RESEARCH at RIT Rochester Institute of Technology Research Report Fall/Winter 2017-18

SPOTLIGHT ON HUMANITIES • SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Complexity of Human Behavior Understanding the Social Aspects of Cybersecurity, Crime Prevention, and Language Development

www.rit.edu/research Welcome | A Letter from the Vice President for Research

RESEARCH at RIT Creating Well-Rounded Students

The Rochester Institute of Technology It is our pleasure in this edition of Research at RIT Research Report–Fall/Winter 2017-18 to shine the light on some of the outstanding work being done in the humanities and social sciences, Executive Editors especially in the way it is contributing to some of the Ryne Raffaelle Vice President for Research largest research endeavors on our campus. and Associate Provost John Trierweiler Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer It is hard to ignore the Center for Cybersecurity are working or underestimate to better understand and address real- Managing Editor Bob Finnerty the role that the world challenges in cybersecurity through Marketing and Communications humanities and projects that analyze past incidents, by social sciences studying the current state of phishing Editor play in the on social media, and by modeling how Mindy Mozer building and attackers will strike in the future. Marketing and Communications execution of top- The Center on Cognition and Language tier research at RIT’s National Technical Institute for Design Director Jeff Arbegast programs. Federal the Deaf is the premier location in the Marketing and Communications funding agencies world for researching how deaf people are increasingly develop, learn, grow, and live. Contributors looking for interdisciplinary or multi- I would also like to mention the role Marketing and disciplinary research. In addition, they that the humanities and social sciences Communications Freelance Writers Luke Auburn Jane E. Sutter want to see education and training play in our sustainability programs across Scott Bureau programs that produce well-rounded campus. Those who study sustainability Greg Livadas students who, while technically strong, realize that the “three-legged stool” of Vienna McGrain also excel at the so-called soft skills. sustainability is economic, environmental, Contributing Photographers It would be hard indeed to build the and social. We could not have built our Marketing and type of strong research programs RIT outstanding reputation in sustainability Communications aspires to without the contributions of if it were not for the contribution of Elizabeth Lamark A. Sue Weisler our faculty, staff, and students who focus our faculty, students, and staff who on the humanities or social sciences. are focused on the social aspects of Office of Research Communications These world-class programs are the result sustainability. 74 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623 of wonderful cross-college collaborations. I hope you enjoy reading about some 585-475-5094 Some of our most prestigious research of the outstanding research involving the areas, such as criminal justice and cyber­ humanities and social sciences. I am security, focus on both the social and confident that this is an area in which we the technical aspects of their disciplines. will continue to excel. We will do more in No. 20 18M-P2013-10/17-BRO-JSA To truly understand what is going on the way of interdisciplinary research and ©2017 Rochester Institute of Technology and hopefully develop the appropriate make good on our new President David All rights reserved mitigation plans, it is also important Munson’s promise to create leaders who Rochester Institute of Technology publishes Research at RIT. RIT does not discriminate. RIT promotes and values diversity to understand the human aspects and are citizens of the world. within its workforce and provides equal opportunity to all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, creed, age, marital status, intrinsic motivations. sex, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, veteran status, or disability. For example, for more than 15 years, Best regards, No. 16, October 2017—RIT (USPS-676-870) is published 17 students and faculty associated with times annually by Rochester Institute of Technology, One Lomb the Center for Public Safety Initiatives Memorial Drive, Rochester, N.Y. 14623-5603, once in March, once in April, five times in June, three times in July, four times have helped law enforcement officials in August, once in September, once in October, and once in November. Periodicals postage paid at Rochester, N.Y. determine what programs may help Ryne Raffaelle 14623-5603 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send prevent crime. Vice President for Research address changes to RIT, Rochester Institute of Technology, One Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, N.Y. 14623-5603. Faculty and student researchers in and Associate Provost

Fall/Winter 2017-18 Transforming America’s Manufacturing

American manufacturing is on the upswing. Rochester Institute of Technology is dedicated to RIT’s “Manufacturing USA” initiatives: helping in this transformation while protecting • AIM Photonics global resources. (American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics) • America Makes (Additive Manufacturing and 3D printing) RIT’s Golisano Institute for more than 100 partners. • ARM (Advanced Robotics Manufacturing) Sustainability was selected by We are a proven leader in applied the U.S. Department of Energy to research, remanufacturing, policy • Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute lead its new Reducing Embodied- development, technology transfer, • Next Flex (Flexible Hybrid Electronics) Energy and Decreasing Emissions and sustainable manufacturing. • REMADE (REMADE) Institute—a national RIT is now involved with seven (Reducing Embodied-Energy and Decreasing Emissions) coalition of leading universities institutes in the “Manufacturing and companies that will forge USA” federal program, including • Clean Energy Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute new clean energy initiatives five institutes at the “Tier 1” level. deemed critical to keeping This places RIT among the top RIT is also home to the New York State Center for Advanced U.S. manufacturing competitive. five most involved universities Technology in Additive Manufacturing and Multifunctional REMADE, under the RIT-led transforming a new U.S. economy. Printing (AMPrint Center) and the New York State Center of Sustain­able Manufacturing Let’s accelerate America’s Excellence in Advanced & Sustainable Manufacturing. Innovation Alliance, includes manufacturing.

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Rochester Institute of Technology is home Contact Information to leading creators, entrepreneurs, innovators, To learn more about research opportunities on and researchers. Founded in 1829, RIT enrolls campus, contact us directly or through the RIT 19,000 students in more than 200 career-oriented research website at www.rit.edu/research. and professional programs, making it among the largest private universities in the U.S. Ryne Raffaelle The university is internationally recognized Vice President for Research and ranked for academic leadership in business, and Associate Provost computing, engineering, imaging science, liberal 585-475-2055 arts, sustainability, and fine and applied arts. RIT [email protected] also offers unparalleled support services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation. Global partnerships include campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. Visit us at www.rit.edu. Contents | Inside this Issue

Inside this Issue

Focus Areas 2 - 31

2 Research in the 6 A New Approach 12 Criminal Justice Humanities, Social to Securing Team Studies Sciences Grows Networks Crime Trends The importance of RIT’s cybersecurity for Prevention the humanities and experts are studying Students and faculty social sciences at the past, present, associated with the RIT has never been and future of Center for Public stronger. Research cybersecurity to Safety Initiatives is as diverse as the understand the help prevent crime courses offered. role humans play. through research.

14 Research Will 16 Researchers Study 20 Investigating Help Prepare How Deaf People Ways to Enhance Students for Learn, Grow Learning for Deaf Jobs in Photonics The Center on Students Beyond and Optics Cognition and Notetaking Researchers are Language is the National Technical studying how premier location Institute for the employees use in the world for Deaf researchers communication reseaching how are working to in the workplace. deaf people learn. improve education.

24 Optimizing the 26 Undergraduates 28 Books U.S. Electrical Grid Team up with Research doesn’t Researchers are Faculty on always involve developing a system Computational bubbling beakers. of algorithmic Sensing Research Research is also computer modeling Ten students done by digging for policymakers participated in through documents, that will improve the Research interviewing people, production and use Experiences for and studying of electricity. Undergraduates. historical events.

On the Cover cover Research Awards and Honors 32

The electroencephalogram is used RIT’s faculty, staff, and students in the Center on Cognition and have received significant national Language to detect electrical activity and international recognition for in the brain. Testing electrical their research in a host of fields. activity is one way to study how A summary of awards and honors language impacts learning. is provided.

Research at RIT 1 Making a Difference: James Winebrake, RIT News dean of RIT’s College of Liberal Arts, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration to help students have an impact on the world and lead lives of consequence. Focus Area | Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences at RIT Grows Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences at RIT Grows by Greg Livadas

Humanities and social sciences research at RIT represents a diverse array of scholarship that includes work in traditional disciplines as well as interdisciplinary areas such as cybersecurity, personal health care, sustainability, cognition among individuals who are deaf, ethics within engineering, and studies to prevent crime.

Long-term Investment agencies and foundations has been student credit hours from all RIT under- Some people may be surprised by just awarded to support research projects graduates are taken in COLA classes. how big a role the humanities and social involving the College of Liberal Arts in More than 600 students are earning sciences play in the education of students the past five years. This year saw a record undergraduate degrees in one of the 14 attending a university called Rochester $5.43 million in external funding, said majors offered at COLA: advertising Institute of Technology. Dean James Winebrake. Additional and public relations, communication, Even in its pre-RIT days when the support for research comes from within criminal justice, digital humanities Mechanics Institute added English to RIT in seed funding and research fellow- and social sciences, economics, human- the curriculum in 1899, the board of ships, which provide time for faculty to centered computing, international and directors felt that technical professional conduct research and develop proposals global studies, journalism, instruction alone did not constitute a for external sponsors. museum studies, complete education. “Research in the humanities is a philosophy, “The manual course which should be long-term investment in the future,” said political science, strong is weak inasmuch as it contains too Russell Wyland, acting director of the psychology, public much manual and too little mental work,” National Endowment for the Humanities’ policy, and said the institute’s board of directors then, Division of Research Programs. sociology and according to Dane R. Gordon, who wrote “What we know about ourselves as a anthropology. Some Rochester Institute of Technology: Industrial culture is the result of generations of of these majors, such Development and Educational Innovation scholars who have helped us understand as human-centered in an American City 1829-2006. our past. We are seeing more and more computing and digital “The barriers between science, collaborative work being done that brings humanities and social technology, and humanities have been humanities insights and methods to fields sciences, are offered in eroded in the past years,” said Gordon, such as medicine, science, technology, and partnership with other who joined RIT as a philosophy faculty the social sciences,” Wyland said. “This colleges on campus. In member in 1962 and served as work is connecting disciplines together addition, a new BS department chair and acting dean of in exciting ways that will open up new degree in applied History Shapes the Future: RIT’s College of Liberal Arts before perspectives in our past and future.” modern language and More than 100 years retiring in 2000. “Now, there are quite a culture was recently ago, the importance of a lot of interdisciplinary studies encour- Diverse Offerings approved by New broad education was emphasized at the aging social science, humanities, and The importance of the humanities and York state and will Mechanics Institute, technology students to work together.” social sciences at RIT has never been be enrolling students which became RIT. Research in these areas continues to stronger, and strategic plans for the future in the next academic grow as well. education of students strongly encourages year. Humanities are found in every college inter­disciplinary collaboration among Social sciences and humanities research at RIT, including the National Technical those studying liberal arts and those at RIT is as diverse as the courses offered. Institute for the Deaf, where leading studying science, technology, engineering, It includes scholarship in areas as varied researchers study the way deaf and hard- and mathematics. as cybersecurity, personal health care, of-hearing individuals comprehend All of RIT’s baccalaureate students take sustainability, human and animal cognition, information and communication. courses in the College of Liberal Arts as engineering ethics, crime prevention, and More than $20 million in external part of their majors in all other colleges new revelations on the histories of Love funding from local, state, and federal at RIT, and more than 20 percent of all Canal, composer Joseph Haydn, and

