News

During the 15 weeks between spring and fall semester, RIT students are finding ways to embrace new challenges. Some are taking the stage and performing. Others are winning club championships. For many, summer is a time to get work experience and participate in research projects, traveling abroad, and helping others while pursuing their passions.

Fifty years ago, Title IX set the stage for change. But the reason why RIT now has more women faculty, administrators, coaches, and exemplary students is that women acted. Prior generations of women invested their careers to make RIT a better version of itself, including winning two transformative grants from the National Science Foundation focused on gender equity.

Weekend enrichment activities hosted by the Science and Technology Entry Program, through Rochester Insitute of Technology's K-12 University Center, facilitates research and robotics experiences for students from partnering schools within Monroe County. They also get the chance to work alongside RIT students who help with their STEM endeavors. One year-long event is called, STEAM Saturday.

Karin Wuertz-Kozak described her lab test equipment as a gym for cells. Stretching and compressions tests using bioreactors—her lab equipment—can make a difference in understanding how cells respond to mechanical cues and how that affects disease progression, specifically for spinal disc degeneration, common to millions of Americans.

Open enrollment is slated after the New Year for high school through postdoctoral individuals interested in joining the Army Educational Outreach Program’s apprenticeships and fellowships. The program is funded by the Department of Defense and administered by the K-12 University Center at Rochester Institute of Technology.

At least 650 wreaths were placed by graves of fallen service members and veterans at Webster Union Cemetery on National Wreaths Across America Day. Staff from the K-12 University Center at Rochester Institute of Technology participated in the event, along with members of RIT’s Veteran Students Club.

Tech Explorist features research led by Teresa Symons ’22 Ph.D. (astrophysical sciences and technology) and Associate Professor Michael Zemcov.

In a study led by RIT researchers, scientists analyzed new measurements showing that the light emitted by stars outside our galaxy is two to three times brighter than the light from known populations of galaxies, challenging assumptions about the number and environment of stars are in the universe.

RIT is offering a new master’s degree in artificial intelligence (AI). The program begins in fall 2023 and enrollment is now open. The Master of Science degree aims to prepare students from diverse educational backgrounds to become well-rounded AI professionals.

Microsystems engineering Ph.D. student Katelynn Fleming is hard at work making new discoveries on the moon. But her ultimate goal is to use technology to help all of us on Earth. Fleming recently won a 2022 NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunity (NSTGRO) award and will work at NASA centers as part of the visiting technologist experiences.

The K-12 University Center at RIT& runs the Apprenticeships and Fellowships division of the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP), helping high school students through post-doctoral students find positions at research labs and centers affiliated with the U.S. Army and with universities across the U.S.

Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, is partnering with RIT to provide scholarship support to a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in engineering, sustainability, and the sciences. The first Plug Graduate Scholarship was awarded this year to Mamta Choudhary, an industrial and systems engineering MS student from India.