- Student spotlight: Researching health care for Deaf and hard-of-hearing peopleEmma Kane, a third-year public policy major from Brighton, N.Y., has spent the past year working at the Deaf Health Laboratory, led by the mentors at the Deaf Health Care and Biomedical Sciences Hub (Deaf Hub) at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf. The Deaf Hub was established in 2022 to promote representation of Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in healthcare and biomedical science careers. It offers supporting pathways to healthcare careers, a network for Deaf scientists and mentors, and research related to the Deaf community and their health. Kane has been involved with the Deaf Hub since 2023 as a Summer Healthcare Academic Research Program scholar, a Deaf Health Laboratory research assistant, and is now one of the chief research assistants. She has presented at national conferences and local research symposiums about her work. What kind of research are you doing? I’ve been working to find barriers in sex education for Deaf and hard-of-hearing young adults. The goal is to improve access to sexual health resources by gamification and create policy solutions. I also do research on reproductive health experiences of Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals with uteruses to collect data on reproductive health access and experiences of receiving reproductive health resources. Would you like a career in the medical field? I never thought about doing research until I participated in the SHARP program. It gave me the full autonomy to figure out what type of research I liked, which was public health research. That led me to develop a research proposal on sex education in the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. I don’t envision myself working in the medical field, however. I have a huge passion for changing Deaf education through policy work. I aspire to continue researching on the access to education for Deaf and hard-of-hearing kids and provide policy solutions, especially education as a public health issue. I hope to pursue an MBA and possibly a Ph.D. in education policy. My dream is to live in a big metropolitan area, like Washington, D.C. or Boston. What attracted you to become a public policy major? Public policy offers a unique intersection of policy, actions, and regulations, but they are not necessarily about making laws. It’s about creating the big picture–this is what attracted me. I love solving problems and offer out-of-the-box solutions. Public policy requires you to think outside of the box. It’s about creating innovative solutions and practices that can have a huge impact. For me personally, it offers a perfect balance of advocacy and creating innovative solutions and policies that can change the lives of deaf children. What other activities are you involved with? The balance between academic and social life, the research opportunities, and the networking opportunities at RIT are amazing. I’m involved with Alpha Sigma Alpha and Student Government. I’m also the newest e-board member for the College Panhellenic Council. Outside of these activities, I enjoy trying new coffee shops around Rochester and across the country as well!
- ACLU President Deborah Archer headlines 43rd annual Expressions of King’s LegacyRIT will welcome Deborah Archer, eighth president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), to campus on Wednesday, Jan. 29, for the 43rd annual Expressions of King’s Legacy event. Programming will start with a performance by Rochester’s own Garth Fagan Dance. The event will begin at noon and end at 2 p.m. at RIT’s Gordon Field House. Registration is free and open to the public. All attendees are asked to register in order for proper planning and to receive up-to-date event information. Archer was named president of the ACLU in 2021, making her the first person of color to lead the organization in its more than 100-year history. She also is a professor of clinical law at the New York University School of Law and faculty director of the school’s Community Equity Initiative. As a young child of Jamaican immigrants, Archer experienced racism and discrimination firsthand, leading her down a lifelong path to fight racism, classism, and anti-immigrant sentiment. “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continuously fought for legislation to promote civil rights, so having Dr. Archer on campus to speak on these issues is a great way to honor his legacy,” said Keith Jenkins, vice president and associate provost for the Division of Diversity and Inclusion. “Many of the things Dr. King fought for are things Dr. Archer and the ACLU are still advocating for today. I encourage all across our campus and community to take advantage in joining us for this event.” Prior to her time at NYU, Archer worked as an attorney with the ACLU and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. She litigated in the areas of voting rights, employment discrimination, and school desegregation. Her list of honors from community organizations and legal institutions is vast, and she is toted as a leading expert in civil rights, civil liberties, and racial justice. Archer is a graduate of Yale Law School and Smith College. Garth Fagan Dance is an internationally recognized contemporary American dance company founded in Rochester in the 1970’s. For decades, the school invites young people regardless of race, gender, or financial resources to fulfill their potential, while the company provides performances and activities that enrich the community. The company’s namesake came to America from Jamaica in 1960 and was inspired by the raw talent and perseverance of students from inner-city Rochester, leading to the formation of Garth Fagan Dance. Fagan is perhaps best known as the Tony-award winning choreographer of Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway. In May 2024, he received an honorary doctorate from RIT. Expressions of King’s Legacy is a decades-old celebration at RIT. Beginning in 1982, the Committee for Promoting Pluralism and the Black Awareness Coordinating Committee held the Conference on Racism, which in 2002 was renamed the Expressions of Diversity Conference. In 2010, an annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was combined into a week-long event called Expressions of King’s Legacy. The program moved under the Division of Diversity and Inclusion in 2012 and continues as the longest-standing diversity program at the university. For more information on the event and to register, visit the Expressions of King’s Legacy website.
