RIT alumni and faculty innovators to speak at Futurists Symposium on April 26
A highlight of this year’s Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival takes place one day before thousands of visitors descend on campus. The annual Futurists Symposium, featuring a unique collection of the university’s alumni and faculty innovators, will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 26, in the Wegmans Theater, MAGIC Spell Studios.
Panelists will showcase their expertise on a variety of topics, followed by a question-and-answer session. Moderated by WXXI-AM Connections host Evan Dawson, the symposium will feature four panelists.
Provided
Robert Morreale
Robert Morreale ’92 (medical illustration), MST ’93 (visual arts-all grades) is senior division chair for Immersive and Experiential Learning and assistant professor of biomedical communications at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.
Morreale is a board certified medical illustrator and a fellow of the Association of Medical Illustrators. His career has included leadership roles at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Cleveland Clinic. His scholarly work has focused on advancing the use of innovative visual communication techniques to enhance medical education, patient care, and scientific research. His current work focuses on revolutionizing medical education and healthcare workforce training through immersive and experiential learning strategies and the use of AR/VR and spatial computing to design hands-on experiences with unparalleled fidelity.
Provided
Jeyhan Kartaltepe
Jeyhan Kartaltepe, associate professor, RIT School of Physics and Astronomy, and director for the Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics, is an expert in galaxy formation and evolution. She works to understand how the first stars and galaxies in the universe formed and how various physical processes shaped their transformation into today’s galaxies.
She is the principal investigator of COSMOS-Web, the largest James Webb Space Telescope program observed in its first two years of operation, which is mapping out a large area of the sky in infrared to study how galaxies in the early universe were formed. She is also a leading co-investigator on the CEERS program, one of the first programs to obtain observations, as well the principal investigator of POPPIES, a newly approved JWST program that will obtain spectroscopy for thousands of galaxies in the early universe.
Provided
Chukwuma Morah
Chukwuma “ChuBoi” Morah ’09 (industrial engineering), is chief marketing officer for FUT.GG, a gaming data startup company with more than 7.5 million users.
His passion for gaming led him to become the community and influencer manager for the EA SPORTS FIFA games in 2012. He has amassed over 1.1 million social media followers and has worked with brands including Adidas, Coca-Cola, and PlayStation.
Provided
Karen Roth
Karen E. Roth ’06 (software engineering) is president of the Society of Women Engineers and deputy director for AFWERX, which brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and startups to address the most pressing challenges of the Department of the Air Force.
Roth is a 2024 Distinguished Alumni awardee representing the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. As part of AFWERX, she leads strategy and execution across a $1.3 billion portfolio, which serves to expand the defense industrial base for advanced technologies. Previously, she served as a chief engineer for the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, ensuring technical excellence on the international stage. Her previous work led to the creation of the Innovare Alliance, a global community of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs converging on Air Force technology interests and open innovation.
“Our faculty and alumni are doing amazing things at the intersection of technology, the arts, and design,” said Orlando Ortiz ’04 (robotics and manufacturing engineering technology) ’08 (MBA), president of the RIT Alumni Association. “The experts gathered for the symposium demonstrate the extent of university’s reach and commitment to multidisciplinary work. I’m looking forward to hearing their personal stories about the work they do, innovations they have contributed to, and their outlook for the future of their industries and of RIT.”
The symposium, which is open to the public, is sponsored by Rochester Regional Health, Julia K Caters, Micron, Paychex, WXXI, and Liberty Mutual.
The Imagine RIT festival, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 27, will showcase the creative and innovative spirit of RIT students, faculty, and staff through more than 400 exhibits.
