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University Magazine
Fall 2019
You
From accountant to the stars
to sustainable chocolate producer,
do
what?
RIT alumni have some pretty cool careers
Also inside:
Global Cybersecurity
Institute coming soon
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Why we need the liberal arts
W
e are proud technical. From a technological
that RIT is the standpoint, we understand ways to
third largest solve the problems of climate change,
producer of undergradu- poverty, clean water, affordable health
ate STEM (science, tech- care, nuclear proliferation and others.
nology, engineering and Yet, we don’t have the political, social,
RIT University Magazine math) graduates among policy and leadership skills to put
all private universities these challenges to bed. It’s clear that
Executive Editors
in the nation. But we also have a goal of we need people from many different
Lisa Cauda, Development and Alumni Relations
Bob Finnerty ’07 MS, Marketing and Communications developing the most relevant liberal arts disciplines working together to solve
Deborah M. Stendardi, program in the nation. Why is it impor- the world’s toughest problems.
Government and Community Relations
John Trierweiler, Marketing and Communications
tant that the liberal arts be infused into a
• Nationalism and discord are on the
university with technology in its name?
Editor rise, with more citizens retreating
In some cases, the liberal arts are
Mindy Mozer, Marketing and Communications into their own echo chambers,
intertwined with STEM. At RIT, you’ll find
Art Director watching news channels that
students like Landyn Hatch, majoring
Jeff Arbegast ’93 MS, Marketing and Communications broadcast entertainment, rather than
in museum studies, in our makerspace— unbiased news, and saying things on
Photography Editor The Construct—creating 3D-printed
Gabrielle Plucknette-DeVito ’07 social media that they never would
mannequin hands for the Genesee say in a thoughtful conversation,
Contributing Editors Country Village & Museum.
Jon Rodibaugh ’12 MBA, face-to-face. This is scary! Where
Development and Alumni Relations You’ll also find Timothy Engström, are we headed—what are the likely
Cindy Sobieraj, Development and Alumni Relations professor of philosophy, and Carlos consequences? To answer these
Photographers
Lousto, professor of mathematical sci- questions, I think we had better ask
Elizabeth Lamark ’00, Marketing and Communications ences, and astrophysical sciences and historians, psychologists, sociolo-
A. Sue Weisler ’93 MS, Marketing and Communications technology, discussing gravitational gists and political scientists.
Writers: Marketing and Communications waves, black-hole mergers, the Big Bang
Luke Auburn ’09, ’15 MS Rich Kiley and the early universe. Let me close by noting that the liberal
Scott Bureau ’11, ’16 MBA Greg Livadas
Michelle Cometa ’00 Vienna McGrain ’12 MS
And this fall, you’ll find nearly 150 arts are “making” disciplines, just like
Susan Gawlowicz ’95 Ellen Rosen freshmen who’ve earned performing arts their STEM cousins. Creation, innova-
Copy Editor
scholarships via digital auditions in music tion and making can occur in every field,
Marie Lang, Marketing and Communications (vocal and instrumental), theater, dance whether it be writing a poem or short
and technical production. Most of these story, choreographing a dance, composing
Print Production
Brenda Monahan, Marketing and Communications students will major in STEM disciplines, a piece of music, advancing a new scien-
but they also are supremely talented in tific hypothesis, designing a new piece of
Marketing and Communications
the performing arts. technology, creating a social movement or
22 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623-5608 Advocates for the liberal arts often launching a start-up company.
Voice: 585-475-5064, Fax: 585-475-5097 point to the importance of analysis, criti- Every student should be involved in
Email: umag@rit.edu
cal thinking, communications and ethics, creating things that never existed before,
Office of Alumni Relations which are acquired from a liberal arts and then putting those concepts into
Crossroads 41 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, NY 14623-5603
education. But these skills and topics are motion. At RIT, the development of this
Voice: 585-475-ALUM, Toll Free: 866-RIT-ALUM not exclusive to the liberal arts. I believe mindset and the leadership to bring new
TTY: 585-475-2764, Fax: 585-475-5308 there is a more compelling rationale for ideas to fruition are an intentional part
Email: ritalum@rit.edu
the importance of the liberal arts. of the education of every student.
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, Here are some of my thoughts: In this way, our graduates are well
New York, publishes RIT University Magazine. prepared for the future and positioned to
RIT does not discriminate. RIT promotes and • The humanities, social sciences and
values diversity within its workforce and provides contribute to the greater good, together.
the arts are core to what it means to
equal opportunity to all qualified individuals
regardless of race, color, creed, age, marital status, be human. They introduce different
Sincerely,
sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender ways of knowing and being. They
identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran add depth and richness to our daily
status, or disability.
lives—imagine how dull life would
Vol. 21, No. 2, 126M-P2363-8/2019-LANE-JSA be without the liberal arts!
David C. Munson Jr., President
Printer: The Lane Press; Burlington, Vermont
© 2019 Rochester Institute of Technology • The greatest challenges facing munson@rit.edu
All rights reserved humanity today are not purely Twitter: @RITPresident
Cover
Lorenzo Llosa ’04
is an artisanal
chocolate maker
and co-founder of
Enrique Castro-Mendivil
Elemento, a sustainable
chocolate company in
Peru. Read more about
him and other alumni
University Magazine
with cool careers
on pages 22-31.
Fall 2019
22
Pete Souza/former Chief Official White House Photographer
You do what? Photographer Pari Dukovic ’06 takes a portrait of former President Barack Obama.
Departments Features
2 On Campus 12 14 18 32
6 About Students
Investing in Building Leading Faculty Profile
10 Research
Research the Future Athletics Meet Maureen
34 Alumni Updates
RIT’s genomics A new facility will Lou Spiotti Jr. Valentine from
40 Alumni Awards research capabili- help the university is starting his the College of
46 Class Notes ties have evolved increase enroll- 40th season as Engineering
48 Tiger Love significantly over ment in cyber executive director Technology.
50 Tiger Cubs the past year. security and of Intercollegiate
56 Archives advance research. Athletics at RIT.
On Campus
In Brief
Two win Fulbrights
An alumnus and an associate professor
are recipients of Fulbright awards.
