News by Topic: Community Outreach

Through the Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing (DIRS) Enterprise Center, customers can now hire faculty and staff from RIT’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science to provide training, consulting, data collection, equipment calibration and more in relation to drones, imaging and remote sensing technology.

Founded by a group of RIT Alumni, the grassroots organization looks to put homemade masks and other protective equipment in the hands of Western New York front line workers.

Residents of a homeless shelter in Rochester are continuing to receive therapy during the coronavirus pandemic from a team of therapists in a clinical internship program at RIT. The doctoral training program began as an exercise in using telepsychology to deliver care to a marginalized and underserved population. When New York shut down in March to stem the spreading virus, the therapists were already prepared to apply the telehealth protocols in the crisis.

Students interested in learning more about building, programming and developing robots and robotics apps will be able to participate in RIT’s annual RoboCamp during online sessions this summer. Camps will be offered starting June 29 through Aug. 14 with several sections to accommodate age and skill level of participants.

RIT will help nourish a community that is meeting the many challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than $300,000, donated by members of the university during the United Way Campaign—Mission 2020—will go toward building a healthy community for all, providing educational opportunities for youth and to increase economic mobility for Rochester’s citizens.

Graduating senior and first responder Bryon Campbell spent his final semester at RIT on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic. A New York State Emergency Medical Technician and Certified Flight Paramedic, Campbell volunteered more than 35 hours per week with Shortsville Fire and Ambulance in Shortsville, N.Y.

Jonathan Witmer ’91 (computer science) sits at the helm of WestPoint Home, one of the world’s most successful luxury linen and textile companies. But Witmer’s company has shifted its focus and its workforce is now using its textiles to produce reusable facemasks for the nation’s frontline workers.

The Clean Energy/Fuel Cells for Electricity Generation program offered by RIT’s School of Chemistry and Materials Science provides high school science teachers with experiments, assignment descriptions, papers and other materials to incorporate into their curriculum.

During this time of COVID-19, the Wellness division of RIT Student Affairs remains a resource for undergraduate and graduate students seeking health care, mental health counseling, nutrition advice or guidance for navigating personal matters. While the delivery process looks different than before the pandemic, the level of care is the same.

Members of RIT’s Center for Public Safety Initiatives are doing their part to help combat the opioid epidemic by determining the effectiveness of a dependency treatment program offered to inmates at the Monroe County Jail.

Relay For Life was preparing for its eighth year to benefit the American Cancer Society when the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizers to change plans. So instead of nearly 1,000 people participating in a 12-hour walking marathon in the Gordon Field House, this year’s Relay For Life will be a five-day online event that will provide entertainment, donation challenges, celebrations of life and more.

The Community Grants Program is part of the NYSP2I’s ongoing efforts to continue improving the health and environmental quality of New York state. Eligible applicants are invited to apply for funding to support community-based projects that promote public awareness, understanding and implementation of pollution-prevention practices