- RIT and UR partner to create accelerated graduate degree pathways for education and counseling studentsRochester Institute of Technology’s College of Liberal Arts and University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education have established new 3+2 and 4+1 admissions agreements, providing RIT undergraduate students with expedited pathways to launch their careers in teaching, higher education, or counseling. These agreements streamline the process for eligible students to earn both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees within a five-year timeframe. In the 3+2 program, RIT students admitted and enrolled through this pathway will complete all required coursework for undergraduate majors in three years. This paves the way for a smooth transition to the Warner School’s mental health counseling and school counseling master’s programs. The first year at the Warner School concurrently fulfills the final year of their bachelor’s degree. Similarly, the 4+1 program offers RIT undergraduate students the opportunity to finish all coursework for their undergraduate major within four years as planned. However, students in qualifying bachelor’s degree programs at RIT can also begin graduate-level coursework in their fourth year, earning six credits toward their master’s degree in either higher education or a teacher preparation program at the Warner School. “This partnership represents an exciting opportunity to enrich the student experience at RIT,” said John Smithgall, assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “These programs play a crucial role in expanding students’ perspectives about what they can achieve in terms of their educational and career aspirations. This is particularly significant in dismantling barriers and stereotypes about certain professions, empowering students to pursue their passions and make significant contributions to their chosen fields.” Under the terms of the agreement, RIT students who meet the Warner School’s admissions requirements and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 in their third year for the 3+2 program and fourth year for the 4+1 program can obtain both degrees in five years. Moreover, students will benefit from tuition scholarships toward their qualifying graduate degree programs at the Warner School. “We are thrilled to partner with RIT in offering these innovative admissions pathways,” says Sarah Peyre, dean of the Warner School. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to providing students with accessible and accelerated pathways to pursue their passions for teaching, higher education, and counseling. By combining our expertise and resources, we aim to empower students to excel in their academic journey and make meaningful contributions to their communities.” RIT’s College of Liberal Arts Interim Dean Kelly Norris Martin adds, “We have an incredibly diverse community of students in the College of Liberal Arts who all have unique visions for their futures. Through this new partnership, we’re able to expand the opportunities available to our students so they can follow their passions. Additionally, these new educational pathways can better prepare our students to fill the increased need for teachers and counselors in our communities.” According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for counselors and teachers are expected to increase through 2031. Whether individuals aspire to work in a K-12 school or clinical setting, or at the higher education level, RIT can provide students with a head start in becoming specialized educators or counselors. RIT’s culture of innovation and forward-thinking use of technology equips students to be adept at navigating and applying technological learning resources and tools to help their future students and clients excel. From regional K-12 schools to top higher education and healthcare institutions, the Warner School’s graduate programs further prepare students to apply their comprehensive insights in classrooms, clinics, postsecondary institutions and communities worldwide to lead change for all. For more than 65 years, the Warner School has advanced the fields of education and counseling through innovative theories, experiences and leadership. For more information about the accelerated pathways to careers in teaching, counseling and higher education, go to the Warner School’s partnerships program page or RIT’s College of Liberal Arts website.
