From the NTID President's Office - August 2024

As we begin a new academic year, we will once again gather for the annual Tiger Walk at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, followed by the New Student Convocation. The Tiger Walk begins on Fox Lane by the baseball field and extends through the back entrance to the Gordon Field House. For those of you who are new to this event, faculty, staff, and alumni line the pathway to cheer on our newest Tigers as they make their way to the New Student Convocation. Everyone is encouraged to wear orange, white and black RIT gear, bring noise makers, signs, and your Tiger spirit; then join in the New Student Convocation in person or via the live stream

NTID has once again captured the College Bowl at a tournament held at the National Association of the Deaf’s Biennial Convention in Chicago. Coached by Chris Kurz and Jamie Munro, the team included Emma Kane, a public policy major from Rochester, New York, and daughter of NTID employees Erin Kane (Admissions) and Mike Kane (Business Studies); Coffey King, an accounting major from Capitol Heights, Maryland; Chang-May Tan, a biomedical sciences major from Fremont, California; and Ryker D’Angelo an English major from St. Augustine, Florida.

Submitted by Chris Knigga

• NLC conversion to four general labs: The asbestos abatement for this area is now complete. Currently, the abatement contractor is cleaning and opening up access to the science labs and the east side offices on the second floor for SVP.
• First floor study cubes: Construction is complete, and we are awaiting the installation of the glass sliding doors, which is expected to be done by the end of September.
• Second floor: Southwest section of LBJ (60-2590, master control room, counseling department, and adjacent areas): The architect is visiting these areas to collect notes before designing the space. By fall, we should have a clearer idea of the layout. More information will be shared in the future.

Submitted by Erin Auble

We are celebrating 50 Years of Performing Arts at NTID. The Performing Arts department will hold several events to highlight our anniversary.

• Oct. 18 - Homecoming Weekend is the opening of the Dyer Arts Gallery exhibit celebrating 50 years of Performing Arts at NTID. The exhibit will be available through the rest of the academic year.
• Nov. 15-17 is our performance of "Peter and the Starcatcher" directed by JW Guido.
• Dec. 6 - The NTID Holiday Show will return to the Panara Stage. This event is in collaboration with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the President's Office.

Submitted by John Macko

Below are highlights of the key work NC3 accomplished in June, July, and August.

• Employer partnerships:
  • Meetings between Amazon Corporate and Erica Roethel resulted in positive momentum for recruitment of recent grad hires and current student co-ops for 2025. 
  • Trisha Gard-Thompson, Mark Davis, and Miranda Harms met virtually with staff from Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) interested in hiring Precision Manufacturing Technology grads, and possibly restarting their internship program. CCAD may consider visiting campus in the near future if funding and staff availability permit. 
  • Pam Christopher and Dawn Lucas began collaboration with Traci Goodrich and Robert Dooling from the Department of State. Both Traci and Robert are RIT/NTID alumni. They are interested in working together to recruit for Foreign Services positions. 
  • Brooklyn Navy Yard is working with Pam Christopher to place students in their internship program. We are in the process of setting up a date for a “Working Together” training.
• Conferences:
  • Erica Roethel, Pam Christopher, and Miranda Harms attended the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in June. They networked with college career services professionals as well as university relations and recruiting practitioners.
  • Dawn Lucas, Sophie Powell, and John Macko attended and exhibited at the Disability:IN conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July. They engaged in direct networking conversations with over 90 professionals.
  • On June 26, Miranda Harms presented for Project Fast Forward. Civil Engineering Technology student Dil Dewanamuni accompanied Miranda and shared insights about his experience with NC3 and his co-op placements.
• During June 2024:
  • Beth Karbowski participated in an immersive study abroad program in Italy.
• Students on summer co-op included:
  • Business:
    • Jacqueline Rodas, AOS in business technology, completed a co-op for Mill Neck Family of Organizations as an administrative assistant.
    • Daniel Belozovsky, BS-finance, finished his summer co-op at Prudential as a financial planning marketing assistant.
  • Engineering:
    • Gage Voteur, AOS in precision manufacturing technology, fulfilled his co-op at XLI Corporation in Rochester as a CNC intern.
    • Dil Dewanamuni, BS in civil engineering technology, worked this summer as a geographic information systems intern at the Monroe County Office of Emergency Management in Rochester.
  • Visual Communications Studies:
    • Elizabeth Hartmann, AOS in design and imaging technology, completed a co-op with Richmond University Medical Center as a graphic designer.
    • Lindsay Hecker, BFA in film and animation – worked for Arcana Pictures LLC  as an intern.
  • Science:
    • Estrella Rayner, AAS in laboratory science technology, worked as an undergraduate research intern for James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
    • Chang-May Tan, BS in biomedical sciences, finished this summer for Dow Chemical as an intern.
  • Computing:
    • Swapnil Patel, AAS in applied computer technology, finished a co-op at Ricoh USA, Inc. as a customer engineer intern.
    • Lukas Peters, BS in information security, completed his co-op with PNC as a security analyst.
  • Liberal Arts:
    • Amanda Brown, BS in psychology, worked for TurnUp Activism as an intern.

