News

Flip Phillips, professor of motion picture science, shared a Milestone Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers for his hand in creating RenderMan, Pixar’s revolutionary software still used today to create the iconic animation look of classic films.

With its five extra-large classrooms, seven makerspaces, performing arts studios, and glass box theater, the $120 million SHED complex is made for a new generation of RIT students who see themselves as makers and doers, performers, and active learners.

Twelve RIT alumni have been honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards for the 2023-2024 year. The Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented annually by each of RIT’s nine colleges, the School of Individualized Study, and the RIT Graduate School to alumni who have performed at the highest levels of their profession or who have contributed to the advancement and leadership of civic, philanthropic, or service organizations.

Astrophysicist Jason Nordhaus is breaking cultural and disciplinary boundaries by helping to grow the number of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and Hispanic researchers. And, in doing so, he is enabling these future scientists to drive discoveries in one of his areas of expertise—neutron star astrophysics.

The low-cost multispectral imaging system MISHA, or the Multispectral Imaging System for Historical Artifacts, was developed by RIT experts to uncover object details that aren’t visible to the naked eye.

Students in RIT’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science participated in Industrial Associates at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center on Oct. 19. The event was a chance for students to connect with industry professionals and to hear about trends in the optics industry.

Gabriel Diaz, associate professor in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, and his team are aiming to understand the effects of cortical blindness on the processing of visual information used to guide behavior, like driving a vehicle. Cortical blindness affects nearly half a million stroke patients in the United States each year.

The recent fires that have devastated Maui have hit home for one RIT student. Third-year biotechnology student Maximillian Balter, who is one of four RIT students from Maui, has been busy in the relief efforts. His family’s company, Maui Flight Academy, took the initiative to air deliver supplies.

Alumnus Ronald Kemker ’18 Ph.D. (imaging science), a major in the United States Space Force, received the 2021 Harold Brown Award, the highest award given to a scientist or engineer who applies research to solve a problem critical to the needs of the Air Force.

RIT is offering a new bachelor’s degree in neuroscience beginning this fall. The Bachelor of Science degree will focus on how the brain works and how to apply that knowledge to develop systems for new frontiers, such as advancing artificial intelligence, combating neurodegenerative diseases, and assisting those with learning disabilities.

More than 158 students presented research discoveries conducted over the past spring and summer at RIT’s 32nd annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on Aug. 3.

RIT’s Launch Initiative won first place in the Space Dynamics Laboratory Payload Challenge this summer in Las Cruces, N.M. They were among nearly 6,000 students from 159 international collegiate teams at the annual competition that challenges students to launch solid, liquid, or hybrid rockets to altitudes of 10,000 and 30,000 feet.