- Faculty exhibit in Venice earns a European Cultural Centre AwardA group of six faculty members in RIT’s College of Art and Design have earned the University & Research Projects Award from the European Cultural Centre (ECC) for their collection of works, titled “Cultural Disruptors.” “Cultural Disruptors” was displayed at the ECC Palazzo Mora, located in Venice, Italy, as part of the “Personal Structures” exhibition, which ran from April 20 through Nov. 24, 2024, and was a featured exhibition during the 2024 Venice Art Biennial. The faculty who received the award, and their works, include: Vashti Anderson, assistant professor, School of Film and Animation — “Moko Jumbie” (film) Christine Banna, assistant professor, School of Film and Animation — “Pink Pottery” (experimental animation) Elizabeth Kronfield, director, Schools of Art and American Crafts — “Chasing Tail” (sculpture) Joshua Rashaad McFadden, assistant professor, School of Photographic Arts and Sciences — “Love Without Justice” (photography) Juan Noguera, assistant professor, School of Design — “PastFastForward” (design, artificial intelligence) Shanti Thakur, director, School of Film and Animation — “Terrible Children” (film) The jury of the ECC Awards celebrated the excellence displayed by participants in the “Personal Structures” exhibition. The international jury was composed of a group of professionals working in the arts, including: Amit Gupta, Founder & Editor in Chief at STIRworld; Steve Bisson, Head of the Photography Department at Paris College of Art, Founder of Penisola Edizioni, and Editor in Chief at Urbanautica; Alexandra Laqueur, Managing Director and Maria Nekrassova, Co-founder of the European Cultural Academy; and Saskia Fernando, Director of Saskia Fernando Gallery, Paradise Road Group and Founder of KALĀ platform. The winners received a limited-edition artwork by the Dutch artist René Rietmeyer, founder of the ECC. Visit the “Personal Structures” website for more details about the award. Explore the artworks ECC/Federico Vespignani “Moko Jumbie,” written and directed by Vashti Anderson, explores themes of race, class and post-colonialism through a fictional story set in rural Trinidad. The film leans into magical realism, where taboo attraction lives amongst spirits in the natural world. Provided “Pink Pottery” is an independent, experimental animation created by Christine Banna that juxtaposes vibrant imagery of the earliest artmaking with modern destructive technology. It is an exploration of our relationship with material culture, and includes art objects such as cave paintings, fertility figures, and pottery contrasted against destructive objects like arrows to modern missiles. Provided “Chasing Tail,” created by Elizabeth Kronfield is a sculpture composed of cast iron and horsehair that explores the complexities of gender identity and connection as forced onto materials and forms. Provided “Love without Justice” is a series of photos by Joshua Rashaad McFadden that delves into an autobiographical archive where intimate connections, the Black church, and vulnerability in family interconnect. Provided “PastFastForward” is an industrial design experiment created by Juan Noguera. The project disrupts artificial intelligence tools of the global north by pairing them with traditional sand-casting techniques of Antigua, Guatemala, and prompts viewers to consider the unique relationships to capitalistic colonization. Provided “Terrible Children” poses the universal question, “must we betray our family to grow up?” Written, directed, and edited by Shanti Thakur, the feature documentary film reveals the rich and complex interior lives of boys fighting to become men through personal narrative, reimagined history, and chronicles of racial nationalism.