• Loriann Macko, Kim Kurz, and John Macko had the pleasure of joining Governor Kathy Hochul for a Disability Pride Reception celebrating the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the Executive Mansion in Albany, New York, July 29. Kurz delivered a remarkable presentation on the importance of the ADA and the ongoing need to remove barriers in the future.
• On Aug. 3, Loriann Macko and John Macko traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to attend the 29th annual Bender Family Picnic. It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with Joyce Bender, the founder and CEO of Bender Consulting Services and a former member of NTID’s National Advisory Group, as well as Gerald Homme, manager of talent acquisition technology and a current member of the NTID Employer Advisory Group.
• Upcoming Events:
  • Registration is now open for students to apply through the Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP).
    • WRP is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers nationwide with highly motivated college students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities in the workplace through summer or permanent jobs. Oct. 15 is the last day to register.
  • The NTID Career Fair is Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. As of Aug. 12, we have 20 employers registered and are expecting 35 employers to attend.
  • The NTID Employer Advisory Group is scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Miranda Harms and John Macko will travel to Denver, Colorado, to exhibit and network at the SHRM Diversity & Inclusion Conference in November.
  • Dawn Lucas is going to the SERID Conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina, in November.

Submitted by Charles McFadden

The Outreach Consortium team (Erin Clegg, Roxann Richards, Eunyoung Doucet, Yvette Chirenje, Joshua Mora, Michele Steele, and Margie Renteria) had another packed and successful summer, hosting and conducting a wide variety of programs for middle and high school students both on and off campus.

• May
  • Tiger Gaming League
  • Deaf Chess Invitational
  • Youth Canada Tournament for the Deaf
• June
  • Pre-ETS California
  • STEM at AMPHL
  • Pre-ETS Illinois
• July
  • Explore Your Future sessions #1 and #2
  • Financial Wizards
  • Advanced Tech Careers
  • Health Care Careers Exploration
  • Tech Tigers

The Outreach team remains deeply appreciative of the support and engagement it receives from so many faculty and staff members throughout NTID. None of our programs would be possible without the following colleagues:
Tim Albert, Antonietta Alfonso, Bakar Ali, Elizabeth Ayers, Julia Bartsch, Ryan Bash, Karen Beiter, Michael Berrios, Royce Best, Chris Brucker, Joshua Butler, Song Hoa Choi, Kemoy Campbell, Mark Davis, Lisa Dewindt-Sommer, Becca Dingman, Joanne Dollhopf, Maggie Donaldson, Christine Ecker, Tao Eng, Sean Flanagan, Shelly Freed, Trisha Gard-Thompson, Ben Gibson, Allison Higgins, Marcus Holmes, Aisha Howard, Rebecca Jackson, David Johnston, Amberlee Jones, Recca Karras, Noella Kolash, Alexis Lazaro, Yasmine Lee, Elizabeth Jackson Machmer, Sarah McCormick, Rebecca McGregor, Marriner Merrill, Jamie Munro, Ashley Mussallem, Cindy Officer, Dane Officer, Lindsay Olsen, Maria Ocasio, Camille Ouellette, Mariam Parach, Maya Penn, Philip Pham, Gabriel Ponte-Fleary, Rick Postl, Joseph Riggio, Misti Roe, Ernest Roszkowski, Arturo Peralta Silva, Lori Poole-Clement, David Putz, Sally Seefried, Darian Slattery, Mark Sommer, Chad Smith, Brittany Sperry, Amy Stornello, Jess Whitehouse, Scott Wolff, and Andrea Zuchengno.
Thank you!

