SW_1 Collection for Coalesse and TikTok+LunaTik Watch Kits, which turn Apple’s sixth generation iPod nano into a wristwatch.

Shannon McCormick ’13 makes adjustments to an isothermal reactor in one of the state-of-the-art labs in Institute Hall, home of RIT’s new chemical engineering program.