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Computer Science BS

Friday’s celebration of the Class of 2020 certainly cannot replace the atmosphere of a traditional commencement, which RIT plans to host on campus when it’s deemed safe. But many of graduates say they won’t let the pandemic, or the circumstances surrounding the virtual celebration, define them or their feelings about their time at RIT. (Pictured: Bradley Speck, who will finish his classes online this summer, has a job waiting for him at GE Aviation in Cincinnati, where he completed four co-ops.)

Jonathan Witmer ’91 (computer science) sits at the helm of WestPoint Home, one of the world’s most successful luxury linen and textile companies. But Witmer’s company has shifted its focus and its workforce is now using its textiles to produce reusable facemasks for the nation’s frontline workers.

Peter Cinibulk was praised by staff leadership for his combination of outstanding service to the program and his peers, his strong academic achievements and participation in, and contributions to, extracurricular activities both on and off campus.

Elan Lee ’98 (computer science) decided one day that he no longer wanted to do what he was doing for a living. He quit his job at Microsoft and embarked on a one-year break to figure out what was next. But a few weeks later, he spent a weekend with friends building a card game around the idea of Russian Roulette. Before they knew it, they had created the wildly popular Exploding Kittens.

Many RIT alumni have tapped into the craft-beer boom that has swept across the country in the past 10 years.

Rochester-area programming students are racing to see who can code the fastest self-driving miniature racecar. The winner will be crowned at a race March 4 at RIT.

Konce Quispe, from Queens, N.Y., says her dream is to “connect the world and give all people equal access to technology.” Doing a co-op at Facebook, a company built with the intention of connecting people, was the perfect opportunity for her.

Andrew Searns, a computer science BS/MS student, has received an Honorable Mention for the Computing Research Association's 2020 Outstanding Undergraduate Researchers Award, which recognizes top undergraduate research students across North America.

Students from RIT Esports bested more than 300 teams from across North America to win the 2019 Hearthstone Collegiate Championship Fall Finals on Dec. 14. The RIT student team took home the top trophy and $6,000 in scholarships for playing the digital card game Hearthstone.

For the last several decades, volunteer groups have played a pivotal role in keeping RIT’s curriculum relevant and current with the latest industry trends. The groups of 10 to 30 leaders from a wide variety of companies come together a few times a year to offer their insights for RIT faculty and staff in nearly every college.

Steve Hoover, who was recently named the Katherine Johnson Executive Director of RIT’s new Global Cybersecurity Institute, is bringing together academia and industry to help tackle the world’s cybersecurity problems.

Student problem-solvers from 20 universities will have five hours to design algorithms and program them to work at a computer science contest at the Northeast North American Regional Final of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), held Nov. 9 at RIT.