Photo Spotlights

Nearly 1,500 people attended RIT’s annual Expressions of King’s Legacy celebration on Jan. 30 and heard keynote speaker Tavis Smiley talk about a Martin Luther King Jr. many may not have known.

Smiley recognized the artists and speakers who came before him in the celebration including Whitney Morrison, an Eastman School of Music student, and RIT students Michelle Sason, LaKeishia Brown and Alexis Harris, members of RIT’s Mental Graffiti. One of the highlights of the program was 11-year-old Curtis Babers, a fifth-grader from Houston and winner of a regional oratory competition.

Calling King a great American, Smiley said that most people have an image of King as a benevolent dreamer and advocate for civil rights. He also saw King as a visionary whose emphasis on racism, poverty and militarism are as relevant today as they were in the 1960s.

“Whether we agree or not, the future of the democracy is linked to how seriously we take the legacy of Dr. King,” Smiley said in his address. The NPR talk show host, author and an advocate for racial and social equity, Smiley quoted King as someone who believed in justice for all and service to others.

“I think having Tavis visit our RIT community and connect with our local Rochester community over prevalent issues of today (compared with issues in our nation’s past), provides a wonderful opportunity for us to reflect, recalibrate ourselves, revitalize our weary souls from past fights, and recommit ourselves to the important issues of today that will undoubtedly impact our tomorrow,” said Kevin McDonald, RIT Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, a key sponsor.

This event marks the 32nd Expressions event presented at RIT and continues a tradition of recognizing King’s influence with music, dance and oratory.

The Rochester-Finger Lakes Middle and High School Art Exhibition in Bevier Gallery begins with an awards ceremony from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in RIT’s University Gallery and an opening reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Bevier Gallery. The exhibition features nearly 180 student art submissions and is hosted by RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences. The show runs through Feb. 24.

Ammina Kothari, assistant professor of communication in the College of Liberal Arts, believes a solution to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa may lie with text messaging.

Graduates and current students from the Dominican Republic got together Jan. 17 in Santo Domingo for an alumni event. Saunders College of Business Dean dt ogilvie talked about her vision of growth for the college. Pictured from left to right are Laura Fermin ’11, ogilvie, Nathalie Mahfoud ’12 and Mia Hodgins ’11, associate director of Chapter Programs.

The Center for Applied Psychophysiology and Self-Regulation focuses on helping young people with autism spectrum disorder learn coping skills using biofeedback. Dr. Laurence Sugarman, M.D., formed the center in the Institute for Health Sciences and Technology. Here, Brian Garrison, research coordinator, and Anna Hope, clinical research coordinator, use biofeedback software.

RIT Residence Life staff volunteered at 10 organizations on Jan. 22. The student staff came back from winter break early to take part in professional development and one day was devoted to giving back in the Rochester area. Students sorted and packed food donations at Foodlink and painted rooms at the Community Place of Greater Rochester, among other community service activities. Here, fourth-year Saunders College of Business student Jannel Morris exercises a puppy available for adoption at the Scottsville Veterinary Hospital.

RIT Residence Life staff volunteered at the Scottsville Veterinary Hospital Jan. 22. The student staff came back from winter break early to take part in professional development and one day was devoted to giving back in the Rochester area. Students sorted and packed food donations at Food Link and painted rooms at the Community Place of Greater Rochester, among other community service activities. Here, fourth-year Saunders College of Business student Jannel Morris exercises a puppy available for adoption.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., came to RIT Jan. 21 to talk about the recently signed Ombinus bill that included $66.29 million for NTID. Read the full story.

Assistant professor Susan Smith Pagano, left, and students Charmaine Merchant, Cassie Gould and April Meier examine wild fruit specimens to measure energy, fat, fiber and protein content to help determine if migratory birds are eating healthy.

Criminology, Social Justice and Community Action was offered during intersession Jan. 2–22. It combined classroom work with field trips in the Rochester community. The class visited the Center for Youth on Jan. 15.

The Kelmscott/Goudy Albion iron hand press No. 6551 was delivered to RIT’s Cary Graphic Arts Collection on Jan. 13. The Cary Collection’s purchase was made possible by the generous support of the Brooks Bower family. Bower, a 1974 graduate of the School of Print Media, is an RIT trustee and chairman and chief executive officer of Papercone Corp., an envelope-manufacturing firm in Louisville, Ky. The press will be fully assembled in the next few weeks.

Scott Farrell, an RIT/NTID manufacturing engineering technology student from North Tonawanda, N.Y., warms up for this week’s Deaf International Short Course Swimming Championship. About 100 athletes from nine countries are expected to compete at the RIT pool Jan. 14-18.