Soft matter physics has broad applications across many industries, and as the field grows, so do opportunities at RIT. Shima Parsa, assistant professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy, received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award to advance her research in experimental physics and bring additional opportunities to RIT students. NSF CAREER funding supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as mentors in research and education while advancing their field. Thousands of proposals are submitted each year, with only about 500 funded. Parsa investigates how soft particles flow or become trapped in various confined environments by using optical microscopy to quantify the flow, transport, and clogging of the particles. “The area of soft matter physics addresses many problems that are impossible to study numerically,” explained Parsa. “We create test cases in my lab tuning one variable at a time to figure out how the interactions at the micro scale result in large scale phenomena.” There are several areas of industry where the research can be applied, from mass production in the food industry, to the chemical industry, to pharmaceuticals. Students are an essential component to the award research. Parsa will have graduate students learning how to design experiments, build pieces in the lab, and analyze data. The educational component of the funding is also focused on student retention and community building. “As physicists we are very good at preparing students to go to graduate school, but students aren’t focusing on a lot of soft skills that are required in industry,” said Parsa. “We will look at how students can prepare themselves from day one that they arrive on campus, and at building a community for graduate students while learning how to apply for jobs, build resumes, and pitch ideas.” Parsa added that most of her students leave her lab and go on to high-salary industry jobs, thus making the emphasis on management and collaboration skills especially important. “I’m really looking forward to giving the next generation the opportunity to get good jobs,” said Parsa.

As Bo Allaby nears completion of her master’s degree in experimental psychology, she is already focusing on her next step this fall—advancing her research at the doctoral level at Wayne State University in Michigan, specializing in neuropsychology and studying cognition in aging populations. “I’ve really fallen in love with neuropsychological assessment and research,” said Allaby. “Getting my Ph.D. in clinical psychology is the next logical step—it would give me the tools to help people in a deeper, more meaningful way.” Her passion for understanding the brain’s resilience has guided her academic path for years. Allaby’s research focuses on cognitive reserve, the brain’s ability to compensate for damage or aging. By looking at factors like education, career complexity, and leisure activities, researchers can estimate how well someone might “bounce back” from cognitive challenges like Alzheimer’s disease or brain injuries. “It’s kind of like mental resilience,” she explained. “Why does one person with a brain injury recover faster than another? Or why does someone in their 90s still live independently while another faces early cognitive decline? I want to understand what makes the difference.” What began as an online study using surveys to assess cognitive reserve has since evolved into a full-scale, in-person research effort in RIT’s Neurobehavioral Lab. Under the mentorship of Rebecca Houston, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Allaby has been pioneering a project that incorporates EEG (electroencephalography) to explore whether brainwave patterns can serve as biological indicators of cognitive reserve. Allaby, who is supported by RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf and participated in the U-RISE and Rochester Bridges to the Doctorate programs for deaf aspiring scientists, has also taken the lead in training other students to run EEG sessions and administer neuropsychological assessments—a level of responsibility that reflects both her experience and her readiness for doctoral-level work. “Through this research, I’ve learned not just how to collect and analyze data, but how to lead and collaborate. That’s going to be essential in a Ph.D. program where mentoring others and managing projects becomes part of the job.” Her work hasn’t just sharpened her technical skills; it’s also clarified her purpose. “Even if my research helps just one person by identifying a cognitive condition early or helping them make sense of what they’re experiencing, it’s worth it.” As Allaby looks ahead to starting her Ph.D. program in the fall, she brings with her a portfolio of research, a project that she has helped build from the ground up, and a commitment to improving lives. “RIT has given me a foundation,” she said. “But I’m ready to take the next step—to go deeper, learn more, and hopefully make a difference in the field of neuropsychology.”

