Photo Spotlights

Gov. Andrew Cuomo presented highlights of his proposed state budget to the Rochester community Feb. 17 at NTID’s Panara Theatre. The governor aims to close the current $2 billion budget deficit with no new taxes or new fees. The proposal also lays the groundwork for an innovative $25 billion economic development agenda.

RIT recognized members of the university’s research community during the annual Principal Investigators Reception on Feb. 16. During the 2011 fiscal year, RIT faculty and staff submitted a record 653 grant proposals. The annual reception and awards ceremony is hosted by Sponsored Research Services. Jan van Aardt, associate professor in Imaging Science, was among the seven new PI Millionaires honored this year.

Students in the industrial design program along with students from the glass program showed off their work from Metaproject 2. Here, Tina Oldknow, curator of modern glass at the Corning Museum of Glass, reviews some of the entries. Tom Zogas was awarded first-place in the glass category for his ceiling fan design and Dan Ipp took first-place in the industrial design category for his side table design. Representatives from the Corning Museum of Glass judged the projects. The winning projects will also be presented in May during Design Week in New York City.

Professor Jim Perkins’ medical illustration was recognized internationally at the World Congress of the Association Européenne des Illustrateurs Médicaux et Scientifiques in Strasbourg, France, last November. His work, exhibited in “Anatomy of an Image,” is part of the permanent collection at the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg. Perkins is co-director of medical illustration program, with joint appointments in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences and the College of Health Sciences and Technology.

Students in the industrial design program along with students from the glass program show off their work from Metaproject 2. Tom Zogas was awarded first-place in the glass category for his ceiling fan design and Dan Ipp took first-place in the industrial design category for his side table design. For this year's Metaproject, students from the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences teamed up with the Corning Museum of Glass where the winning projects were presented to members of the Corning team. The winning projects will also be presented during Design Week in New York City in May.

Graduating students marked 100 days before commencement by attending the annual Graduation Fair on Feb. 15. Representatives from RIT’s nine colleges and various other departments across campus took part in the event. The Graduation Fair is intended as a one-stop opportunity to gather important information related to commencement weekend, May 25-26.

Chris Spinelli ’08, ’09 (economics, MBA), left, and Jon Mervine ’07 (economics) are making a name for their Roc Brewing Co. in downtown Rochester. Their beer is sold in 15 Rochester bars and restaurants and their microbrewery attracts crowds of several hundred on weekend nights. The men also are beginning to get national recognition. Last fall, they were named one of two winners of the Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Experienceship Award.

RIT students were serenaded at a Valentine’s Day dinner on Feb. 14 at Gracie’s. The special meal included garlic shrimp, teriyaki beef tips, chicken piccatta, braised red cabbage, vegetable lasagna, pesto tofu and a variety of desserts. Dining Services started this tradition more than 30 years ago.

A camera installed on the International Space Station is giving upper Midwest farmers real-time data about how their crops are growing. The camera was built by a company owned by three RIT graduates. From left, Lawrence Taplin ’02 (imaging science); Tracie Spiliotis ’99, ’01 (accounting, MBA); and Pano Spiliotis ’99, ’01 (imaging science, MBA) own FluxData, based at RIT’s business incubator, Venture Creations. The University of North Dakota hired the company in 2010 to build the multispectral imager for its International Space Station Agricultural Camera project.

RIT held its second annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 10. The event honored female athletes of all ages at the RIT women’s basketball game versus Rensselaer. Nine schools were represented from the Rochester City School District as the girls were mentored by female student-athletes from RIT’s athletic teams. The event promotes the power in women’s sports as well as a healthy and active lifestyle.

RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences is hosting the Rochester-Finger Lakes Middle and High School Community Exhibit at Bevier Gallery through Feb. 29. The exhibition features 232 student art submissions—chosen for display by 120 teachers in 40 area schools across the Rochester-Finger Lakes region—from Webster Schroeder to Rush-Henrietta to Wayland-Cohocton.

Members of the RIT/NTID Dance Company perform “Off the Wall” Feb. 9-12 in the Robert F. Panara Theatre at NTID. Tickets for the show, directed by Thomas Warfield, are $5 to $7 and are available at the NTID box office.