Photo Spotlights

RIT researcher Matt Hoffman talked to fifth graders at the Harley School on May 30 about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Using a hair dryer, Hoffman, seated above, simulated wind and currents in a small aquarium and added drops of blue food coloring to show water layers mixing beneath the surface. Hoffman, an associate professor in RIT's School of Mathematical Sciences, estimates nearly 22 million pounds of plastic wind up in the Great Lakes system every year.

The men's lacrosse team placed second in the nation after falling to Salisbury University in the NCAA Division III Championship game on Sunday. RIT advanced to the NCAA Championship for the second time in program history having also reached it in 2013.

RIT Staff Council hosted its yearly Bob Howie Memorial Classic Car Display May 27 as part of the annual Staff Appreciation Day and Community Picnic. From left, Alberto Jeres and Richard Gray talk with Josh Goldowitz about his 1981 Toyota Celica Sunchaser.

RIT Staff Council hosted its yearly Bob Howie Memorial Classic Car Display on May 24 as part of the annual Staff Appreciation Day and Community Picnic. Dave Sluberski, senior lecturer in the school of film and animation, and his wife Sandra, dressed in period clothing to complement their 1930 Ford Model A coupe. They also showed a 1967 Cutlass Supreme.

RIT’s Class of 2017 included a record number of 44 students from the diagnostic medical sonography program in the College of Health Sciences and Technology. The program held its traditional pinning ceremony on May 18. Each senior received a pin bearing the name of their program on the front, and their individual initials engraved on the back. “The pinning ceremony signifies the initiation into the brotherhood and sisterhood of sonographers,”said Hamad Ghazle, director of diagnostic medical sonography. “It signifies a vow that the graduating sonographers will tirelessly, respectfully and compassionately serve the sick. The pinning ceremony is all about celebrating and honoring the ultrasound students and their journey into the world of ultrasound. It is also about faculty and staff who celebrate and cherish the accomplishments of their students.”

Soon-to-be graduates gather ahead of RIT’s 132nd commencement celebration. At the Academic Convocation, RIT President Bill Destler conferred degrees upon some 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students. College ceremonies take place throughout the day today and Saturday.

Soon-to-be graduates gather ahead of RIT’s 132nd commencement celebration. At the Academic Convocation, RIT President Bill Destler conferred degrees upon some 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students. College ceremonies take place throughout the day today and Saturday.

Darlene Navas, a second-year biology student from Brooklyn, N.Y., discussed her research with RIT Provost Jeremy Haefner. “Changes in Scientific Identity” was a collaboration with Maryah Glover, a second-year biology student from Edinboro, Pa. CASTLE (Center for Advancing STEM Training, Learning and Education) celebrated RIT faculty and student research activities contributing to improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics education at a symposium on May 17.

Nicole Casacci, a fifth-year biomedical engineering student from Buffalo, N.Y., applied dreamcatchers from a trip to Italy to her graduation cap. The College Activities Board provided lettering, glitter, glue and paints for students to use to decorate their mortarboards May 15 in the SAU Fireside Lounge as part of Senior Week. Academic Convocation starts at noon on Friday in the Gordon Field House and will be live streamed online.

School for American Crafts students showcased their work during the annual Walkthrough on May 15. The school’s ceramics, glass, furniture design and metals and jewelry design studios were open to view work created by RIT students. Here, visitors tour the furniture design area.

RIT’s Telefund, a group of students who call members of the RIT community to fundraise for the university, celebrated surpassing their April goal with an ice cream social with President Bill Destler on May 15. The group was challenged to secure 275 alumni pledges in April, and they secured 285 pledges.

Two students graduating from RIT this week are the first to receive bachelor’s degrees in RIT’s new Digital Humanities and Social Sciences program. DHSS uses interdisciplinary research, merging curriculum from traditional liberal arts subjects with technical ones to broaden students’ understanding, skills and marketability. Dillon Guscott, left, of Baldwin, N.Y., and Everett Kline, of Allegany, N.Y., are dual majors. Even though the DHSS bachelor’s program began last fall, they earned enough credits for the degree by completing courses in their other majors—Guscott in game design and development, and Kline in the School of Individualized Study.