- RIT President David Munson announces plans to step down in 2025RIT President David Munson will retire in 2025 after leading the university for eight years and capping an illustrious 40-plus-year career in higher education. His last day in office will be June 30, 2025. Munson announced his intentions to retire to the Rochester Institute of Technology community April 23 after informing the Board of Trustees and RIT leadership organizations. “Over the next year, I intend to remain highly focused on the job at hand. We will have opportunities later to celebrate our collective work in establishing RIT as the premier university in the nation working at the intersection of technology, the arts, and design,” Munson said. “As we have pursued this mission together, I have been blessed with your ideas, passion, hard work, and friendship. I’m also thankful for the support of my wife, Nancy, for taking a leap of faith and assuming an integral role on this journey.” Munson joined RIT in 2017 after serving as dean of engineering for the University of Michigan for a decade. RIT Board of Trustees Chairman Jeffrey Harris ’75 praised Munson for propelling RIT into a leading research university with national and international impact and influence. "Under Dave’s leadership, RIT’s momentum continues to accelerate as the leading university that aligns the power of science, technology, the arts, and design with experiential learning to drive innovation,” said Harris. “We’ve accomplished the goals that we set in our 2025 strategic plan, Greatness through Difference, and Dave has set the table for a seamless transition next year.” Harris added: “On behalf of the RIT Board of Trustees, I extend our deepest gratitude to President Munson for his leadership and unwavering dedication to our faculty and students. His strategic vision creates a legacy that will define our university for years to come.” Under Munson’s leadership, RIT:Reached new heights with enrollment, with the university now serving a record 20,570 students, including growth at international campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. Completed a $1 billion-plus blended campaign—“Transforming RIT”—to raise money for scholarships, endowed professors, facilities, and more. Launched a performing arts program that now includes more than 1,800 performing arts scholars. Completed and began major facility projects to enhance the student experience, including: The SHED (Student Hall for Exploration and Development). Saunders College of Business expansion. ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute. Music Performance Theater, scheduled to open in 2025. A research building to expand RIT’s growing research portfolio with completion in the fall. Athletic facilities, including Tiger Stadium. Endured and progressed during a global pandemic, allowing RIT to remain financially stable and continue with its strategic plan. Harris said the trustees are preparing for a seamless transition and will engage students, faculty, and staff during the search. Founded in 1829, the university is home to 20,570 students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. This includes campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. More than 148,000 RIT Tiger alumni are shaping and improving the world. RIT is the third largest producer of undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math among all private universities in the U.S. RIT also is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and has one of the oldest and largest cooperative education programs in the country. In 2023, sponsored research reached $94 million, while the university’s endowment now stands at more than $1 billion.
- RIT alumni and faculty innovators to speak at Futurists Symposium on April 26A 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.
- The SHED marks its Imagine RIT debut April 27It’s a banner year for Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival, and one of the most anticipated exhibits is the building it inspired—the SHED. Visitors who attended Imagine RIT last April saw the building under construction and surrounded by fencing. Now, the public is invited to walk through the maker- and performing arts spaces, and the large-scale classrooms that make the SHED a one-of-a-kind place on campus. Early in his administration, RIT President David Munson identified the intersection of technology, the arts, and design as a unique RIT quality. He envisioned a multi-use building to display RIT’s student creativity during Imagine RIT and all year round. His idea became the SHED and “the new heartbeat of campus.” The facility opened last fall, and this is its Imagine RIT debut. “The SHED is RIT on display by nature of its design and architecture, its glass, and its proximity on campus,” said Michael Buffalin, SHED makerspace director. Buffalin described a late evening in the SHED that would have made Munson smile. “We had a group practicing ballroom dancing in the atrium on the A-level next to students juggling, and a performance team having a meeting in the club space, and then other students were working in the makerspace,” Buffalin said. “Having all that activity within arms’ reach proved the president’s vision and proved that we could do Imagine RIT objectives all year round.” Interdisciplinary learning thrives in the SHED, according to Sandi Connelly, principal lecturer in the Thomas H Gosnell School of Life Sciences, and interim associate director at the Center for Teaching and Learning. “The innovative design and collaborative spaces encourage cross-pollination of ideas and students to engage in hands-on projects, research, and experiential learning—all of which will be on full display in the SHED at Imagine RIT.” Tiffany Brodner, SHED executive director, and Buffalin selected the 28 exhibits that will be in the SHED this year. The exhibitors include capstone design teams, a science fair on the third floor, the RIT-Genesee Valley Country Museum Partnership, and the RIT Archives StoryBooth collection in the Brooks H. Bower Maker Showcase. A variety of performances throughout the SHED complex will add another dimension to Imagine RIT. The School of Performing Arts has taken advantage of the SHED’s flexible performing arts spaces under one roof, according to director of operations Ben Willmott. He is responsible for curating the campuswide performances during this year’s Imagine RIT festival on behalf of the school. RIT students, including many Performing Arts Scholars will present a Broadway musical revue in the Sklarsky Glass Box Theater, demonstrate different dance styles in the dance studio, and - in the Munson Music Loft - exhibit musical instruments they invented. The SHED has helped to instill the performing arts deeper within the campus culture. “For the first time ever, due to the introduction of the SHED, performing arts will be showcased during Imagine RIT in a highly visible, dynamic, and engaging manner on campus,” Willmott said.
