Home Page

RIT students will have the opportunity to present their research and innovative ideas at the 33rd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

The free, public event showcases research and creative projects undertaken by undergraduate students in all colleges and institutes on campus during the 2023-2024 academic year. All RIT undergraduate students are eligible and encouraged to attend.
Date:  August 1, 2024   
Location:  RIT Campus, Student Alumni Union (SAU)  

Any RIT student that isn’t able to present their research at our In-Person Undergraduate Research Symposium on August 1, 2024, is encouraged to showcase their research at the International Day of Online Research Presentations Gallery on August 7, 2024.

2024 Program

Welcome Message

Headshot of Ryne Raffaelle.

Welcome to RIT’s 33rd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium!

This year’s Undergraduate Research Symposium is occurring at quite a momentous time in the research trajectory of RIT. For the first time in our history, this fiscal year RIT has eclipsed the $100M in sponsored research awards. This included new record totals for the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services which contains our National Institutes for Health. Congratulations to all the faculty, students, and staff who worked so hard on the success research proposals that led to these new records.

Research is on the rise at RIT and a big part of that is the contribution of our undergraduate researchers. It shouldn’t be surprising that this year we have received over 150 abstracts in-person undergraduate student presentations. The fact that these contributions contain representation from every college and institute on campus which speaks to how broad our research activities have become. For many of our authors, this symposium will serve as the first public presentation of their research. This is a big reason why this symposium continues to be a hallmark of the RIT undergraduate student experience.

I would like to send along my personal congratulations to all of the students presenting today and extend a special thanks to all the faculty mentors for their dedication to cultivating the next generation of RIT critical thinkers and innovators.

I would also like to personally thank Dr. Roberta Benedict who will be delivering our keynote address. Roberta is currently a Research Scientist at Cellec Technologies in Henrietta, NY and a three-time RIT alum! Roberta is an expert on the development of lithium ion batteries. Before joining Cellec Tech, Roberta was a post-doc at Stonybrook University and worked at both Brockport Research Institute and Eastman Kodak.  

Finally, I do want to express my sincere gratitude to all the faculty and staff who have worked so diligently to organize this wonderful event. I am tremendously grateful for their hard work and dedication.

Here’s to a great 33rd Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium!

Ryne Raffaelle
Vice President for Research and Associate Provost

Keynote Speaker

Portrait of Roberta Benedict

Roberta Benedict

Battery technology scientist and RIT alumna Roberta DiLeo Benedict opens the 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium

One of RIT’s elite scholars, Roberta DiLeo Benedict, will open the 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium as keynote speaker. She’ll discuss her path from undergraduate research to becoming an experienced researcher of lithium-ion battery development, one of the key technology growth areas in the country today.

While an undergraduate at RIT, Benedict received the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate award for students interested in pursuing careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering.

She’d use the award and her interest in physics to springboard coursework, research and co-op opportunities with RIT’s NanoPower Research Laboratories. Benedict’s research involving the chemical vapor deposition synthesis of carbon nanotubes has been published in multiple science and technology journals and included in conference proceedings. She’d go on to receive a dual degree in physics and material science in 2008, then complete her doctoral degree in microsystems in 2012. 

Benedict’s experiences are wide-ranging including roles as a research scientist for Eastman Kodak to an adjunct professor at RIT. In 2019 she began work with local lithium-ion battery research and manufacturing company Cellec Technologies Inc. There, she is a research scientist and focused on energy storage materials, and ensuring the efficiency, safety and performance of battery technologies that will impact today’s connected and integrated environment.

2023 Student Research Symposium Keynote

Agenda

Start Time End Time Event Location(s)
8:00am 9:00am Check-In & Continental Breakfast SAU 1300
9:00am 9:45am Welcome Remarks & Keynote Speaker Ingle Auditorium SAU 1250
10:00am 11:00am Oral Presentation Session 1 CPC/SAU/SMT Conference Rooms
10:30am 11:30am Poster Presentation Session 1 & Coffee Break Fireside Lounge SAU 1550
11:30am 12:30pm Oral Presentation Session 2  CPC/SAU/SMT Conference Rooms
11:30am 1:30pm Open Lunch  SAU 1300
1:45pm 3:00pm Oral Presentation Session 3 CPC/SAU/SMT Conference Rooms
3:00pm 4:00pm Poster Presentation Session 2 & Coffee Break Fireside Lounge SAU 1550