Photo Spotlights

An RIT research team, including Stefan Preble, assistant professor of microsystems engineering, right, is working to enhance the development of silicon photonics. The technique could enhance the performance and memory capacity of computers and electronics.

RIT has opened its first ‘green’ building, as part of its ongoing sustainability efforts. The new College of Applied Science and Technology Building was designed to meet the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System of the U.S. Green Building Council, the most widely accepted rating system for evaluating sustainable, high-performance buildings.

This modem was used to place the first TTY call in May 1964. The technology enabled deaf persons to use the telephone for the first time and eventually opened the world of communication for deaf persons. It is now on permanent display in the Deaf Archives collection in Wallace Library.

The Undergraduate Student Honors Exhibition at Bevier Gallery will continue through summer 2008. The exhibit showcases undergraduate work, selected by faculty and representing all art programs.

Construction began this spring on the south loop multi-use trail project. Once work is completed—anticipated by this fall—a 10-foot-wide asphalt sidewalk and bikeway along Andrews Drive will connect existing walkways near Wiltsie Drive and Gleason Circle. “We can’t wait for the path to be completed,” says Ed Wolf, president of student government, which pushed for the construction of the multi-use trail.

Barbara Letvin, formerly from Student Affairs, reconnected with John Paliouras, a past dean of the College of Science, at the RIT Retiree Picnic held on June 11. The event was held at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center.

The East House/RIT Enrichment Program is a two-week college experience offered to 40 individuals recovering from mental illness and/or chemical dependency. Classes, such as computer skills, public speaking, art, personal finance and more, are taught by community volunteers. Here, students participate in a mask making class. A graduation ceremony will be held on June 12.

Jake Torcello has been named recipient of the 2008 prestigious McGowan Scholarship by the E. Philip Saunders College of Business at RIT. Torcello, a third-year marketing business major, will receive a full scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year, made possible by a grant from the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund.

Pike Co. has donated a structure that will aid the study of RIT civil engineering technology students. The ‘Teaching Structure,’ located at the west entrance of the new College of Applied Science and Technology Building, will allow students to obtain a true understanding of steel framing and steel connections.

Cory Cress, a recent graduate of RIT’s doctoral program in microsystems engineering, conducted an experiment related to his research in photovoltaics. During his tenure at RIT, Cress worked to advance the use of photovoltaic solar cells in a number of applications, including their utilization in space satellites.

Park Point is scheduled to open for business in August 2008, featuring a 40,000-square-foot Barnes & Noble bookstore, several ethnic restaurants, a hair salon and upscale housing.

RIT Staff Council hosted its third annual Classic Car Display, featuring 50 classic ‘rides’ owned by RIT employees, retirees, trustees, alumni and students, as part of its yearly Staff Appreciation Day and Community Picnic on May 28. Above, Mike Saffran, associate director, University News Services, checks out the mileage on a ’55 Studebaker President Speedster, owned by alumnus Jerry Kier. A ’57 Triumph belonging to Timothy Engström, an RIT philosophy professor, is in the foreground.