- Scavenger Hunt for RIT Students planned at Imagine RITThere’s more to this year’s Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival than nearly 400 amazing exhibits and performances. There’s also a scavenger hunt, which will award three RIT students a $100 Tiger Bucks prize, directly uploaded to their IDs. For the first time, the Student Scavenger Hunt for RIT Students will be offered during the popular festival. Students will be given a clue on the Imagine RIT website when the event begins at 10 a.m., April 27. The clue will send the hunters looking for the exhibit alluded to in the clue, by using the searchable map and list of exhibits on the website. A QR code will be displayed at the exhibit. Hunters will need to take a selfie next to the code or exhibit to prove they have found it. The code will then give them the clue to the next exhibit. Once all five selected exhibits and their QR codes have been found and photos taken, the students should register for the prizes at the location given in the final clue. “Although we have more than 2,800 students already involved with the festival with their exhibits or performances, we wanted to find a fun and creative way to encourage our other students to see what their peers are doing, and to see the sheer expanse of the festival,” said Ann Ielapi, the festival’s senior director. “Here’s a hint: the five clues will take them to five different buildings.” The hunt is available only to current RIT students and will end at 5 p.m. when the festival ends. Winners will be selected at random from those who completed the hunt and register at the location given in the final clue. “You can search on your own, or with friends,” Ielapi said. “Good luck, and have fun!” Students from Technically Speaking, a student-run advertising and public relations agency, plan to help spread the word on campus about the scavenger hunt.
- RIT community gathers to break ground on Tiger StadiumMen’s lacrosse player Connor Flanegan is excited to soon walk into RIT’s new Tiger Stadium, a building that he says shows RIT cares about the student experience. Flanegan, a second-year mechanical engineering major from Lansdale, Pa., joined students, faculty, and staff at the official groundbreaking ceremony for the stadium on April 18. The $30 million project, which will become the home of the men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer teams, is expected to open in fall 2025. Travis LaCoss/RIT Men’s lacrosse player Connor Flanegan, who is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee executive board, talked about the positive impact of the new Tiger Stadium on student-athletes’ training and competitiveness. He is pictured next to a rendering of the stadium. Jacqueline Nicholson, RIT’s executive director of Intercollegiate Athletics, welcomed the crowd to what she called “a momentous occasion as we embark on a new chapter in our athletic history.” “This achievement marks a pivotal moment in our journey to revitalize our athletic facilities and provide unparalleled experiences for our student-athletes, campus community, alumni, and the vibrant Rochester community,” she said. “Tiger Stadium will stand as a premier outdoor venue, distinguished by its size and configuration. It will elevate our athletic program, setting us apart from our competitors and leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come.” The 38,828-square-foot facility will seat 1,180, with additional capacity in the hospitality room, along with standing room. Amenities for the new stadium include team locker rooms; a training room with two large hot and cold tubs, taping tables, and exam tables; media suite; concession area; hospitality room with glass viewing wall; and outdoor concourse. The stadium architect is LaBella Associates, with support in the design process by Populous, a nationally recognized stadium design firm. Construction is being managed by Pike Construction Services. “Tiger Stadium is one of many improvements to our athletic facilities, and it stands as a testament to our unwavering dedication to providing our student-athletes with the finest resources and facilities to excel both on and off the field,” said Sandra Johnson, RIT’s senior vice president for Student Affairs. “This stadium is a testament to our shared values of perseverance, teamwork, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.” The new stadium is the latest in a series of enhancements to RIT’s athletic facilities. The first phase of the multi-million-dollar improvements saw the relocation of the outdoor track facility and the introduction of new all-weather artificial turf fields for the baseball and softball teams, in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, new artificial turf on Doug May Field, scoreboards, and lighting at the current venue set the stage for the new Tiger Stadium. Traci Westcott/RIT The groundbreaking ceremony for RIT’s new Tiger Stadium on April 18 was held against the backdrop of Doug May Field. “Tiger Stadium represents far more than just a structure of steel and concrete. It embodies the spirit of our community, the dedication of our student-athletes, and the commitment of our university to excellence in all endeavors,” said RIT President David Munson. “As we look ahead to the completion of Tiger Stadium, let us embrace this moment as a testament to the spirit of innovation and progress that defines RIT. Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of excellence and create a brighter future for our university and our community.” Flanegan, who is one of nearly 700 student-athletes at RIT, said that the new stadium helps RIT solidify itself as a top Division III sports program. “This facility will allow RIT to not only have a better home for athletes to practice, recover, and spend time together, but to recruit players to ensure our athletic program’s success in the future,” he said. “This new state-of-the-art facility will give our athletes the premier experience they deserve.”