Research at RIT 3 Focus Area | Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences at RIT Grows energy storage, to name a few. Research is even being done now about last year’s presidential election for a new book titled Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: Historical Reflections on the 2016 Presidential Election. Co-edited by Christine Kray, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology; Tamar Carroll, associate professor in the Department of History; and Hinda Mandell, associate professor in the School of Communication, the book is made possible with a seed grant from the College of Liberal Arts and is under review with the University of Rochester Press. “It will be a scholarly attempt to make sense of the 2016 presidential election looking at historical ties, gender, and racial themes through personal essays,” Mandell said.

Following Technological Advances Research with evolving technology brings greater potential for new applications. Documenting History: Christine Kray, left, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Prime examples are two signature Anthropology; Hinda Mandell, center, associate professor in the School of Communication; and Tamar Carroll, associate professor in the Department of History, are collaborating on a book about research area grants, one involving cyber- the 2016 presidential election. security with Josephine Wolff, assistant professor in the Department of Public Policy, and one involving personal health care with Assistant Professor Emily Her current research involves perception focused on long-term memory in goldfish. Prud’hommeaux and Associate Professor in North American river otters and tool If the fish can differentiate between a Cecilia Ovesdotter Alm, both in the use in Bornean orangutans at Rochester’s circle and a square, it will get fed. Department of English. They are Seneca Park Zoo. “The idea that fish have a three-second researching ways spoken or written “I’m interested in understanding how memory is a myth,” she said. “My fish can language can help determine whether animals experience the world,” she said. remember a visual task for more than someone may have early-stage “They have a different set of sensory three months.” Alzheimer’s disease, be in a certain abilities than we do. They see and hear Several undergraduate and graduate emotional state, or may be autistic and differently than we do.” students are also involved as research have unique communication needs. Her research can be used to inform assistants. Professor Jonathan Kruger, chair of the conservation efforts. River otters are again “The research is also giving students a Department of Performing Arts and Visual swimming in Rochester-area waters after valuable experience they can carry with Culture, is working with RIT’s College of the zoo became instrumental in repopu- them, and some go on to attain a master’s Applied Science and Technology and lating them in the region in the 1990s. degree or Ph.D. in psychology and other College of Imaging Arts and Sciences on Research DeLong is doing can fields,” she said. audio engineering and composing music be used in future conservation efforts for video games and films. for the otters. “We need to know more Interdisciplinary Collaboration about their perceptual and cognitive RIT’s Strategic Plan 2025 states RIT “will Beyond the Lab abilities in case their population is select, invest in, and foster inter­disciplinary Caroline DeLong, an associate professor threatened again,” she said. and trans-disciplinary research areas of in the Department of Psychology, has DeLong is also involved in collabor- focus where RIT’s assets align with growing been conducting research on dolphins, ative marine mammal research projects opportunities.” The recent addition of whales, fish, bats, penguins, honeybees, with colleagues in Florida and California. a digital humanities and social sciences and humans for 20 years on a variety DeLong is director of RIT’s Comparative bachelor’s degree is one example. of topics including visual and auditory Cognition & Perception Lab (www.rit. “Research conducted in the College object perception and tool use. edu/DeLonglab), where one project is of Liberal Arts often reaches into other

4 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Focus Area | Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences at RIT Grows

At the Zoo: Caroline DeLong, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, has been doing comparative cognition research at RIT for more than 10 years, including working with North American river otters for more than five years. DeLong, with clipboard, conducts tests with Sara the otter at Rochester’s Seneca Park Zoo with fourth-year psychology students Henry Rachfal, center, and Kathryn Gardner, left.

colleges at RIT,” Winebrake said. “The problem’s technical dimensions,” Currently, 23 COLA faculty members interdisciplinary culture here helps bring Winebrake said. “To solve these problems, are principal investigators or co-principal science, technology, and the liberal arts students need to understand not only investigators, compared to 14 in 2007. together. This interdisciplinarity creates advanced technology, but also the social, And the benefactors of such research a very positive influence on our students, cultural, political, ethical, and economic collaboration among colleges within RIT who need to understand the important dimensions of these problems. This are the students, who will gain greater interconnections across disciplines if they program brings together engineering awareness and understanding of issues want to have an impact on the world and students and liberal arts students to work and solutions outside their primary lead lives of consequence.” collectively on solving global challenges majors, and will be more marketable after In February, RIT became the newest through innovative curricula and project- graduation when they start their careers. university designated as part of the Grand based work.” “At RIT we have always strived to Challenge Scholars Program, a national Ryne Raffaelle, vice president for produce well-rounded students,” Raffaelle initiative to train future engineering and research and associate provost, is pleased said. “For many, this implies a good non-engineering professionals to play a with the mark RIT research is making in grounding in liberal arts and social significant role in solving major the field of the humanities and social sciences. The collaborative research challenges of the 21st century. sciences at RIT. relationships formed by our faculty in The National Academy of Engineering “It has been quite gratifying watching liberal arts with our other colleges ensure identified more than a dozen challenges the steady increase in sponsored research that we are offering well-rounded educa- that if solved through collaborations awards over the last five years under Dean tional experiences for our students between individuals involved in science, Winebrake’s leadership,” Raffaelle said. outside the traditional classroom for engineering, and the liberal arts, could “The most dramatic increase has been in years to come.” positively impact complex societal issues. the number of COLA faculty who are “Addressing global challenges—such as serving as co-principal investigators on On the Web providing clean water or restoring urban sponsored research awards being led by College of Liberal Arts infrastructure—requires understanding principal investigators across the entire www.rit.edu/cla and analysis that goes beyond the c ampu s .”

Research at RIT 5 We’re All Human: Matthew Wright, director of RIT’s Center for Cybersecurity, is changing the way researchers and developers think about cybersecurity by putting an emphasis on the human factors of security. Focus Area | Human-Centered Cybersecurity Human-Centered Cybersecurity

A New Approach to Securing Networks by Scott Bureau

RIT’s cybersecurity experts are studying the past, present, and future of cyber­ security to gain a better understanding of the role that humans—and their behavior—play in keeping our technology secure.

A New Center for Cybersecurity skyrocketed from the 1 billion records Ninety-one percent of all breaches start compromised in 2013, according to a Cyber Breaches with an email. report from Risk Based Security. Through the Years A teacher clicks on a link and it redirects RIT is helping to address these to a malicious website. Or a CEO acciden- challenges as a leader in computing tally downloads an attachment that security education and research. 2006 TJX Breach: Attackers crack the Wi-Fi encryption of triggers a ransomware attack. Users can Through the Center for Cyber­security, two Marshalls stores, find their even unknowingly give their personal founded in 2016, the university is bringing way into the databases of TJX— login and password away while trying to together expertise from across RIT. Faculty parent company of Marshalls log onto a fake website that is designed to and student researchers are working to and TJ Maxx—and steal payment look real. better understand and address these real- card, social security, and driver’s license numbers belonging to There is a common link in these world challenges in cyber­security through 45.7 million customers. and almost every other cybersecurity projects that analyze past incidents, by problem, said Matthew Wright, director studying the current state of phishing 2011 DigiNotar Compromise: of RIT’s Center for Cyber­security. “It on social media, and by modeling how Dutch certificate authority involves people.” attackers will strike in the future. DigiNotar discovers that it has That’s why Wright is working with other “We are developing the next generation been compromised—an attacker researchers at RIT to think beyond of cybersecurity experts and we want tunneled through its 157 firewall rules, bypassed multiple levels the technology and focus on a human- to continue enriching our educational of physical security and keycard centered approach to cybersecurity. offerings,” said Bo Yuan, chair of RIT’s requirements, and issued rogue “While most research attention in Department of Computing Security. “We’re certificates for domains including cybersecurity is on technology—from doing this by creating opportunities for google.com, CIA.gov, and others. cryptography on chips to using machine students and faculty to engage in cutting- learning to detect attacks—many security edge research and industry experiences.” 2012 South Carolina Department problems are due to people,” said Wright. The interdisciplinary center is funded of Revenue Breach: Millions of tax records, social security numbers, “Understanding and designing for the by a $1 million signature research grant and other personal information human beings using, administering, and from RIT and $1 million from the B. for more than 75 percent of the even attacking our computing systems is Thomas Golisano College of Computing population of South Carolina the key to making them more secure, not and Information Sciences. The center are stolen after a South Carolina just on paper but in practice.” includes two parts—the Security Department of Revenue employee unwittingly clicks on an embedded Yes, the internet has given us Snapchat Assessment and Forensic Examination link in a phishing email. and virtual banking, but these online (SAFE) Lab and research laboratory. activities come with the risk of cyber In the SAFE Lab, industry and education 2013 Spamhaus Denial-of- threats. Professional criminal organiza- collide, as student pentesters are hired to service Attacks: The Spamhaus tions are building malware and running test a business’s networks, create a report, Project, a nonprofit organization scams to steal money and personal and make recommendations about its that compiles and distributes lists information. At the same time, military cybersecurity needs. Here, companies are of DNS servers, IP addresses, and domains known to be used by secrets, critical infrastructure, and even able to verify the security of their spammers, begins experiencing elections are under assault. networks, systems, and services, while an unusually large volume of traffic In 2016, more than 4 billion digital giving students real-world experience. to its website in retaliation for records were exposed in cyber breaches In the research lab, faculty and student blacklisting Dutch hosting company against companies, including attacks researchers from across the campus are Cyberbunker. (Continues on next page.) on Yahoo and LinkedIn. That number coming together to develop human-

Research at RIT 7 Focus Area Human-Centered Cybersecurity

Cyber Breaches Through the Years (Continued from previous page.)