Andrew Ramsey ’18 (computer engi-
neering), ’18 MS (computer engineering)
received a Fulbright U.S. Student Pro-
gram award in computer engineering
to help drones assist with search and
rescue operations in difficult terrain
A. Sue Weisler
such as dense forests or steep moun-
tains where GPS might not be reliable.
He will work in Austria starting this fall. Chance Wright ’18 (advertising photography), ’19 (MBA) has made a $3.5 million gift to the
Callie Babbitt, an associate professor School of Photographic Arts and Sciences.
in the Golisano Institute for Sustain-
ability, received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar
Program award to study sustainable
solutions that will address the growing
challenge of food waste management
Alumnus makes $3.5 million
along Croatia’s Adriatic coast.
Babbitt’s research will leverage the
relationship between RIT’s main campus
gift to photography school
and its international campuses in
Zagreb and Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Esports competes nationally
Four students represented RIT at the
first-ever ESPN Collegiate Esports
A 2018 advertising photography
alumnus is making a $3.5 million
gift to the School of Photographic
Arts and Sciences (SPAS), the largest single
gift ever made to RIT’s College of Art and
Business in May, said he “wanted to
make a gift that would help the students
directly and make the biggest impact” for
the photo school, which made such an
impression on him during a campus visit
Championship in May and received Design. five years ago.
$7,500 in tuition scholarships. The gift comes from Chance Wright “The ‘cage’ was one of the main reasons
The students played Hearthstone, a and his mother, Pamela Mars-Wright, I came to this school,” said Wright, affec-
digital collectible-card game set in the whose late father was the co-president of tionately referring to Gannett Hall’s third-
Warcraft universe that is available on Mars Inc.—a family-owned business with floor equipment cage—an area bustling
PC, Mac, Android and iOS. They joined more than a century of making some of with activity and stocked full of the latest
20 other top colleges in the esports the world’s best-loved brands and offering gear for RIT students in the photography
competition. services for people and pets. programs. “Students here have the oppor-
RIT Esports currently has about 130 “The School of Photographic Arts and tunity to work with equipment that sets
students playing in 14 different competi- Sciences is beyond thrilled and humbled the standard for the industry.”
tive esports. The university has won four by the generosity of this gift from alum- RIT architects are currently working
national championships in the games nus Chance Wright and his family,” said with school officials on details of the
Dota 2, Dropzone and Rainbow Six: Siege. Therese Mulligan, school director of SPAS. project, which is scheduled to begin in
Mulligan added that “with Chance’s May 2020.
Tops in game design gift, the school will renovate its spaces on “I can’t wait to see how this gift will
Animation Career Review has again the third floor of Gannett Hall, enabling help SPAS,” he said. “It is meant for the
named RIT one of the top game design us to reshape the physical environment students and faculty, providing them with
schools in the country. in which students learn and hone their the best tools for their education and to
RIT ranked fifth on the list of Top 50 skills.” create amazing things.”
Game Design Schools in the U.S. and Wright, who also earned a master’s
second in New York state. degree from RIT’s Saunders College of Rich Kiley
2 | FALL 2019
Eli Liang
First graduation: RIT’s campus in Weihei, China, held its first commencement ceremony in June, celebrating 103 graduates, including Hang Su, left,
and Yanzi Su. The event recognized the initial class of students to earn BS degrees in management information systems. Courses are jointly offered by
RIT’s Saunders College of Business and the Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) School of Economics and Management, allowing students to earn a dual
degree from RIT and BJTU. More than 4,200 students graduated from all of RIT’s campuses this year, including a record 41 Ph.D. students.
RIT names two deans, associate provost
N ew leaders are
in place for
the upcoming
academic year.
Todd S. Jokl began
engineering) had been
serving as interim dean
and was named to the
permanent position
following a national
Office of Faculty Affairs,
within the Office of the
Provost and Senior Vice
President for Academic
Affairs. She will focus
Aug. 5 as dean of the search. on faculty development,
College of Art and Design. Carmala N. Garzione recruitment and reten-
Jokl was the campus began July 1 in the new tion, as well as advocate
dean of the University position of associate for and advance the work
Todd S. Jokl S. Manian Carmala N.
of New Haven’s Lyme provost for Faculty of university faculty.
Ramkumar Garzione
Academy College of Fine Arts in Connecticut, Affairs. Garzione Garzione will also join
where he served as a teacher and academic most recently served as a professor at the the faculty of RIT’s College of Science as a
administrator for nearly two decades. University of Rochester and director of its tenured professor.
S. Manian Ramkumar was named dean Center for Energy and the Environment.
of the College of Engineering Technology As associate provost for Faculty Affairs, Staff writers
in May. Ramkumar ’91 ME (manufacturing Garzione will oversee the newly created
FALL 2019 | 3
On Campus
Grit happens
RIT hosted its sixth Baja SAE
Rochester World Challenge
in June. The defending
world champions placed 10th
overall among 100 collegiate
race teams that took on a
daunting motocross field
and four challenging days
of competition. Here, Justin
Neves, a fourth-year civil
engineering technology
student from Montgomery,
N.J., drives the RIT vehicle.
Elizabeth Lamark
About
Students
IT students Sophia Gardner
R
and Madeleine Baum (in
chairs) work with Harley
School students Coco Cai,
Connor Ferris and Maya Hood
and Hospice, Service Learning
& Mindfulness educatorSybil
Prince, center, as part of their
senior capstone project.
A. Sue Weisler
6 | FALL 2019
Students raise
awareness about
end-of-life care
Two RIT students
created a webpage
about a hospice
program at a local
Y oung people don’t often
think about death and
their own mortality.
However, the 17- and 18-year-
olds in the hospice program at
that.”