- André Hudson named AAAS fellowRIT College of Science Dean André Hudson has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), as announced by the organization’s council. Hudson was honored for “distinguished contributions to the field of amino acid biochemistry and for incorporating principles of DEI into research practices to advance pluralism in STEM education through participation of underrepresented students.” The AAAS elects members into fellowship every year who show efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, that are scientifically or socially distinguished. Fellows include scientists, engineers, and innovators with achievements in academia, industry, and government. The AAAS fellowship program began in 1874. “Being elected as an AAAS fellow is an honor,” said Hudson. “I thank my family and colleagues at RIT for their love, support, mentorship, and guidance. I would also like to thank my mentors, especially Dr. Thomas Leustek, professor at Rutgers University, who has championed me along the way and those who supported my nomination. I certainly would not be the teacher-scholar and administrator I am today without his love and support over the last 24 years. I also would like to thank the fantastic high school, undergraduate, graduate, and post-doc scholars I’ve worked with.” Hudson’s main focus of research is biochemistry and microbiology, specifically enzymology and genomics. He has earned more than $3 million in federally funded grants as both a PI and co-PI, published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles, presented at numerous conferences and invited talks both nationally and internationally, and is a sought-after media expert. Since joining RIT in 2008, he has served on numerous committees at the university and was promoted to dean after a national search in 2023. The AAAS describes itself as a boldly inclusive, mobilized, and global scientific community that ignites, enables, and celebrates scientific excellence and science-informed decisions and actions. The organization is a leading publisher of research through its Science family of journals. AAAS fellows have included well-known names such as Ellen Ochoa, Thomas Edison, and W.E.B. DuBois. According to the AAAS database, Hudson is the only AAAS fellow currently at RIT and the first and only member of RIT to receive the distinction since Mark Ellingson, who was named a fellow in 1941 when RIT was known as Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute. Ellingson went on to become president of RIT in 1936, serving in that role until 1969. The recipients will be acknowledged at the annual Fellows Forum and will be invited to a gala celebrating the 150th anniversary of the AAAS Fellows program in Washington, D.C., in September.
- RIT Global students set to present at Imagine RITStudents from RIT’s global campuses will be making the trek to the U.S. for this year’s Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival held on April 27. Teams from RIT China, RIT Croatia, RIT Dubai and RIT Kosovo will be presenting their exhibits in the Gordon Field House. This is the second year that students from global campuses will be attending the festival in person. RIT China: RIT China A team of students from RIT China will present their exhibit Get Inside the Mind of the Learner: Interact with EEG Technology at Imagine RIT on April 27. Get Inside the Mind of the Learner: Interact with EEG Technology will give visitors the chance to wear a headband that translates brainwaves into a visual digital experience. Team members reflected on their remote learning experiences during the COVID pandemic to come up with the idea to present data on students’ confusion and concentration to teachers in real time. The initial steps of the research were truly a global cooperation, with students from RIT Dubai and RIT Kosovo helping in the early stages. The RIT China team will show their predictive model which analyzes cognitive states in real time while the brain receives information, giving insights into comprehension, focus, and potential confusion. “We reviewed literature and found that single-channel EEG equipment has been used in some studies to detect human emotions, but there are no studies on detecting confusion in people,” said Yancheng Hu, a management information systems student. “After this experiment, I realized the infinite creativity that global cooperation can bring to people, and teamwork can bring power that one person can never achieve.” RIT Croatia: The team of students from Croatia will be bringing the vibrant ecosystem of the Neretva Delta region to campus through the interactive exhibit EChOes of the Neretva Delta: wings of the wind. Festivalgoers can engage with scientific equipment to explore the region and the effects wind turbines and solar collectors have on bird life and microclimates. With a proactive approach to preservation and sustainability, the students hope their work brings