News by Topic: Global Engagement

Several RIT students from a variety of colleges and academic disciplines have been awarded prestigious international fellowships and scholarships.

A former top NASA administrator told graduates of RIT that their futures may seem as ambiguous as outer space. But by daring to do mighty things with hope instead of fear, untold possibilities will come into focus. Thomas Zurbuchen, astrophysicist and the longest continually serving associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate in NASA’s history, addressed the crowd during today's Academic Convocation ceremony in the Gordon Field House. More than 4,800 RIT graduates, including those attending RIT’s global campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo, were recognized.

Thousands of visitors at the 2023 Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival got to see what’s on the horizon in the areas of technology, the arts, and design. Festivalgoers traversed RIT’s campus on Saturday, exploring more than 350 exhibits.

They didn’t know it then, but RIT students taking Debra Meiburg’s wine courses back in the late 1990s were learning from a bona fide master—literally.

Associate Professor Trent Hergenrader has led two study abroad trips to Portugal in the past, but this year he wanted to try something different. In January, he and 22 students traveled to Spain as part of a unique creative writing course. 

This semester, five graduate students attending RIT through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program have come together in one course to grow their skills in creating and running new organizations. These students intend to use their newly enhanced skills to create positive impacts in their home countries.

Artificial intelligence, robots, glass blowing, drones, cybersecurity tours, and performing arts are just a sampling of what lies in store for the thousands of visitors expected at this year’s Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 29.

Sandeep Das, a Grammy-winning musician and internationally known master of the Indian tabla, will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 14 at RIT. Das is the founder of Harmony and Universality through Music (HUM), a nonprofit organization in India that promotes global understanding through music performance and provides learning opportunities and scholarships for visually impaired children with artistic potential.

This year’s Imagine RIT festival will have a strong international presence thanks in part to three teams from RIT’s global campuses who will fly to the U.S. to present exhibits. Teams from RIT Croatia, RIT Dubai, and RIT Kosovo won a competition to present their exhibits in the Gordon Field House. 

Prosthetic devices can be symbolic of loss or they can represent challenges being overcome. Jade Myers’ focus on designing prosthetics for individuals who have lost limbs is a way to give them the second chance that can make all the difference in the world.

Hospitality and tourism management students at RIT were given an assignment in their restaurant and event management class: create a pop-up lunch for 200, and come up with the theme, menu, pricing, even marketing. Nika Pikulik decided to honor her homeland with a Ukraine-themed meal.

Representatives from RIT’s campuses in the U.S., China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo recently gathered in Dubai to increase communication and collaboration around RIT’s academic policies and shared governance model.