Photo Spotlights

In recognition of a $1 million endowment from the Bernard Osher Foundation, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute hosted the Osher Endowment Celebration Oct. 24 at Rivers Run Living Community. Chairperson Peter Luce officiated at a cake-cutting ceremony and Osher members were invited to take a sneak peek at their new classroom facilities that will be open in spring 2009.

Martina (MJ) Bienvenu, professor at Gallaudet University, opened the 2008 Campus Week of Dialogue on Oct. 27. The week’s theme concerns the growth and change in deaf culture. Campus Week of Dialogue is an annual event sponsored by The President’s Commission on Pluralism and Inclusion.

RIT hosted the 2008 Student Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology Oct. 23-26. Here, students examine holograms of the RIT symbol created in a workshop led by Joe Pow, Imaging Science.

A 20-foot green screen, a Foley stage and a surround sound mix theater are among the new features in RIT’s School of Film and Animation following major renovations in the Gannett Building. Student filmmakers and animators have a new studio, prop building shop, four new screening rooms, equipment cage and computer lab for editing.

RIT President Bill Destler lends his support to the official kickoff of RIT’s Raise Our Annual Responses initiative, or ROAR Day, held Oct. 23. The event was intended to encourage members of the campus community to make an annual gift to the university. Contributions from the more than 1,200 RIT alumni employees were particularly encouraged.

The evolution of news media was the focus of the Paul and Louise Miller Lecture Series, sponsored by RIT’s School of Print Media, Oct. 21. A panel featured Traci Bauer, managing editor for multimedia and innovation, Democrat and Chronicle; Stephen Dawe, news director, WHAM-TV; Peter Iglinski, executive producer of public affairs, WXXI-AM; Andrew Lucyszyn, director of digital media, WHAM-TV; and Laura Mandanas (above), editor in chief, Reporter, RIT’s student-published weekly magazine. Panelists examined current news audiences, how people will get their news in the future, and strategies for increasing audiences through various multimedia platforms.

Barnes & Noble @ RIT made arrangements for Curious George to visit the children at Margaret’s House on Oct. 17. After the initial hesitation seeing the huge monkey, the children hugged and high-fived Curious George and presented him with a banana.

College students from across the region gathered at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center Oct. 17 for the fourth annual Explore Rochester IT symposium. The goal is keep to keep students in the area after graduation by introducing them to local career opportunities, particularly related to information technology. Nearly a dozen of Rochester’s top employers took part in the program.

Marcin Lukowiak, assistant professor of computer engineering, and graduate students Ken Smith and Jacob Czapeczka, are conducting research to enhance the application of secure Bluetooth communication technology for military applications. The work is being conducted through a collaborative agreement with Harris Corp. and is part of the Corporate R&D at RIT program.

The RIT Student Music Association presented its 18th annual Kaleidoscope Concert on Oct. 11. Here, the RIT Singers performed, directed by Professor Edward Schell.

A harvest of hand-blown glass pumpkins is ripe for the picking at the annual Glass Pumpkin Patch sale. The fundraiser will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, in the Red Barn, west side of campus, off Minett Drive. Students and faculty from RIT’s School for American Crafts’ glass program made the one-of-a-kind pumpkins and gourds to sell. Vases and paperweights will also be available, with prices ranging from $15 to $150 (cash and checks accepted only). Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Visiting Artist Series in the School for American Crafts’ glass program and the RIT Women’s Council Scholarships.

Imaging science graduate student May Arsenovic is working with professor Carl Salvaggio and a team of research scientists to study the power production at a plant in Midland, Mich., using an airborne sensor similar to the one shown above. Arsenovic and senior scientist Bob Kremens will collect ground data in Midland throughout the winter.