Photo Spotlights

A remote-controlled wheelchair developed by RIT students David Olney and Luticha Doucette transformed into a telepresence robot in the Center for Student Innovation on Oct. 7. A laptop attached to the wheelchair provided an audience at MITRE Corp.’s headquarters in Bedford, Mass., with a virtual tour of the center. The center’s director, Jon Schull, spoke at MITRE’s Innovation Brown Bag Lunch Series about the facility and the innovative, collaborative work among RIT students and faculty. As Schull spoke, students at RIT guided the robot around the center to give MITRE researchers a chance to visit the center, the new Rapid Prototyping lab, and the students.

Students can take a tour through the wine regions of the world with Lorraine Hems, a lecturer in the School of International Hospitality and Service Innovation. She’s been recognized for her extensive educational and community service programming about wines and spirits from around the world, and much of that information fills the pages of her new textbook, Passport to the World of Wines. The book covers the history of winemaking through the ages, as well as the uniqueness of wines from different countries. It is a practical guide about pairing wine and foods, hosting a tasting event and providing information about service and storage.

David Pankow, curator of the Melbert B. Cary Jr. Graphic Arts Collection, retired after working at RIT for more than 30 years. Pankow grew the collection from 5,000 books to 40,000 books. He assembled antique printing presses and type that help tell the story of printing. He helped acquire the Bernard C. Middleton collection of books on bookbinding, the most important collection in the United States on the history and practice of bookbinding. And he started the Cary Graphic Arts Press, which opened in 2001.

George Lois, best known for his controversial magazine covers he designed for Esquire in the 1960s, had an exhibit of his advertising work in the University Gallery. Lois, along with renowned designer Massimo Vignelli, hosted a master’s design workshop at RIT this summer. Lois has a longstanding relationship both with RIT and Vignelli and has been among the guest lecturers of RIT’s William Reedy Memorial Lecture Series in Photography. Many universities and other historical institutions have been vying for Lois’ archive, but he decided to donate it to RIT.

“I want my archive to be with Vignelli’s archive and other great modern designers whose archives are also at RIT, like Bill Golden from CBS,” says Lois. “Massimo and I changed the culture and the history of the graphic design world.”

Microalgae can make a difference in small communities in need of “green” wastewater treatment solutions, explained Jeff Lodge, associate professor of biology in the School of Life Sciences in the RIT College of Science, during a Sept. 30 talk. Techniques Lodge and his team developed soon could be adopted to convert wastewater to potable water for people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, still recovering from the earthquake of 2010.

Dennis Andrejko, chairman of the Master of Architecture program, says sustainability in architecture is not a fad, and he is hoping programs like the one at RIT will help mainstream it.

The second annual Social Media and Communication Symposium on Sept. 29 featured keynote speakers and panel discussions led by social-media insiders. The symposium, sponsored by RIT’s Department of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts, included presentations and panels on the business of social media, academic research into social media and the skills students must know in order to successfully navigate through social media. Clay Shirky is a writer, consultant and teacher on the social and economic effects of the Internet.

The second annual Social Media and Communication Symposium Sept. 29 featured keynote speakers and panel discussions led by social- media insiders. The symposium, sponsored by RIT’s Department of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts, included presentations and panels on the business of social media, academic research into social media and the skills students must know in order to successfully navigate through social media. Nichelle Stephens spoke about the benefits of blogging, specifically about baking and cupcakes.

The Fall Career Fair, which took place Sept. 28, is one of two major employment events held at RIT every year that’s open to RIT students and alumni. Employers are recruiting for co-op and full-time openings. 231 companies participated, with more than half from outside of New York State.

Richard Sands, chairman of the board of Constellation Brands Inc. and an RIT Trustee (left); his wife, Jennifer Sands; and New York State Sen. Jim Alesi were honored by RIT President Bill Destler and others for investing $2 million toward the renovations of the School for American Crafts. In addition to the Sands family and Alesi, a $1 million donation from an anonymous donor and several other generous donations helped make the Sands Family Studios a reality. A formal dedication ceremony was held Sept. 27. The funding supported renovation of the studio spaces inside James E. Booth Hall and an addition to the building’s west side. The School for American Crafts offers undergraduate and graduate programs in ceramics, glass, metals and wood.

Members of a South Korean delegation visited RIT on Sept. 26 to learn more about implementing “Neighbors Building Neighborhoods,” a citizen engagement program, in their country. The guests visited with RIT instructors, including science, technology, and society/public policy chairperson Deborah Blizzard and distinguished professor Bill Johnson; political science assistant professor Ray Dongryul Kim; and sociology/anthropology assistant professor Jessica Pardee. Johnson traveled to the country this past summer at the invitation of the mayor of Goyang, South Korea. Yun-Sig, mayor of Siheung, South Korea, participated in the discussion.

RIT students, faculty and staff participated in the 16th annual Mud Tug 2011, the all-out tug-of-war tournament held behind Grace Watson Hall on Sept. 24. Coordinated by RIT’s Zeta Tau Alpha and Phi Kappa Psi (shown here, member Taylor Deer) Greek groups, the event drew a large crowd. More than 150 teams of 2,000 people raised more than $10,800 for Hillside Family of Agencies. Hillside provides counseling and support for youth and their families throughout central and western New York.