- Student spotlight: Fulbright student's research applies AI to real-world problemsDiana Velychko, a Fulbright master’s student in artificial intelligence, is paving the way for more intuitive artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Originally from Ternopil, Ukraine, Velychko’s academic journey has taken her to exchange programs across Europe and now to RIT. Her work focuses on the intersection of human perception and AI, aiming to bridge the gap between how people see the world and how machines interpret it. Through her classes and research, she works to apply AI to real-world problems. What made you want to study AI? While in Ukraine, I took an AI machine learning course where we did a project in computer vision. Even though ChatGPT wasn’t around yet, I thought AI might be good for the future. I found it to be really challenging and really exciting. I like that we can create something that we can’t really predict what it’s going to do. How did you become a Fulbright student? I’ve had a diverse educational experience owing to studying at Ternopil Ivan Pul’uj National Technical University which allowed me to do a few exchange programs in Europe, including a semester abroad in Spain and Lithuania. I was excited to see what university life is like in U.S., so I applied for the Fulbright Ukraine program. RIT was my first choice because it offered a specialized master’s in AI—something that is rare and not typically offered as a standalone degree. I’m really grateful for the helpful professors at RIT and for the Fulbright program that allowed me to gain new perspectives. What projects are you working on in AI? I just published a paper in satellite imagery. As a machine learning intern in the Adaptive Human-Robot Teaming Lab last summer, with Assistant Professor Jamison Heard, improved a model that detects cars, ships, planes, trains and other small moving objects in satellite imagery. We trained the model to be more robust toward perturbations, or noise in the training data. In RIT’s Brain Lab, I’m collaborating with computer engineering researcher Associate Professor Cory Merkel and psychology researcher Professor Andrew Herbert to understand how humans learn to classify synthetic images they’ve never seen before. Using eye-tracking technology, we analyze which parts of an image people pay attention to when learning about new objects. The goal is to apply these patterns to enhance AI architecture, so AI models classify objects more robustly, similarly to humans. What are some ways that AI can help people? Right now, Ukraine has electricity shortages due to the ongoing war and bombarding that has destroyed electrical stations. So, officials schedule when electricity can be available to different populations. Just the other day, my family only had two hours of electricity for the day. However, it can take officials days—even weeks—to manually create these schedules and remake them after each attack. In my Introduction to AI class with Professor Cecilia Alm at RIT, we learned about genetic algorithms—optimization techniques based on evolutionary principles. I was able to use those algorithms in a project to quickly create schedules, saving time and allowing people to plan when they will get access to electricity. I published a paper on this topic in Ukraine. Recently, an AI-based algorithm was introduced to accelerate the process of energy redistribution and the creation of electricity schedules.
- Researchers discover solutions to build stronger bridgesAging infrastructure is a major issue in the U.S. with nearly 50 percent of bridges considered in poor condition—nearly 12 percent are over 80 years old; 42 percent are over 50. Many have high volumes of traffic. Investments are often for immediate repairs, but today engineering researchers are exploring how structural changes might improve longevity, safety, and construction costs. One structural study done by researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology found that reorienting piles, the legs or foundation, of bridge structures, nearer to the main abutments can increase the service life of a bridge. The optimized design can better withstand seismic forces and temperature variations, said Amanda Bao, professor and interim department chair of RIT’s Department of Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Management and Safety in the College of Engineering Technology. “We found that reorientation reduces load demands that degrade the materials,” said Bao, who worked with civil engineering technology undergraduate students Albert Petry and James Warren this fall and co-authored the paper, “Optimizing steel pile design in integral abutment bridges.” Results were published in the Proceedings of Geo-Structures 2024 and presented at the recent ASCE Geo-Structures Conference in late November in Pittsburgh. Conventional bridges consist of a bridge deck (surface), girders (deck supporting components), and abutments with expansion joints at the girder ends. Abutments, the attachments at each end of a bridge, connect the main structure with the ground and bear the structural load. Due to the location of the expansion joints, girders have the most deterioration because of gaps where moisture and de-icing chemicals seep in and erode both the girder ends and the abutments. Newer integral abutment bridges have the girder ends fully encased into the concrete abutment walls at the ends of the bridge and have been found to significantly decrease erosion by eliminating the expansion joints. “The pile orientation is the main focus of our study because we found that each state has a different practice, and it is very inconsistent across the U.S.,” said Petry, a fourth-year student from Merrimac, Mass. “We wanted to know if there is a preference that should be established? Is there a more economical orientation for different areas?” To explore those questions, the researchers built a computer model representing a bridge 130 feet in length, 57 feet wide and fully integral abutments with 40-foot-deep piles. Different forces that impact the structure were applied to the digital model. Model results focused on several critical factors in bridge design—displacement, or movement, at the top of the piles, comparisons between the year-long temperature changes, and seismic zones, then overlaying the assessments along the two different bridge pile orientations. “There are two ways to orient the steel H-piles with the first web of the H-pile being parallel to the flow of traffic, a longitudinal direction. The second orientation is a rotation of 90 degrees, the web perpendicular to traffic flow. That rotates the strong axis of the pile, and it changes the load it can accommodate,” said Warren, a fourth-year student from Montgomery Village, Md. “We then tested which orientation would be best for certain areas where temperature changes and seismic forces control the design.” They found in zones where temperature changes dominate, the longitudinal direction (parallel to the flow of traffic) reduces displacement and load. This indicates the structure is stronger. For zones where seismic forces are prominent, the opposite orientation, the web of the H-pile perpendicular to the flow of traffic, has the lower displacement and load. This data can provide guidelines and refine the best practices used by engineers and bridge designers to form consensus across the U.S., said Bao. The undergraduate research experience that Albert and James gained significantly enhanced their critical thinking skills. They were able to apply what learned in class to investigate something new and contribute to the cutting-edge knowledge in the civil engineering field.” she said.
