Photo Spotlights

The RIT hockey team gathered recently for agility training outside the Frank Ritter Arena. The Tigers are preparing for the first semifinal of the 2010 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, versus the Wisconsin Badgers, at 5 p.m. April 8 in Ford Field in Detroit.

Hiroshi Ishii, the Muriel R. Cooper Professor at the MIT Media Lab and a pioneer in human computer interaction, discussed his vision of our digital future and how it could impact daily life March 29. The presentation, “The Art of Tangible Bits,” was part of the Caroline Werner Gannett Project’s Visionaries in Motion Series. Ishii was a leader in the development of the Tangible User Interface, where humans interact directly with digital information in the physical environment. His current work focuses on advancing these interfaces to create greater interaction between humans, the machines they use and the digital environments they create.

James Duffus, author of the latest book published by RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press, gave a presentation and signed books on March 25. The Old Bank: The Rochester Savings Bank and its Presidents and Trustees from 1831 to 1983 chronicles the life span of 152 years of the bank. Here, Liberal Arts librarian Linda Coppola had her copy signed by the author.

RIT hockey fans filled the RITz March 26 to watch the Tigers play University of Denver in the NCAA Tournament in Albany. The team celebrated a 2-1 win and will play again on Saturday. The winner of that game advances to the NCAA Frozen Four April 8–10 in Detroit.

Debora De Jesus Ryan, business management, talks with a representative from Colonial Life at RIT’s Spring Career Fair on March 24. Representatives from 151 companies gathered in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center to meet with students and alumni. 1,300 attendees arrived in the first hour alone.

Dennis Walcott, deputy mayor of New York City for education and community development, discussed current issues facing American cities with students in Professor Bill Johnson’s “People, Policy and Planning” course on March 23. Walcott, who previously served as president of the New York City Urban League, provided a synopsis of his career and his thoughts on how government, business and ordinary citizens can work together to renew America’s cities.

The RIT Baja team unveiled its 2010 off-road vehicle on March 20. RIT driver Mike Hargrave zipped around in front of the Louise M. Slaughter Building to demonstrate the car’s agility. RIT’s team will host nearly 90 other teams at the Baja SAE Rochester Wet World Challenge June 11–13.

The United Way Campaign kickoff took place in the Student Alumni Union on March 18. The RIT goal is set at $415,000 this year, hoping to be met through pledges and support of special events.

Mary Beth Cooper, vice president of student affairs and James DeCaro, a member of the selection committee, congratulate third-year biomedical sciences major Ryan Buckley, center, who was honored with the 2010 Bruce R. James ’64 Distinguished Service Award during a ceremony March 16. Buckley was selected for his commitment to community development and service both in Rochester and around the world. He spent last summer in Kenya volunteering as a health care worker for Kikuyu Hospital, in the city of Kikuyu.

Criminal Justice professor Lavern McQuiller Williams fixes the boutonniere for Four Presidents Distinguished Public Service Award winner John Klofas before the award ceremony March 16. Klofas, chair of the criminal justice department, was honored with RIT’s highest public service award for his three decades of community work in the areas of crime reduction and community development.

“Every airline in the world is our customer and we’ve gone from the highway to the runway,” says Marshall Larsen, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Goodrich. Larsen was the guest speaker for the E. Philip Saunders College of Business Executive Leaders Network Luncheon on March 16. During Goodrich’s 140-year-lifetime, the manufacturer has become an international leader in aerospace and defense, and Larsen credits its success to “dynamic people who know it, believe in it, own it and execute it.”

Mike Good, a second-year networking, security and systems administration major and WITR-FM (89.7) staff member, emerges from a dunking booth set up on RIT’s Quarter Mile March 12 to help celebrate the station’s new slogan—“WITR 89.7 The Pulse of Music”—and logo. Visitors to the “Dunk a DJ” event received WITR T-shirts and other station prizes. The student-run radio station also unveiled a new Web site. Taylor Osmonson, a second-year mechanical engineering technology major and WITR promotions director, looks on.