News Stories

Images of two iconic planetary nebulae taken by the Hubble Space Telescope are revealing new information about how they develop their dramatic features. Researchers from RIT and Green Bank Observatory presented new findings about the Butterfly Nebula and the Jewel Bug Nebula at the 237th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Friday, Jan. 15.

Members of RIT Ambulance this academic year have continued to answer 911 calls on the RIT campus all while taking additional precautions to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. They responded to simple traumas, such as patients falling off a bike, falling out of bed, hitting their head or an allergic reaction. They also transported students to quarantine locations.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 42: Joshua Rashaad McFadden, an award-winning and internationally recognized assistant professor of photography, talks with Todd Jokl, dean of RIT’s College of Art and Design, about how his artwork transcends the genres of fine art, street photography, and photojournalism to bring forward powerful stories about the realities of the injustices Black people in America are still facing today.

More than a dozen RIT administrators and staff members have met regularly to discuss ways to help keep campus open as safely as possible as more is learned about COVID-19. To provide a student perspective, Griffin Warntz is serving on RIT’s Spring Planning Task Force.

RIT alumni continue to give back during the pandemic, helping people, companies, and health care facilities in need.

A record 15 students participated in fall research projects thanks to support from the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) and Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement programs.

Following the slayings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, the nation was challenged to change its ways in response to systemic racism and social inequity. University leaders spent the summer engaging with students, faculty, staff, and alumni groups to generate a list of roughly 100 ideas of ways RIT can do more on these fronts.

Plans to upgrade RIT’s outdoor athletic facilities continue to unfold. The first phase of the department’s multimillion dollar stadium project is scheduled to begin this year.

Several School of Physics and Astronomy faculty secured large grants as principal investigators during a banner summer.

RIT’s behavioral health program is expanding in new directions with a clinic on campus and federal funding to deliver addiction treatment in rural communities in upstate New York and New Hampshire.

Now in its second year, the Performing Arts Scholars Program at RIT has more than doubled in participants, with 368 first-year students involved in classical or jazz instrumental music, voice, musical theater, acting, technical theater, dance, or video game composition.

A transformational gift from serial entrepreneur and philanthropist E. Philip Saunders will help fund a major renovation and expansion to Max Lowenthal Hall, home of RIT’s Saunders College of Business.