Photo Spotlights

Scientist, inventor, comedian and author Bill Nye served as this year’s Horton Distinguished Speaker Oct. 11. Nye is best known as the star of the PBS television series Bill Nye the Science Guy, which was awarded 28 Emmy awards within a five-year span.

RIT’s Brick City Homecoming, a fall tradition for alumni, family and students, took place Oct. 8-12. Joe Showers, who will be teaching juggling for RIT wellness classes, demonstrated technique to Nadine Morrison, a second-year science major.

RIT’s Red Barn, which has morphed into “Interactive Adventures” over the years, celebrated its 100th birthday on Oct. 11. Free rock climbing, a reception and live music were part of the festivities.

Ross Mayfield, Socialtext wiki co-founder of the Palo Alto-based social software company, was the keynote speaker at the 2008 RIT Entrepreneurs Conference which kicked off Brick City homecoming weekend on Oct. 10. The all-day conference focused on how serial entrepreneurs can utilize social networking to create and grow businesses.

Construction is set to kick off on the Student Alumni Union renovation project. A ceremony was held Oct. 10 in the Fireside Lounge to officially launch the construction and to unveil plans for a new Campus Center, which will be built in the old Woodward Pool area. Student Government President Ed Wolf (left) and RIT President Bill Destler were on hand for the ceremony.

RIT’s Brick City Homecoming, a fall tradition for alumni, family and students, takes place Oct. 8-12. The campus is decorated with several thousands of orange, brown and white balloons, the university’s colors.

The Capitol Steps, a comedy troupe made up of current and former congressional staffers, kicked off RIT’s Brick City Homecoming with two shows Oct. 8 in Ingle Auditorium. The troupe takes a comedic look at the nation’s political scene.

President Bill Destler, Joan Stone, Michael Morley, Roger Remington, along with Massimo and Lella Vignelli, participated in the groundbreaking for the Vignelli Center for Design Studies. The Vignellis, shown here, are co-founders of Vignelli Associates in New York. Their world-class design achievements have been exhibited internationally and included in major collections. Their archive will be the centerpiece of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies.

Students and faculty from RIT’s School for American Crafts glass program are making a harvest of hundreds of glass pumpkins and gourds for the pickin! The annual Glass Pumpkin Patch sale will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, in the Red Barn, westside of campus. The prices range from $15 to $150 (cash and checks accepted only). The proceeds of the sale will benefit the Visiting Artist Series in the school’s glass program and the RIT Women’s Council Scholarships.

Phyllis Walker, right, assistant director for the RIT Leadership Institute and Community Service Center, encourages students to register to vote in the upcoming election. A table is set up in the Student Alumni Union for that purpose.

RIT faculty and students celebrated Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day on Oct. 3. The event included a demonstration of a number of alternative vehicles, including an electronic hybrid and a hydrogen fuel cell car.

President Emeritus Albert Simone visited Park Point at RIT Sept. 27 for the official unveiling of a life-size bronze statue created in his honor. RIT President Destler shared a moment with the retired president. A plaque at the base of the statue, located near Barnes & Noble, has the following inscription (written by Simone): “There is no greater sense of fulfillment than seeing the excitement of students as they learn, the pride of faculty as they pursue scholarship, and the appreciation of the community as it interacts with the university. I have been privileged to be fulfilled in all of these ways.”