News

RIT scientists have once again used data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) as part of the Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science (CEERS) Survey to change the way we think about the universe and its distant galaxies. Jeyhan Kartaltepe and Rebecca Larson co-authored a paper confirming very bright galaxies in the early universe, while also disproving the identification of what would have been the most distant galaxy ever found.

Gabriel Diaz, associate professor in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, and his team are aiming to understand the effects of cortical blindness on the processing of visual information used to guide behavior, like driving a vehicle. Cortical blindness affects nearly half a million stroke patients in the United States each year.

Christopher Collison was appointed to the Jane King Harris Endowed Professorship and Emmett Ientilucci was selected for the Gerald W. Harris Endowed Professorship by College of Science Dean Andre Hudson. RIT alumnus Jeffrey Harris ’75 (photographic science and instrumentation) and his partner, Joyce Pratt, established the professorships in 2022 with a generous gift in honor of Harris’s parents, the namesakes of the positions.

The Eye of Photography talks to Scott Williams, professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, about alternative developers used to develop photographic film and paper. (This content requires a subscription to view.)

The Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED) welcomed students, faculty, and staff into its teaching and learning spaces on Aug. 28. The SHED includes five new active learning classrooms alongside the newly renovated Wallace Library with its 22 new classrooms.

Turn big dreams into reality. That was just one piece of advice for the newest Rochester Institute of Technology students who attended the New Student Convocation on Aug. 24. The annual event included welcomes from administrators, the new Student Government president, and a lesson in adventure featuring RIT President David Munson.

The recent fires that have devastated Maui have hit home for one RIT student. Third-year biotechnology student Maximillian Balter, who is one of four RIT students from Maui, has been busy in the relief efforts. His family’s company, Maui Flight Academy, took the initiative to air deliver supplies.

Symmetry magazine talks to Michael Zemcov, associate professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy, about line-intensity mapping and issues with interloper lines.

Alumnus Ronald Kemker ’18 Ph.D. (imaging science), a major in the United States Space Force, received the 2021 Harold Brown Award, the highest award given to a scientist or engineer who applies research to solve a problem critical to the needs of the Air Force.

The new undergraduate students come from 48 states (all but Iowa and Wyoming); Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; Guam; U.S. Virgin Islands; and 47 countries, with the largest contingent coming from India, Canada, and China. In addition, there are 927 new graduate students.

RIT is offering a new bachelor’s degree in neuroscience beginning this fall. The Bachelor of Science degree will focus on how the brain works and how to apply that knowledge to develop systems for new frontiers, such as advancing artificial intelligence, combating neurodegenerative diseases, and assisting those with learning disabilities.

More than 158 students presented research discoveries conducted over the past spring and summer at RIT’s 32nd annual Undergraduate Research Symposium on Aug. 3.