Photo Spotlights

Will these chickens run in the first episode of ABC's American Inventor tonight? Aaron Foss, an RIT alumnus, was one of 4,000 geeky inventors who auditioned for a new primetime reality show that follows the format of American Idol—complete with the cynical Simon Cowell as executive producer. Foss designed The WingDipper, a plastic cup holder "to dip both chicken wings and legs into bleu cheese without the mess." Foss received his undergraduate degree in information technology ('00) and his MBA ('01) from RIT. Foss reached the show's semi-finals, but it's not known whether he'll be featured as part of tonight's casting call highlights.

The Monroe County Math League All-Star Competition drew students from 34 area high schools March 9. In total, 578 students and proctors participated in what has become an annual event hosted by RIT’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Eliot Spitzer, New York attorney general, speaks with local media during a visit to RIT's Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies on March 2. Spitzer, a democrat who is running for governor, delivered his first major economic development address to local business and government leaders, focusing plans to revitalize the upstate New York economy. He noted that an emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship offers the best opportunity for improving the economic landscape, and he commended President Albert Simone for his vision and leadership of RIT.

Students from Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School in Rochester cheer on their team at the FIRST Robotics Competition, held at RIT March 9-11. The Wilson Magnet squad, named the X-Cats, was among 30 teams from the Northeast U.S. and Canada who took part in the sports-style contest. The event offered participants an opportunity to vie for a slot at next month's national competition in Atlanta.

Team T-Rx, representing high schools in Norwich, Sherburne and New Berlin, N.Y., compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition at RIT. The regional event, March 9-11, pits 30 student teams from the Northeast U.S. and Canada in a challenging, sports-style contest. Participants are vying for the opportunity to compete in next month's national competition in Atlanta.

“Wall Writing 101” showcased student work from professor Anne Coon’s advanced creative writing class. The exhibit lined the walls of the main corridor in the College of Liberal Arts Building with three-by-four-foot posters featuring one page each from students’ winter quarter-long projects.

T. Alan Hurwitz, dean of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, shows his RIT spirit and jokes with students while he makes good on his promise to dress for a day in RIT colors, one result of a recent NTID fundraising auction to benefit students with financial need. Some 35 items were auctioned, raising more than $4,000.

The RIT Players and the Department of Fine Arts in RIT's College of Liberal Arts performed The Exception and the Rule: A Brecht Show last month, celebrating the influential 20th century playwright Bertolt Brecht. The two-part production began with a documentary-style presentation of selections from Brecht’s drama and poetry from the period, 1928-38, including three scenes from Fear and Misery in the Third Reich. Shown here are Nate Jentsch as a Nazi Storm Trooper and Andrew Gibson, playing the character of a chauffer.

The Great Jeans Giveaway at RIT gathered 215 pairs of jeans that no longer fit someone to celebrate National Eating Disorder Week by the RIT Women's Center. All donations will be given to the YMCA to help women in need. The week focused on self-image to free women and men from destructive dieting.

RIT dedicates the IT Collaboratory Research Building, a project made possible through a $14 million grant from the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR). Among those taking part in the March 3 ceremony were (from left to right) Don Boyd, RIT vice president for research; Mike Morley, president of RIT's Board of Trustees; Joseph Morrelle, state assemblyman; Jim Alesi, state senator; Russell Bessette, executive director of NYSTAR; Albert Simone, RIT president; and John Kelly, senior vice president of technology and intellectual property at IBM.

Eliot Spitzer, New York attorney general, speaks with local media during a visit to RIT's Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies on March 2. Spitzer is campaigning for governor, and he told local business leaders about his plans to revitalize the upstate New York economy. He says an emphasis on science and technology offers the best opportunity for altering the economic landscape.

A group of 30 first-year engineering honors students recently participated in decidedly ‘low-tech’ competition. The object of the first “Tip-a-Can” event was to design a device, housed within a closed cylindrical container, that would automatically tip the can as close as possible to 60 seconds after the start of a timer. Eight teams of students—including, from left, Eva Ames, Jimmy LaPointe and Thom Siegwart—created improvised contraptions using such everyday, inexpensive items as egg timers, duct tape and mouse traps.