attention to environmental issues and helps protect the region. “It’s an opportunity to work together with like-minded people, share ideas, and maybe stimulate interest in the topics of climate change and biodiversity preservation,” said Leona Sentic, a hospitality and tourism management student. “It’s incredibly exciting to get the chance to present our project and share our findings and research with a larger audience.” RIT Dubai: RIT Dubai students will also be giving visitors a glimpse of their country through their exhibit An Interactive Journey: Explore an AI-Powered Model of the Burj Khalifa. The project will feature a 3-foot-tall model of the famous skyscraper and will bring the nighttime skyline of Dubai to life with lights, music, and personalized message displays. The AI-powered model will showcase a blend of art, technology, and interactivity. Students were inspired by the groundbreaking achievements symbolized by the iconic structure. RIT Kosovo: With the goal of making others happy and ensuring everyone has a good time, the team of students from RIT Kosovo will bring their exhibit, JoySphere, to Imagine RIT. Using adaptive AI and sensory integration, the exhibit will create environments catered to individual preferences for a one-of-a-kind adventure. The exhibit combines the positive energy of Kosovo with innovation and technology, bringing the festive culture and energy to a larger audience. “We are enthusiastic about promoting happiness and showing our cultural heritage as students,” said Melika Osmani, a computing and information technologies student. “This event holds significant meaning and excitement for us.” Imagine RIT is free and open to the public. For more information on the event, including a full list of exhibits, go to the Imagine RIT website.
- Engineering professor becomes part of SMART Hub to improve wireless spectrum accessibilityThe wireless spectrum has become very crowded real estate, and work is underway through a new technology research center to improve spectrum access, co-existence, and security. Addressing these challenges will require new technology applications and resources, said Alireza Vahid of Rochester Institute of Technology. Vahid is one of the university representatives on the Spectrum Management with Adaptive and Reconfigurable Technology (SMART) Hub, an industry-academic partnership based at Baylor University. With a background in understanding wireless data communication, his collaborative work will involve building system algorithms to coordinate the multi-faceted transmission demands of wireless networks. “The center is the start of a journey that brings new opportunities to improve the resource that we all use and share in some way,” said Vahid, an associate professor of electrical engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. Formally launched early this year, the SMART Hub is led by Charles Baylis, a professor of electrical and computer engineering in Baylor’s School of Engineering and Computer Science. SMART Hub consists of 17 institutions contributing expertise in communication systems, radar, circuits, spectrum security, economics, and policy. Demands on the overall system are a result of many more commercial, defense, and general users. Other factors include the need to manage general use with strategic applications. “In certain frequencies, more than one application may need to co-exist with others introducing additional challenges. There are many factors to be considered when using the radio spectrum today and in the future such as spectrum efficiency, security, privacy, and co-existence,” said Vahid, who is an expert in wireless communications systems and networking as well as modern data storage technologies. “These problems are not new,” he said. “We have known of these for decades, but it was not as pronounced a problem as it is today with the 5G and 6G networks, and the increased demands across a shared network.” Leading wireless spectrum users such as the Army have specific needs; others need adaptable resources to support different applications and frequencies. “How much sensing capability is needed? How many users can be served? In terms of policy, data limits or access, what can we manage and what is the tradeoff between this and privacy concerns?” he asked. Both military and corporate organizations recognize the dwindling spectrum space will soon have an impact on users. The need has led researchers to pursue new approaches to spectrum communication, which will be the focus of SMART Hub. “We will be working on groundbreaking technology that will revolutionize how we use the spectrum,” Baylis stated in a recent SMART Hub release. “Rather than fixed systems that use the same frequency and stay there, we’re designing systems that can adapt to their surroundings and determine how to successfully transmit and receive. It’s a true paradigm shift that requires the type of collaboration we will have in SMART Hub.”
