Showcase Stories

Experience the Future

Saturday, May 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the RIT campus

Published Apr. 22, 2016

Welcome to Imagine RIT. Are you ready to explore?

Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity Festival is the university’s signature event, a showcase that displays the ingenuity of students, faculty and staff. The festival is now in its eighth year and has established itself as both a campus and Rochester tradition. More than 235,000 visitors have attended the festival since it began in 2008.

More than 30,000 people are expected to visit the RIT campus for the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, May 7. A variety of food, entertainment and children’s activities combine to make the event a fun, family-friendly environment.

This year’s highlights include:

  1. Dr. Destler’s Access and Inclusion Technology Challenge: The RIT president’s annual challenge covers new ground this year, asking students to showcase technologies that will make it easier for those with physical or cognitive challenges to shop or travel. Entries will be judged on innovation, commercial feasibility and effectiveness or technical viability. The competition runs from 9 to 10 a.m. in Clark Gymnasium. Winners could receive $1,000 or a banjo from the prized collection of RIT President Bill Destler.
  2. A presentation by the RIT Hyperloop team of its SpaceX’s Hyperloop Pod Competition Design. The Hyperloop system was designed by Elon Musk to replace high speed rail by propelling levitating capsules through near-vacuum tubes. Visitors can interact with the team’s CAD models and learn about the potential future of the Hyperloop.
  3. A host of new video games, with titles such as Hack, Slash & Backstab, WordWells and Adventure Guild.

Time Warner Cable is the premier sponsor of Imagine RIT for a sixth consecutive year.

Festival admission is free, and parking is available on the RIT campus. There is also free shuttle service offered from Monroe Community College. Visitors can go to the RIT website’s plan your day (http://www.rit.edu/imagine/planyourday16/) to view exhibits.

Experience the future at Imagine RIT. For more information on the festival, go to www.rit.edu/imagine. Share your experience on Twitter at #ImagineRIT and @Imagine_RIT.