Carlos Lousto, Distinguished Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, is a recipient of the 2024 RAICES Award, granted by the Secretariat of Innovation, Science, and Technology (SICyT) of the Argentine government. The RAICES award, or Redes de Argentinos Investigadores, Cientificos y Tecnologos en el Exterior, recognizes distinguished Argentine scientists living abroad who make notable scientific contributions in strengthening science and technology capabilities in their home country. “Thank you to RIT for all the support to perform top research during my already 18 years working here!,” said Lousto. “This award encourages me further to keep working hard.” Lousto was officially recognized with the award at the Consulate General of Argentina in New York in early July alongside fellow honoree Viviana Zelizer of Princeton University. “This recognition is a significant testament not only to Dr. Lousto’s outstanding career and continued global influence, but also to the remarkable depth of faculty talent we have at RIT,” said College of Science Dean Andre Hudson. “It underscores the vital role that international scholarship and collaboration play in advancing the frontiers of science and education.” RAICES awardees are selected by a jury composed of authorities from SICyT, CONICET, and prominent academics. Lousto is a co-director of RIT’s Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation and has been involved in groundbreaking research on gravitational waves, black holes, and pulsars. He was awarded membership in the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 1993, the American Physical Association (APS) in 2012, and received the Bouchet Prize in 2019. He was also recognized with the Breakthrough Special Prize in 2016 for his work leading to the first detection of gravitational waves from the merger of two black holes. He was officially nominated by the US Congress for his research work in 2006 and 2016. He received a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of La Plata and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Buenos Aries. He designed the Funes, Newhorizons, and BlueSky supercomputer clusters that perform binary black hole simulations and has authored or co-authored approximately 300 scientific articles in international journals.

RIT has appointed three new members to its Board of Trustees. ‌ Jane Elliott ’88 (accounting) is executive vice president and chief human resources officer at NCR Voyix, with decades of experience in accounting, finance, investor relations, and strategy. In her role, Elliott creates and executes the company’s people strategy to support growth objectives. She has also served in the top human resources role at three publicly listed companies. She has served on the RIT President’s Roundtable since 2019 and the Saunders College of Business National Council since its inception in 2022. In 2017, she created the Jane M. Wentworth ’88 Endowed Scholarship in Saunders College. In 2020, she contributed to the Saunders College expansion project. She has also served on the boards of Junior Achievement of Georgia, and Cool Girls, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the self-empowerment of girls living in Atlanta’s most vulnerable communities. ‌ Brenda Haynes, a retired oncologist and hematologist, trained at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed her residency, internship, and fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. While no longer actively practicing, she maintains affiliations with Harvard Medical School and Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and most recently served as an oncologist with New England Hematology and Oncology. She is the parent of a second-year civil engineering technology student at RIT and she serves as a volunteer on a number of nonprofit organizations. Dr. Haynes and her husband, Dr. Adam Koppel, are members of RIT’s Sentinel Society and have been active supporters of the College of Engineering Technology, College of Health Sciences and Technology, and several student project teams. ‌ Chance Wright ’18 (photographic and imaging arts) ’19 (MBA) is a serial entrepreneur having founded or co-founded several companies including Wright Productions and Entertainment; ATL/WYO Productions; Skull Diamond and Heart Capital; Chance Wright Photography; and The Shore Foundation, a Rochester-based nonprofit dedicated to improving the community through equal access to technology, while also impacting the environment by shifting the impact of used technology. He has served on the President’s Roundtable since 2020 and the College of Art and Design’s National Council since 2021. In 2019, Chance and his mother, Pamela Mars-Wright, made a significant gift to the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. In 2021, Wright supported the Saunders College of Business renovation and expansion project. Elliott, Haynes, and Wright will each serve four-year terms on the board.