2013 Chinese PLA Unit 61398 Espionage: Security firm Mandiant releases a detailed report describing the Someone is sending my friends friend requests years of cyber espionage activities it pretending to be me. linked to Unit 61398 of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese army of hackers stole trade secrets, business plans, and legal documents from aerospace, satellite, and telecom- How do I report someone who is sending my Facebook Friends Friend requests pretending to be me? Does this mean munications companies in the U.S. my account has been hacked? My password is so complex already and I just changed it less than six months ago because of the same issue. How can this happen?? 2014 Gameover ZeuS Takedown: The FBI, working along with private companies, research universities, and international law enforcement agencies, successfully seizes the computer servers being used to operate Gameover ZeuS, a massive international botnet that You’ve Been Hacked: Questions like this one, posted to distributed CryptoLocker, one of the Facebook’s Help Community, have become a daily oc- early successful strains of ransomware. currence for social media users who complain about complex passwords. Even Facebook co-founder 2014 Sony Breach: A group calling and CEO Mark Zuckerberg had his Twitter and itself “Guardians of Peace” publicly Pinterest accounts hacked in 2016 because he releases a trove of internal emails, may have reused a password. RIT research- scripts, and spreadsheets from Sony ers are exploring new systems for creating Pictures Entertainment over several memorable but safe passwords. months, allegedly in retaliation for a forthcoming film mocking North Korea.

2015 Office of Personnel Management Breach: The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reveals a breach, in which it would later be discovered that personal information belonging to more than 20 million current and former federal employees had been stolen from its computer systems. centered projects that will help people Learning from Past Cases and organizations get and stay ahead of Those who do not learn from history 2015 Ashley Madison Breach: Ashley Madison, a website intended to help users their adversaries. are doomed to repeat it. These are pursue extramarital affairs, is breached, Wright’s own research pulls from the words that Josephine Wolff lives by. leading to the public disclosure of records lessons of cognitive psychology. He is As an assistant professor of public associated with millions of the site’s users. developing a system designed to generate policy and faculty affiliate of the random passwords that are also easy for Department of Computing Security, 2016 Mirai Dyn DDoS Attack: people to remember. Wolff serves as a bridge between the Cybercriminals launch a malware called Other researchers are using natural technology world and social sciences. Mirai that infects more than 100,000 Internet of Things devices and conducts language processing to mine software Through her work observing and major distributed denial-of-service repositories. questioning cyberattacks of the past, she attacks against Domain Name System The work will create a better under- hopes to uncover lessons for the future. (DNS) provider Dyn, disrupting Twitter, standing of how security bugs happen “A lot of today’s cybersecurity Netflix, PayPal, Pinterest, and the and ways that developers can avoid incidents are actually taking advantage PlayStation Network for several hours. making those mistakes in the future. of technology that we already know 2017 Equifax Data Breach: The “There’s no silver bullet for cyber- how to fix,” said Wolff. “Oftentimes, the personal data of 143 million Americans security problems,” Wright said. “But failure is in the decision making.” is compromised and Equifax, one of the gaining a better understanding of how By looking at a series of cybersecurity nation’s three major credit bureaus, humans play a role in the past, present, incidents over the course of the past reveals that it was attacked between and future of cybersecurity might teach decade, Wolff is tracing their economic mid-May and July. us the best spots to aim.” effect, legal aftermath, and their impact

8 Fall/Winter 2017-18 How do I report someone who is sending my Facebook Friends Friend requests pretending to be me? Does this mean my account has been hacked? My password is so complex already and I just changed it less than six months ago because of the same issue. How can this happen??

Know Your History: Josephine Wolff, assistant professor of public policy and faculty affiliate of computing security, studies the whole lifecycle of past cyberattacks in order to ask the right questions about the future of cybersecurity.

on the current state of technical, social, ensuring this security—the retailers, Phishing in the Present and political lines of defense. Through the credit card companies, the software With more available attack vectors funding from the New America Cyber- developers, or maybe the hardware and stronger hackers, it has become security Initiative, a nonpartisan think manufacturers?” harder for users to keep themselves safe. tank, she plans to publish her research as Wolff has also looked at who is bearing Sovantharith Seng, a computing and a book in 2018. the cost and how they try to make sure information sciences Ph.D. student from Wolff started by looking at one of someone else ends up with the bill. Cambodia, is working to change that. the first large-scale breaches—the 2006 “Are we making good policy decisions When deciding what to study in breach of TJX, the parent company of about how liability is assigned to graduate school, Seng debated between Marshalls and TJ Maxx. Computer hacker different actors involved in breaches?” his love of working with people in Albert Gonzalez and his co-conspirators Her research explores financially student affairs and his background cracked the Wi-Fi encryption of two motivated breaches, cyber espionage in computer science. Marshalls stores in Florida, quickly found incidents, and revenge-motivated “I found a compromise in the field of their way into the company databases, breaches. She is also observing how usable security,” said Seng. “Here, I get and stole payment card, social security, insurance has emerged around cyber­ to work with psychology and social and driver’s license numbers belonging security and how companies implement behavior to take a human approach to 45.7 million of the chain’s customers. safety measures, such as two-factor to the security problem.” “It’s a dangerous narrative to say authentication. At RIT, Seng is beginning research that all you need to do is update Wi-Fi Skimping on cybersecurity can’t be into the social engineering attack known encryption and you’re all set,” Wolff said. seen as a way to cut costs, Wolff said. as phishing. A traditional phishing “I ask, who do we hold responsible for Cybersecurity can’t be an afterthought. attack will try to steal personal infor-

Research at RIT 9 Social Cybersecurity: Sovantharith Seng, a computing and information sciences Ph.D. student, understands that cybersecurity is just as much about the psychology and social behavior of people as it is about the coding. If people are rushing to complete a task on their computer or phone, security is certainly not their priority.

mation or deliver malware by fooling participants, ‘would you click on this The Future of Cyber Defense a user through malicious email attach- and why?’” While there is currently no crystal ments or fake websites. Through the survey, Seng hopes ball for cybersecurity attacks, RIT However, Seng is looking toward to better understand the important researchers are working on one. the growing trend in phishing today— context factors of Facebook posts that Led by Shanchieh Yang, RIT’s social media. influence a user’s decision of whether department head of computer Attackers can use LinkedIn to or not they interact with a post. engineering, researchers are getting target a company’s most influential Seng wants to know why they into the mind of hackers and modeling people, who may have access to trade think it might be a scam and what their attacks. Using tools from machine secrets. Or scammers could create a actions they would take after learning, data analytics, and theories duplicate Facebook account of a clergy encountering this kind of post. in criminology, Yang hopes to develop member and send out a link asking the In the future, he hopes someday to algorithms and models that help experts congregation to donate money work with social media companies predict which security technologies to a “good cause.” to help detect and combat phishing and practices are the most effective for “I am conducting a small study on their platforms. protecting networks given hackers’ with a simulated Facebook interface, “But we need to stay aware, because behavior and tactics. where users scroll through a newsfeed nothing works completely,” said Seng. “Attackers can be eccentric, but they and see multiple posts from their “You will see another phishing attack are still human beings,” said Yang. “We Facebook friends,” Seng said. “I ask in your lifetime, I guarantee that.” hope to discover and explore their attack

10 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Let’s Go Phishing: Despite its name, this Instagram account does not send users a free iPhone. It’s a phishing scam that intends to fool users. Phishing scams have become an easy way for attackers to steal login creden- tials and gain access to your accounts.

Mind of a Hacker: Using criminology theories and machine learning, RIT faculty and student researchers are getting into the mind of a hacker to create models that predict when and how computing systems might be attacked.

strategies and patterns of behavior for And the key word is might, said Yang. “The success of the project will lead achieving their goals.” “In a simulation, we might find that to a proactive cyber defense,” said Yang, Working with an interdisciplinary a particular machine was attacked a “likely preventing some critical infor- team of faculty from engineering and high percentage of the time,” said Yang. mation espionage and financial losses computing, Yang is developing a system “It doesn’t necessarily mean that the from even taking place.” to characterize attack patterns and machine has more vulnerabilities—it’s But in the end, Yang’s best advice combinations of exploit behaviors that just that the typical path of a hacker for preventing cyber breaches for attackers use. They even hope to reveal leads to that computer. Now we have individuals is to always stay under the additional attack scenarios that may not a suggestion of where to enhance our radar. “Don’t expose yourself and let have been known before. Part of their security.” anyone know that you have information model and system development is based Additionally, Yang has been part of worth stealing.” on interviews with student pentesters a research project through the Intel- who attended RIT’s annual Collegiate ligence Advanced Research Projects Penetration Testing Competition, held Activity (IARPA) to develop methods each fall. that forecast cyber incidents. Using data Funded by more than $800,000 in from social media and other noncon- On the Web grants from the NSF and NSA, the ventional indicators, the tool aims at RIT’s Center for Cybersecurity research seeks to quantify what might generating early warnings of cyber www.rit.edu/cybersecurity happen in an attack. incidents before they happen.

