Photo Spotlights

Design experts deliberated over chair prototypes designed by industrial design students as part of a juried competition Feb. 10 in collaboration with Wilsonart International. The students were required to use Wilsonart laminate in their chair designs. Jurors pictured from left to right are Wendell Castle, RIT artist-in-residence and furniture designer; Ron Labaco, senior curator at the Museum of Arts and Design; Grace Jeffers, project manager for the Wilsonart Challenge; and Allan Chochinov, editor-in-chief of Core 77. Jurors selected six student designs, including Dan Kestler’s design (foreground) which conjoins two Adirondack chairs, to be featured at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York City in May.

Barnes & Noble @ RIT hosted a meet and greet with the RIT men’s hockey team to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester on Feb. 12. The event included a silent auction of RIT hockey memorabilia, donations for a team photo for the players to sign, giveaways and snacks. The total raised was $1,000.

Jan van Aardt, associate professor in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, discussed the impact of RIT research following last year’s earthquake in Haiti. During the annual Principal Investigators Reception, hosted by Sponsored Research Services on Feb. 11, van Aardt addressed how RIT’s thermal imaging expertise provided relief and recovery agencies with critical insights needed to manage the earthquake’s aftermath.

Students from RIT’s Pathways to Service Learning course teamed up with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive Feb. 11 in the Fireside Lounge. Pathways is part of the First-Year Enrichment curriculum and provides students with a choice of themes—leadership, service or innovation and creativity—that highlight concepts related to long-term success.

The RIT/NTID Dance Company, one of few troupes worldwide that features both deaf and hearing dancers, presents “Danser et Voler”: to dance and to fly, conceived, directed and choreographed by Thomas Warfield. “Danser et Voler” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10-12 at Panara Theatre on the RIT campus, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Feb. 13. Tickets are $5 (students/seniors) and $7 (all others).

The RIT/NTID Dance Company, one of few troupes worldwide that features both deaf and hearing dancers, presents “Danser et Voler”: to dance and to fly, conceived, directed and choreographed by Thomas Warfield. “Danser et Voler” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 10–12 at Panara Theatre on the RIT campus, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. Feb. 13. Tickets are $5 (students/seniors) and $7 (all others).

RIT’s Student Government hosted a Super Bowl Extravaganza party in the Gordon Field House on Feb. 6.

The RIT Gospel Ensemble performed Feb. 4 during Gospel Fest 2011. The group, founded in 1981, is directed by Wardell Lewis Jr.

RIT’s Public Relations Student Society of America chapter received a $500 grant for being a runner up in the “Go Bare on Campus” Challenge, a fall 2010 competition sponsored by the Solo Cup Co. The Go Bare team is, from left, Chyna Trible, Crystal Hermawan, Renee Johnson and Elizabeth Bunn.

Comedian Aziz Ansari, known for his role as Tom Haverford on the NBC sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” entertained a crowd on Feb. 4. The event was part of the annual Freeze Fest celebration on campus that continues through Feb. 6.

Gospel Fest 2011 featured a performance by gospel legend Smokie Norful, whose music and message is widely known throughout the gospel community. The event was part of the annual Freeze Fest celebration on campus that continues through Feb. 6.

RIT’s second annual Freeze Fest kicked off Feb. 4. with a variety of wintry events including Rail Jam. Travis Newberry, a second-year mechanical engineering student, showed off his skills to onlookers.