Photo Spotlights

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand convened leading experts from industry, government and academia for a summit at RIT’s Center for Student Innovation on April 27. The event focused on strategies to bring about a manufacturing renaissance to upstate New York. Here, U.S. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson provided the keynote address.

Sen. Joe Robach, second from right, poses with members of RIT’s team in the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute’s first-annual Greening Your Campus competition. RIT’s Team Powers addressed greenhouse-gas emissions and mercury releases as a direct result of RIT’s electricity purchases. The team, which placed second, consists of students Nikhil Kale, left; Steven Barber, second from left; Ayham Haddad, right; and faculty/staff advisor Chance Glenn (not pictured). Clarkson University took first place and University at Buffalo took third place. Students were presented awards at a ceremony in Albany after exhibiting their projects.

As part of its Research and Development Program, the Pollution Prevention Institute had developed a student competition in which teams must identify a specific activity at their university with a high environmental footprint and define a solution for lowering the impact.

RIT President Bill Destler, center, prepares to face off against more than a dozen teams in the inaugural E-Dragster Race, this year’s kickoff event to Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival on May 5. Participants, which include RIT students, faculty and staff, gathered April 26 for a media preview in Simone Plaza. Electric-powered dragsters will take part in time trials, and the winning team claims either $1,000 or a banjo from President Destler’s personal collection.

Fifth-year packaging student Zack Loughery worked with the preservation team at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film to protect some of photography’s history using modern packages. He was part of a team that developed a new archival storage and protection covering for daguerreotypes.

The College of Liberal Arts honored students April 20 with a luncheon and awards presentation in University Gallery. Student achievement in writing was recognized with the 2012 Henry and Mary Kearse Student Honors Awards for excellence in liberal arts coursework. Faculty members recommended students based on writing assignments done in individual classes. The awards were created in 1980 thanks to a donation from Henry J. Kearse and his wife, Mary, a longtime member of RIT’s Nathaniel Rochester Society. Pictured are (front row, left to right): Amy Pease, Diana Bonilla, College of Liberal Arts Dean James Winebrake and Danielle DiGaspari. In the back row are Benjamin Liu, Adam Oest, Matthew Steski, Nicholas Giordano, Terese Davies and Kenneth Tyler Wilcox. Missing from the photo are Caitlin Purdy, Michael Rousselle and Nikolas Cairns.

The RIT Anime Club hosted its annual convention, Tora-Con, on April 21-22 on campus. The RIT Anime Club, with more than 150 members, is one of the largest in the country. Anime is an art form and an expression of Japanese culture. The weekend featured music, a cosplay contest, a dance and panel discussions.

Lorraine Justice, dean of the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, spent seven years in China as dean of the School of Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her new book, China Design Revolution, from The MIT Press, is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and the MIT Press website. The book discusses the history of design and innovation in China along with current designs and global brands. It explores design’s role in China’s economic boom.

The RIT women’s hockey team captured its first NCAA Division III championship and the first national championship for a women’s sport at RIT on March 17. A celebration for the team took place April 20 in Fireside Lounge. Here, Kim Schlattman autographed a poster for a fan.

Brian Koberlein, front, senior lecturer in RIT’s Department of Physics, and his team of educators asks Gwyn Guthiel and her middle-school classmates at the Harley School to “Prove Your World” during a science outreach presentation April 5. Koberlein and his colleagues are developing an inquiry-driven science television program, “Prove Your World,” for 8- to 13-year-olds—an age group with a teetering interest in science and technology. “Prove Your World” asks students to investigate science questions they find interesting. The pilot is in pre-production and will air on WXXI. Also pictured are artist and puppeteer Kevin Schoonover ’86 (graphic design), left; educator Julie Koberlein, back; Grant Guthiel, professor of psychology at Nazareth College, second from right; and Susan Sherwood, science education consultant, right. Not shown is Gail Grigg, professor of inclusive child education at Nazareth College.

The RIT women’s hockey team captured its first NCAA Division III championship and the first national championship for a women’s sport at RIT on March 17. A celebration for the team took place April 20 in Fireside Lounge. Players signed autographs on posters and shirts.

The Tiger East End Express connects the RIT campus to Rochester’s East End from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday nights. RIT students can hop the bus for the opportunity to explore Rochester clubs, theaters, restaurants, stores, galleries and museums.

The annual Leadership Awards, presented on April 18, give special recognition to student leaders who significantly improve the quality of campus life. The Davis Scholarship (recipients pictured), Walls-Olson Memorial Scholarship and six other awards were presented to those who demonstrate leadership ability, good campus citizenship and high personal standards.