- Designers leave nothing on the table during the Beyond Fashion showcaseDecked out with technicolor lights and vibrant animated displays, RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios soundstage became a runway last week during Beyond Fashion. The rainbow runway featured a diverse collection of garments and wearables crafted by local designers and RIT students across multiple disciplines. The Exhibition An exhibition about Beyond Fashion, curated by Gabrielle Payne in collaboration with the Beyond Fashion team, will open in RIT’s University Gallery in early 2025. Details coming soon on the University Gallery’s website. The theme for the fashion show was “On the Table,” which paid tribute to Lella and Massimo Vignelli’s designs that exist on the tabletop. Some designers opted for literal interpretations—with models wearing outfits adorned with silver cutlery or, in one case, a dress that emulated a round dining table—while others channeled the elegant simplicity found in many of Vignelli designs. All the designers drew inspiration from the Vignelli Center for Design Studies Archives when crafting their pieces. “The Vignelli’s did extensive work on product design and graphic design for objects that live on a table, like books, dishes, perfume bottles, and all kinds of things,” explained Maddy Schoenfeld ’20 (metals and jewelry design) ’23 (MBA), producer of Beyond Fashion. “There is a lot of very cool source material for designers to work from with this theme.” Schoenfeld has helped lead and organize Beyond Fashion since its inception in 2021. Born from conversations between Josh Owen, director of the Vignelli Center, and Wendy Marks, director of F&A Galleries, Schoenfeld was recruited to bring the idea for the event to life. “Beyond Fashion offers a new way for people who are interested in fashion design to show their work,” she said. “The original idea was to form a connection with fashion at RIT and to forge a connection with the Rochester community by working with local designers.” Over 150 RIT students participated in Beyond Fashion this year—the largest group Beyond Fashion has ever seen—and more than 200 community members attended the event. This event marked Brandon Riley’s third year participating in Beyond Fashion, having walked as a model the past two years. This year, they had a hand in organizing the event. Along with Schoenfeld and team, Riley helped with outreach to different designers, planning the runway, and coordinating with the various teams that helped bring the show to life. “I've always been into fashion. Since RIT doesn't have many fashion-oriented programs, this event is a really cool chance to showcase all of the people who are into fashion design here on campus,” said Riley, a fourth-year new media design student from Westminster, Md. Riley explains that part of the appeal for participating students is the opportunity to showcase one’s artwork in—or have a direct hand in organizing—a professional, polished production. “It’s been one of my highlights in the fall semester every year since I got involved,” they said. To extend the excitement beyond the day of the event, organizers are working with museum studies student Gabrielle Payne to create an exhibition about the show. The exhibition is set to open in the University Gallery in early 2025. Payne, a third-year student, has walked as a model for Beyond Fashion every year since she came to RIT from West Orange, N.J. When she transferred into the museum studies program, she thought creating an exhibition about the event could be a unique way to get hands-on curation experience. “I plan to have the exhibition be quite literal with the theme of the show. We’ll have tables with mannequins around them, and the layout will be like a dinner party,” said Payne. “I think having this experience will be really useful for after I graduate, especially if I end up pursuing my master’s degree.” The team that led the charge in running this year’s Beyond Fashion showcase includes:Executive Producer Maddy Schoenfeld Content Producer Stacy Nethery, a fourth-year fine art photography student Production Assistant Valentina Scottini, a fourth-year industrial design student Production Coordinator Yohemery Kpodo, a fourth-year new media design student Producer Brandon Riley In addition to this core team, new media design students came together, led by Jason Arena, director of the undergraduate new media design program, to create stunning visuals that were displayed on LED screens around the venue to enhance the look of the fashion show. Music was also curated and composed by Lucas Cleary, a third-year accelerated BS/MS computer science student. Beyond Fashion is hosted and sponsored by the Vignelli Center for Design Studies and RIT’s MAGIC Spell Studios. Immerse yourself in the colorful designs showcased during the event by going to the Beyond Fashion Instagram or the Beyond Fashion website.
