News by Topic: Interdisciplinary Studies

Business Insider talks to James Hall, dean of University Studies and executive director of the School of Individualized Study.

Dozens of young scholars will convene at RIT next year as the university hosts the next a2ru Emerging Creatives Student Summit. The student participants will work in interdisciplinary teams from across the a2ru network to create arts-integrative projects responding to the theme “PLAY: The Impact of Play on How We Create and Relate to the World.”

RIT reached another record year in sponsored research awards, attaining more than $94 million in fiscal year 2022-2023. Some key areas of research include nanotechnology, optics and imaging science, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, and growth in life sciences and health fields.

Syndicated cartoonist Leigh Rubin explores the creative process in his new book, Think Like a Cartoonist: A Celebration of Humor and Creativity, published by RIT Press. In the book, Rubin compiles examples of creative problem solving, showing the general benefit of his approach to “connecting the dots,” bending the rules, and asking questions in different ways.

Natali Valdez, assistant professor at Purdue University and Presidential Fellow at Yale University, will visit RIT to share her research on social and political factors surrounding maternal medical policy as the featured speaker for the 2023 Eugene H. Fram Signature Lecture in Critical Thinking.

Many creators are hesitant to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) as part of the artistic process. Opting to dive in head first, industrial designers Juan Noguera and Paolo Cardini are interested in the new technology’s potential to provide more autonomy for traditional artisans across the globe.

Comics fans have a super friend in RIT and a new place to pay homage to legendary DC Comics artist and educator Joe Kubert. The Kubert Lounge and Gallery opens to the public this fall at the Cary Graphic Arts Collection in RIT’s university library. Marvel Comics artist and RIT alumnus Adam Kubert ’81 donated his father’s archive to inspire young artists.

Gardening, piracy, and contemporary art are just three of the varied topics students will delve into over this semester as part of RIT’s General Education curriculum.

Jennifer Whitlock, the archivist at RIT’s Vignelli Center for Design Studies, says a peek into the archives vault can help students and researchers find that spark of inspiration.

A growing cohort of RIT students is enrolling in the university’s Combined Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees program, which provides pathways for highly focused, goal-oriented students to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in a shortened, consolidated experience.

Researchers are improving non-invasive treatment options for degenerative disc disease, an ailment that impacts 3 million adults yearly in the U.S. Using state-of-the-art gene editing technology in mesenchymal stem cells, the researchers will add to the growing field of regenerative medicine, the process of producing cellular therapies to alleviate pain and lack of mobility.

The Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED) welcomed students, faculty, and staff into its teaching and learning spaces on Aug. 28. The SHED includes five new active learning classrooms alongside the newly renovated Wallace Library with its 22 new classrooms.