- New microplastics research hub aims to unravel health impact in changing climateA new Rochester-based research center will study the lifecycle of microplastics, including its origin as plastic waste, distribution, and movement in the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem. The research will also focus on how climate change could intensify the environmental and health threats posed by microplastics. The Lake Ontario Center for Microplastics and Human Health in a Changing Environment is a collaboration between Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rochester, and supported by a $7.3 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the federal Oceans and Human Health program. “This funding gives us the opportunity to bring together environmental and health sciences researchers to tackle a truly global crisis”, said Christy Tyler, professor in the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences at RIT and co-director of the center with Katrina Korfmacher, a professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). “We plan to combine research on the quantity and characteristics of plastic in the places where people are most likely to encounter it, with research on how these particles impact our health. And as a result, we’ll be able to come up with a more holistic understanding of the potential harm of plastic pollution, and how we can develop targeted strategies to minimize it.” Microplastics, particles less than 5 mm in size, are produced from plastic waste, which over time is broken down into microscopic fragments that move easily through the food chain. Common sources of plastic pollution include food wrappers, plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, plastic bags, plastic straws, cigarette butts, tire-wear particles, and synthetic clothing. Plastic waste enters the environment via urban stormwater and agricultural runoff, and wastewater. Microplastics are ubiquitous, frequently difficult to detect and mitigate, and research has found the particles in human blood, heart, liver, and lung tissue, placenta, and breast milk. However, little is known about their long-term impact on human health. Provided Christy Tyler conducts research on microplastics in Lake Ontario. She is a co-director of the newly announced Lake Ontario Center for Microplastics and Human Health in a Changing Environment. The Great Lakes hold more than 20 percent of global surface freshwater and are a source of drinking water, irrigation, fisheries, and recreation for more than 30 million people. While progress has been made in recent decades to improve the environmental health of the lakes, these gains are threatened by rising plastic pollution. The new center will undertake research projects that aim to understand how environmental changes may affect the movement and characteristics of microplastics in Lake Ontario, how microplastics interact with other contaminants, and the impact on inflammation and immune response in model biological systems. The goal is to develop and promote solutions that inform future research, community actions, and policy changes that will lessen the health effects associated with microplastics. One project builds on several years of collaborative work at RIT to understanding the input, transport, and ecological risk of plastic pollution in the Lake Ontario basin. The interdisciplinary team, which will be led by Tyler, and includes Matthew Hoffman, professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics; Nathan Eddingsaas, associate professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science; Steven Day, professor and head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering; and André Hudson, professor and dean, College of Science. They will examine how climate-related factors, namely warmer weather and more severe storms, will increase the delivery of post-consumer plastic to Lake Ontario. Tyler, Hoffman, and a group of other RIT scientists have been working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funding to lead interdisciplinary projects examining plastic waste entering the Great Lakes, and how to prevent and remove it. RIT’s collaborations with the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Seneca Park Zoo, Monroe County, the city of Rochester, and other local institutions continue to provide a joint effort in combating environmental concerns. A project by the University of Rochester will employ nanomembrane technologies to identify ultrafine microplastics in the water and air that can be more easily ingested into blood and tissue. Another will use frogs as models to study how waterborne microplastics enter, move about, and accumulate in the body at different water temperatures anticipated due to global warming. All research projects will be supported by a materials core led by University of Rochester with participation by Iris Rivero, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at RIT. The center will also engage with community partners through involving residents in efforts to monitor debris flows, and developing, evaluating, and disseminating outreach materials for audiences including youth, educators, community groups, and policy makers in both urban and rural settings. “This partnership between universities shows how local researchers can work together to address questions of global significance,” said Ryne Raffaelle, vice president for Research at RIT. “How microplastics, combined with climate change, impact the ways in which we live and overall human health is something we need to investigate. This new center will be key to understanding, and hopefully mitigating, the convolution of these environmental impacts and their potential deleterious effects.” Funding for the center was provided by NIEHS award number P01 ES035526 and NSF award number OCE-2418255.
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