To remedy this issue, Baum
and Gardner created a new web-
page, connected to the school’s
main site. The page, which went
high school. a local high school choose to live at the end of April, included
make it a regular topic of con- student interviews, photos
versation. and other information to help
As part of their RIT senior promote the class.
capstone project, Madeleine “These teenagers are tackling
Baum and Sophia Gardner, things that a lot of adults don’t
fourth-year digital humanities have the capacity to think about
and social sciences students, in such a mature way,” said
created a promotional webpage Baum. “I think it’s really amaz-
to showcase The Harley School’s ing what these kids have to say,
unique hospice classroom en- and I just want to share that
vironment and the service work with the world.”
of the students involved. A common thread between
Under the umbrella of the the class curriculum and Baum
Center for Mindfulness and Em- and Gardner’s goals for the site
pathy Education at The Harley is improving people’s relation-
School in Brighton, N.Y., the ships with death and erasing
hospice program helps students the stigma people have about
foster a healthy relationship hospice and end-of-life care.
with the concept of death via Baum and Gardner’s experi-
in-class discussions, activities ence working with the school
and— most notably—by learn- helped enhance their profes-
ing to care for hospice patients sional skills.
and volunteering at local com- “We were using the techni-
fort care homes. cal skills that we already knew,
The hospice class curriculum but I had to learn more about
has received local news cover- administrative and project
age and was featured in a docu- management roles while mak-
mentary, Beginning with the End, ing the site,” said Gardner. “Be-
filmed by David Marshall from ing able to really dissect project
the Blue Sky Project. However, ideas and understanding what
The Harley School is always we are capable of and what our
looking for improved ways to own limitations are was really
articulate what happens in the important, and this project defi-
program and to raise awareness. nitely helped with that.”
“The hospice program actu-
ally already had its own website, Felicia Swartzenberg ’19
but it was not on the main
school’s website, it was really
out of date and no one looked
at it anymore,” said Gardner. “If To learn more
no one looks at the site, it’s hard Go to www.harleyschool.org/
to spread information about the hospice-hometo see the website.
program. We want to change
FALL 2019 | 7
Student
Gabrielle Plucknette-DeVito
Work
Elizabeth Lamark
Other anniversary projects
Industrial design students came up with several
ways to use wood from a century-old oak tree
that fell during a 2017 windstorm. Along with the
children’s area in the Henrietta Public Library, a
group of monumental benches was installed on
campus near the University Services Center and
Crossroads buildings this spring. RIT-branded
commemorative coasters also were given out as
part of the 50th anniversary celebration.
Casey Mazza ’19 (industrial design) helped design this children’s reading nook for the Henrietta
Public Library. The project was one of many that celebrated RIT’s 50 years in Henrietta.
Why I created this project
“ T -Minus 2018 (an annual project in the
industrial design program) focused
on celebrating RIT’s 50 years in Hen-
rietta. My team was tasked with designing
the children’s area for the new Henrietta
offered the chance to continue working on
the design and see it all the way through
to construction. As the only team member
available over the summer of 2018, I worked
alongside my professor Gary Molinari as
their books.
With a large doorway and spacing be-
tween the panels, parents maintain visibil-
ity while creating a safe, fun environment.
It has been an amazing experience to
Public Library, which opened in July. well as the town supervisor, architects, work with so many incredible people on a
Inspiration was drawn from Wendell librarians and engineers to rework the design that actually became reality.
Castle’s approach to design, as well as the design into being safe, cost effective and It has been an honor and I can’t thank
large oak tree on RIT’s campus that fell dur- easier to construct. RIT enough for giving me this opportunity.
ing a windstorm. The final design features a half circle After graduation, I hope to continue work-
Our original design, Sprout, featured a steel rod frame clad in wooden panels. It ing on projects that are designed to have a
large tree-like reading nook, modular brick stands about 12 feet tall and 10 feet in diam- positive impact on the community.”
seating, a black line mural of Henrietta eter with a wheelchair accessible doorway
for children to color in, modular tables and secret passageway. Casey Mazza
and more seating designed by RIT alumna This space was created to act as a hide- Industrial design BFA
Sandra Turner. away for children, free of distraction so that Class of 2019
After winning our category, we were they can fully engage with the stories in Hometown: Grosse Pointe, Mich.
8 | FALL 2019Research that
impacts the world
starts with the people
who conduct it.
The student experience is greatly enriched by
attaining research knowledge, skills and abilities—
early and often. By offering more research fellowships
to students at all levels, RIT will ensure that more
students have the opportunity to engage in RIT’s “As an undergraduate at RIT, I participated
unique brand of student-centered research. in groundbreaking research, completed
a co-op position at the Renal Research
At the undergraduate level, student-centered research Institute, and first-authored a published
means that students are in the driver’s seat conducting research paper. The funded research
genuine, hands-on research assignments that gives opportunities for students at RIT are
them the chance to learn the foundation of scientific critical to helping students like me
research as well as further shape their futures. become successful scientists.”
Graduate students collaborate with faculty on research —Melissa Mendoza ’17
(biomedical engineering),
to solve pressing global challenges. They make
Ph.D. candidate
advancements in promising areas of knowledge
that are the future of RIT, the region, the nation and
the world.
To ensure that the research
conversation at RIT includes many
voices, we ask for your support in
offering substantially more research
fellowships. Learn more and make
your gift at rit.edu/transformingRIT.
© 2019 Rochester Institute of Technology. All rights reserved.
Rochester Institute of Technology | One Lomb Memorial Drive | Rochester, New York 14623Research
Researchers
develop toilet
seats to measure
biometrics
W ith 1 million new cases of
congestive heart failure
diagnosed each year, a
revolutionary product is making
it easier for hospitals to monitor
team that developed the toilet seats.
“Typically, within 30 days of
hospital discharge, 25 percent of
patients with congestive heart failure
are readmitted,” said Conn. “After 90
patients with the condition in the days of hospital discharge, 45 percent
comfort of their own homes. of patients are readmitted. And the
A toilet-seat based cardiovascular Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
monitoring system created by a team Services is penalizing hospitals for
of RIT researchers aims to lower the readmitting patients for heart failure.”
hospital readmission rates of pa- Conn further explains that using
tients with congestive heart failure. the national average for readmission
The toilet seats, which will be rates, the typical penalty for a hospi-
brought through the FDA clearance tal that discharges 150 patients a year
process by the researchers’ company is approximately $500,000 annually.
