Photo Spotlights

Assistant professor of political science Benjamin Banta received the 2017 Richard and Virginia Eisenhart Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. The honor is given to faculty who have taught three years or less and who foster excellence in teaching and leadership in the campus community.

Aaron Mair, the first black president of the Sierra Club, spoke about his activism in the environmental justice movement as part of Earth Week at RIT April 20. His goal is to make the Sierra Club “a more welcoming environment to all people, regardless of their race or socioeconomic status.”

Aaron Mair, the first black president of the Sierra Club, spoke about his activism in the environmental justice movement as part of Earth Week at RIT April 20. His goal is to make the Sierra Club “a more welcoming environment to all people, regardless of their race or socioeconomic status.”

From left, Nicole DeVito, a fourth-year hospitality student from Syracuse, N.Y.; Sam Snyder, a second-year computer science student from Lawrenceville, N.J.; and Amanda Dillman, a third-year hospitality student from from Rochester, N.Y., assembled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at the annual PB Jam event. Over 100 volunteers participated in the 17th PB Jam, sponsored by RIT’s Center for Religious Life and Hillel. The sandwiches were donated to various organizations for the needy in Rochester.

Melanie Morris, a second-year environmental science student from Boston, unloaded old electronics that were dropped off to be recycled or refurbished as part of the 18th annual Electronics Recycling Day on April 18, hosted by the Student Environmental Action League (SEAL).

Students walk into the Student Alumni Union on a recent spring day. Austin Quinlan, center, a fifth-year film and animation student from Marcellus, N.Y., is graduating this May.

RIT students, faculty and staff celebrated President Bill Destler and his spouse, Rebecca Johnson, with a Tiger Walk on April 14. Afterwards, a reception in the Student Alumni Union featured games, food, giveaways and entertainment. Destler is retiring at the end of June.

Sign language interpreting students Shadaka Thomas, left, and Jessika Whitehouse meet with Jason Goldstein from Service Bridges Inc., an interpreting agency in Niagara Falls, N.Y., at the second annual Student Interpreting Association Career/Resource Fair held on April 12. Co-sponsored by NTID’s Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Education, the career/resource fair was attended by more than 25 national and local companies and agencies from across the United States searching for skilled interpreters.

Gallery r, RIT’s metro art space in downtown Rochester, is featuring a group exhibition by senior fine arts students from the School of Art through April 16. The next exhibit of work by seniors from the School for American Crafts begins with a reception at 6 p.m. on April 20.

RIT student researchers presented their work at the RIT Research Spotlights: Health and Life Sciences event on April 11. Students from across campus participated in the second annual symposium sponsored by the RIT Health Sciences and Technology Student Association, Pre-Health Student Association, Biotechnology and Molecular Bioscience Association, the RIT Department of Psychology and the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences. Nina Hullett, left, a senior in the nutrition management program in the Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition in RIT’s College of Health Sciences and Technology, presented a study on preventing malnutrition among elderly people at long-term facilities. Her work examined the relationship between social interactions and food consumption. After graduation, Hullett, from Hilton, N.Y., will take the next step to becoming a registered dietitian and start a dietetic internship at Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Ann Quiroz Gates was the guest speaker at the sixth annual Eugene H. Fram Chair in Applied Critical Thinking Lecture at Ingle Auditorium April 11. The department chair and professor of computer science at the University of Texas at El Paso is an expert in computing and data sharing infrastructure and a noted leader in efforts aimed at diversity and inclusion in the technology fields.

From left, RIT/NTID photographer Mark Benjamin; retired professor Harry Lang; David E. Williams, chief operating officer and executive vice president of the U.S. Postal Service; faculty member John Panara; RIT/NTID President Gerry Buckley; and Steve Monteith, vice president of marketing of the U.S. Postal Service, unveil a replica of the Robert Panara Forever Stamp at the First-Day-of-Issue Dedication Ceremony held in Panara Theatre on April 11.