- University researcher leads quantum computing project to improve electrical grid systemsAdding renewable energy and energy storage capacity brings an added layer of complexity to traditional electrical grid systems. Balancing supply and demand of energy for power systems, even under uncertain conditions, may be solved using quantum computing technology, according to Rochester Institute of Technology faculty-researcher Bing Yan. Yan, an assistant professor of electrical engineering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, is leading a research team developing advanced optimization models and methods to manage complexities of operating the modern electrical grid through quantum computing. Advances could improve day-to-day operations, better meet power demands and minimize costs of overall energy resources. Yan received a grant from Independent System Operator-New England (ISO-NE), a non-profit energy resource provider, and is partnering with Junpeng Zhan, assistant professor of Renewable Energy Engineering in the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University, on the two-year multifaceted project. “Unit Commitment is a critical problem in the daily operation of electrical grids, where power system operators must determine which power plants should run to meet electricity demand,” said Yan. “The objective is to minimize costs while ensuring a reliable supply of power within the operational limits of the grid.” The researchers will deliver comparisons of state-of-the-art quantum computing methods for unit commitment problems. Quantum computing, which leverages the unique properties of qubits enabling faster solutions to the unit commitment problem as compared with classical computers, can potentially improve the analysis process in managing large electric grid systems, Yan explained. The power grid faces numerous challenges, prompting significant research and innovation in how the integration of variable renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, distributed energy resources, and energy storage systems can be added. Although popular and growing, renewable technologies add a layer of complexity. “As the dynamics on the power grid increase, solving Unit Commitment becomes increasingly critical, a task classical computing struggles to address efficiently within practical time frames. Going forward, the future grid is anticipated to be more stochastic, or randomly determined, requiring more measurement and data processing efforts for reliable and resilient grid maintenance.” Yan has collaborated with ISO-NE since 2016, working on grid integration of renewable energy and energy storage systems. She has several national research awards, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, in these areas and utilizes connections to ISO-NE’s Advisory Board for feedback on the feasibility and performance of proposed models and methods being explored in her work.
- RIT President David Munson named an Icon by ‘Rochester Business Journal’RIT President David Munson is an Icon. The Rochester Business Journal recently selected Munson as a 2024 Icon Honors recipient. He will receive the award on Dec. 16. Icon Honors recognize Rochester business leaders over the age of 60 for their notable success and demonstration of strong leadership within and outside their fields. The honorees have moved their organizations or businesses and Rochester forward by growing jobs and making a difference in the community. To be eligible for the award, honorees must have a long-standing commitment to the Rochester business community and significant professional accomplishments through innovation and leadership. “The 2024 Icon Honors recipients are outstanding leaders who spark innovation and progress, meeting a variety of challenges to make the Greater Rochester community a better place to live and work. They are also role models who serve as mentors to others,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of BridgeTower Media/Rochester Business Journal. Munson is set to 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. Along with leading RIT, Munson has been active in the local business community, including serving on the boards of the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council, Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Rochester Regional Health, and Greater Rochester Enterprise, where he served as chair. Rochester area leaders helped nominate Munson for the award. Here is what some of them said in their nomination letters:New York State Assemblyman Harry Bronson: “Dr. Munson’s leadership extends well beyond the campus of RIT. He has actively supported initiatives that promote sustainability, social justice, and community engagement. His advocacy for policies that uplift both educational and economic opportunities is a testament to his holistic approach to leadership—one that embraces all facets of community well-being.” New York State Senator Jeremy Cooney: “I have had the privilege of collaborating with Dr. Munson on numerous initiatives aimed at strengthening the economic and social fabric of our community. He has been instrumental in aligning RIT’s cutting-edge research and technological expertise with the needs of our local economy, ensuring that Rochester remains at the forefront of industry advancements.” Matt Hurlbutt, president and CEO of Greater Rochester Enterprise: “Dr. Munson has significantly elevated the university’s stature, not only in terms of academic excellence but also as a key economic driver for the Greater Rochester Area. Under his leadership, RIT has become a hub for high-tech innovation and research, fueling collaboration between industry, government, and academia. This partnership-driven approach has resulted in tangible impacts for the region, from workforce development to attracting and retaining top-tier talent.” Tom Judson, RIT Board of Trustees and Pike Construction Services: “It is rare to find a leader who can so seamlessly connect education, industry, and community. Dr. Munson embodies this unique combination, making him a driving force for positive change in Rochester.”
