News by Topic: Women

Rochester has a proud history of breaking barriers and fighting for social change. Susan B. Anthony and Anna Murray Douglass were Rochesterians and our community continues to celebrate their social contributions. RIT upholds a tradition of social equity by supporting female students with a host of clubs and organizations, as well as community resources, that provide platforms for meaningful discussion centering on feminine social justice.

  • October 25, 2021

    side-by-side portraits of Professor Susan Lakin, student Gia Caruso, and alumnus Matt Olpinski.

    Faculty member develops co-op experiences specific to supporting nonprofit companies

    A new option for co-op experiences at nonprofits is part of a pilot program being developed by a College of Art and Design faculty member. Professor Susan Lakin said the aim of the program is to both fill a need at nonprofits for digitally fluent staff and to provide an important experience for students interested in working closely with community organizations.

  • October 22, 2021

    environmental portrait of research scientist Meredith Noyes.

    RIT’s Image Permanence Institute receives $375,543 federal grant from IMLS

    The Image Permanence Institute at RIT has received a National Leadership Grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services that will identify critical preservation challenges associated with 3D printed materials and technologies found in museums and develop resources that will support 3D printed object preservation.

  • October 11, 2021

    researcher working in a lab.

    RIT surpasses $76 million in research funding in 2020-21 pandemic year

    RIT's sponsored research awards surpassed $76 million for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, another significant milestone in spite of the challenges posed to research efforts brought about by the pandemic. In addition, the university also achieved a new record in terms of the number and the cumulative value of proposals submitted.

  • October 8, 2021

    researcher looks into microscope while professor adjusts display on laptop.

    Faculty compensation is focus of NSF-sponsored research

    To build understanding of faculty compensation systems and improve conversations around salary, several RIT faculty members are sharing their experiences with a National Science Foundation-funded multidisciplinary research team. The team’s goal is to significantly expand knowledge of best practices for faculty compensation to a broader community in higher education and provide insights to guide compensation practices.  

  • October 4, 2021

    environmental portrait of Twyla Cummings.

    RIT Graduate School Dean Twyla Cummings to retire

    RIT Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Twyla Cummings will retire from RIT effective June 30. Cummings oversaw the evolution of the Office of Graduate Education to the RIT Graduate School in support of RIT’s Strategic Plan 2018-2025, and RIT added five new Ph.D. programs during her tenure.

  • September 29, 2021

    environmental portrait of Associate Professor Moumita Das.

    RIT part of collaborative NSF project to program biological cells to design futuristic materials

    Associate Professor Moumita Das is part of a team of researchers that was recently awarded a $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation to design and create next-generation materials inspired and empowered by biological cells. The team’s goal is to create self-directed, programmable, and reconfigurable materials—using biological building blocks including proteins and cells—that are capable of producing force and motion.

  • September 24, 2021

    portrait of professor Elena Rakhimova-Sommers next to book cover for Teaching Nabokov's Lolita in the Me Too Era.

    Professor explores teaching Nabokov’s ‘Lolita’ in the #MeToo era

    Elena Rakhimova-Sommers, principal lecturer in RIT’s Department of English, has taught Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel, Lolita, in her Dangerous Texts course for many years. As the #MeToo movement gained strength and global attention in 2018, however, the novel became particularly relevant.

  • September 14, 2021

    group of seven women standing on steps outdoors.

    RIT wins $1.5 million to increase behavioral health workforce in Monroe County

    The $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has expanded RIT’s accredited Priority Behavioral Health and Clinical Psychology Internship program to focus on delivering integrated care for young clients who struggle with substance use, mental health issues, and trauma from exposure to high rates of violence within the community.