Heart Health Intelligence, would be According to Conn, the system
Monitoring system purchased by hospitals and issued to will pick up deteriorating conditions
The toilet-seat based heart failure patients after discharge. before the patients even realize they
cardiovascular The toilet seats are equipped to are symptomatic. And with the rapid
monitoring system is measure the electrical and mechani- data analysis, interventions can be
equipped to measure cal activity of the heart and can mon- as simple as a drug change or short
the electrical and itor heart rate, blood pressure, blood office visit, instead of an admission
mechanical activity of oxygenation levels, and the patient’s to the hospital.
the heart and can weight and stroke volume, which is HHI, which joined RIT’s Venture
monitor heart rate, the amount of blood pumped out of Creations business incubator earlier
blood pressure, blood the heart at every beat. this year, is now focused on moving
oxygenation levels, and Algorithms analyze the data, and the product forward.
the patient’s weight and with further development, will alert The team is heavily involved in
stroke volume. advanced practice providers of a writing grants for additional funding
deteriorating condition. A report will and networking, and human-subject
be passed along to cardiologists who testing and pre-clinical studies are
will then determine if intervention is well underway.
necessary. Conn and his team are at the early
Nicholas Conn ’11 (electrical engi- stages of commercialization and will
neering), ’13 MS (electrical engineer- be bringing the device through the
ing), ’16 Ph.D. (microsystems engi- FDA approval process before rolling it
Elizabeth Lamark
neering), a postdoctoral fellow at RIT out across the country.
and founder and CEO of Heart Health
Intelligence, is part of the university Vienna McGrain ’12 MS
10 | FALL 2019Nicholas Conn ’11, ’13 MS, ’16 Ph.D., a
postdoctoral fellow at RIT and founder and
CEO of Heart Health Intelligence, is part of the
university team that has developed a toilet-seat
based cardiovascular monitoring system.
A. Sue Weisler
FALL 2019 | 11Investing in research
RIT expands
genomics research
S tudents in Professor
André Hudson’s
genomics course
last fall conducted a
semester-long study
as an Illumina Next Generation Sequenc-
er, which allows students and faculty to
sequence the genomes of more complex
organisms than before.
“This means that we now have a larger
Ruby Zathang, a third-year
student from Syracuse, N.Y.,
conducts genomics research
in one of the College of
about antibiotic-resistant footprint in an area of biology that is tradi- Science’s recently renovated
bacteria found on the tionally aligned with RIT’s core interests in labs. RIT’s genomics research
screens of smartphones. technology and the application of technol- capabilities have evolved
André Hudson
With touchscreen ogy,” said Hudson, head of the Thomas H. significantly over the past year.
devices now ubiquitous Gosnell School of Life Sciences. Hudson
in society, they aimed to evaluate potential emphasized that the labs would be used
public risks the devices pose for harboring for courses and research across the College
and transmitting pathogenic bacteria that of Science.
are resistant to antibiotics. The overhauled genomics facilities will
Their findings, which showed that boost capabilities for researchers in multi-
kiosk-like touchscreen devices at locations ple disciplines, including bioinformatics,
such as airports, ATMs, restaurants and biotechnology and environmental science.
hotels are potential vectors for the trans- Hudson said that the RIT facilities will not
mission of antibiotic resistant pathogens, be like a traditional core at a research insti-
were published in the February issue of tution where students drop their samples
the Journal of Genomics. off and walk away—undergraduate and
“This study was more than just a valuable graduate students will be working hands-on
learning experience for us,” said Spencer with the equipment.
Richman, a third-year bioinformatics and “We’re exposing our students to new and
computational biology student from Santa state-of-the-art equipment that they can
Clarita, Calif., who contributed to the study leverage when they go on co-ops, inter
and is one of the 16 student co-authors on nships, fellowships and the job market,”
the paper. “While working on this project, said Hudson. “They will be more competi-
we learned the intricacies of genomic re- tive for graduate or postsecondary gradu-
search, ranging from experimental design, ation opportunities as they will have been
to sample preparation, to bioinformatics exposed to state-of-the-art equipment.”
analysis of the resulting data, and finally to Beyond the new hardware, Hudson
the writing and peer-review process.” said RIT is also bolstering its “gray matter
RIT’s genomics research capabilities have infrastructure” in genomics. Two new
evolved significantly over the past year. The assistant professors—Eli Borrego and
university has invested heavily in revamp- Crista Wadsworth—will join the RIT faculty
ing and equipping its Genomics Research this fall as part of the genomics initiative,
Lab Cluster. A $1.5 million Empire State and genomics technician Narayan Wong
Development grant RIT received from New joined RIT in the spring of the previous
York state last fall helped equip the labs. academic year.
RIT renovated its genomics suite of lab-
oratories and invested in technology such Luke Auburn ’09, ’15 MS
12 | FALL 2019Gabrielle Plucknette-DeVito
FALL 2019 | 13Global
Transforming RIT
RIT publicly launched
a $1 billion blended
campaign in July 2018
called Transforming
RIT: The Campaign
for Greatness. A pillar
of the campaign calls
for the university to
improve the world
through research
and discovery, such
as cybersecurity.
Learn more at rit.edu/
transformingrit.
LaBella Associates
14 | FALL 2019Building the future
Cybersecurity
Institute to open in 2020
Critical security
A new facility at RIT
will help the university
increase enrollment
C ybersecurity has no borders.
Attackers don’t care if their targets
are in another state or use a different
currency. Cybercrime is costing the world
trillions of dollars, and analysts say that
in cybersecurity,
there aren’t enough qualified professionals
advance research
to prevent those attacks.
and create more
To address this problem, RIT is creating
opportunities for
the Global Cybersecurity Institute (GCI),
industry and govern-
aimed at meeting the demand for com-
ment collaboration.
puting security and artificial intelligence
professionals, while developing future
technologies, protocols and human un-
derstanding needed to address the global
cybersecurity crisis.
The institute, to be housed in a new,
state-of-the art facility, will expand
outreach, research and student-focused
programs to help the university become
a nexus of cybersecurity education and
research. GCI will bring together academic
disciplines—computing, liberal arts, engi-
neering, business and others—to conduct
interdisciplinary sociotechnical cybersecu-
rity research. It will also develop industry,
government and academic collaborations
and professional development programs.
“The cybersecurity skills gap continues
to pose a challenge on a global scale, with
roughly 3 million unfilled positions around
the world currently,” said Heather Ricciuto,
Academic Outreach Leader at IBM Security.
