Photo Spotlights

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Assembly Majority Leader Joseph D. Morelle joined university officials—including RIT President Bill Destler—Danny Wegman from The Wegman Family Charitable Foundation, and representatives from Dell and Cisco Systems Inc. on Nov. 15 at the launch of the building that will house MAGIC Spell Studios at RIT. The program is a first-of-its-kind effort in higher education that will link RIT’s internationally ranked academic programs with high-tech facilities needed to commercialize computer gaming, film and animation, and digital media projects. The building and initiative are made possible through $13.5 million in funding from New York state, $3 million from Dell, $12.4 million from Cisco Systems Inc., and $1.5 million from The Wegman Family Charitable Foundation. To read more, go to rit.edu/news/story.php?id=58179.

About 100 RIT students, faculty, staff and administrators gathered at the Student Alumni Union Nov. 14. A few remarks were made about their feelings after last week’s election and they pledged to celebrate the diversity found on the RIT campus. The group then took a Solidarity Walk to Global Village to reaffirm that RIT students are here for each other.

Braxton Frederic, left, a fifth-year game design and development student from Bath, N.Y., demonstrated his project to entrepreneurs Karthik Bala, center, and Guha Bala, right. Karthik and Guha Bala, of Velan Ventures—an innovation investment company that supports entrepreneurs and early-stage startups with strategy, financing and management to bring video games and related technologies from proof-of-concept to market—critiqued RIT student projects during a workshop Nov. 14. The brothers, from Rochester, N.Y., are well known for co-founding Vicarious Visions, which developed and grew multi-billion dollar franchises such as Skylanders, Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk. Their company was acquired by video game publisher Activision/Blizzard.

Dan Rouleau, a second-year industrial engineering student minoring in Spanish from Trumbull, Conn., relaxes in one of his favorite trees in the Eastman Kodak Quad while he waits for his next class to begin.

Jazib Rao, on left, a third-year management information systems student, played in the playoffs in RIT’s first season of intramural e-sports. Competitive video gaming—more commonly known as e-sports—is the newest intramural sport being offered at RIT. Teams of five face off every Friday in the video game Heroes of the Storm, in hopes of becoming intramural champions.

My Father’s Secret was one of 10 films created by RIT women from the School of Film and Animation that were shown at the High Falls Film Festival Nov. 13. The thesis film by graduate student Yumeng Zhang from China won the audience favorite award and a cash prize. In the short film, a Chinese teenage boy examines the meaning of love and family. The festival showcases female filmmakers, directors and writers.

RIT students, faculty and staff gathered for a special Gray Matter discussion on the presidential election. Gray Matter is a discussion series designed to promote critical exploration of provocative topics related to higher education and the RIT campus community. RIT President Bill Destler concluded: “Let’s try as best we can to understand each other, to support each other, to realize that not everybody has to agree on anything. And because somebody disagrees with us doesn’t mean they are evil. Let’s try to be a model community. That’s our chance, that’s our opportunity. We can’t immediately impact the world, but we can impact what happens here. And I’m counting on all of you to help catalyze that kind of atmosphere at RIT.”

Director of International Student Services Jeff Cox served cake at the International Education Week kick-off Nov. 11. RIT Bhangra performed and Ritchie posed for photos as part of the festivities. For a schedule of events for the rest of the week, go to rit.edu/academicaffairs/global/iew-2016.

An empty table is set to honor veterans who were prisoners of war or missing in action during RIT’s Veterans Day Breakfast Nov. 11. More than 400 people attended the annual event, which included live music, interviews with veterans, organizations offering veteran services and the playing of taps.

Rochester community volunteers working with the Marketview Heights Collective Action Project put a community garden to bed for the season, removing all plants and putting mulch on for the winter. This is part of RIT’s University/Community Partnerships.

RIT students participated in the 6th annual Election Night Hackathon in Student Innovation Hall Nov. 8. Student were able to watch election results live on nine screens while “hacking” the night away on current projects and new civic hacking projects.

Joseph Ressler, a third-year photojournalism student from Strasburg, PA., photographed the activity at Susan B. Anthony’s gravesite on Election Day, Nov. 8. Hundreds lined up to place stickers on her tombstone, to honor the activist who fought for women’s right to vote. Photojournalism students are collaborating with WXXI and will have photographs, video and audio posted on the WXXI website.