What’s it take?

RIT's Innovation Hall of Fame

Published Apr. 10, 2015

The RIT Innovation Hall of Fame inducts a stellar class of innovators annually on the eve of the Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival.

The lone 2015 inductee is RIT alumnus Alex Kipman. Kipman is the Technical Fellow of new device categories in the Operating System Group at Microsoft.

An innovator at heart, Kipman has led four major break-through products for the company, including Kinect in 2010. Microsoft HoloLens is his latest product creation, bringing holograms to Windows. Kipman is named as the primary inventor on more than 100 patents since joining Microsoft in 2001. Kipman's dedication to creating new experiences with cutting-edge technology propelled Kinect to become the world’s fastest selling consumer electronics device. As a result he entered Microsoft’s Hall of Legends in 2011.

Kipman was born in Brazil and graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2001 with a degree in software engineering. He was named one of TIME Magazine’s 2011 “100 People of the Year.” In 2012, he was named National Inventor of the Year by the nonprofit Intellectual Property Foundation.

Join us on the eve of the Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival for the fifth Innovation Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The induction ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 1 in Webb Auditorium on the RIT campus.

RIT President Bill Destler established the Innovation Hall of Fame in 2010 to highlight and celebrate the remarkable RIT-affiliated individuals whose innovations have impacted the world.