Outreach has the following programs planned for fall 2024.

• Career Exploration Series
  • How to take Amazing Photos on Your Phone (Amelia Hamilton)
  • Introduction to Architecture through Designing a Deaf-Friendly School (Christopher Brucker)
  • Discovering Solar Power (Michael Berrios)
  • Content Creating in Marketing (Kelly Davis)
• STEM Day and ACT Prep — on-campus program to be attended by students from three schools.
• STEM Trivia — two competitions planned—one in October and the other in November.
• Tiger Science Challenge — two egg drop competitions: highest drop and most creative drop.
• Tiger Sharks — an exciting hands-on ocean-life exploration and marine biology program offered at SEACAMP in San Diego, California.

Submitted by Krystina Ho

Published articles

• Grace Phelan, a recent RIT/NTID graduate and former research assistant at the Deaf Health Lab, co-published an article with mentor Elizabeth Ayers, director of healthcare mentoring at the Deaf Hub and NTID science and mathematics faculty member, titled “Sign Language Integration in Dental Education: A Qualitative Case Study,” in the “Journal of Health Care Communications” July 8. Their research explored the effectiveness of sign language training and assessed its long-term impact on dental students after they completed their studies at the University of West Indies (UWI) dental school in Mona, Jamaica.
• Roshan Mathew published four papers and is awaiting publication of a fifth, and co-authored two papers before he graduated this summer. Mathew, a graduate student in the School of Information, successfully published and presented on his two articles, “Deaf and Hard of Hearing People’s Perspectives on Augmented Reality Interfaces for Improving the Accessibility of Smart Speakers” in “Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction 2024” (conference paper) June 1, and “Transforming Language Access for Deaf Patients in Healthcare” in the “Journal on Technology and Persons with Disabilities” May 23.
• Elizabeth Ayers published "Walking in an Environmental Scientist’s Footprints: 4E Cognition Through the Seek by iNaturalist Citizen Science Application” in the “Journal of College Science Teaching” July 1. Her article discussed the application of the four E’s of cognition in conjunction with Universal Design for Learning principles, demonstrating how the use of everyday technology can help students learn like environmental scientists.
• Kat Womack, Anna M. Kasper, Victoria A. Popov, Sara K. Blick-Nitko, Kameron B. Kinast, and Nikki D. Cherry co-authored, “Illuminating the deaf experience at STEM conferences” in “Nature Reviews Chemistry.” The article discusses deaf professionals experiencing inequitable access at conferences, and how conference hosts can learn to recognize and understand the contributing barriers.

Health Care Careers Exploration Program

• The Health Care Careers Exploration Program (HCCEP) offers immersive learning experiences for high school students interested in a career in health care. Rhiannon Wagner, a deaf EMT and chief research assistant in the Deaf Hub, presented on balancing her academic journey with her demanding role in emergency medical services. She also coordinated an ambulance tour and a mock emergency call demonstration with RIT Ambulance, providing students with an inside look into the world of emergency response.
• In a unique approach, HCCEP featured a Code Blue response simulation, coordinated by Elizabeth Ayers, which included two distinct enactments. The first simulation was conducted in a traditional format, followed by a repeat performance in ASL. Elizabeth also recruited six deaf and hard-of-hearing healthcare professionals from the University of Rochester and Rochester Regional Health to guide the students through their Code Blue scenarios, providing real-time feedback and insights. Following the simulation, an interactive lunch was provided where students could ask the visiting professionals questions about their training and work experiences.
• Additionally, Elizabeth led two hands-on ultrasound scanning sessions, where students had the opportunity to learn and practice scanning techniques on an abdomen, a second-trimester fetus, and blood vessels. These sessions catered to both introductory and advanced levels, offering a comprehensive learning experience that equipped students with practical skills relevant to the medical field.
• AMPHL scholarship awardees:
  Josie Maki
  Caty Goodman
  Sarah Appel
  Rhiannon Wagner
  Tyler Cardoso

