Photo Spotlights

Bertin Mboko, an international studies student, has been selected as this year’s student delegate for the College of Liberal Arts.

The newly renovated College of Liberal Arts lounge officially opened April 18 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and presentations by RIT President Bill Destler and Dean James Winebrake. The College of Liberal Arts’ Student Advisory Board was instrumental in coordinating the new space, which is located on the first floor of Eastman Hall, near the Registrar’s office.

“Nothing is impossible,” said Robert Morgan, CEO and founder of Morgan Management LLC, who was honored with the 2013 Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award during a luncheon hosted by RIT’s E. Philip Saunders College of Business on April 16 at Genesee Valley Club. Morgan became paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot during a robbery at his parents' seafood business in 1991. He subsequently followed his passion for real estate and “making deals.” Morgan’s company now employs 950 people and is a driving force in the development of multimillion-dollar projects—including recent collaborations to revitalize the Strathallan Hotel and the Tower at Midtown.

Dane Gordon, professor emeritus of philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts, helped celebrate Poetry Month at RIT by reading selections at Shop One² in Global Village on April 11. Another poetry reading is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at Shop One² and features John Roche, RIT associate professor of English, and Albuquerque poet Jules Nyquist.

Brooke Piraino, a third-year nutrition student, makes a cake during her product development class. The students are using olive oils and vinegars provided by Flower City Olive Oil, a company co-owned by Elizabeth Olsson ’95 (nutrition management). The students will provide Olsson with recipes that the company can then give to customers. Piraino used mandarin orange balsamic vinegar in her dessert.

About 300 people filled Sustainability Institute Hall April 12 to mark the dedication of the innovative “green” home of the Golisano Institute for Sustainability. In addition to remarks from federal and state government officials and industry executives, the event featured tours of the “living laboratory.”

Nabil Nasr’s dream was to open RIT’s first living lab, a building filled with cutting-edge technology that serves as a classroom and inspires students. Nasr, assistant provost and director of Golisano Institute for Sustainability, other RIT officials and special guests dedicated the building Friday. Cutting-edge “green” technology has been incorporated into every inch of the 84,000-square-foot building, from the solar panels on the soaring canopy to the 38-foot-tall green wall near the building’s entrance.

More than 80 middle school students from 13 states and Canada participated in RIT’s seventh annual Math Competition for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, competing in tasks that tested their speed and accuracy, teamwork and math skills. The competition took place April 5-7.

Chelsea Bailey, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in sustainability, is researching greener ways to recycle lithium-ion batteries discarded after use in electric vehicles and consumer electronics.

Stephanie Rankin ’08 (marketing), right, and Danielle Raymo, an alumna of SUNY Brockport, founded Rochester Brainery as a place to make learning fun, affordable and accessible. Situated in a 1,600 square foot location in Rochester’s Village Gate complex, Rochester Brainery has two classrooms, which are available for classes as well as meetings, parties and other gatherings. Classes typically range from $15-$30 and cover a vast array of topics, from how to brew kombucha tea, to diet tips, to web design.

Michael Ruhling, professor of performing arts/music in the College of Liberal Arts, conducts at a rehearsal.

More than 60 people signed up to have their heads shaved on April 4 to benefit St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for childhood cancer. Here, RIT students Ashley Gast and Ethan Young participated.