Research at RIT 11 Crime Prevention: CPSI Director John Klofas, right, and Deputy Director Irshad Altheimer, left, meet with criminal justice students weekly about their research projects.

Criminal Justice Team

Studies Crime Trends for Prevention by Greg Livadas

The Center for Public Safety Initiatives is a unique collaboration among RIT, the City of Rochester, and criminal justice agencies in New York.

Preventing Crime perceptions the public has about police, CPSI. It was a logical link because RIT Criminal Justice Professor John Klofas community concerns and desires, already was teaching students research heads one of RIT’s longest running research homicide rates, domestic violence, on crime analysis, Klofas said. programs, the work coming from the recidivism of parolees, and most recently “The opportunity to really combine Center for Public Safety Initiatives (CPSI). perceptions of opioid addiction. research with an experiential learning For more than 15 years, students and “There’s a commitment to evidence- experience is very important,” Klofas said. faculty associated with the center have based initiatives. Data can be useful in “And our students are addressing social helped law enforcement officials determine addressing public safety issues, and we issues and problems. The work of the what programs may help prevent crime, have helped fill the void,” Klofas said. center is really oriented toward locally although Klofas feels giving students the “This is a new skillset, different than the relevant research. The ability to help experience to do the research and publishing skillset police officers bring. And that’s a communities gather and use data at the their findings is just as important. big change, one that requires efforts by local level is important.” “There’s no place in the country that local jurisdictions and monitoring of the Klofas and the center’s deputy director, does any of this,” Klofas said. “Our students implementation of the programs. The Irshad Altheimer, an associate professor have a great experience and it turns out police are very supportive of this.” of criminal justice, regularly meet with well for them.” the students to discuss their progress. One About 40 people—including 10 to 12 Gathering Data student each week makes a presentation criminal justice students—typically work CPSI was created after Rochester began a to the group with their findings, often at CPSI with a $2 million annual budget research partnership in 2000 to address involving graphs of data on slides. that is totally funded through various the problem of lethal violence in the city. “I like the whole analytical side of sources and contracts outside of RIT, That led to reformation of crime analysis things, looking at data to see if inter- including federal and state agencies at the Rochester Police Department and vention would work,” said Nate such as the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the model for the Monroe Crime Analysis Le Mahieu, a graduate criminal justice the National Institute of Justice, and Center (MCAC) and other analysis centers student from Hortonville, Wis., who the state Division of Criminal Justice across the state supported by DCJS. works as a research assistant at CPSI. Services (DCJS). The local analysis center’s key staff Le Mahieu helped conduct a survey of Their findings are posted in reports on began as RIT students, many of them nearly 350 people who attended last spring’s the CPSI website and have been about criminal justice students, working for Imagine RIT: Innovation and Creativity

12 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Focus Area | Criminal Justice Team Studies Crime Trends for Prevention

Festival about their views on opioid addiction and treatment options. The Recent Projects results showed few thought drug abusers Here are a few projects from RIT’s Center for Public Safety Initiatives: should be treated as criminals, and 90 percent believed anti-overdose medica- tions should be more available. The data suggests “the value of reframing our Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) intervening in situations where the thinking about the nature of drug problems Researchers visit police departments probability of dispute-related gun and parole, probation, and district violence is believed to be high. If trends and society’s response to them,” the attorney offices in 17 counties across such as times of day, days of the week, survey report concludes. the state to evaluate strategies involving locations, or other variables are high problem-oriented policing and focused when shootings occur, police can Results deterrence. Strategies have involved attempt to step up patrols or take Findings from CPSI’s research have resulted identifying “hot spots” most prone to gun other preventive measures. violence, focusing deterrence against in changes. Rochester officials passed an violent gangs or groups considered Pawn Shop Analysis ordinance requiring electronic reporting responsible for most gun violence, A series of five papers can be found by pawn stores after a CPSI study increased supervision of those on parole on the CPSI website (www.rit.edu/cpsi) questioned whether items traded might or probation, and outreach to interrupt related to pawn shops in Rochester. be legally pawned or stolen. And police cycles of violence to prevent retaliation. Although many may be legitimate businesses, questions of crime and increased enforcement and worked more Swift, Certain, and Fair stolen property remain a focus for law closely with businesses that buy scrap New York state’s Department of enforcement fearing some shops may be metal after their study showed a direct Probation will implement this program in business to buy stolen property. Most correlation to an increase in copper thefts on Jan. 1. Based on Hawaii’s Opportu- shops are located in areas of Rochester when the price paid for copper rises. nity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) with poverty and high burglary risk. initiative used for drug offenses, swift, More than 20 percent of items sold “We’re providing a substantial amount definitive consequences will be imple- were jewelry, but televisions and of information the Rochester Police mented for probation and parole high- cameras were also often pawned. Department is working on,” Klofas said. level offenders through a collaboration Of customers determined to be “And we’re seeing interest from other of various criminal justice agencies. “highly active pawners,” 84 percent police departments across the country The CPSI will evaluate its effectiveness. had previously been arrested. in what we’re doing.” Community Views on Criminal Justice Walmart Project Another recent study found that dispute- Business owners, church leaders, and In 2010, more calls (1,114) were related crime is on the rise in the City of others in the community are surveyed to made to 911 to respond to the Walmart Rochester. determine their thoughts on police and location on Hudson Avenue in Rochester “More than 60 percent of shootings are the criminal justice system. The focus than to any other location in the city. groups document the perceptions the The study looked at the call volume, traced to ongoing disputes,” Klofas said. community has, whether or not those nature, and time spent on the calls That statistic helps police assess the risk perceptions are accurate. and what time of day the calls occurred. of violence, letting them intervene before They concluded nearly half of the calls problems escalate. Project Safe Neighborhoods were for larcenies, and peak calls were “RIT’s program is very strong in A large database is being compiled with from 2 to 7 p.m., with Fridays being the data associated with gun violence in day with most calls. The calls were also research and statistics,” said Mark Gorthy Rochester in hopes of preventing future compared to calls to respond to the ’90 (criminal justice), who works for the crime by identifying, assessing, and Walmart in nearby Gates, N.Y. Rochester Police Department as managing analyst at the Monroe Crime Analysis Center. “We work very closely with them and their students doing practical research. I can’t stress enough the importance of a database of information from every Gorthy agrees. “I think it will give the the partnership with RIT and CPSI. It has shooting in Rochester where someone was most detailed view on the context and just been tremendous.” injured or killed. Hundreds of variables nature of the shooting incidents,” he said. It has been beneficial for CPSI alumni are included, including whether the victim “Our analysts are using these tools to as well, who have gone on to work for and suspect knew one another or had identify patterns before anyone else would.” police departments and mapping and previous arguments, the time of day, crime analysis companies. Six have earned the education of those involved, and or are earning their Ph.D.s. even the weather. On the Web In a project that has been underway “There’s not another database like that Center for Public Safety Initiatives for several months, a CPSI student spends in the country,” Klofas said. “It’s ground- rit.edu/cpsi three days a week downtown compiling bre a k i n g .”

Research at RIT 13 In the Classroom: Kelly Norris Martin, associate professor of communication, teaches an undergraduate qualitative research methods class.

Research Will Help Prepare Students for Jobs in Photonics and Optics by Jane Sutter

Amid the national discussion about skills gaps in filling STEM jobs, a trio of RIT researchers is diving into whether that gap exists in the optics and photonics industry in Rochester. Their research will help guide what changes need to take place in the classroom to better prepare students for entry-level jobs in those fields.

Applying Research to the Classroom the National Science Foundation. • The differences in required training for Benjamin Zwickl, assistant professor of The acronym POWER aptly describes Ph.D.-level academic researchers versus physics; Kelly Norris Martin, associate their effort: Photonics and Optics Workforce engineers and technicians in industry. professor of communication; and Anne Education Research. The trio’s study focuses • The ways that higher education and Emerson Leak, post-doctoral researcher on four areas: on-the-job training combine for STEM in science education, constitute an • How employees use math, physics, and workforce development. interdisciplinary team utilizing a communication skills in the workplace. Zwickl noted that there’s an abundance nearly $400,000 Education and Human • How employers evaluate competency of research on how professors can more Resources Core Research grant from in these skills. effectively teach students in the classroom

