News
Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology

RIT Racing won first place overall at Baja SAE racing this past weekend in Tucson, Arizona, after a year of virtual competitions. Taking top five placements in the sled pull, suspension, maneuverability, and a top 20 placement in acceleration, the team placed second in the endurance race.

The RIT VEX U Robotics team placed third overall in its late March competition at the Purdue SIGBots Remote Skills Qualifier. It was the fourth event of the season and the team moved up to 12th among the 300 teams in the league that includes robots from the U.S., Canada, China, Puerto Rico, Morocco, Spain, and Mexico.

More than a dozen RIT alumni have tapped into the craft-beer boom that has swept across the country. In the past 12 years, the number of craft breweries has more than quadrupled.

A new addition to the heart of Rochester’s Downtown Innovation Zone—RIT’s Venture Creations technology business incubator—is designed to enhance the synergy between the vibrancy and resources of the city and the region’s newest start-up companies.

RIT's College of Liberal Arts honored student achievements in writing with 15 writing awards on Friday, March 19. This year marks the 41st year the awards were presented, though the first time the ceremony was held virtually.

The Democrat and Chronicle features Dan diGiovanna '13 (mechanical engineering technology) and Trevor Andrews '13 (industrial engineering), owners of Naples Brewing Company.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 43: The KEEN Engineering Unleashed network is driving change in engineering education. Patti Cyr, lecturer in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, and Jennifer O’Neill, assistant professor in the College of Engineering Technology, discuss what the entrepreneurial mindset is and how connections to the network are providing an edge for RIT students.

Analytical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity, resiliency, and flexibility are among the top skills needed for emerging careers by 2025. Anticipating these rapid changes in the workplace—further accelerated by lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic—RIT is seizing on the opportunity to guide students to “new economy majors” that are multi­disciplinary, transformative, and future-focused.

Spectrum News features George Zheng ’15 (mechanical engineering technology), co-founder of Leep Foods.

Two companies associated with RIT’s Venture Creations technology business incubator have advanced to the round two finals of the Grow-NY competition. Grow-NY is a food innovation and agriculture technology business challenge focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier regions.

Despite restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students at RIT are still finding ways to participate in hundreds of clubs and organizations this semester, including dancing, designing games, and even skydiving.

Brian Chontosh ’00 (mechanical engineering technology) has been nominated for the prestigious Congressional Medal of Honor, one of the oldest and continuously issued awards given to U.S. Armed Forces personnel for courage, valor, and leadership.