Photo Spotlights

IMAGINE RIT exhibit—The RIT Cycling Club has mastered the art of multitasking. When these students work out on their bikes, they power a blender in the process and have a cold, refreshing smoothie waiting for them when they finish. The Innovation and Creativity Festival takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 2.

Leroy Hood, pioneering microbiologist, co-inventor of the DNA sequencer and founder of the Institute for Systems Biology, conducted a lecture on the applications and risks of microbiology on April 23. The talk was part of the RIT Caroline Werner Gannett Project “Visionaries in Motion”.

The World of Plant Scene Investigation, presented by Dawn Carter, College of Science, was one of the offerings at Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day. The daylong event was sponsored by the RIT Women’s Center on April 23.

In commemoration of Earth Day on April 22, RIT President Bill Destler signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment during a ceremony in the Student Alumni Union. The Presidents Climate Commitment, which has been signed by hundreds of college and university presidents nationwide, provides support and a framework for America’s colleges and universities to go climate neutral.

Kitty Van Bortel gets a congratulatory hug after receiving the 2009 Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award from RIT’s E. Philip Saunders College of Business on April 22.

Glass artist Nancy Gong works on a large scale installation in RIT’s new Student Innovation Center. The 10-foot-high and 54-foot-wide wall is titled In Art, Science & Life, What is the Question? and is the dominant art piece in the building.

RIT’s Triangle fraternity and Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority teamed up April 18 for the fifth annual bed push. The group pushed a bed 23 miles to Black Creek Park in Chili to raise money for the American Diabetes Association.

Actress Marlee Matlin spoke about her recently published book, I’ll Scream Later, April 19 at RIT. Her talk, in Clark Gymnasium, was part of RIT Student Government’s Distinguished Speakers series.

The Department of Communication hosted the 6th annual Conference for Undergraduate Research in Communication April 16. The event included poster and paper presentations from students at colleges and universities from across the United States. Lea Khavari, right, a fourth-year advertising and public relations major at RIT, won the Top Paper in the Communication and Technology category.

To educate students about the types of jobs and skills needed as the news media industry shifts focus, RIT hosted the panel discussion “News Media Today: A Look at Emerging Career Opportunities” on April 15. The forum was the latest in the Paul and Louise Miller Lecture Series sponsored by RIT’s School of Print Media. The featured panelists were Patricia Albanese, Gannett Distinguished Professor, RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences; Brian Ambor, vice president of operations, Democrat and Chronicle; and Rudy Pugliese, professor, RIT’s College of Liberal Arts. Twyla Cummings, Paul and Louise Miller Distinguished Professor in RIT’s School of Print Media, served as moderator.

Iain Richardson, professor and founder of the Center for Video Communications at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland (UK) presented a new approach to video coding and compression during his presentation at the Golisano College on April 16.

Stuart Altman, a national expert in health care policy and economics, was the keynote speaker for a new health care seminar series between RIT and Rochester General Health System on April 14. Altman addressed the topic Health Care Challenges for the Future before top health and business leaders from the Rochester community.