Photo Spotlights

A student competes in the preliminary round of snowboarding at the RIT FreezeFest Rail Jam on Feb. 3. FreezeFest, Feb. 1-4, sponsored by RIT’s Center for Campus Life and the College Activities Board, is one of the largest events on campus and the largest in the winter season.

From left, Irma Kamaruddin and Noor Masleina Dahalan, fourth-year biotechnology students from Malaysia, help each other adjust their caps before getting their portraits taken by GradImages at the graduation fair. About 500 members of RIT’s Class of 2018 attended a graduation fair in the Student Alumni Union. The fair provided students with a one-stop opportunity to gather information related to the May 11-12 commencement weekend.

Faculty from RIT’s partner university in China, Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU), visited the RIT campus to collaborate with Saunders College of Business faculty last week. RIT and BJTU offer a joint B.S. in Management Information Systems (MIS) at the Weihai, China campus, as well as the RIT M.S. in Entrepreneurship and Innovative Ventures at the BJTU main campus in Beijing.

Middle and high school students from Rochester and the Finger Lakes region have an exhibit in Bevier Gallery through Feb. 10, featuring painting, photography, ceramics and more.

Ransom Quinn, center, a fifth-year computer engineering major at RIT from Fayetteville, N.C., is wrapped in a Datto blanket at the welcome talks for BrickHack4, RIT’s premier hackathon. Datto, one of the sponsors, was founded by Austin McChord, a 2009 RIT alumnus. Hundreds of students from around the country gathered to create a product over a 24-hour period.

RIT Baseball head coach Rob Grow ‘88, shows off the new baseball locker room. The room was renovated thanks to the generous donations of Jan Proper-Shrier, in honor of her husband former RIT baseball coach Bruce Proper, and the Hern Family, in honor of former Tiger player Tim Hern ‘00. Both Proper and Hern are members of the RIT Sports Hall of Fame.

Marc Lamont Hill, host of BET News and a political contributor for CNN, presented the keynote address at RIT’s annual Expressions of King’s Legacy celebration.

RIT President David Munson and his wife, Nancy, have a weekly American Sign Language lesson from Jeanne Behm, the coordinator of the RIT ASL and Deaf Studies Community Center, at Liberty Hill.

RIT’s MAGIC Center is hosting its second annual New York state Game Dev Challenge, an opportunity for students enrolled in New York state colleges and universities and indie developers residing within the state to bring their game ideas to production. Winners in two categories will be awarded up to $25,000 in funding to aid in the development and production of their game; will be included in an on-site incubator at RIT, New York University or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for up to one year; and will have access to a mentor network. Entrants will be judged on their game idea pitch, game prototype, business plan, mentorship plan and development timeline. The challenge officially launched Jan. 1, with submissions being accepted until March 1. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Strong National Museum of Play on April 12.

From left, Michael Bukowski from New York-based game development studio Vicarious Visions talks with fourth-year game design and development students Matthew Schweigardt, from Queensbury, N.Y., and Jeannette Forbes, from Loudoun, Va., after the Game Dev Challenge kick-off on Jan. 19. RIT’s MAGIC Center is hosting its second annual New York state Game Dev Challenge, an opportunity for students enrolled in New York state colleges and universities and indie developers residing within the state to bring their game ideas to production. Winners in two categories will be awarded up to $25,000 in funding to aid in the development and production of their game; will be included in an on-site incubator at RIT, New York University or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for up to one year; and will have access to a mentor network. Entrants will be judged on their game idea pitch, game prototype, business plan, mentorship plan and development timeline. The challenge officially launched Jan. 1, with submissions being accepted until March 1. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Strong National Museum of Play on April 12.

Some 200 students from Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women in Rochester visited RIT Jan. 17 for a daylong enrichment experience. The girls were able to design video games in the MAGIC Center lab, learn about engineering models and conduct simple science experiments. They also toured campus and were able to ask questions to RIT female students studying in these areas. The day was sponsored by RIT’s MAGIC Center and University Center for Engaging K-12.

Two-hundred young women from Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women in Rochester visited RIT Jan. 17 for a daylong enrichment experience. The girls were able to design video games in the MAGIC Center lab, learn about engineering models and conduct simple science experiments. They also toured campus and were able to ask questions to RIT female students studying in these areas. The day was sponsored by RIT’s MAGIC Center and University Center for Engaging K-12.