Science and Math News

A graduate culture is taking root at RIT with more Ph.D. students on the main campus than ever before, and the Office of Graduate Education is building on the momentum.

Futurism cites research by Richard O’Shaughnessy, assistant professor in the School of Mathematical Sciences.

RIT requires all undergraduates on its Rochester campus to complete two wellness courses before they can graduate. There are more than 180 wellness course options, and the goal is for students to appreciate a healthy lifestyle that will last long after they graduate.

A team of RIT researchers is helping launch an experiment above the atmosphere to better understand extragalactic background light, which traces the history of galaxies back to the formation of the first stars in the universe.

The Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science became the only place in the world where students could pursue degrees in the interdisciplinary field of imaging science when it opened its doors in 1989. Thirty years later, alumni returned to campus for a celebration and interactive open house during Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend.

The donation includes four premier and mid-tier ultrasound systems, transducers, simulators and related devices. The addition to the RIT sonography scanning suite enables students to practice on different models before beginning their clinical internships.

Entrepreneurship took center stage Nov. 7 at RIT at the 15th annual Entrepreneurs Conference, co-sponsored by Saunders College of Business and Albert J. Simone Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, featuring informational networking sessions, a student business pitch competition and a keynote address from a strategist at one of the world’s best-known ridesharing companies.

RIT is seeking individuals diagnosed with metabolic syndrome to participate in a national clinical trial. The study will evaluate a wellness program designed to reverse conditions leading to heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and stroke.

Scientists have reported detecting gravitational waves from 10 black hole mergers to date, but they are still trying to explain the origins of those mergers. The largest merger detected so far seems to have defied previous models because it has a higher spin and mass than the range thought possible. A group of researchers, including RIT Assistant Professor Richard O’Shaughnessy, has created simulations that could explain how the merger happened.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 26: From objects that are barely visible under a microscope to snowflakes and the massive RIT Big Shot, professor Michael Peres has made scientific photography a major focus, with his images appearing on CNN, The Weather Channel, and Mashable. Peres talks with colleague Ted Kinsman of RIT’s photo sciences program about how one masters such specialized photography.

RIT appointed six new members to its board of trustees. The appointments were announced at the Nov. 7 board meeting.

International graduate students may be eligible to work in the United States for up to three years after graduating from RIT.