“Projects like this which encourage global
collaboration amongst industry, academia
and government are key to building diverse
talent that will be equipped to conduct
complex research and develop creative
security solutions to help make the world a
safer place.”
The three-story, 45,000-square-foot facil-
ity will include a Cybersecurity Learning
Experience Center, state-of the-art Cyber
Range, five research labs and several stu-
dent lounges, instructional labs and faculty
Photo by Glenn Melvin
FALL 2019 | 15Building the future
LaBella Associates
A lab inside the institute called the Cyber Range will immerse students, alumni and professionals in real-world attack and defense scenarios.
offices. It is expected to open in fall 2020. areas, including predict attacks and trends.”
Executive Director Steve Hoover, former computing, business, With funding from government agencies,
chief technology officer and senior vice social sciences and Yang is developing a common platform for
president at Xerox, will be leading GCI. engineering, because cyber defense with anticipatory intelligence.
The facility was made possible in part the problems need to be The three-part project includes: ASSERT,
with designated funding from a donation understood in context which uses machine learning and inform
made by Austin McChord ’09 and a $5 rather than in isolation. ation theory to extract the critical features
million grant from New York state, awarded We need to consider the that should be focused on during an attack;
competitively through its Higher Education different people, do- CASCADES, which uses simulation to
Anne Haake
Capital Matching Grant Program. mains, laws, policies generate synthetic cyber attack scenarios
“New York state is proud to support RIT’s and nature of the data, hardware and soft- that have not been observed but could
game-changing Global Cybersecurity Insti- ware that are involved with securing our happen; and CAPTURE, which forecasts
tute,” said Howard Zemsky, president, CEO digital and physical worlds.” future cyber attacks based on unconven-
and commissioner of Empire State Devel- Research is already under way in RIT’s tional sensors and signals.
opment. “With its laser focus on research Center for Cybersecurity, which will become Victor Perotti, the Benjamin Forman
and professional development, the institute part of GCI. Matthew Wright, director of the Professor for Collaborative Research
will train the workforce to drive this critical center, is focusing on a human-centered in Saunders College of Business, is
industry’s commercialization in New York approach to cybersecurity and using artificial researching with computing colleagues
state, creating jobs and driving economic intelligence. He and his researchers are how businesses adopt cybersecurity solu-
growth for generations to come.” designing software that helps automatically tions. This includes how an organization
detect deepfake videos. plans, decides on, then implements cyber-
Interdisciplinary approach Wright and another group also are using security software and behavioral initiatives.
By working with industry, federal agen- artificial intelligence and deep learning to “I’m excited for our faculty to be engaged
cies and other universities, researchers research website fingerprinting attacks on in these interdisciplinary research efforts
in the institute are aiming to tackle the the Tor anonymity system. that can lead to the development of com-
most pressing cybersecurity questions and For S. Jay Yang, professor of computer prehensive, systems-level cybersecurity
problems. GCI has designated health care, engineering, more interdisciplinary solutions for business and industry,” said
energy, defense and financial services as research will let cyber defenders be more Saunders College Dean Jacqueline Mozrall.
core areas of cybersecurity research. proactive in responding to increasingly
“Cybersecurity is a broad area that sophisticated cyber attacks. Outreach and certifications
requires an interdisciplinary approach,” “We are at the point where cybersecurity There will be 3.5 million unfilled cyber
said Anne Haake, dean of RIT’s Golisano professionals shouldn’t simply detect and security positions worldwide by 2021,
College of Computing and Information protect against attacks as they come in,” according to Cybersecurity Ventures. This
Sciences. “We should collaborate in many said Yang. “We need technology that can gap in cyber experts is a rallying cry for GCI
16 | FALL 2019leaders, including Justin Pelletier, director institute look beyond America’s borders
of GCI Cyber Range and Training Center. by creating a coalition of academic partners
“Having qualified cybersecurity profes- who collaborate on cybersecurity research,
sionals is critical to the defense of our way pedagogy and experiential learning in
of life,” said Pelletier, who is also a computing culturally diverse environments.
security lecturer and Army Reserve counter- “If we are going to have any hope in
intelligence officer. “If things in our energy, addressing this global crisis, we need to
health care or finance industries are taken work with our allies to share best practices
down by a malicious attack, we are in deep and learn how different cultures impact
trouble.” cybersecurity,” Yang said. “Hackers don’t
Pelletier will help fill this gap by offering care about physical boundaries—this is a
certification programs through GCI. People global problem.”
seek out these certifications to sharpen their GCI has already formed partnerships with Executive director named
skills, at the request of employers, and to universities in Czech Republic, Taiwan and Steve Hoover, former chief
technology officer and senior vice
make changes in their careers. Certification Poland. Yang plans to organize scholarly
president at Xerox, has been named
programs could be one-week boot camps, exchanges for students and faculty and an an- endowed executive director of the
mixed with some online instruction. nual workshop to examine ways to share data Global Cybersecurity Institute.
Examples of high-demand programs and infrastructure for cybersecurity research. He begins Sept. 15.
include the Certified Information Systems “I’m very excited about this
Security Professional (CISSP), Offensive Student-focused programs opportunity and honored to be
Security Certified Professional (OSCP) and RIT is nationally recognized for cybersecurity selected,” said Hoover. “Universi-
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) qualification. education, having been designated as a ties—and especially RIT—play a key
role in preparing students and the
While at RIT, professionals taking part in National Center of Academic Excellence in
technologies that we use to provide
the programs will be based in the institute’s Cyber Defense Education and in Research the security we all expect for our
Cyber Range, a lab that simulates network by the National Security Agency and the infrastructure, information and data.”
cyber-attacks and problem-solving scenarios Department of Homeland Security. Hoover held a variety of roles at
so people can practice their real-world skills. With the new GCI, RIT’s computing security Xerox in both product development
RIT designers are working with experts at degree programs will have space to expand. and research. He oversaw several
IBM to model the range after IBM’s X-Force After moving its headquarters to the second global research centers including
the Palo Alto Research Center
Command Cyber Range, which was one of floor of GCI, RIT’s Department of Computing
(PARC), which he helped transform
the first spaces to offer immersive simulations Security plans to grow its undergraduate from Xerox’s flagship research
for cybersecurity training. program by 25 percent to about 500 students. laboratory to a world-class research
“This is a giant sandbox for cybersecurity The graduate program will double, expanding and development organization in
experts to play and train in, without impact- to about 100 students. the business of open innovation.
ing real networks,” Pelletier said. “You could “We are also going to add more in-depth
mimic the IT environment of an entire scientific principles of cybersecurity into our Nationally ranked
Cyber competitions are an important
hospital in this lab and pinpoint critical curriculum, in addition to
part of the culture for cybersecurity
systems during a specific attack scenario.” teaching the operational students.