14 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Focus Area | Research Will Help Prepare Students for Jobs in Photonics and Optics

but not much research in-house training or continuing education productive,” Zwickl said. on how students apply opportunities, Martin noted. The data the researchers are collecting their learning in will also be useful to the development of entry-level jobs. Strong Communication Skills broader science education literature, tying Zwickl, Martin, One key focus of the research is into the new national Next Generation and Leak are getting on communication skills and what Science Standards (NGSS) for K-12 multiple perspectives employees in the photonics and optics students and helping to make science by interviewing not industries need to be successful. While education relevant, Leak said. only employers and managers may say that good communi- One next step is for the researchers Benjamin Zwickl employees in industry cation skills are vital, they may not be to do comparisons related to types of but also graduate- screening job candidates specifically companies and size of companies and how level students and their advisers. The for those. For example, a hiring manager their expectations for employees vary. interviewees fill a variety of roles, from will scrutinize a job applicant’s college A small company may need an entry-level associate professor to Ph.D. student, and transcript to determine course work in staffer to wear multiple hats, as opposed from technicians to engineers. technical skills but may not look for to a larger company having more evidence of strong communication narrowly defined job duties, Leak said. Viewpoint of Employees ability, Zwickl said. Zwickl, Martin, and Leak are collabo- A unique aspect of their research is While some hiring managers may rating on a related initiative. They recently talking directly to employees who are require a job applicant to write a paper received a $98,000 in their first jobs after graduation, as during the interview process or do a AIM Photonics grant opposed to much of the current research presentation, that’s not the norm, Martin to lead a New York that focuses on surveys with CEOs said. Managers don’t often inquire about state workforce needs and managers about the skills needed whether the applicant has taken classes assessment study to for STEM jobs. “We’re trying to talk in communication or demonstrated determine the training specifically with entry-level employees communication skills through extra- needed to fill future themselves about what (skills) are curricular activities such as clubs. jobs related to you using every day, what did you feel The same holds true for Ph.D. advisers photonics integrated prepared with (when you started the job), who are screening students for graduate Anne Emerson Leak circuits. Similar and what do you wish you had work, Zwickl said. research is taking had more training in” while a college Strong communication skills tend to place at other institutions around student, Martin said. become more important when employees the country. Talking to employees offers a micro are being considered for a promotion or a Also related to Zwickl and Martin’s view of the day-to-day skills they use, supervisory role, Martin said. “As far as work in Rochester is a collaboration as opposed to getting a macro view moving up in the company, it’s essential between RIT and the University of from a manager about the skills that are if you are going to go into management.” Wisconsin-Madison. The project is important to a company, Zwickl noted. Leak pointed out that in science classes, called EMPOWER—Exploring Multiple That micro view is essential knowledge students use communication as a means Postsecondary Opportunities through for faculty to be able to transform the to an end, such as producing a Power- Workforce and Education Research. undergraduate curriculum. Point presentation to show results or Zwickl, Martin, and post-doctoral In terms of workforce readiness and writing a lab report, but teaching researcher Susan Rothwell are studying the often talked about skills gaps, their communication skills as an end in how communication, teamwork, research shows that a lot of companies itself is not typically done. problem-solving, and self-directed have a wide variety of innovative on- learning are valued and learned in STEM the-job training programs to bridge An Impact on Science Education fields in four cities—Denver, Houston, those gaps, Zwickl said. The optics and About 40 percent of physics majors pursue Seattle, and Raleigh, N.C. RIT received photonics fields are interdisciplinary, and a graduate degree, so the researchers are $650,000 from the National Science because most new employees arrive with also interviewing faculty who are super- Foundation for the study. a background in one area, such as physics vising graduate students in a research or engineering, “companies are always setting, with the idea being that the going to have to do something to bridge students are working as entry-level research On the Web the expertise that a student has now.” scientists. “The things that could make a POWER Some employers were very happy grad student really productive and www.rit.edu/power with the technical skills and training creative in working with a researcher EMPOWER that recent graduates had, and if there could be the same things that make an empowerstem.com was a gap, the employers provided industry employee really innovative and

Research at RIT 15 Researchers Study How Deaf People Learn, Grow by Vienna McGrain

The Center on Cognition and Language, created in 2016, is the only center of its kind in the world led by a deaf director and staffed primarily by deaf researchers.

Fulfilling a Need Hauser is inspiring an army of work alongside physicians in diagnosing Peter Hauser is a strategist—executing a dedicated and talented student and conditions such as learning disabilities, carefully orchestrated plan to establish faculty researchers to follow his lead attention disorders, dementia, and his Center on Cognition and Language and make a difference in the education, depression in deaf and hard-of- at RIT’s National Technical Institute for health, and wellness of deaf people hearing patients. But as Hauser’s career the Deaf as the premier location in the for generations to come. Back in the progressed, along with an increasing world for researching how deaf people early 2000s, Hauser was the first-ever clinical workload, he realized that develop, learn, grow, and live. practicing deaf neuropsychologist to diagnoses were often made based on

16 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Research: Peter Hauser, professor and director of NTID’s Center on Cognition and Language, connects with student Sarah Kimbley, left, and post-doctoral fellow Tiffany Panko on the research projects they are spearhead- ing. Kimbley and Panko are just two of the many students and faculty who work closely with Hauser to establish solid research related to the health and well-being of deaf people.

decades of studies of only hearing well-being of deaf people, as well Foundation, the National Institutes of subjects. Further investigation revealed as their access to education, in a Health, and NTID. a significant lack of research using deaf different way.” “I would dream of starting this research and hard-of-hearing subjects. After years of writing grants to center, and some days I didn’t think it would “There was and still is a dire need secure funding and conducting his ever happen,” said Hauser. “But every day, for research on deaf individuals’ own research, Hauser created NTID’s I made little decisions based on closing in language, cognitive function, memory, Center on Cognition and Language on that dream.” and intelligence, which all play a role in 2016—the only center of its kind in Hauser is also passionate about devel- in understanding and diagnosing the world led by a deaf director and oping future generations of deaf researchers conditions and understanding how staffed primarily by deaf researchers. and scientists in social, behavioral, and we learn and develop,” said Hauser. The center produces interdisciplinary biomedical research disciplines and “There were times that I thought and collaborative discoveries on the provides mentorship programs for deaf to myself, ‘How can I diagnose my cognitive, language, and socio-cultural scholars. The center is home to two deaf patients when the only basis for factors that affect deaf individuals’ NIH-funded training programs committed understanding I have is using irrelevant learning, well-being, and health, and to fostering aspiring deaf scientists’ devel- research?’ And while I truly loved equally as important, shares these discov- opment by providing outstanding mentored working one-on-one with patients eries with other researchers, hospitals, research experiences and one NSF-funded and physicians, I felt that I needed schools, and clinics. Research projects program to broaden the participation of to impact the physical and mental are funded by the National Science deaf students in sign-language research.

Research at RIT 17 Focus Area | Researchers Study How Deaf People Learn, Grow

This Electroencephalogram (EEG) is used in the Center on Cognition and Language to detect electrical activity in the brain. Testing the electrical impulses in the brain is one useful method to help study how aspects of language impact deaf individuals’ cognition and learning.

Building an Army “Researchers claim deaf children with proposes an alternative explanation. RIT student Sarah Kimbley began her cochlear implants have a cognitive deficit Language deprivation has a greater work in the center as an undergraduate. impact than auditory deprivation. In She works in the center’s Deaf x Lab, Sign other words, not being exposed to Language Lab, and the Deaf Health Lab, Mentorship Programs language within the first five years can be and this fall is a scholar in the Rochester Rochester Bridges to the Doctorate: harmful for cognitive functioning. We Bridges to the Doctorate program, which deafscientists.com are predicting that our developmental selects top RIT graduate students who Rochester Post-doc Partnership: study will show us that language fluency are deaf or hard-of-hearing and wish to www.urmc.rochester.edu/ will have an impact while hearing level pursue a doctoral degree. academic-research-careers-deaf- has little or no impact on cognitive Kimbley, an experimental psychology scholars.aspx functioning, specifically temporal graduate student from Lakeland, Fla., is Broadening the Participation of Deaf sequence processing.” Students in Sign Language Research working on several projects including The center staff works with and program: Provides the top deaf and studying health literacy and under- hard-of-hearing students from higher mentors students at all educational levels standing individuals’ feelings about being education institutions across the United from first-year to graduate students, and deaf. She is also comparing temporal States with mentored opportunities in beyond. sequence processing in deaf children and sign language research. Tiffany Panko ’08, ’09 (applied arts how language acquisition and audition and sciences, MBA) is a post-doctoral may mediate neurocognitive functions fellow in the center who graduated from like working memory, executive function, that is due to a lack of auditory input,” RIT with concentrations in premedical and sequence learning. said Kimbley. “However, our research and psychological studies and from the

18 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Focus Area | Researchers Study How Deaf People Learn, Grow

Labs NTID’s Center on Cognition and Lan- guage houses five labs, each focusing on a different aspect of deaf life. Deaf Studies Laboratory—investi- gates how stigma about deaf people has an impact on those individuals’ education, health, and careers. Deaf x Laboratory—investigates how the deaf experience shapes cognition, including attention and the executive functions using behavioral science tasks, electroencephalography, and eye tracking to understand the effects of language and hearing on cognition in adults and cognitive development in children. Sign Language Laboratory—investi- gates issues in sign-language acquisi- tion, educational interpreting, and sociolinguistics, including language variation and language attitudes. Deaf Health Laboratory—establishes research related to the deaf community on preventive health, health literacy, health knowledge, and the deaf experience in health care. Deaf Math-Science Language and Learning Lab—focuses on language learning and conceptual understanding in mathematics and science. Hands-on Learning: Professor Peter Hauser works with post-doctoral fellow Tiffany Panko, left, and student Sarah Kimbley in NTID’s Center on Cognition and Language.

