Photo Spotlights

RIT Archives celebrated our tiger mascot’s 50th birthday with exhibits, games and cake. SpiRIT, RIT’s former live tiger mascot, was on display for the Nov. 7 event.

Come see Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew as you’ve never seen it before! This RIT/NTID production, directed by Aaron Kelstone and Jerry Argetsinger, is playing in the Robert F. Panara Theatre 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7–9 and 2 p.m. Nov. 10.

Jessica Lieberman’s documentation of her two-year medical journey in “Becoming Visible” will be on display in a photographic exhibition at Gallery r through Nov. 27. An accompanying book is available from RIT Press. Gallery r is handicapped accessible and is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. All exhibits are free and open to the public.

Barnes & Noble @ RIT hosted a meet-and-greet with the RIT men’s hockey team on Nov. 2. Money raised from autographed team photos, hockey memorabilia, raffles and special edition ornaments will support Hockey Coaches Care, the official charitable foundation of the American Hockey Coaches Association.

When Brian Koberlein couldn’t find an astrophysics textbook for undergraduates, he decided to write his own. Koberlein, senior lecturer in RIT’s School of Physics and Astronomy, collaborated with David Meisel, distinguished professor at State University of New York at Geneseo, to publish Astrophysics through Computation, by Cambridge University Press.

RIT students were treated to a Halloween-themed dinner at Grace Watson Dining Hall on Oct. 31. The meal included roasted chicken, grilled salmon, pumpkin ravioli, kielbasa and ghoulish desserts like chocolate pudding graves and Oreo mummies. Here, Erin Nguyen, a second-year student in 3-D design, created her costume to resemble Link from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

On Oct. 29, the Schmitt Interfaith Center Rededication ceremony celebrated the renovation of the upper lobby, the Allen Chapel and the Jones Chapel. The Kilian J. and Caroline F. Schmitt Foundation made a lead gift to kick off the renovation. It was designed to transition the center from its original focus on mainline Protestant and Jewish faith groups to include modern Christian faith groups, the growing Muslim population and other faiths, such as Zen Buddhist groups. It has also improved the center’s facilities for cultural events, such as concerts, recitals and social gatherings. The rededication featured readings, prayers and reflections from the chaplains and leaders of RIT’s Center for Religious Life’s many faith groups.

Kim Kolb initially joined the Center for Detectors as a senior undergraduate in the microelectronics program. After gaining industry experience, she returned to RIT on a fellowship from the military contractor BAE Systems to pursue a master’s degree from the Center for Imaging Science.

Owners with their certified therapy dogs provided a welcome break for RIT students in the Fireside Lounge Oct. 25. Here, Mike and Barbara Serve’s goldendoodle, Tucker, gets attention from students. The event was sponsored by Student Wellness as a stress reduction activity. Research indicates that pet therapy improves psychological well-being and self-esteem.

Frank Sciremammano, professor of mechanical engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, serves as a member of the St. Lawrence River Board of Control. The board provides specialized studies, oversight and regulation of Lake Ontario water levels for the International Joint Commission, the organization that manages the shared water resources on the U.S. and Canadian sides of the lake. He was appointed to the board in 1995 and is one of 10 members—five each from the U.S. and Canada—overseeing system operations. Through community outreach and education, he provides insights into how the regulatory process works and acts as an advocate for the protection of the economic, environmental and residential resources that surround the lake.

Jenn Poggi joined RIT this fall as a visiting assistant professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences following four years at the White House, where she served as a picture editor and deputy director of the Photo Office.

A roundtable titled “Growing Computer and Video Game Development in New York,” was held Oct. 22 at RIT to gather comment from interactive entertainment leaders, entrepreneurs and legislators on how New York state can attract and support the video game design and development industry. The session was hosted by New York State Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Science, Technology, Incubation and Entrepreneurship. Pictured here are RIT President Bill Destler, MAGIC Center Director Andrew Phelps and Golden.