- EMBA student leverages RIT for inclusive leadership growthChris Soukup, a graduate student in the RIT Executive MBA program, is the CEO of Communication Service for the Deaf, a nonprofit organization that provides resources and services to benefit the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community in the employment sector. Soukup, a third-generation member of the Deaf community, has spent the past 30 years rallying for equitable solutions for a community of over 11 million individuals in the United States. You’ve already had an established professional career, so what made RIT appealing to you? I began working toward a graduate degree after completing my baccalaureate program at Gallaudet University but put that experience on hold to pursue professional opportunities. It has been a personal goal to return to school and further my education for many years. My organization, Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD), has frequently collaborated with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf over the years. The Executive MBA program at RIT is well designed and aligned well with my personal and professional goals. The online construct of the EMBA provided me with the flexibility that I needed to pursue this degree while continuing to lead CSD. I am so glad I made the decision to begin this journey. How has the EMBA program helped you evolve as a leader? One of the benefits of a program like the EMBA is that the experience involves significant introspection. Over the past year, the courses I am taking have created space for me to reflect deeply about the work that I do, the contributions that I make personally to my organization, and my leadership practice. It is hard to overstate the value of an experience that brings together and synthesizes new knowledge, ideas, and perspectives. Like anything else in life, you get out of something what you put into it. Recognizing that there are always opportunities to learn and grow, no matter how much experience you may have, is important. CSD has played a major role in your life. What lessons have you learned from your evolving relationship with this company? Provided My deafness is genetic. I was born deaf to a family of predominantly deaf people and grew up with a strong connection to Deaf and disability communities. My son is a thriving deaf and autistic teenager who hopes to attend NTID after graduating from high school. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of the CSD organization and to do work that directly contributes to making our world more inclusive and equitable for communities that are so special to me. I am thankful for the opportunity to have worked alongside hundreds of deaf and disabled professionals over the course of my career. Every person and every experience along the way has taught me something valuable. Some of the most memorable lessons that I have learned taught me patience, resilience, and perseverance. Our impact as leaders is the result of consistent effort that accumulates meaningfully over time. What are your long-term goals as someone who is deeply committed to fostering inclusion and accessibility? I believe the best way to change perspective is through example. Disability is a fundamental part of the human condition. At some point in our lives, we will all experience some form of disability. I talk about this a lot because there is a sizable part of the population that seems to operate with the mindset that disability somehow does not apply to them. When we talk about an inclusive world, we are talking about everyone...all of us together. The work that I do is intended to confront bias and false perceptions about disability. The best way to do this, in my view, is to spotlight success stories of people with disabilities who are thriving and to celebrate the abundant talent and social contributions of disability communities. My hope is that we eventually can normalize disability everywhere—in the media, at work, and at home in our neighborhoods. What advice would you give to other professionals that are striving to balance career demands with their educational pursuits? Without question, seeking to continue your education while working full time is a challenge. It is even more challenging when one has a family and there is an even more nuanced effort to balance between career, school, and home. I think it is important to remember that continuing one’s education is a choice. The experience is finite—there is a defined start and end to the journey. Understanding the adjustments that will be required in the near term to be successful is important from the outset as is ensuring that you have a support system around you to lean on when necessary.
