Environmental Studies and Sustainability News

Aging infrastructure is a major issue in the U.S. with nearly 50 percent of bridges considered in poor condition. Investments are often for immediate repairs, but today engineering researchers are exploring how structural changes might improve longevity, safety, and construction costs.

Janet Hackman, a third-year economics and environmental sustainability, health and safety major from Rockville, Md., is the team manager of the RIT Electric Vehicle Team, a collegiate electric motorcycle racing team founded in 2012.

Spectrum News highlights the team behind the packaging for Grovey Garlic, a sustainable hexagon-shaped structure created without glue.

“Don’t be afraid to jump at opportunities and push your own boundaries” is the advice that Nala Mitas, a senior public policy major with urban studies immersion, lives by now. After attending the National Security Council Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at the White House earlier this semester, she’s inspired by a freshly expanded view of possibilities for making a positive difference. 

A $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of State will continue the work led by professors Clyde Hull and Eric Williams with entrepreneurships based on circular economy principles in member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Williams’ collaborative work tackles the subject of energy access in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015, the United Nations established Sustainable Development Goal 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

Undergraduate students at Rochester Institute of Technology took top placements at the Flexographic Technical Association Flexo Forum in Kansas City this Spring. Their project, Aş Evi, was part of the Phoenix Challenge, an annual student design competition, and was recognized for Excellence in Research, Excellence in Graphics, and Excellence in Execution categories.

Five students from RIT combined talents and designed a packaging campaign for garlic that will be among the finalists for the Paperboard Packaging Student Design Challenge.

Faculty-researcher brings expertise in using engineering principles to bio-inspired technology solutions

 

Two faculty-researchers at RIT have been selected to the Class of 2024-2025 of Drexel University’s Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) program, designed to promote women in academic STEM fields and faculty allies of all genders into institutional leadership roles.

The Rochester Business Journal speaks to Daniel Johnson, professor in the Department of Packaging and Graphic Media Science, about how packaging influences decision making in consumers.

The Rochester Business Journal talks to Amit Batabyal, the Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics and interim head of the Department of Sustainability, and Bill Dresnack, associate professor in the Department of Finance and Accounting, about the collaborative degree.