University of Rochester in 2016 with a The project, a partnership with the are just two of the 14 students, four medical degree. The Rochester native has University of Michigan, will provide staff members, and seven NTID faculty studied and worked alongside Hauser off information on how to better provide members who support Hauser and the and on from as far back as 2004. preventive health and health care center’s labs through their research. “I just can’t seem to get away from information to the diverse deaf and hard- “We bring together experts from Peter,” jokes Panko. “As an undergraduate, of-hearing community. Eye trackers in the different levels of education and different I was in a class that he taught—Biological lab help Panko and others study how deaf backgrounds including, but not limited to, Basis of Mental Disorders, which was the users navigate health websites. The goal linguists, physicians, cognitive scientists,” class where I realized that I could blend is to gain information on how different he added. “We bring them together for my love of psychology with medicine groups within the deaf community learn the first time in the same environment. and working with people. Last year, I differently in order to customize how The whole is greater than the sum of wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my information can be delivered to these its parts. We are creating new types of residency, so I contacted Peter and he told marginalized populations. science that just aren’t possible without me that he could really use my expertise “I have learned so much about this one-of-a-kind collaboration.” in the Deaf Health Lab. I’m working psychology and academic research during on a big five-year project that connects my time working here in the center, but Rochester, Chicago, and Flint, Mich., and more importantly, I have learned more than 1,000 deaf, hard-of-hearing, to become more confident in myself On the Web and hearing people. All of these areas and my ability to achieve my goals,” NTID Center on Cognition and Language provide racial, ethnic, and economic added Kimbley. www.ntid.rit.edu/nccl diversity—rich research environments.” Kimbley and Panko, who is also deaf,

Research at RIT 19 Making Connections: Sara Schley, director of NTID’s Research Center for Teaching and Learning, is using a National Science Foundation grant to connect hearing and deaf communities with the goal of improving STEM learning. Focus Area | Enhance Learning Beyond Notetaking Investigating Ways to Enhance Learning for Deaf Students Beyond Notetaking by Vienna McGrain

National Technical Institute for the Deaf researchers are working to improve education and provide more support for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

National Science Foundation Grant As a deaf student majoring in psychology, Joshua Mora looks for ways to enhance his learning in scientific environments that are traditionally comprised of hearing peers and faculty. In order to fulfill his and other students’ needs for diverse methods of information dissemination and a greater understanding of learning styles within the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, a new project has been launched—one that uniquely connects hearing and deaf communities and will result in effective STEM learning for deaf and hard-of- hearing students. Since this past spring, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf’s Faculty Learning Communities program has been developing training and “accessibility toolkits” for faculty in STEM disciplines who are searching for viable ways to adapt their teaching methodologies to accommodate the learning needs of their deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The communities—facilitated by hearing and deaf faculty pairs in similar disciplines— brainstorm alternative learning ideas, propose experiments, and test the efficacy Sara Schley, principal investigator of the Faculty Learning Communities project, leads a session of of the alternatives. faculty and students who are gathered to brainstorm strategies that promote inclusivity for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in STEM disciplines. RIT/NTID student AJ Passarelli, a student Sara Schley, director of NTID’s research assistant working with faculty mentors, offers suggestions to the group. Research Center for Teaching and Learning and principal investigator, said the project, which was funded through hard-of-hearing students may assume relevant information to our faculty in a three-year, $443,200 grant from the that notetaking services and interpreting a supportive way.” National Science Foundation, combines services, for example, are tools that faculty engagement in instructional sufficiently provide an adequate learning One Scenario change, universal design for teaching and environment,” Schley said. “While these Schley cites one example. Inside the learning, and student-centered pedagogy services certainly assist the students with classroom, faculty may explain compli- that all ultimately enhance inclusiveness their learning, we’ve found that there are cated STEM concepts by showing slides within the classroom. Co-principal inves- many other ways that instructors can while sign-language interpreters translate tigator on the grant is Stephanie Cawthon adapt their teaching styles to enhance the information to a deaf student. from The University of Texas at Austin. the learning environment for our However, it’s extremely difficult for deaf “Faculty members who teach deaf and students. This project is meant to provide and hard-of-hearing students to look

Research at RIT 21 Focus Area | Enhance Learning Beyond Notetaking

Active Learning: From left to right: RIT/NTID students Kyle Blakely, Jessica Luu, and Brian Johnson-Pasqua implemented new presentation methods in Assistant Professor Jennifer O’Neil’s class that encouraged student learning and engagement among deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students.

at slides while watching an interpreter. who are encouraged to seek feedback and developing a “toolkit” website that can This often results in the student missing perform “dry runs” on potential strat- be readily accessed by faculty looking to valuable dialogue and classroom egies. Mora also believes the project offers expand their instructional methodologies. interaction. a forum where an exchange of ideas will And as the project develops over the next In the scenario mentioned above, increase student engagement. few years, Schley said that the learning added Schley, faculty may experiment “If a teacher has concerns about how to communities will be asked to inves- with pausing after showing a slide or make curricula accessible, we are available tigate applications using more advanced writing on a white board and checking for to provide guidance,” he said. “This technology such as “flipped” learning. “eyeballs” in order to be sure that students project has a direct impact on student In this case, faculty might add cues for have finished reading the information and engagement and motivation in the students that encourage them to pause are ready to shift their focus back to the classroom, and I think it will ultimately and review a graphic explanation after instructor or the interpreter. encourage more deaf and hard-of-hearing seeing a captioned explanation. Students like Mora, a fourth-year students to enter STEM fields with student from Fremont, Calif., who view confidence.” Individualized Instruction this project as an opportunity for them Schley sees a steady progression in Robert Garrick, a manufacturing and to thrive in RIT’s rigorous educational the advancement of the initiative. RIT’s mechanical engineering technology setting, are serving in mentorship roles— Teaching and Learning Services, a unit professor in RIT’s College of Applied valuable resources for hearing faculty of the Innovative Learning Institute, is Science and Technology, teaches future

22 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Focus Area | Enhance Learning Beyond Notetaking

Jennifer O’Neil, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology, participated in the Faculty Learning Communities project this past spring semester. Here, O’Neil implemented a new presentation method in her class that facilitated engagement between her deaf and hard-of-hearing students and hearing students.

engineers using a technology-rich, she has always focused on building Schley added that, simply put, the interactive learning environment with course work around different teaching project is about the best way to engage in hundreds of instructor and student pedagogies that promote improved collaborative learning because there are videos in a classroom with 10 interactive student learning and engagement, she many different kinds of learners in the projectors. felt that her participation in this project same classroom. “I am especially interested in this would sharpen her skills working with a “We’re helping our faculty to take a project to understand how we, as diverse and unique student population— little more time to think about meeting instructors, can improve accessibility with RIT’s deaf and hard-of-hearing students. the needs of their students and designing the emerging multimedia tools we use,” “I am continuously striving to improve activities that don’t depend on a said Garrick. “Our teaching and accessi- my teaching effectiveness,” said O’Neil. particular channel of information. This bility techniques are hopefully evolving as “Before I was faced with any challenges is about good teaching.” quickly as our technology tools in order in the classroom, I decided to join the to provide individualized instruction learning community to learn alter- while giving continuous feedback to each native strategies to improve student On the Web student based on their needs.” engagement and retention, but more Access and Inclusion Project Jennifer O’Neil, assistant professor importantly to make meaningful changes http://bit.ly/NTIDaccessibility of mechanical engineering technology, in the classroom that would enhance the joined the RIT faculty in 2016. While learning experience for all students.”

Research at RIT 23 Electricity: A team of RIT research- ers led by Eric Hittinger, left, and Eric Williams is developing a new system of algorithmic computer modeling that simulates the future of America’s grid infrastructure. Focus Area | Optimizing the U.S. Electrical Grid

Optimizing the U.S. Electrical Grid by Luke Auburn

RIT researchers are developing a system of algorithmic computer modeling that will help policymakers produce and use electricity more efficiently.

Best Practices for decades and may delay the adoption Modeling Future Energy Usage The way the U.S. manages its electrical of new and improved technologies. grid has major economic and environ- “New technologies like wind and mental consequences for the world. The solar are quickly getting cheaper, and American economy makes hundreds of depending on how cheap they get, billions of dollars in annual revenue by they can be an economic part of the generating electricity, but the electricity U.S. electricity system,” said Williams, system also produces massive amounts of principal investigator. “We want to help greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. policymakers determine what technol- A cross-disciplinary team of RIT ogies we should support, how much, researchers is determined to help and for how long.” federal and state policymakers find the Existing models such as the U.S. best way to produce and use America’s Department of Energy’s National Energy electricity, with the goal of simultaneously Modeling System (NEMS) use fixed reducing costs and making the grid inputs and do not do a good job of more sustainable. accounting for uncertainty, but the RIT The team, led by Eric Williams, researchers are taking a novel approach associate professor in the Golisano by building uncertainty directly into their Institute for Sustainability, and Eric model. “We want to help make decisions Hittinger, assistant professor of public that are robust against the whims of The Future: As new technologies like wind and policy, is developing a new system of politics and changes in the markets,” solar get cheaper, the challenge for policy algorithmic computer modeling that said Hittinger, co-principal investigator. makers is determining what to support, how simulates the future of America’s grid Most existing models require fixed much, and for how long. infrastructure. inputs for variables that are unstable, such The project, funded by a $310,000 as the price of natural gas. Williams notes but we have different skills,” said Williams. grant from the National Science that “natural gas prices are about a third “I look at technological progress and Foundation, started in 2014 and is on of what they were 10 years ago due to Eric (Hittinger) is an expert on electrical pace to be completed next summer. Two hydrofracking, and this was a surprise to systems.” Williams said the two have also graduate students are helping Hittinger basically everyone.” bonded over a love of bicycling. and Williams carefully collect and The RIT researchers are admitting they Ultimately the researchers are looking organize data and build the new model: do not know what variables such as the for a pragmatic solution to ensuring the Naga Srujana Goteti, a Ph.D. sustain- price of natural gas will be and instead world’s environmental health. “We are ability student from India; and Rexon enter a range of possibilities. serious about assessing the economics of Carvalho of India, who is pursuing his “The model won’t produce one answer; the situation and finding solutions that master of science in sustainable systems. those who use it will instead get a range are good for the planet and its people,” and determine how comfortable they are said Williams. New Technologies living within that range of possibilities,” Once the model is complete, the Policymakers are faced with the difficult said Williams. “The challenge for us as researchers will host workshops in task of determining how to use subsidies scientists is how to tackle uncertainty in a Washington, D.C., and New York City to and tax policies to support emerging scientific way while communicating those present their model to federal and state renewable energy technologies without results to non-scientists who are not used policymakers. knowing how future fuel prices, electricity to dealing in numerical uncertainties.” demand, and technology will change. The Although the principal investigators long-term nature of these decisions adds are from different fields, their work On the Web National Science Foundation Award Abstract to their complexity. Infrastructure invest- together has been a natural fit. “We have bit.ly/ElectricityGrid ments have locked-in effects that can last similar interests and both look at energy,

Research at RIT 25 Undergraduate Research: College students from across the country participated in the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program in Computational Sensing this summer. The 10-week program, funded by the National Science Foundation, involved research in sensory data such as visual-linguistic multimodal image understanding, cognition and narration, comparison of online vs. face-to-face learning, and more.

