Photo Spotlights

Wayne LeChase, CEO of LeChase Construction Services LLC, shares insights on his success at the 2004 Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Award luncheon at Oak Hill Country Club, March 25. LeChase was honored as this year's award recipient. The honor, sponsored by RIT's College of Business, is given to an individual who successfully developed a business that improved the local economy or whose innovative management skills changed the course of an existing business.

Scott Vosbury, fourth-year RIT student in the School of Film and Animation, will travel to North Carolina in early April for the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and the latest screening of his project, The Great Cheesesteak Debate.

Nearly 50 female high school students from across the northeast “shadowed” RIT students for a day—including spending a night in a residence hall—as part of the Kate Gleason College of Engineering’s fourth annual “Shadow Day,” March 18-19. The students participated in hands-on engineering-related activities with RIT student mentors, such as creating a “projectile system” and studying the behaviors of projectiles in motion (in this case, harmless Hostess Twinkies).

Members of the Asian Culture Society bravely offer up their faces in a pie-throwing fundraiser, held in the Student Alumni Union, March 18.

RIT’s School of Hospitality and Service Management welcomed back alumni employed by Renaissance Hotels and Resorts for an interactive workshop on March 10. Among the presenters was Michael Murphy ’84 (hotel and resort management), who discussed brand strategy with more than 150 current RIT students and alumni. The workshop was sponsored by the hospitality alumni society.

RIT's men's lacrosse team breaks in the new artificial turf field in early March. The team was the first to practice on the field and under a new set of lights that needed to burn brightly for 100 hours to test their durability and remove residue on the filters. The lacrosse team opened the 2004 season with a 14-10 win over Endicott College.

RIT staff and Athenaeum members gather on Feb. 19 to celebrate reaching their initial goal to establish The Athenaeum Legacy Fund. The fund was established with contributions from Athenaeum members to offer a source of income to ensure the future growth of the organization. From left are Lisa Cauda, associate vice president of development, Bonnie Salem, chair of the Legacy Fund committee, and Margie Klotz, committee member.

This work by RIT professor Alan Singer will be on exhibit in “Slice of Life: A Retrospective Look at the Art of Alan Singer, in Paintings, Prints and Drawings, 1993-2003" in the NTID Dyer Arts Center from March 11 to April 9. The opening reception is from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 11.

RIT students and faculty learn the art of paper folding at Midnight Breakfast on Feb. 20. Around 400 students attended the feast, held just before winter quarter final exams, and many faculty and staff volunteered to serve food and hang out with students to ease their pre-final fears.

Jim Watters, vice president of finance and administration, became chef for a day as he assists Jose Vargas in preparing food for the Celebrating Our Cultures Luncheon, on March 5. The event highlighted the cultural diversity of the entire F&A staff by offering ethnic dishes prepared by guest chefs selected from the staff. Here, Vargas prepares his offering of “Chicken ala Jose” from the Dominican Republic.

The New York State Assembly has awarded the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies $400,000 to support research and industry outreach efforts in remanufacturing. Assemblyman Joseph Morelle made the announcement on March 4 during a press conference in CIMS’ Imaging Products Laboratory. Morelle's advocacy of CIMS' programs has resulted in nearly $4 million in state funding since 1998. He states the overriding benefit has been the ability to create and retain manufacturing jobs in New York.

RIT President Albert Simone commends Linda Meyer, director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program, during a ceremony honoring RIT’s principal investigators. Meyer is among four PIs whose cumulative research grants since 2000 have exceeded $1 million. During 2003, the total value of RIT research projects funded by various grants exceeded $31 million.