Intersections: The RIT Podcast

Intersections: The RIT Podcast is a conversation between people whose daily work is making a difference in the world.

Current Episode

Episode 61: RIT Big Shot celebrates 35 years
It all started in 1987 with a community project, a handful of faculty, and 37 students. Now, the RIT Big Shot is a larger campus tradition than anyone anticipated. In this episode of Intersections: The RIT Podcast, get a glimpse of the history behind the RIT Big Shot and a taste for the team’s future plans, in celebration of a new exhibit, RIT Big Shot: 35 Years of Painting with Light. Michael Peres, Gannett Chair in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, has worked on the Big Shot since its inception. He is joined by Dan Hughes, lecturer in SPAS, and Eric Kunsman, assistant professor in Visual Communication Studies at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, who will lead the Big Shot into the future.

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Past Episodes

  • October 25, 2021

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    Podcast: Boldly Going into Space and onto Careers 

    Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 52: RIT Space Exploration, or RIT SPEX, gives students hands-on experience on projects in the growing space industry. Current student leader Ryan Brown talks with RIT SPEX alumni Evan Putnam and Amber Dubill, who took their experiences to industry leaders Raytheon Intelligence and Space and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

  • August 18, 2021

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    Podcast: The Supply Chain Struggles to Send Semiconductors 

    Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 51: Complex manufacturing processes of semiconductors and growing demands along the global supply chain for computer chips is impacting numerous industries. Robert Pearson, professor of microelectronic engineering, and Steven Carnovale, assistant professor of supply chain management, discuss how the semiconductor supply chain has been disrupted.

  • June 25, 2021

    side-by-side portraits of researchers Barbara Lohse and Ellyn Satter.

    Podcast: Tools to Fight Nutrition Risk in Children 

    Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 50: Contentious battles are often fought over the dinner table around what and how much a child should eat. RIT researcher Barbara Lohse, head of the Wegmans School of Health and Nutrition, and colleague Ellyn Satter have rigorously tested and validated a common-sense approach to identify and prevent nutrition risk in children.

  • May 26, 2021

    side-by-side portraits of professor Nickesia Gordon, student Trinity McFadden, and professor Carol Anderson.

    Podcast: Race, Gender and Voting Rights 

    Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 49: New restrictive voting laws in states across the country present obstacles to the polls via voter ID laws, voter role purges, and poll closures. The collective impact on American citizens’ right to vote follows the centennial celebration of the 19th Amendment and women’s suffrage. Nickesia Gordon, School of Communication, and Trinity McFadden '21 (criminal justice), talk with historian Carol Anderson, Emory University.

  • May 12, 2021

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    Podcast: Metaproject 11 with Staach 

    Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 48: Design must play a critical role as society faces difficult discussions and works to create a new balance in a troubled world. Josh Owen, director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies, and Seth Eshelman '06, founder of sustainable design firm Staach, discuss their Metaproject collaboration.

  • April 22, 2021

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    Podcast: Along for the Ride with Theme Park Enthusiasts 

    Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 47: RIT’s Theme Park Enthusiasts started as a casual group of roller coaster fanatics. Today, they have won national design competitions and have found co-ops and jobs in the field of theme park entertainment. Travis Faircloth, current club leader, talks to alumnus and former member Robert Cybulski, CAE Analyst at Roush Industries, and Michael Deneau, vice president of Entertainment Engineering at Roush Industries. They share insights about the growth of the club and what it takes to succeed in a very competitive and rewarding industry.

  • April 9, 2021

    side-by-side images of Dan Johnson, Ian Mortimer, and Steven Carnovale.

    Podcast: Preparing Students for the New Economy 

    Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 46: Anticipating rapid changes in the workplace—further accelerated by lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic—RIT is seizing on the opportunity to guide students to new economy majors that are multidisciplinary, transformative, and future-focused. Dan Johnson, professor of packaging science; Ian Mortimer, vice president for Enrollment Management; and Steven Carnovale, assistant professor of supply chain management, discuss the importance of offering majors that ensure successful outcomes while meeting the ever-changing needs of a new, and evolving, economy.

  • March 25, 2021

    side-by-side portraits of three mental health therapists.

    Podcast: Addressing Mental Health Challenge for Students of Color 

    Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 45: As our society reckons with issues of racial disparity and mental health, RIT’s Counseling and Psychological Services is working to address some of the unique mental health challenges facing RIT’s students of color. Three mental health therapists who identify as people of color—Odessa Despot, Jaime Castillo, and Isabel Chandler—discuss issues related to mental health stigma, the impacts of racism and racial trauma, and ways to support those experiencing mental health issues.