Research awardees recognized at ceremony

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Research on young adults’ resilience in countries in transition to embedded wearable technology in theater costume were only two of the 11 projects awarded Connect grants from the AdvanceRIT program recently. The campus program honored 11 research grant awardees at a reception on Oct. 29 at the university, to support female faculty’s professional development in specific research areas, as well supporting networking, external leadership development, proposal development, mentorship, and case study development.

“We were so excited about the projects that have emerged. They embody RIT and its uniqueness, and a talented group of faculty and collaborators,” said Sharon Mason, associate professor in RIT’s Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, and co-PI of AdvanceRIT. This is the second round of awards presented through the Connect program for projects associated with the broader Advance RIT initiative.

Shu Chang, Marla Schweppe and Christine Heusner, faculty in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, are developing a multidisciplinary class to incorporate flexible electronics such as lights, sensors, into stage costumes. Students from the print media, engineering and art/design programs will have an opportunity to learn about product development, incorporating flexible electronics into materials and to understand the technical aspects of wearable technology design.

“There is so much interest in smart, wearable electronics,” said Chang. “We expect students from different disciplines to work with different media in this class, something they can explore and learn more about.”

The AdvanceRIT program is now in its third year. RIT was awarded $3.5 million in 2012 from the National Science Foundation for its Advance institutional transformation grant, “Connect: Increasing the Representation and Advancement of Women Faculty at RIT.” Advance RIT is intended to drive long-term changes that will transform RIT’s culture. This year, grants were awarded to:

Resilience in Countries in Transition: Connections among Resilience, Ethnic Identity, and Just-World Belief in Young Adults in Croatia and Kosovo
Larisa Buhin, lecturer, College of Liberal Arts, Psychology – RIT Croatia

Empower Leadership of Women in Electrical Engineering
Jing Zhang, assistant professor, and co-PI, Santosh Kurinec, professor, Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Electrical & Microelectronic Engineering

Establishing Competitive Collaborations between Nanotechnology and Glaucoma through Mentorship
Kathleen Lamkin-Kennard, associate professor, and co-PI, Michael Schrlau, assistant professor, Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

From WISE to WISE: Networking for Women in Science and Engineering
Sonia Lopez Alarcon, assistant professor, computer engineering, and Co-PIs, Dhireesha Kudithipudi, associate professor, computer engineering Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Lea Michel, associate professor, chemistry, and Kara Maki, assistant professor, mathematics, College of Science

Promotion and Tenure Strategies for Minority Women Academics at RIT for Transformative Success (P&T SMARTS)
dt ogilvie, distinguished professor of Urban Entrepreneurship, Saunders College of Business, and co-PIs, Kijana Crawford, associate professor, sociology/anthropology, College of Liberal Arts, Twyla Cummings, senior associate dean and professor, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, Danielle Smith, director of the Honors Program, and Charlotte Thoms, associate professor, NTID, Business Studies Department

Exploration of Techniques to Integrate Images and Functionality into Clothing through Classroom Environment
Shu Chang, Melbert B. Cary Distinguished Professorship College of Imaging Arts & Science, School of Print Media and co-PIs Marla Schweppe, professor, School of Design and Christine Heusner, lecturer, CIAS media Sciences

Attendance at Ultrafast Optics 2015
Jie Qiao, associate professor, Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, College of Science

Supporting Career Advancement through External Leadership Development
Linwei Wang, assistant professor, Golisano College for Computing & Information Sciences, Graduate Studies & Research

Support Successful Research Proposal Development
Behnaz Ghoranni, assistant professor, biomedical engineering and co-PI, Raymond Ptucha, assistant professor, computer engineering, Kate Gleason College of Engineering,

Developing Case Studies to Further Scholarship Pertaining to Business and Design, Prepare Students for Changing Professional Landscape
Mindy Magyar, assistant professor, industrial design, College of Imaging Arts & Sciences

COMMENT: Communication and Outreach through Mentored Media Engagement and Networking Teams
Callie Babbitt, assistant professor, Golisano Institute for Sustainability, and co-PIs Kara Maki, assistant professor, mathematics, Matthew Hoffman, assistant professor, mathematics, and John-David Rocha, assistant professor, chemistry and materials science, College of Science