The Deaf Hub team also presented at the 2024 AMPHL conference:

• Rhiannon Wagner, EMT-B, co-presented with her team, “The Role of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Health Professionals in Advancing the Health Care Accessibility and Equity for Patients.”
• Tiffany Panko, MD, MBA, and Jenna Stewardson, BS, co-presented their research findings, “The Need for Representation in Reproductive Health Care for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Patients.” 
• Deaf Hub’s MSSP team discussed the program highlights, “Mentor Supported Shadowing Program: A Framework for Increasing DHH Representation in Healthcare.” Their team members are: Elizabeth Ayers, MS, RDMS, RVT; Tiffany Panko, MD, MBA; Jeni Rodrigues, NIC-ADV, CI, CT, NAD IV, CORECHI.
• Elizabeth Ayers, MS, RDMS, RVT; co-presented with her Atomic Hands team the benefits of STEM signs, “Untapped potential of ASL in creating STEM signs.” She also participated in the SimLab to demonstrate ultrasound scanning technology and support Dr. Zachery Featherstone.
• Rhiannon Wagner presented her poster, “The Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Experience with Emergency Medical Services.” 
• Roshan Mathew and Wendy Dannels offered two separate poster presentations, “Advancing Healthcare Inclusivity: Evaluation of Conference Room Webcams for Remote Interpreting Group Consultations Involving Deaf Patients in Healthcare Settings” and “Enhancing Language Access for Deaf Patients Using Augmented Reality.”

Summer Healthcare Academic Research Program trainee projects
The Deaf Hub does research on healthcare access, knowledge, and outcomes in the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. SHARP allows RIT/NTID students to get research or co-op credit working with the Deaf Hub over the summer. The program is ideal for students who would like to gain experience working in a research center focusing on a multitude of projects such as health literacy, healthcare access, reproductive health, and access technologies. Students also gain experience working in an inclusive environment with deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing people using ASL as the primary language in the Deaf Hub. If you are interested in learning more about the past SHARP trainees and their experience, please check out the SHARP video on our YouTube channel.

SHARP trainees are expected to present their work at the RIT Undergraduate Research Symposium, where volunteer judges assess their posters. Deaf and hard-of-hearing trainees who receive a score above the cutoff are eligible to attend the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) with the Deaf Hub if their posters are accepted for presentation there. ABRCMS is an annual conference that brings together underrepresented scientists of various backgrounds. It is scheduled for November in Pittsburgh. Learn more about SHARP on our website. 

Deaf ROC Conference
There are more than 100 attendees registered for the Deaf ROC conference on Thursday, August 29, and Friday, August 30! The first day of programming is at URMC, and the second is at RIT.

NTID photographer Matthew Sluka has set aside Sept. 10-13 for new faculty and staff, and those looking to update their current headshots, to come to the photo studio (LBJ Hall, room 2227). Use this form to reserve your date and time. The headshots are for the RIT/NTID directory and website.

When planning an event, remember to consult the RIT Events Calendar to ensure your desired event dates do not conflict with other campus events of interest to your audience, then use the “Submit an Event” link to add yours to the calendar so others will see it. This also ensures that your event will be listed in RIT News & Events, on the NTID website, and in other places.

If you have an email that you want to have sent to all NTID faculty, staff, and/or students, please send the following to Kimberly Prescott: 

1. A Word document containing all of the text for your email. 
2. Any images or graphics that should be included in .jpg or .png format. 
3. Image descriptions to ensure that any images or graphics are accessible. 

Kimberly will send your email to your desired audience (NTID faculty, staff, and/or students) using the RITMail system.

Please note that due to the volume of requests, you should submit your email content to Kimberly as far in advance as possible and specify the date you would like the email to be sent. If you have questions, please contact Kimberly for more information.