GCI will also feature a Cybersecurity Learn- skills that we already do so RIT is a perennial contender at the
ing Experience Center geared toward teaching well,” said Bo Yuan, profes- National Collegiate Cyber Defense
general audiences about cybersecurity. sor of computing security Competition, taking home third
The experience center will include a cyber and chair of the depart- place at the 2019 event in Orlando.
security hall of fame, student projects and ment. “We want to increase RIT is also the founder of the
hands-on demonstrations of best practices. students’ knowledge of nation’s premier offensive-based
competition, the Collegiate Pene-
Industry is already connecting with GCI machine learning, advanced
Bo Yuan tration Testing Competition (CPTC).
through the Eaton Cybersecurity SAFE (Securi- computer science and cyber The Global Cybersecurity Institute
ty Assessment and Forensic Examination) Lab. analytics so they can solve the security prob- will host CPTC every year.
For the last two years, students in this lab lems of the future.”
have been performing penetration tests and Outside the classroom, students will con- Scholarship for Service
vulnerability analysis on technology created tinue to learn through RITSEC, the university’s Many RIT computing students plan
by companies, including Eaton. cybersecurity club, and through competitions. to give back to their country after
These partnerships blend research and “Creating the Global Cybersecurity Institute graduation, by enhancing U.S. cyber-
experiential learning, allowing students to is not the end goal—it’s the first step,” said security through the CyberCorps:
Scholarship for Service program.
gain hands-on experience with internet of Yuan. “This will enable RIT to jump to the
Students can earn a scholar-
things (IoT) devices, while helping the next level, becoming a hub that advances the ship covering their costs at RIT, in
companies better secure their new products. world’s knowledge in cybersecurity.” exchange for agreeing to work at a
Yang is also taking on a new role as director government computing security job
of global outreach for GCI. He will help the Scott Bureau ’11, ’16 MBA for the same number of years.
FALL 2019 | 17Leading athletics
40 years
and counting
Athletics director says he still has more to do
L ou Spiotti Jr. will begin
his 40th season as
executive director of
Intercollegiate Athletics at RIT
this fall.
set the tone and provide a
blueprint for how athletics
would be regarded at the
university.
“Dr. Rose was adamant on
der current head coach Wayne
Wilson, made the jump to
Division I and enjoyed imme-
diate success, advancing to
the Frozen Four in 2010.
He is one of a few directors three points of emphasis,” If the mid-1980s were the
in all of college athletics—Di- said Spiotti. “First, athletics start of RIT’s golden era of
vision I, II and III—to serve in would be used to serve the athletics, the late 2010s can
that position for 40 years. student first and athlete sec- be considered the platinum
Spiotti, who arrived at the ond. No. 2, (athletics) should period.
university in 1974 as head be a catalytic agent for school In 2012, women’s hockey
football coach, was named spirit. No. 3, it would be an won the Division III Cham-
athletics director in 1980. outward extension of the pionship, RIT’s first national
Under Spiotti’s leadership, university toward our alumni. title for a women’s program,
the program has experienced Those three things still exist and moved to Division I the
unprecedented growth and today.” following season.
development. Within the first few years, Division III sports have
When Spiotti was tasked Spiotti brought in energet- enjoyed their finest collective
with leading athletics, RIT ic, up-and-coming coaches multi-year run ever coincid-
had just 15 sports, 10 for men Doug May (men’s soccer), ing with RIT’s move to the
and only five women’s teams. Brian Mason (men’s hockey), Liberty League in 2011.
Today, the program consists Bob McVean (men’s basket- Women’s basketball has
of 24 sports (12 for both men ball) and Bill Tierney (men’s made three straight NCAA
and women) and 650 student- lacrosse). Tournament appearances,
athletes. Almost immediately, while men’s lacrosse has now Lou Spiotti Jr. enters
“Lou is the consummate those four coaches moved won 10 consecutive league his 40th season as
professional as the director of RIT into local and national titles and is a perennial na-
athletics,” said Bob DeGrego- prominence. Men’s hockey tional power.
executive director of
rio, commissioner of Atlan- won the Division II national Baseball and women’s crew Intercollegiate Athletics.
tic Hockey Association and championship in 1983 and both made their first NCAA During his tenure, RIT
College Hockey America, who two years later, under Bruce Tournament appearances in has become one of
has worked with Spiotti since Delventhal, won the Division 2017, while volleyball, wom-
the most respected
the mid-1980s. “He is one of III championship. Men’s en’s soccer, wrestling, men’s
the best all-around directors soccer and men’s lacrosse and women’s cross country programs in Division
of athletics that I have worked became perennial national and track and field have all III, while men’s and
with during my 42 years in championship contenders, enjoyed national prominence. women’s hockey have
intercollegiate athletics.” while men’s basketball under “Lou has been an outstand-
elevated to Division I.
A discussion early in his McVean recorded 20 consecu- ing mentor throughout my
tenure with then-RIT Presi- tive winning seasons. career here at RIT as well as He joined the RIT Sports
dent M. Richard Rose would In 2005, men’s hockey, un- a trusted friend,” said RIT Hall of Fame in 2009.
18 | FALL 2019Gabrielle Plucknette-DeVito
FALL 2019 | 19Leading athletics
Highlights of Lou Spiotti’s tenure
1974 1980 1983 1985 1988 1993 1997
Spring 1974— Fall 1980—Spiotti begins March 1985— November 1988— November 1993—
Spiotti arrives at RIT his tenure as RIT’s director Men’s hockey wins Division III Men’s soccer hosts Volleyball advances to
to coach football. of athletics, succeeding national championship. the Division III national the Division III national
Bill Carey. championship game. semifinals, while winning
November 1985— 137 of 154 matches over
March 1983—Men’s hockey Men’s cross country places a three-year span.
wins Division II national third at Division III national
championship. championship. March 1997—
Men’s basketball ascends
to No. 1 in the nation.
