Photo Spotlights

Construction is moving along on the Golisano Institute for Sustainability. The facility was made possible through a $13.1 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and $10 million from New York state.

Jake Torcello, who graduated from the E. Philip Saunders College of Business in 2009, opened Nathan’s Soup and Salad in the Student Alumni Union in November 2010. It is a second location for the restaurant that features homemade soups, breads and sandwiches. The main site is on Park Avenue in Rochester.

Researchers in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering are working to develop a modified electrocardiogram device making use of wireless technology and a reduction in leads, or wires. The prototype being developed by Gill Tsouri, assistant professor of electrical engineering, is showing comparable accuracy when compared to traditional ECG system equipment. While intended for use in hospitals, medical facilities or in a patient’s home by on-site care givers, the application may be used to remotely assess soldiers in the battlefield.

The RIT Quidditch Club practices weekly next to Gordon Field House. The Dark Marks, the competitive arm of the club, came in 2nd place against 100 other teams in the 5th Quidditch World Cup, Nov. 12-13, in New York City.

In a Nov. 11 announcement during the men’s hockey game, RIT President Bill Destler revealed that the university’s future hockey arena will be known as the Gene Polisseni Center. The naming results from a $4.5 million partnership between the Polisseni Foundation and B. Thomas Golisano, founder and chairman of Paychex Inc. and an RIT trustee. Gene Polisseni’s widow, Wanda, and son Gary were on hand for the announcement at the RIT-Air Force game at Frank Ritter Arena.

Gene Clark, retired director of veteran enrollment services in RIT’s Division of Enrollment Management and Career Services, was recognized on Nov. 11 during the university’s inaugural Veterans Day Recognition and Celebration at the Gordon Field House. Clark devoted more than three decades to serving the needs of student veterans at RIT.

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, RIT hosted its inaugural Veterans Day Recognition and Celebration. The breakfast event paid tribute to members of the campus community who serve or have served honorably in uniform. RIT boasts a long history of accommodating the educational needs of returning veterans, dating back to the end of World War II. Event organizers say creating an annual on-campus event to accompany the national observance of Veterans Day is another way to acknowledge the service of all veterans affiliated with RIT. Keith Jenkins, associate professor in the Department of Communication, sings the national anthem as Barry Culhane, executive assistant to the president, salutes.

David Beyerlein was one of the “undecideds” who had yet to choose a major when he came to RIT in 2009. With help from the University Services Program, he found his niche in imaging and photography technology.

Renowned photographer, editor and professor Fred Ritchin addressed a crowd of about 300 people in Webb Auditorium on Nov. 3 as one of the featured speakers of RIT’s Caroline Werner Gannett Project “Visionaries in Motion V” series. Ritchin, author of After Photography and In Our Own Image: The Coming Revolution in Photography, explored how photography and other media have been transformed by the digital age, the new ways of thinking about photography, the future for the photography profession in the “Facebook world,” new problems that the digital age poses and the impact and usefulness of the photographic image in democracy and today’s society. Next up for the series is Drew Berry, award-winning biomedical animator, who speaks Dec. 8.

Renowned photographer, editor and professor Fred Ritchin addressed a crowd of about 300 people in Webb Auditorium Nov. 3 as one of the featured speakers of RIT’s Caroline Werner Gannett Project “Visionaries in Motion V” series. Ritchin, author of After Photography and In Our Own Image: The Coming Revolution in Photography, explored how photography and other media have been transformed by the digital age, the new ways of thinking about photography, the future for the photography profession in the “Facebook world,” new problems that the digital age poses and the impact and usefulness of the photographic image in democracy and today’s society. Next up for the series is Drew Berry, award-winning biomedical animator, who speaks Dec. 8.

Facilities Management Services recently completed renovations to the Tojo Memorial Garden, in the Kodak Quad, including the addition of new paths. The garden is a tribute to Yasuji Tojo, an RIT photography student who lost his life in an car accident, in 1964, while studying at RIT. The focal point of the garden is a hand-carved granite lantern, a gift of Yasuji’s parents. At their request, the garden was dedicated as a “living memorial to eternal youth.”

RIT Ambulance held a reception Nov. 4 to let community members see Defib 63, its new 2011 Chevy Tahoe first-response vehicle. The vehicle is equipped to respond to mass-casualty incidents and life-threatening emergencies. Defib 63 also has a low-frequency “howler” siren that slightly rumbles nearby vehicles, warning other drivers of the ambulance.