Submitted by Maria Ocasio

Join me in welcoming our new hires and congratulating current employees on their promotions/job changes that took place between May 1 and July 31, 2024.

New hires:

• Bethany Annal, captionist I, Real-Time Caption and Notetaking Services Team 1
• David Beyea, captionist I, Real-Time Caption and Notetaking Services Team 2
• John Blotzer, media technician, Engineering Services
• Christine Ecker, senior staff assistant, Student Life
• Emily Haueisen, senior staff assistant, Department of Performing Arts
• Amanda Inthavong, senior marketing communication assistant, Enrollment Management
• Elizabeth Odom, counselor/academic advisor, Counseling and Academic Advising Services
• Meenakshi Potter, captionist I, Real-Time Caption and Notetaking Services Team 2
• Kathleen Ronnenberg, captionist ll, Real-Time Caption and Notetaking Services Team 2
• Sydney Sisson, audiology extern, Communication Studies and Services
• Ren Tyler, captionist I, Real-Time Caption and Notetaking Services Team 2
• Christine Wilkins, captionist I, Real-Time Caption and Notetaking Services Team 1
• Ephram Wilkoff, captionist I, Real-Time Caption and Notetaking Services Team 1
• Brooke Williams, senior staff assistant, NTID Professional Development

New title:

• Cheri McKee, learning improvement facilitator (new title/same department), ASL and Interpreting Education

Promotions:

• Kira Avery, senior interpreter, Interpreting Team for COLA                     
• Kayla Donnellan, interpreter, Interpreting Team for COS and CHST                     
• Krista Mikiciuk, interpreter, Interpreting Team for COS and CHST                       
• Alison Putney, senior interpreter, Interpreting Team for COS and CHST              
• Eric Severson, interpreter, Interpreting Team for COLA              
• E Vazquez, senior interpreter, Interpreting Team for COS and CHST              
• Anna Walton, interpreter, Interpreting Team for COS and CHST                                                 

Transfers:

• Rebecca Carpenter, research faculty, transfer within the Center on Access Technology   
• Monique Harris, manager and senior interpreter, transfer within DAS
• Kit Kenyon, non-tenure track faculty, transfer to DLS        
• Denise Lengyel, non-tenure track faculty, transfer to Science and Mathematics  
• Jason Listman, department chair, transfer within ASLIE  
• Timothy Sanger, non-tenure track faculty, transferred to faculty status in MSSE
• Samantha Schmidt, captioning development specialist/team lead, transfer to Real-time Caption and Notetaking Services

From Mary Karol Matchett:
New faces in Student and Academic Services:

• Noel King: mental health staff in NTID Counseling and Psychological Services 
• Joey Ruggieri: student financial services coordinator
• Christine Ecker: senior staff assistant, Student Life Team
• Traci Ketchum: counselor, Substance and Addiction Intervention Services for the Deaf
• Samara Maldonado: counselor, Substance and Addiction Intervention Services for the Deaf

In June, Joanne Dollhopf and her husband, Jonathan and their son, Lucas, welcomed a new addition to their family, Liam.  All are doing well. Joann is the coordinator of student life programming.

From Vicki Liggera:
Lizzie Odom, originally from North Carolina, joins NTID Counseling and Academic Advising Services as a counselor/academic advisor. Having earned her bachelor’s degree in interpreting from RIT/NTID (2018) and her master’s degree in social work from University of Louisville (2020), she worked a few years as a deaf services clinician. She will work with NTID Information and Computing Studies students in. Lizzie looks forward to reconnecting with the Rochester community, accompanied by her husband, Ryan Clark-Sulkey (NTID ’18, COB ’20) and their 8-months old son, Elijah.

From Hope Williams:
Brooke Williams has joined NTID Professional Development as well as Todd Pagano’s department for Student Scholar Development. She brings valuable experience from her previous role at the Penfield Central School District and from running her own small business. Additionally, she is an RIT alumna, and served as a student assistant in the NTID Dean's Office during her academic years. She holds a bachelor of science degree in applied arts and sciences and an associate of science degree in ASL-English Interpretation. Brooke’s office area is LBJ-1280.

