News
Imaging Science BS

Four RIT faculty members are opening up soft matter physics, sometimes known as “squishy physics,” to a new generation of diverse scholars. Moumita Das, Poornima Padmanabhan, Shima Parsa, and Lishibanya Mohapatra are helping RIT make its mark in the field.

Professor Joel Kastner from RIT’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science and School of Physics and Astronomy is part of a team of scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope to study how the changing patterns of shadows cast on the dusty disks orbiting young stars can reveal the presence of newly formed planets.

Thousands of visitors at the 2023 Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival got to see what’s on the horizon in the areas of technology, the arts, and design. Festivalgoers traversed RIT’s campus on Saturday, exploring more than 350 exhibits.

Plastic pollutants, the coronavirus, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the strength of nanowires, and why freshly cut grass smells the way it does—these are some of the topics students from Rochester Prep High School explored during a mentorship program with RIT faculty. They shared their projects and new perspectives during the RIT-Rochester Prep Capstone Showcase held Feb. 6 at RIT.

Scientists uncovered what they believe to be the first astronomical map. The discovery, outlined in recent studies published in the Journal for the History of Astronomy and the Classical Quarterly, was made in part thanks to multispectral imaging conducted by researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science.

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.

Matthew Breitbart '10, Tom Rieger '74 and Don Williams '82 are core members of the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative, which provides uniform methods that drive the digitization efforts of federal agencies, libraries, archives, museums and institutions around the world.

James Albano, a researcher/engineer at RIT’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, has launched a project funded by the Department of Energy to develop remote sensing technology that could have applications ranging from assessing earthquake damage to determining soil moisture for predicting crop yield.

Eleven RIT alumni have been awarded Distinguished Alumni Awards for the 2022-2023 year. It is the highest award an RIT college can bestow upon its alumni and recognizes alumni who have performed at the highest levels of their profession or who have contributed to the advancement and leadership of civic, philanthropic, or service organizations. The 2022-2023 recipients will be honored during presentations throughout the academic year.

RIT will establish two new endowed professorships in the College of Science thanks to a $2 million donation from Jeffrey Harris ’75 and his partner, Joyce Pratt. RIT matched their donation with $4 million in funding as part of a $20 million challenge to encourage alumni, parents, and friends of the university to support faculty recruitment, retention, and research critical to RIT’s priorities and trajectory.

Libraries and museums across the country have begun recapturing lost and obscured text on historically significant documents thanks to low-cost spectral imaging systems developed by faculty and students at RIT.

More women are applying to RIT than ever before, especially in STEM programs. Applications from women were up 13 percent across the board from last year. The surge in women applicants in STEM is helping an overall record year for applications.