News by Topic: Community Outreach

The coronavirus canceled Professor John Oliphant’s international travel plans and led to an unexpected opportunity to help a local health system manage the impact of COVID-19 on its hospital workforce.

Hannah Sarakin’s artistic flair and sunny personality is going a long way to cheer up her neighborhood in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., with sidewalk art and public service messages written in chalk.

RIT is leading an effort involving local companies and healthcare experts to produce a prototype ventilator designed to help meet the continuing surge of respiratory cases as a result of the coronavirus.

Nearly 30 faculty and staff members from RIT’s College of Liberal Arts have volunteered to help their colleagues run errands, walk their dogs or just offer a voice of support during this period of social distancing.

Many RIT faculty, students, staff and alumni are among the collaborations here and across the nation, providing expertise to improve or create much-needed equipment and protective gear for medical personnel fighting the Coronavirus.

The Democrat and Chronicle talks to RIT trustee and alumnus Ron Ricotta '79 (accounting), CEO of Century Mold, a Rochester-based manufacturing company.

WHAM-TV reports on RIT's AMPrint Center helping to make face shields for Acute Kids Urgent Care, founded by Chrysa Charno '03 (physician assistant), '09 (MBA).

The LiveAbility Lab is a partnership between RIT and the Al Sigl Community of Agencies, a collaborative network of organizations in Rochester that serves children and adults with special needs. The lab, which is located on Al Sigl’s Wolk Campus, opened in 2018. The goal is to develop a pipeline of accessible technology projects that are conceived at RIT and take root at the LiveAbility Lab on their way to development in the marketplace. 

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 33: Community partnerships are one way RIT provides its students with experiential learning opportunities. James Winebrake, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Juilee Decker, associate professor of museum studies, talk about a unique partnership between the college and one of the Finger Lakes Region’s cultural gems, the Genesee Country Village & Museum.

The annual festival, now in its 13th year, is a showcase day for RIT. But Imagine RIT isn’t just a one-day celebration. Every day, RIT students, faculty and staff are working to pair technology, art and design in ways that move the world forward.

Rochester, N.Y.’s notable histories as the birthplace of the women’s rights movement and photography will come together for RIT’s Big Shot next month. Organizers of the longtime community photographic project will capture a dramatic nighttime image of the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House, 17 Madison St., and surrounding neighborhood on March 22.

From furniture and toys that assist children with special needs to car seats that help people with mobility issues enter and exit vehicles safely, cutting-edge technologies designed to enhance accessibility for individuals across a wide range of physical and cognitive challenges will be on display March 17 at the fifth Conference on Effective Access Technology.