2
1
3
Spiotti arrived at RIT in 1974 to serve as head
football coach. He was a standout player
himself at Ithaca College in the mid 1960s.
Spiotti was named RIT’s director of athletics
in 1980. He is set to become one of a select
few athletics directors in NCAA history to serve
in that role for 40 seasons.
20 | FALL 20192004 2009 2010 2012 2014 2017 2019
August 2004— June 2009—RIT is admitted March 17, 2012— May 2017—Tigers have three 2018-19—RIT enjoyed
Gordon Field House and into the Liberty League for its Women’s hockey wins spring sports teams (baseball, arguably its finest all-around
Activities Center opens. Division III sports, beginning Division III national women’s crew, men’s season. Five teams made
play as a full-time member championship with a 4-1 lacrosse) win Liberty League the NCAA Tournament,
Dec. 15, 2004— during the 2011-12 season. win over Norwich University. Championships and compete while 17 individuals earned
Men’s hockey announces Tigers announce move to at NCAA championships. Men’s All-American honors.
move to Division I for the March/April 2010— Division I three days later. lacrosse advances to the A school record 283 student-
2005-06 season. Men’s hockey wins national championship game. athletes earned league
first Atlantic Hockey September/October 2014— All-Academic honors.
Championship and Hockey programs move into
advances to the Frozen and play first games at the
Four in Detroit. Gene Polisseni Center.
4 5 6
1 Spiotti with students in the 1990s. women’s basketball head coach Amy Reed. become better people when they leave.”
“It’s always so great to have an athletics di- Facilities for the athletics programs
2 Men’s hockey captains Chuck
Samar, Chris Johnstone and T.J.
rector who has a coaching background. I’ve continue to improve. The Gene Polisseni
Perras receive the 1984 ECAC gone into his office countless times to seek Center, RIT’s 4,300-seat arena, opened in
Championship trophy. advice about my program, and he always 2014. Nearly every sport has renovated and
3 RIT President Emeritus Bill Destler
has incredible insight.” expanded locker rooms.
and Spiotti, right, congratulate A strong athletics profile is impressive. More upgrades are planned, which are
Daniel Spivak ’12, a member of the Even more remarkable, however, is the sure to continue RIT’s ascent to greatness.
men’s hockey program, on receiving message Spiotti conveys to his student-ath- “I think we are on the cusp of doing great
his 2010 Frozen Four ring. letes about excelling in the classroom and things that will position us on another
4 The RIT women’s hockey team becoming leaders in the community. level and put us in a far better spot to
won the 2012 NCAA Division III RIT’s student-athletes combined to recruit great student-athletes,” said Spiotti.
Championship. It is RIT’s lone post a 3.35 cumulative grade-point average “There’s still work to do. I am anxious to do
championship by a women’s team.
during the 2018-19 season, with nearly 50 it. I want to roll up my sleeves and get to it.”
5 Spiotti presents former women’s Academic All-Americans and 250 Academic
soccer star Emily Shoemaker ’16
All-League selections. Joe Venniro
with the prestigious Female Athlete
of the Year award in 2016. “I thrive on seeing the goodness that our
student-athletes bring,” Spiotti said. “I still
6 Spiotti with RIT President Emeritus
Bill Destler, left, and current RIT
see myself being very much a student-ath- Honor Lou Spiotti
lete advocate—a person who wants to see Honor the milestone by making a gift to the
President David Munson, right, at the
2019 Liberty League Men’s Lacrosse our athletes get the very best possible ex- Director’s Fund for Athletics or an athletic
Championship. The team captured perience they can at the university through team. For details, go to rit.edu/Lou40.
its eighth straight league title. the athletics program. I want them to
FALL 2019 | 21Pari Dukovic ’06 has taken
portraits of some of the
biggest names in pop culture
for magazines including TIME,
Vanity Fair, New York Magazine,
GQ, Rolling Stone, Wired and
The New Yorker. He is based in
New York City.
You
From accountant to the stars
to sustainable chocolate producer,
do
what?
RIT alumni have some pretty cool careers
Elizabeth LamarkDOUBLE ISSUE APRIL 29 / M AY 6, 2019 DOUBLE ISSUE APRIL 29 / M AY 6, 2019
THE
100 THE
MOST
INFLUENTIAL
PEOPLE
100
MOST
DWAYNE INFLUENTIAL
PEOPLE
JOHNSON
by Gal Gadot
TAYLOR
MICHELLE OBAMA
by Beyoncé
Knowles-Carter
SWIFT
by Shawn Mendes
BOB IGER
by Michael Bloomberg LEBRON JAMES
by Warren Buffett
JANE GOODALL
by Leonardo DiCaprio CHRISTINE
BTS BLASEY FORD
by Halsey by Kamala Harris
WILLIAM BARR
by Rod Rosenstein
BRIE LARSON
by Tessa ﬔompson
time.com time.com
DOUBLE ISSUE APRIL 29 / M AY 6, 2019 DOUBLE ISSUE APRIL 29 / M AY 6, 2019
THE
100
MOST
THE INFLUENTIAL
100
MOST
PEOPLE
GAYLE
INFLUENTIAL KING
by Ava DuVernay
PEOPLE XI JINPING
SANDRA by Jon Huntsman
ALEXANDRIA
OH
by Shonda Rhimes
OCASIO-CORTEZ
by Elizabeth Warren
TIGER WOODS
by Justin Timberlake
ROBERT MUELLER LADY GAGA
by Sally Yates by Celine Dion
TARA WESTOVER
by Bill Gates
KHALID
by Alicia Keys
GLENN CLOSE
by Robert Redford
TIME
time.com time.com
Dukovic photographed six people on the covers of the 2019 TIME 100 Most Influential People issue. Here he is taking the picture of Dwayne Johnson.