• Tim Albert gave a presentation on “Duty” at the Youth Leadership Camp in Stayton, Oregon, on July 3, 2024.
• The Department of Access Services provided sign language interpretation support for Ganondagan’s Indigenous Music & Arts Festival, July 27 and 28, 2024.
• New York state has awarded RIT a $1.5 million grant through the Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program to enhance the medium voltage electrical infrastructure serving the living and learning environments for RIT and NTID students. The upgrades will increase the university’s ability to expand its physical plant and technological capabilities, supporting new academic programs, research endeavors, and addressing the evolving needs of students.
• Alum Remy Glock designed warm-up shirts featuring CHAMP in American Sign Language worn by the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Soccer Team.
• Kudos to the NTID Department of Engineering Studies for their awesome interactive display at Imagine RIT, featuring samples of their students' capstone projects, including a machined chess set; rocket; flag from the precision manufacturing technology program; a catapult from the applied mechanical technology program; several 3-D models of homes, including building blocks for people to experiment with structural designs from the architectural and civil drafting technology program. The biggest draw for everyone, especially the children was building a castle out of cardboard, including a moat, towers and many walls and windows.  Several of the children stayed for hours having fun building the castle.
• Congratulations to the following NTID faculty and staff who completed RIT’s Cultural Humility Certificate Program. This information is from the May 1, 2024, DDI newsletter:
  • Tyler Bazzi, lecturer, STEM Academy
  • Stowe Beecher, senior lecturer, Department of Science and Mathematics
  • Melora Brock, counselor/academic advisor, CAAS
  • Susan Demers-McLetchie, counselor, CAAS
  • Jim Dolan, staff assistant, NTID Learning Consortium
  • Kara Everson, associate interpreter, DAS
  • Amelia Hamilton, assistant director for student-alum mentoring and special projects, Office of External Affairs
  • Benjamin Jarashow, senior lecturer, Department of Liberal Studies
  • Traci Ketchum, counselor, CAAS
  • Mary Lamb, research programs financial administrator, Office of the Associate Dean for Research
  • Loriann  Macko, director of alumni and constituent relations, Office of External Affairs
  • Samara Maldonado, counselor, CAAS
  • Aron Marie, visiting assistant professor, Department of Liberal Studies
  • Sarah McCormick, assistant director of student life programming, Student Life Team
  • Rebecca McGregor, coordinator of student life programming, Student Life Team
  • Susan McGroarty, associate interpreter, DAS
  • Crystal Peloquin, ALANA staff retention specialist, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
  • Jase Rivera, interpreter, DAS
  • Cynthia Sanders associate professor, ASLIE
  • Kristin Starin, senior speech/language professional, Communication Studies and Services
  • Kimberley Taylor, senior staff assistant, Outreach, Placement and Special Projects
  • Todd Thieu, coordinator of interpreter training and exchange initiative, DAS
  • Anna Walton, associate interpreter, DAS

• NTID business technology student Heriberto Almonte was sworn in as the first deaf intern in the New York (city) Police Department. Several news outlets have covered his story, including:
  • News 12 (Bronx)
  • Yahoo News
  • NYPD
• Thomas Warfield has been named to Rochester Business Journal’s Power List for LGBTQ+ business leaders. (subscription needed)
• NTID hosted the Greater Rochester Deaf and Hard of Hearing Emergency Preparedness Summit May 31, 2024.
• Online publication “Latest Hacking News” featured NTID in their story “Can Deaf and Hard of Hearing People Thrive in IT and Tech Careers?”
• AI interview showcases Syracuse start-up’s breakthrough in sign language

• E. Blake Newman, SVP ’73, ’76, visual communications-applied photography, passed away May 28, 2024.
• Charles A. Layne, former NTID faculty, passed away June 7, 2024.
• Gail Tobin, retired senior staff assistant in the NTID Dean’s Office, passed away June 22, 2024.
• Jack R. Clarcq, retired administrator and professor, passed away June 22, 2024.
• Gregory Huey, SVP ’88, passed away June 26, 2024.