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- New graduate Peyton D’Anthony wins Fulbright award to teach in KosovoPeyton D’Anthony enjoys identifying patterns and creating new connections. Those are just two of the skills she hopes to instill in her students as a teacher in Kosovo this fall. Meet the other 2024 Fulbright U.S. Student awardees Joseph Casale will analyze aerial hyperspectral imagery to map the species of trees in Malaysia. Emma Herz Thakur will create connections between artisans and museums in France. Mikkael Lamoca will research age-related neurodegeneration in Singapore. Izzy Moyer will work with The State Archives in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Sarah Sabal will pursue a graduate education in Taiwan. After earning a double major in applied modern language and culture (Spanish) and international and global studies in 2024, D’Anthony also received a Fulbright U.S. Student Award. The Fulbright will take D’Anthony to a university in Kosovo for a 10-month stint as an English teaching assistant. In 2024, RIT had a record six Fulbright U.S. Student awardees. This will not be D’Anthony’s first time abroad—nor her first time in Kosovo. With RIT, she was able to study abroad four times. One of those trips was through the Fred Cuny Peace and Conflict Summer Program. She spent a summer traveling about the Balkans and taking classes at RIT’s Kosovo campus, including one course on post-conflict resolution. “With Kosovo’s recent history, it is a uniquely politically charged place where everyone is engaged in politics,” said D’Anthony. “I’m excited for what the university students will bring to my class, and to create an open dialogue to hear what they have to say about the conflict.” While at RIT, D’Anthony also took part in a spring break research class at RIT’s Croatia campus. In 2022, she was selected for the Gilman Scholarship, issued by U.S. Department of State, allowing her to spend a semester in Spain. There, she took classes at the University of Seville and taught English as a second language for elementary school students. She has also spent summers teaching at her hometown elementary school in Ripley, N.Y. D’Anthony advises RIT students to seek out an eye-opening study-abroad experience—even if it has nothing to do with their major. In addition to her passion for language and travelling to new places, D’Anthony also completed minors in anthropology and sociology, international relations, and women’s and gender studies. To carefully plan all her trips throughout her time at RIT, D’Anthony worked closely with RIT’s global offices, including Jenny Sullivan, director of Education Abroad and International Fellowships at RIT. “Thanks to Jenny, the Fulbright program has been on my radar since freshman year,” said D’Anthony. “I’m not sure what I want to do after this, but I hope the Fulbright experience will open the next door.”
- Graduate Joseph Casale ready to return to Malaysia as a Fulbright awardeeJoseph Casale ’24 (computational mathematics and computer science) had hardly been on a plane when he traveled to Malaysia to do research a year ago. Now, he gets the opportunity to do it again. Meet the other 2024 Fulbright U.S. Student awardees Peyton D’Anthony will teach English in Kosovo. Emma Herz Thakur will create connections between artisans and museums in France. Mikkael Lamoca will research age-related neurodegeneration in Singapore. Izzy Moyer will work with The State Archives in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Sarah Sabal will pursue a graduate education in Taiwan. Casale, who is from Rochester, N.Y., is one of RIT’s record-setting six 2024 Fulbright U.S. awardees. He will be traveling back to Malaysia after previously going there with Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science professor Tony Vodacek to work with the Universiti Teknologi Mara. On his previous trip to Malaysia, Casale was part of a group of students who spent time in the Taman Negara National Park. The research team was looking to quantify biodiversity in the rainforest with audio processing. Casale’s future project will be analyzing aerial hyperspectral imagery to map the species of trees. “The great thing about doing machine learning is it allows you to be a scientist and allows you to work with plenty of different people across all different types of fields,” said Casale. “Being able to go to Malaysia with Dr. Vodacek directly formed the connections that led to this project.” Casale originally wanted to study aerospace engineering and began his academic career at Monroe Community College, but then realized he was more interested in pure analytical mathematics. When he transferred to RIT, his interest in machine learning and optimization started him on the path to earning the prestigious international experience that a Fulbright Scholarship brings. Having the opportunity to travel around the world as a RIT student has broadened Casale’s interests and has shown him the possibilities that are available through academia. Earning a Fulbright scholarship serves to enhance what he has already experienced. “Before I left for Malaysia, I didn’t really see the potential of becoming an international researcher,” said Casale. “But there is room for people to do that, it is something that can be achieved with a little bit of luck.”