Behind the lens of famous photos APR
IL 2
9 /
MAY
6, 2
019
W ith a wall-to-wall bookshelf that He flips through countless pages to intimate connection E
ISSU
BLE
DOU
requires a ladder to retrieve the ensure history doesn’t repeat itself in his with photography at a
highest-resting material, Pari work. It’s an approach that has enabled young age, performing THE
Dukovic’s Manhattan studio holds a lot of Dukovic to execute unique concepts every street photography and
MOSLTUENTIAL
100
history. Photography history, mostly. shoot, resulting in a successful career of assignment work for a INF PLE
PEO
MED
“I would say 80 or 85 percent of them are making matchless images with vibrant newspaper as a teenager in MOLHAAH DON
UM
ALDrisTRChr
photography books,” said Dukovic ’06 (pro- color that are unmistakably his. Istanbul before moving to S A Oliver
by Ch
EMIL
A
IA CLom
by John Em ma ﬔ
by N JA
MARLOan R
fessional photographic illustration). Brimming with portraits of a number the U.S. and enrolling at RIT. by Salm A AR
D
JACINby Sad
A former staff photographer for The New of high-profile subjects, Dukovic’s portfo- After graduating, his
Yorker who now takes commissions from lio includes the likes of former President breakthrough assignment
publications all over the world, Dukovic’s Barack Obama, LeBron James, Nicki Minaj, was a 20-plus-page spread of
work is renowned. He’s taken portraits of Pharrell Williams and Stevie Wonder, to photos from fashion shows in
the biggest names in pop culture, for the name a few. He has also worked with edito- Milan, New York City and Paris
biggest brands and publications. rial and commercial clients such as FX, GQ, for New York Magazine in 2012.
In the spring, he traveled around the HBO, Nike and Rolling Stone. He became a staff photographer for The
U.S. and to England to capture portraits of “This is what I’m meant to be doing,” New Yorker in 2013 before he was 30, mak-
Dwayne Johnson, Gayle King, Nancy Pelosi, said Dukovic, who is of Greek descent but ing him the magazine’s youngest person
Sandra Oh, Mohamed Salah and Taylor was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey. “I ever to have that role. He left in 2018.
Swift for the six covers of the 2019 TIME have my dream job. I love the unpredictable “I couldn’t have dreamt that I’d be meet-
100 Most Influential People issue. quality of being a photographer—I could ing all of the people I have photographed
Dukovic has an affinity for the DOUBLE IS
SUE
get a job to go to China next so far and worked on the types of projects
APRIL 29 /
past—he minored in art history week. And I love to travel. I have worked on,” Dukovic said. “That is
MAY 6, 20
19
while in RIT’s College of Imaging When you’re a photogra- probably all coming together because deep
THE
Arts and Sciences (now the
College of Art and Design)—and MOST
100 pher, one thing you need
to keep in mind is curiosity
down I just wanted to make pictures. That’s
what I love. I love photography.”
INFLUEN
regularly references his exten- PEOPLE TIAL takes you everywhere.”
NANCY
sive library to inform his work. PELOSI Dukovic forged an Aaron Garland
by Hillar y Rodh
am Clinton
REGINA KING
by Viola Davis
MITCH MCC ONNELL
by John Boehner
ARIANA GRA
by Troye Sivan NDE
MARK ZUC
by Sean ParkKERBERG
FALL 2019 | 23
erYou do what?
IBM
Boston Globe via Getty Images
Allison Ritter ’14 is the creative director for IBM’s X-Force
Command in Boston. She uses her media arts and
technology background to help clients learn about the
dangers of cybersecurity threats.
Bringing creativity into cybersecurity
M ost people stop playing pretend
when they’re kids, but Allison
Ritter ’14 (media arts and technol-
ogy) has made a career out of it.
Ritter is the creative director for IBM’s
edge, she is able to present clients with
realistic, theatrical simulations that help
them learn about cybersecurity risks.
“I’m stepping away from showing a slide
deck and into giving an experience, and
Ritter when she was interviewing at IBM.
After her first interview, he knew she would
be a good fit to help develop IBM’s cyber range.
“It wasn’t so much a conversation about
placing a person into a job, because the job
X-Force Command in Boston. She helps a lot of that comes from my creative and had never existed before. It was more about
clients learn about the dangers of cyber- technical background,” said Ritter. finding someone to go on that journey with
security threats by placing them in simu- Ritter and her team invite clients into the us and figure out what the job would be,”
lations where their company is the target X-Force Command office and guide them said Barlow. “Allison had done five or six
of a security breach. IBM’s X-Force Com- through a pretend scenario based on interviews with other people and they all
mand was one of the first cyber ranges to real-life cybersecurity risks. At the end of came back to me and said, ‘would you hire
be established, and Ritter was instrumental the simulation, clients have a better idea of her already?’ The rest was history.”
in shaping the department when she was how all departments within their organiza- Barlow joked that Ritter is the only em-
hired in 2016. tion come together to fix and move past a ployee who has to be told to stop running
“The cyber range wasn’t developed when major security breach. As creative director, in the office because she is so excited about
I was interviewing for other jobs at IBM, but Ritter has worked with companies, govern- the work she does. According to Barlow, that
I was so interested in the idea and I kept mental bodies and militaries from around excitement and her classic, interdisciplin-
asking about it,” said Ritter. “In the end they the world. ary RIT background is part of what makes
hired me, though the department didn’t “Hearing what top executives from around Ritter so great at her job.
exist yet, and I was given the opportunity to the globe are dealing with—listening to their “CEOs and CIOs all over the world seek
grow the division.” largest worries and fears and developing her out. She knows how to push you to your
IBM’s X-Force Command allows Ritter solutions that support their needs—is the limits to find where things are broken,”
to exercise both her creative and technical most fascinating part of my job,” said Ritter. said Barlow. “In three years, she has built a
side. By combining her experiences in RIT’s Caleb Barlow ’95 (electrical engineering) reputation of being the most accomplished
College of Imaging Arts and Sciences (now ’99 MS (manufacturing management and cyber simulation expert in the world.”
the College of Art and Design), the perform- leadership), the vice president of X-Force
ing arts program and her technical knowl- Threat Intelligence for IBM Security, met Felicia Swartzenberg ’19
24 | FALL 2019You can also read
