Science and Math News

After transferring to RIT, Kevin DiMagno became a biochemistry major to prepare for medical school after graduation. In this student spotlight, he talks about his interest in characterizing the function of NUDIX hydrolases enzymes and the focus of his research.

Learn how environmental scientists combine their love of nature with cutting-edge research to help understand the origins of infection.

RIT scientists have developed the first three-dimensional mass estimate to show where microplastic pollution is collecting in Lake Erie. The study examines nine different types of polymers that are believed to account for 75 percent of the world’s plastic waste.

Callie Donahue ’18 (biotechnology and molecular bioscience) is helping to test thousands of compounds on human cells infected with live samples of coronavirus in search of medicine that can be effective in deterring the virus’s infection and replication cycle.

When the coronavirus pandemic spread to the United States, RIT faculty member Dr. Laurence Sugarman asked his students to apply their knowledge of placebos and the power of suggestion to the unfolding health crisis.

Maria Romero-Creel ’17 (biomedical engineering) and Wendy Salamone ’10 (biotechnology) are just two of the people responsible for the analyzer database update launched by Ortho Clinical Diagnostics on April 14. The team is responsible for ensuring that calibrations, precision fluid information and analyzer settings for new assays like COVID-19 are properly entered and working for analyzers in the field.

During an internship, Tyler Hayes used computer vision and machine learning techniques to estimate the quality of images taken from airborne image sensors. It sparked her interest to learn more about machine learning, so she applied to the Imaging Science Ph.D. program at RIT.

John Pfahl, an influential landscape photographer, spent 17 years as a professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences.

Ke Du and Blanca Lapizco-Encinas, both faculty-researchers in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, worked with an international team to collaborate on the design of a next-generation miniature lab device that uses magnetic nano-beads to isolate minute bacterial particles that cause diseases. This new technology improves how clinicians isolate drug-resistant strains of bacterial infections and difficult-to-detect micro-particles such as those making up Ebola and coronaviruses.

Emily Mahoney, a third-year chemistry student from Cazenovia, N.Y., is one of 396 students nationwide named 2020-2021 Goldwater Scholars. The award is based on academic merit and research experience, and virtually all intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their highest degree.

Michael Murdoch, an assistant professor of color science, received a prestigious National Science Foundation award to research how the human visual system perceives a mix of augmented reality and real-world content.

Learn about the natural world on a molecular level. Find out how biotechnologists are confronting challenges in the real world.