Photo Spotlights

RIT President David Munson and his wife Nancy spoke to students during a Fireside Chat Tuesday afternoon on various topics ranging from student housing to sustainability.

Comics artist Jackie Davis discussed her webcomic Underpants and Overbites in the University Gallery. More than 50 students attended the informal talk about her webcomic that depicts quirky scenarios from her own life. She described her process as beginning with an ink hand drawing, followed by watercolor painting before scanning the final comic to post to the internet. The talk was supported by the College of Art and Design and the School of Individualized Study.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Morelle, left, visited RIT’s Venture Creations business technology incubator Feb. 1 to learn more about BlackBox Biometrics and The Blast Gauge ® System that was developed in the lab of RIT’s Bausch and Lomb Professor of Microsystems Engineering David Borkholder in 2011. BlackBox Biometrics commercializes sensor technologies that capture, measure and analyze data from individuals’ exposure to blast events. The Department of Defense has purchased The Blast Gauge ® System to provide data from blast events during military training exercises or in combat, and the company has also sold their product to law enforcement agencies and numerous international militaries. Through their work, Borkholder and his team, including systems engineer Stephen Cool, pictured here demonstrating the sensors for Rep. Morelle, hope to reduce blast exposures and eventually help play a role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases, perpetual concussion symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder. BlackBox Biometrics graduated from RIT’s business incubator in 2014.

Saturday Night Live cast member Mikey Day performed at the Gordon Field House as part of RIT’s FreezeFest activities Feb. 2.

Snowboarder John Owens, a third-year mechanical engineering student from Denville, N.J., catches air during the FreezeFest Rail Jam. Part of RIT’s FreezeFest, the RIT Freestyle Snowboard Team hosted a competitive ski and snowboard event. Contestants were judged on their tricks down a pre-built course on the hill near the Red Barn.

The 10th annual FreezeFest kicked-off with activities in the Student Alumni Union, including a candy bar, caricature artist and a snow globe booth.

Graduating students lined up to have their portraits taken by GradImages at the graduation fair on Jan. 30. The event marked 100 days before commencement and is intended as a one-stop opportunity to gather important information related to commencement weekend, May 10-11.

Autodesk officials toured campus on Jan. 29, including MAGIC Spell Studios shown here, as RIT plans to sign a university-wide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate with the international software company on future initiatives.

RIT Provost Ellen Granberg, left, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Autodesk VP Mary Hope McQuiston. Autodesk officials toured campus on Jan. 29 as RIT planned to sign a university-wide Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate with the international software company on future initiatives.

On right, Dan Giaime, third-year computer science and game design and development student from Long Island, N.Y., plays Crazy Platez at a launch party held Jan. 25. The celebration and release of Crazy Platez, a high-octane, Rochester-themed game created by RIT game design and development students (from left) Aidan Markham, Sam Cammarata and Noah Ratcliff, included self-serve garbage plates and a talk about the game. The game was developed throughout the last year with guidance from RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios.

RIT hosted an international conference on quantum science and technology that drew hundreds of leaders in the field to the RIT campus Jan. 23-25 in response to a congressional imperative to accelerate quantum research. The conference featured talks and poster presentations by scientists and engineers from the National Science Foundation, NASA, AIM Photonics, national laboratories, industry and academia. Pictured here, attendees toured RIT’s AIM Photonics lab.

Christopher Petit, director of the RIT Singers, leads the group in a rehearsal. The ensemble performs choral music in a variety of styles, time periods and languages. Their upcoming concert is 3 p.m. March 2 in the Allen Chapel.