Photo Spotlights

RIT welcomed astronaut Mark Kelly and former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as this year’s Horton Distinguished Speakers Oct. 12 in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center, part of Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend.

RIT/NTID alumnus Sean Forbes ’08 performed his unique brand of hip-hop/sign music on Oct. 11.

Saunders College hosted the Gasser Lecture Series with Daymond John, founder of FUBU apparel and one of the savvy investors on ABC’s reality television series Shark Tank on Oct. 11. John discussed fundamental concepts from his new book, The Brand Within: Branding Yourself from Birth to the Boardroom.

A grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for Sebastian and Lenore Rosica Hall was held Oct. 11. Cutting the ribbon are RIT Professor and NTID Dean Emeritus Jim DeCaro, NTID President and RIT Vice President and Dean Gerry Buckley, Diana Spencer, executive director of the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, who provided a $1.75 million naming gift, and members of the Rosica family.

Robert Latorre, an RIT alumnus, created The Big Freeze Worldwide, which is the most advanced Camera Array System in the world. The system is now in its 5th generation and has been used in feature films, commercials, and on the Red Carpet. Here, RIT student Lia DiRico and friends test it out in a demonstration after Latorre gave a talk on campus.

Hundreds of RIT/NTID students, some seeking co-ops, others looking for permanent jobs, lined up to meet prospective employers at the NTID Job Fair on Oct. 10.

Comedians Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood from the Emmy-nominated show Whose Line Is It Anyway? hosted an improvisational show Oct. 10 to help kick-off RIT’s Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend, which runs Oct. 10 -13. The comedians used their razor-sharp wit and improv skills, while interacting with the audience to create hilarious and original scenes.

A Japanese-style stone bench was dedicated in a ceremony at the Tojo Garden in honor of the 20th anniversary of the RIT-KIT partnership on Oct. 9.

RIT’s College of Liberal Arts celebrated the official opening of the Stan McKenzie Commons on Oct. 9, named for the former RIT provost and longtime English department faculty member. McKenzie donated $300,000 to the college to renovate the commons area in Liberal Arts Hall and to fund a salon series that will highlight research being performed by Liberal Arts faculty and students.

RIT President Bill Destler and Kananzawa Institute of Technology President Ken-ichi Ishikawa hosted presidential symposium “Musical Notes and Magical Knives.” Here, President Ishikawa spoke about the history of sword making in Japan.

RIT alumna Debra Rothenberg ’84 has written her first book, Bruce Springsteen In Focus 1980-2012. The book includes personal essays and over 250 photographs and was named one of the five best photography books coming out this fall by The Wall Street Journal. A book launch is scheduled for Oct. 12 in Asbury Park, NJ at The Stone Pony, where Springsteen performed.

RIT’s School for American Crafts sold its unique hand-blown glass pumpkins and gourds during the ninth annual Glass Pumpkin Patch fundraiser Oct. 5. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Visiting Artists Series for the RIT glass program as well as RIT Women’s Council scholarships.