Graduate degree programs at Rochester Institute of Technology were named among the best in the nation for 2025, according to U.S. News & World Report. RIT ranked 69th overall in the nation for the best graduate engineering school in the Kate Gleason College of Engineering based on statistical indicators that measure the quality of faculty, research, and students. The programs rose four spots from last year. Typically, U.S. News & World Report annually ranks graduate programs in six fields—business, education, engineering, law, medicine, and nursing to help prospective students make informed decisions. These data-driven rankings have been based on enrollment numbers, job placement rates, faculty statistics, and other indicators. U.S. News also periodically ranks programs in 12 academic disciplines based on academic reputation. This year, RIT’s computer science MS program in the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences was 71st in the nation. RIT’s full-time MBA program in the Saunders College of Business ranked 100th this year. RIT’s health care management program ranked 81st this year and its physician assistant program ranked 119th this year. Both programs are in the College of Health Sciences and Technology. Peer assessment data regarding the academic quality of programs came from deans, program directors, and senior faculty. U.S. News also surveyed professionals who hire or work with new graduates with degrees from the six disciplines ranked annually. Go to the rankings and recognition website to see all of RIT’s rankings. The complete rankings are available at U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools.

Adrian Edwards is an open book. Every week, the computer science student can be found in RIT’s SHED working on a free and open source software (FOSS) project that could improve the campus and the world. Since he got to RIT five years ago, he’s made open and free culture a big part of his life—from incorporating it into his degree to running FOSS Hours every Wednesday evening. At FOSS Hours, any student can stop by to learn and work on open projects. RIT has a long history and culture of academic and extracurricular work in open source. Edwards hopes to pass his passion on to other students when he graduates in May and starts a job at Red Hat. “I love the open source spirit,” said Edwards, who is earning a combined accelerated bachelor’s/master’s degree in computer science. “I want to encourage students to get involved and help solve problems around them. Participating in open projects is a great way to meet people and contribute. Be the change you want to see.” An open source community When Edwards learned that RIT was the first university in the country to offer an immersion and a minor in FOSS and free culture, he knew that he’d found the right place. He started by adding those courses to his degree and eventually became a teaching assistant in the area. Edwards explained that open source is bigger than most people assume, with a majority of top organizations relying on open source servers and operating systems. The idea of free culture goes a lot deeper than that tech—it’s also about the people and communities behind the scenes who help keep things functioning smoothly. “A lot of people connect the free part to money, but it’s also about freedom,” said Edwards, who is from Lake Oswego, Ore. “I think people are starting to see the benefit of being able to control what runs on their computers. There’s a lot of benefits and I know that code won’t be slipped in without my knowing.” Edwards said he enjoys open data because it can be used by students to build useful campus software. He participates in RIT’s annual BrickHack hackathon and he’s been helping another student develop a bus schedule app. Edwards also connected with RIT University Advancement when he wanted to fundraise for the FOSS community during ROAR Day. That conversation turned into a project to develop a ROAR Day URL Creator. The tool makes it easier for ambassadors to collect gifts from potential donors. Maria Weir, a third-year double major in sociology and anthropology and public design in the individualized program, regularly attends FOSS Hours. She met Edwards through RIT’s Disability Culture Club and said the collaboration has been the driving force behind her capstone’s technical planning. Weir is working to improve accessibility on campus by creating a map and catalog of what she calls access points—elevators, wheelchair lifts, and automatic door buttons. Her site will crowdsource out-of-service reports, share them with Facilities Management Services, and provide updates on work orders. “I’m one of the more tech-illiterate people at RIT, so making a website as my final project was incredibly intimidating,” said Weir, who is from Nashville, Tenn. “FOSS Hours is like a collaborative, casual study hall where people work on their own projects but also share ideas.” In June, Edwards will head to Boston to start as a software engineer at Red Hat in its Open Source Program Office. He’ll be working on the CHAOSS project, which stands for the Community Health Analytics in Open Source Software. In that role, he will use metrics to measure the health of different open source communities in order to help mitigate vulnerabilities. Edwards credits RIT’s FOSS community for helping him land an internship and a full-time offer with Red Hat. He suggests that everyone start using more open projects on their machines. “Then, if you encounter a problem, you can actually follow the trail, join a community, and figure out how to help fix it,” said Edwards. “Get involved and you can help make a difference in the world.” About Open at RIT In 2020, RIT establish the Open@RIT initiative dedicated to supporting all kinds of “open work,” including—but not limited to—open source software, open data, open hardware, open educational resources, Creative Commons licensed work, and open research. FOSS@MAGIC works with students to promote FOSS development. To get involved with RIT’s open community, search “open source” in RIT’s student Discord hub, join the #rit-foss channel on Libera.chat, or join the Telegram group.