- Metaproject 15 produces innovative furniture solutions for Icon Design and ARBR StudiosAt the beginning of the semester, Alex Hafen was excited about what was in store for her as one of the students participating in Metaproject 15. The course provided an opportunity that challenged her knowledge and skills as a fourth-year industrial design student. “I heard from past students that working on Metaproject was a really helpful experience and that the structure was a lot different than our other classes, so I was really drawn to the idea of trying something new,” said Hafen, from Centerport, N.Y. Metaproject is an annual design initiative that pairs students with industry partners to develop products consistent with the Vignelli “Design is One” philosophy.” Students collaborate with new partners and the results are showcased in a global venue. In some cases, the designs are put into commercial production. This year, Metaproject 15 students worked with Icon Design and alumni-owned ARBR Studios to create unique furniture solutions inspired by their existing catalog and the Vignelli design ethos. The prompt was open ended, allowing the students a lot of creative freedom to explore their own ideas. “It took us a while to get our heads around the prompt because Icon explained that they wanted to go somewhere new. Creating a new identity for someone is a challenge,” said Hafen. “But it’s also exciting because everyone could put their own touch on their designs and be more inventive than just trying to copy a specific style as closely as possible.” Josh Owen, director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies and lead instructor for Metaproject, explained that the heavy representation of RIT industrial design alumni at Icon Design and ARBR Studios made them an ideal partner for Metaproject. “Part of Icon’s initial interest was that they wanted to see what learning from the Vignelli’s works might do to provoke opportunities in design-related growth for them. The Vignelli design ethos and Icon’s Design ethos are working in harmony with this project primarily because of Icon’s willingness to explore the possible outcomes of such an experiment,” said Owen. “I would say that overall, the students have pushed Icon to consider leveraging the Vignelli philosophy toward a more modern way of envisioning the growth of their collection.” Over the course of the semester, students formulated their designs and engaged in periodic reviews with Owen and representatives from Icon Design and ARBR Studios. During the last week of classes, students presented half-scale models of their designs for a final review with the clients. The panel of representatives for the review—which included Tyler Brennan ’21 (industrial design), Jason Cudzilo '02 (industrial design), Daniel Fallon ’02 (industrial design), Bridget Sheehan ’14 MFA (industrial design), and Fritz Zeller—announced that all of the half-scale models the students created will be displayed during the annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City in May 2025. In addition to the half-scale models, the clients selected six student designs to prototype at full-scale for display at ICFF. Zeller shared that the final selection was difficult, but the chosen designs found “the right blend of innovation and feasibility.” These designs include:The “Solēna” bench, designed by Chris Baron, a fourth-year industrial design student. The “Cradle Side Table,” designed by Isabella Blanco, a fourth-year industrial design student. The “Toro Chair,” designed by Alex Hafen, a fourth-year industrial design student. The “Convo Table,” designed by Jasmine Khamphanthirath, a fourth-year industrial design student. The “Pivot Table,” designed by Jenna Schwartzberg, a fourth-year industrial design student. The “Cubo” bookcase, designed by Valentina Ada Scottini, a fourth-year industrial design student. Before graduating from RIT, Sheehan, project manager at Icon Design and adjunct professor at RIT, served as a teaching assistant for Metaproject 04. Having now been a participant on both the client and student ends of the collaboration, she sees the experience as “a win for everyone involved.” Carlos Ortiz/RIT Oluwatobi Ashiru, a fourth-year industrial design student, presented her “Àpèrè” desk design during the Metaproject 15 final review. “As part of the Icon Design leadership team, we were excited to collaborate with the students to see the fresh ideas and perspectives they bring to the world of luxury furniture. We also wanted to share the knowledge we’ve accumulated throughout our careers to give them as much insight as possible into how we work,” said Sheehan. For students like Oluwatobi Ashiru, the opportunity to learn from working industry professionals while getting a realistic experience designing for a client was invaluable. She created the “Àpèrè” desk, which was inspired by her Nigerian roots. “When we are doing other class projects, we are getting feedback from the same professors and the same classmates. Everyone kind of gets used to your style,” said Ashiru, a fourth-year industrial design student from Philadelphia. “But when a company comes and asks us to design something, it’s more realistic and more professional. You get to see what your limits are and really learn first-hand how it will be working after you graduate.” Interested in learning more about Metaproject? Go to the Metaproject 15 website to see the complete design prompt and full list of student participants.