Undergraduates Team up with RIT Faculty on Computational Sensing Research by Jane Sutter

Can sensing technology reveal how readers make sense of narrated experiences in social media? What can sensing tell us about how online vs. face-to-face learning contexts influence students? Can sensory data processed with an algorithm accurately predict how a person rates a video clip? Thanks to a National Science Foundation grant, undergraduate students worked with RIT faculty to gain valuable experience in research projects such as these.

Valuable Career Preparation Computational Sensing at RIT. Led by learning skills necessary for careers in For 10 weeks in the summer of 2017, 10 faculty members Cecilia Ovesdotter Alm research. undergraduates from around the country and Reynold Bailey, the students had REU programs exist all over the United participated in the Research Experiences transformative experiences that included States, with RIT leading among higher for Undergraduates (REU) Site in not only doing in-depth research but also education institutions in New York state

26 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Interdisciplinary: Associate professors Cecilia Ovesdotter Alm, center, from the College of Liberal Arts, Computational Linguistics and Speech Processing Lab, and Reynold Bailey from the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, Computer Graphics and Applied Perception Lab, worked with students on interdisciplinary research projects.

with a total of eight in 2017. The focus of with RIT faculty and Ph.D. students to Three of the teams have published in other REU programs at RIT varies from conduct research on understanding peer-reviewed venues and one student organic photovoltaic devices to imaging human behaviors and cognitive processes (who has since entered a Ph.D. program) in the physical sciences. using sensing technologies in several presented her research at the Council on “The intent of these programs is to give projects. Undergraduate Research REU undergraduate students experience with Symposium at the National Science the research process early on in their Different Backgrounds and Perspectives Foundation. careers,” Bailey said. Diversity is a hallmark of the REU in Along with conducting research, REU That experience helps students shape Computational Sensing as Alm and Bailey participants received valuable experiences their career paths and provides a boost pointed out. The students hailed from a in other areas such as learning how to when it comes to applying to graduate variety of institutions, ranging from write a technical paper and how to school. “It opens up so many doors to Indiana University (about 48,000 conduct a critique of peers’ work. students when they get involved with students) to Eastern Mennonite Students gave lightning talks (short research as an undergraduate,” Bailey said. University (about 1,200 students). “These presentations) that were reviewed by “I’m a perfect example. I went right into a are students from diverse backgrounds, faculty not only from RIT but also from Ph.D. program because I had some which is incredibly important in Malmö University in Sweden via remote undergraduate research experience.” research,” Alm said. The program video connection. Another event offered That opportunity drew participant attracted students from a wide number of insights into graduate school and research David Nester, who attends Eastern underrepresented groups in computing. across REUs. Students further reached out Mennonite University in Virginia, to Participant Nikita Haduong, who to the community at a local library where apply to the REU. “This program gives attends Indiana University, agreed. “I they presented demos of sensing devices good experience with high-level research think this program is also really good for to patrons of all ages. and academic exposure that you can’t finding colleagues, not necessarily in the The REU experience culminated with really get anywhere else. It helps me to same field but related to it, so you get a the 26th Annual Undergraduate Research prepare for grad school and professional diverse perspective.” Haduong chose this Symposium at RIT, at which RIT students environments that you don’t get in regular REU program because she’s interested in along with students visiting in REU undergraduate programs.” natural language processing. programs had the opportunity to present But the benefits go well beyond the The REU program is also interdisci- their research. academic leg-up. “It is exciting that plinary. Alm is on the faculty in the To be accepted to the REU in Compu- students are contributing to fundamental College of Liberal Arts, while Bailey is a tational Sensing, students underwent an computational sensing research in faculty member in the B. Thomas application and review process by a projects with numerous benefits for Golisano College of Computing and selection committee of RIT faculty. society,” Alm said. Information Sciences. Faculty mentors Recruitment for summer 2018 is Participant Nse Obot, who attends the and workshop facilitators also reflect the underway. University at Buffalo, agreed. “I really like diversity and interdisciplinary nature of that you get to devote yourself to research.” the program, Alm noted. The grant of Obot said that he has found it hard to find approximately $360,000 supports three On the Web time for research while juggling his consecutive summers of student cohorts. Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Computational Sensing academic load during the school term. There are already success stories from https://cs.rit.edu/~reu/ The undergraduate students teamed up the program’s first year (summer 2016).

Research at RIT 27 Focus Area | Research Yields Several Books

Faculty Research Yields Several Books by Greg Livadas

University research doesn’t always involve a cleanroom, white coats, or bubbling beakers. In many cases, research is done by digging through dusty documents, interviewing people who have unique stories to tell, or gathering information about historical events. A culmination of such research is putting the findings in a book.

Designed for Hi-Fi Living: The Vinyl LP in Midcentury America, by Rochester writer Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder, RIT’s William Kern Professor in Communications, looks at the designs of nearly 150 album covers. It’s the culmi- nation of more than 20 years of collecting records and more than two years of research involving graphic design, communication, photography, and history. “Janet and I have been writing about record albums and album cover design for a while,” Schroeder said. After a presentation about the subject at the Consumer Culture Theory Conference in Tucson, colleagues asked for more. “There are albums that have to do with entertaining, having dinners at home, and having a backyard barbecue, some with liner notes and recipes,” he said. “Radio show hosts sometimes talked on the record in an entertaining way telling how to have a dinner party. It’s almost like what Martha Stewart Living magazine is today.” The albums were sometimes sold at grocery stores and given as house- warming gifts. He said a number of famous photogra- phers and designers were responsible for album cover designs. Some are even being rereleased “as campy collectibles, as funny, kitschy objects.” Part of Schroeder’s research, supported from the William A. Kern Endowment and a book club grant from the College of Designed for Hi-Fi Living: Long before the internet, iCloud, and Liberal Arts, enabled him to travel to the The Vinyl LP in Midcentury America, podcasts, vinyl records were king. Not University of Missouri in Kansas City to by Janet Borgerson and only did record albums help define a research a collection of a Capitol Records Jonathan Schroeder. generation or two with their music, but executive. The company released a series album covers sometimes suggested ways of 400 records from capitals of the world Americans should live, entertain, and from 1955 to 1970 in an effort to introduce travel while giving a glimpse about what American audiences to foreign music. U.S. life is like to the rest of the world. It is published by MIT Press.

28 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Focus Area | Research Yields Several Books

inspiration from photography and art enterprise as well as a mechanical one,” history and shows how her revolutionary said Robison, the Ezra A. Hale Professor new cinematic aesthetic emerged from an in Applied Ethics at RIT. “Engineers think interdisciplinary dialogue among the arts. of themselves as being in a purely quanti- The book, published by the University of tative discipline—they do numbers. My California Press, was made possible with point is that engineering requires enormous grants from the College of Liberal Arts and imagination, ingenuity, and artistic ability fellow­ships from the National Endowment in order to solve an engineering problem for the Humanities, the American Associ- in a way that’s both elegant and safe.” ation of University Women, the American Robison taught engineering classes for Philosophical Society, and the Paul and several years at RIT and wanted to make Francena Miller Research Fellowship. sure undergraduate engineering students realized they were engaging in “an ethical enterprise,” not just solving problems. “Most engineers automatically eschew the decisions that would lead to harmful consequences,” Robison said. “But whatever choice you make when designing something will cause harm or benefits.” Robison said he hopes his book will be Agnès Varda between Film, Photography,­ adopted in engineering classes as supple- and Art, by Rebecca DeRoo. mental reading.

