News by Topic: Staff

WXXI’s “Connections” program features Rob Mostyn, digital games hub coordinator in MAGIC, and Jenn Hinton, associate director of the MAGIC Center.

Debbie Stendardi, who retires as vice president of Government and Community Relations at the end of the year, leaves an indelible mark on both RIT and the Greater Rochester region—both of which she has advanced considerably through her advocacy efforts for more than four decades. In a far-ranging interview, the unassuming Stendardi reflected on her longtime career and widespread impact.

RIT has selected Vanessa J. Herman, a higher education veteran, as its new vice president for Government and Community Relations. Herman, currently serving as assistant vice president for government and community relations at Pace University, was chosen after a national search. She begins her RIT duties on Jan. 4, 2021.

RIT successfully completed all 13 weeks of in-person instruction this fall without having to suspend or cancel classes due to coronavirus outbreaks. Despite having a large, active campus with students from many countries and all 50 states, RIT had a relatively low rate of infection and avoided major outbreaks.

Thousands of COVID-19 tests were completed on campus for RIT students this semester. And more than 65 RIT staff members volunteered—often with little advance notice—with the Tiger Testing Team to set up testing stations and walk students through the process of sample collection.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 41: RIT is considered to be one of the most accessible college campuses in the world. NTID President Gerry Buckley and RIT Director of Disability Services Catherine Lewis chat about how that accessibility came to be, including the signing of the landmark 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act.

RIT's Cary Graphic Arts Collection has received a donation of books and printing equipment from the estate of a noted historian of typography and early printing technologies. Stephen Saxe was an expert on American type foundries from the 19th century and a founding member of the American Printing History Association.

RIT is offering an expanded version of Slack, the popular interactive software, with features to improve coursework and project collaborations. Slack Enterprise Grid, the comprehensive version, offers several upgrades.

Dan Gabber, digital fabrication specialist in RIT’s College of Art and Design, has developed a creative solution for users of chemical respirators who also must protect against the spread of COVID-19: valve covers.

With so many uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, one thing remains constant: People need to eat. Whether it’s a breakfast sandwich, a healthy salad, or even a hot Thanksgiving Day meal, the essential workers at RIT Dining have scrambled this year to safely accommodate hungry students, faculty, and staff.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 40: Steve Hoover, the Katherine Johnson Executive Director of GCI, and Justin Pelletier, a computing security lecturer and director of GCI Cyber Range and Training Center, provide a sneak peek of what the Global Cybersecurity Institute's new 52,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility has to offer.

RIT students discovered lost text on 15th-century manuscript leaves using an imaging system they developed as freshmen. By using ultraviolet-fluorescence imaging, the students revealed that a manuscript leaf held in RIT’s Cary Graphic Arts Collection was actually a palimpsest, a manuscript on parchment with multiple layers of writing.