Agnès Varda, a prolific film director, photo­grapher, and artist whose career spans more than six decades, is the subject of a book, Agnès Varda between Film, Photography, and Art, by Rebecca DeRoo, assistant professor in the Department of Performing Arts and Visual Culture. Varda, viewed as the “mother” of the French New Wave movement of the 1950s and ’60s, worked in multiple media, often combining aesthetics and global politics. Ethics Within Engineering: That formative period in French film An Introduction, by Wade Robison. continues to be taught in film and visual studies, language, and culture courses, Engineering students need to think about DeRoo said, yet scholars have often the ethical aspects of what they do, struggled to understand how Varda because engineering any artifact— produced groundbreaking film without whether a bridge, software, or something training in cinema. seemingly as simple as an electrical “Over the past several years, I’ve switch—can unintentionally cause harm. benefited from an unprecedented oppor- That’s the inspiration of Ethics Within Radio and the Politics of Sound tunity to work with Varda,” DeRoo said. Engineering: An Introduction, written by in Interwar France 1921-1939, “I conducted a series of interviews to fill Wade Robison to help engineering students by Rebecca Scales. in gaps in the written record, carried out understand the ramifications of their work. research in her personal archives, and The book, published by Bloomsbury The period between World War I and watched her film on location and edit her Publishing, features several case studies in World War II may be best remembered work in her studio. This research yielded which design has resulted in unexpected for The Great Depression, but it also was a new history of her work and prompted consequences, including toaster design, an era when the mass media of radio me to reconsider some of the core narra- the layout of burners and knobs on a stove, transformed everyday experiences for tives of modern cinema.” and software responsible for a plane crash. millions of people. In contrast to a traditional director study, “I hope the students will come away with Rebecca Scales, an associate professor the book shows how deeply Varda drew a realization they’re engaged in an ethical of history at RIT, examined the impact of

Research at RIT 29 Focus Area | Research Yields Several Books

radio and broadcast sound on French society in her book, Radio and the Politics of Sound in Interwar France, 1921-1939. Scales first became interested in radio as a graduate student. “There was significant scholarly liter- ature examining how visual media such as newspapers, film, and photography affected people’s interactions with their world,” she said. “But very little had been written about sound.” France’s first public radio program was broadcast in 1921 from a transmitter on the Eiffel Tower. By 1930, France was the only European nation with both state-run and commercial radio stations. “That created a set of debates about what the new medium of radio should do,” Scales said. “While we often think of radio as a domestic medium consumed primarily by people in their homes, crowds flocked to loudspeakers on city streets to listen to political speeches, and schoolchildren tuned in to radio lessons from their classrooms.” Many at the time believed they were living through a “sound revolution,” she said. “It was hard for them to separate radio from other new sound media, such as the gramophone or the public address system, which were beginning to colonize both public and private spaces.” Listening to radio soon became the subject of fierce intellectual and political debates. Scales said readers interested in European history, the mass media, and sound studies will appreciate her book, which was made possible through internal and external grants, including Love Canal: A Toxic History from Colonial Times to the Present, by Richard Newman. from the French Embassy in the United States, the Social Science Research When Richard Newman came to teach said Newman. So he brought his history Council, and the Western Society for environmental history at RIT in 1998, classes to visit the area and had activists French History. nearly 20 years had passed since 250 talk to his students. Newman spent years The book was published by Cambridge homes were bulldozed on a 70-acre parcel researching Love Canal and wrote a book, University Press. in Niagara Falls, N.Y., known as Love Love Canal: A Toxic History from Colonial Scales received a sabbatical and grants Canal, one of the most toxic locations Times to the Present, published by Oxford from the National Endowment for the in the country. University Press. He received funding Humanities and the American Philo- Housewives there became activists after from the College of Liberal Arts to sophical Society to allow her to spend hundreds of people developed cancer and research Love Canal collections at Tufts part of 2018 in France to research another other medical ailments before the families University. book project, Polio’s Hidden History: were compensated to move away. In the 1890s, entrepreneur William Disability and Epidemic Disease in “I always thought Love Canal would be Love wanted to create a waterfall to Twentieth-Century France. a fascinating case study for students,” produce hydroelectric power and carved

30 Fall/Winter 2017-18 Focus Area | Research Yields Several Books

out a piece of land which became Love coalitions between groups that were Sex Scandals, Gender, and Power Canal. After that project was abandoned, supposed to be at odds with each other. in Contemporary American Politics, Hooker Chemical Co., a leading employer To find white and black women collabo- by Hinda Mandell. in Niagara Falls, decided the canal would rating, to find Catholic women who be a perfect place for a chemical dump. were supposed to be opposed to feminism Political scandals—especially involving Baby boomers eventually built homes at was really interesting. I wanted to look affairs of the heart—seem to dominate the site, but more than 80 chemicals in the at other examples of coalitions between the news when they are discovered. ground—which began to emit foul odors unlikely allies.” A book, Sex Scandals, Gender, and made rocks smolder—caused medical The culmination of Carroll’s research and Power in Contemporary American problems in hundreds of residents. resulted in Mobilizing New York: AIDS, Politics, examines how the scandals Resident Lois Gibbs became president Antipoverty, and Feminist Activism, a ruin reputations and the ability for of the Love Canal Homeowners Associ- book that focuses on three grassroots politicians to do their jobs effectively, ation after two of her children became ill. movements that empowered people for how they contribute to the mistrust of She was a vocal and effective leader of the social change in New York City. government, and how they are linked activism, which led to President Jimmy “I look at the ways they were trying to with power and morality. Carter designating Love Canal a national foster participatory democracy, grassroots “I’ve always been very interested in emergency and in 1980 the area being activists partnering with professionals to both the private and political dynamics designated the first Superfund site. achieve better results,” Carroll said. with political wives whose husbands “These are stories of ordinary people who have had sex scandals,” said author changed their world, and I hope readers Hinda Mandell, an associate professor will be inspired by their examples.” in the School of Communication in the Carroll received a Paul and Francena College of Liberal Arts. “I’m interested Miller Research Fellowship from the in how media covers these events. They College of Liberal Arts, giving her a take up so much news coverage. I view semester off from teaching. She also people as consuming these events.” received funds from the college through Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the Faculty Development Grant and the former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Faculty Research Fund Award. Prior to and former New York Congressman coming to RIT, she received grants from Anthony Weiner are among the men the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, whose scandals are mentioned in the the University of Minnesota, and the book, which was made possible with University of Michigan. The book is College of Liberal Arts Faculty Research published by the University of North Fund Grants and a Paul and Francena Carolina Press. Miller Research Fellowship, which provided a semester away from teaching. The book, published by Praeger, also attempts to make sense of the gender imbalance in the occurrence of political sex scandals—and why there never has been a major sex scandal with Mobilizing New York: AIDS, a female politician—and what that says Antipoverty, and Feminist Activism, about power in government and social by Tamar Carroll. expectations more broadly. Mandell’s research included analysis Attending graduate school, Tamar Carroll of news articles, interviews with everyday visited the Smith College Archives in people to see how they reacted to specific Northampton, Mass., expecting to scandals, and interviews with two dozen research and write about feminist Gloria members of the New York State Assembly, Steinem. But first, the archivist shared which has seen several sex scandals in papers about a Brooklyn-based feminist recent years. group named the National Congress of Neighborhood Women. Other Books “I found it fascinating,” said Carroll, Find more at the RIT Press now an associate professor of history at www.rit.edu/press RIT. “It was all unexpected, all of these

Research at RIT 31 Research Awards and Honors

Research Awards and Honors

RIT values the research contributions of its faculty, staff, and students. Below are some members of the RIT community who have received recent international, national, and university recognition.

Research underway at materials beyond silicon and nanowire of Science. RIT advances a new kind arrays can be used to achieve increased “Over the five-year project, we seek to of sensing technology that solar energy. engage 70 percent of all faculty, including captures data with better An RIT research team is exploring an new hires and a majority of students in precision than currently unconventional process to improve solar project activities,” said Scott Franklin, possible and promises power conversion efficiencies to convert director of the Inclusive Excellence cheaper, smaller, and sunlight into useful electrical energy. program at RIT and the Center for Mishkat Bhattacharya lighter sensor designs. Their work focuses on maximizing how Advancing STEM Teaching, Learning Mishkat Bhattacharya, much of the solar spectrum can be taken and Evaluation. “Our goal is to increase a theoretical physicist at RIT, is investi- in using tandem junction solar cells based representation and inclusivity in the gating new precision quantum sensing on III-V compounds—metallic and non- College of Science, strengthening the solutions for the U.S. Department of the metallic elements on the Periodic Table to community and improving the retention Navy’s Office of Naval Research. The supplement silicon, said Parsian Mohseni, of all students.” three-year study is supported by a assistant professor of microsystems engi- $550,000 grant and is a continuation of neering in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Blanca Lapizco-Encinas a previous award. Bhattacharya will test Engineering and lead researcher. was awarded $299,611 interactions between light and matter at from the National Science the nanoscale and analyze measurements RIT has been awarded Foundation for “Develop- of weak electromagnetic fields and $1 million from a private ment of dielectrophoresis gravitational forces. philanthropy to increase chromatography diversity and inclusivity employing asymmetric Blanca Lapizco- Researchers at RIT among undergraduate Encinas insulating structures are expanding solar science majors and and electric fields.” cell technology using develop a strategy for The associate professor of biomedical nanowires to capture Scott Franklin supporting their success. engineering will develop a process to more of the sun’s energy The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s separate biological cells and biomolecules and transform it into Inclusive Excellence Initiative is a five- through chromatographic theory to usable electricity. year science education grant to develop characterize dielectrophoretic separation. Parsian Mohseni Comparable to ultra-thin future scientists reflecting the nation’s This is a continuation of work by Lapizco- blades of grass, nanowires diversity. RIT is one of 24 institutions Encinas in the area of microfluidics and added to today’s conventional materials selected to develop strategies for lab-on-chip medical devices—highly are capable of capturing more light expanding access to science education sophisticated laboratories on microchips. and can be cost-effective solutions to all students. Current work focuses on how the for adopting solar energy into the These initiatives will serve as national characteristics of particles affect the broader consumer market. models for other institutions. “particle retention” in the team’s insulator- One of the larger global challenges RIT will use the award to increase based dielectrophoresis systems. today is meeting energy demands, infrastructure, resources, and expertise Lapizco-Encinas leads the Microscale and alternative energy solutions such to involve and retain deaf/hard-of- BioSeparations Laboratory in RIT’s as solar power are being sought. hearing, female, African-American, Kate Gleason College of Engineering, Using nanowires for solar cells has Latino/a-American and Native American developing techniques in microfluidics been an active field for nearly 10 years. students in RIT’s schools of Physics and to separate cells so that scientists and Until now, few researchers have conclu- Astronomy, Life Sciences and Chemistry, clinicians can better analyze diseases. sively demonstrated how different and Materials Science in the College

32 Fall/Winter 2017-18