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Laboratory Activities & Notes Joe and Beth Hornak at his retirement party October 2025. The gathering served as a reunion for many students and colleagues who over the past four decades helped make the RIT MRL look so good. If you were unable to attend, I thank you for your contribution to this effort.     Positioning the EPR MOUSE over the painting Green Peppers at a Farm Stand by Devi Ramanan (BS Chemistry 1995).     Olivia Kuzio (MS Chemistry 2021, PhD Color Science 2023) at the finish of the Canandaigua Lake 50 mile ultra marathon. This was the first lake of our 11 lake Finger Lakes challenge run.     It is with great sadness that I announce of the passing of Professor Richard W. Fessenden, my graduate advisor, mentor, and friend. His work had a great impact on the fields of radical chemistry, radiolysis, and ESR. His patient, thoughtful, focused, and quiet demeanor helped make me the scientist that I am. He is pictured here third from the left with the members of his lab (circ 1981). Dr. Fessenden, the problem is..., that you are no longer with us.     Haley Wiskoski (BS Imaging Science 2020) presenting her poster at the Rochester Academy of Science Fall 2019 Paper Session.     Research student Elizabeth Bogart (BS Imaging Science 2019) competing on ice.   Dr. David Lee (BS, MS Chemistry 2003), Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science at Washington State University, presented the RIT 11/20/18 Chemistry Seminar on HRadical-Induced Topography and Property Modifications on Materials Surfaces.   Here are some pictures from his undergraduate days at RIT, specifically a piano recital and graduation.   Dr. Sarah (Chapman) Petitto (BS Chemistry 1999), Associate Profeesor of Chemistry at St. Cloud State University, MN, was one of six to received the Minnesota State System 2018 Educator of the Year award. Congratulations Sarah!   Visiting my graduate research lab at the University of Notre Dame and posing near the 3 MeV Van de Graaff accelerator I used.   I recently met one of my first students at RIT, Mark Reiman (BS Chemistry 1988, MS Color Science 1999). Both of us were training for a triathlon and decided to try out the Syracuse Half Ironman bike course one May weekend. (Temperature: 46F, Wind: W @ 25 mph, Precipitation: ice pellets, light snow, rain)   Lauren Switala (BS Chemistry 2015) and Emma Hornak presenting their poster A Low Frequency Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study Of The Firing Temperature Of Redart Clay at the Rochester Academy of Science 41th Annual Fall Scientific Paper Session. (November 2014)   Amy Becker (BS Imaging Science 2015) measuring R1 values on the 40 MHz Magritek NMR.   William Ryan (BS Chemistry 1994, MS Chemistry 1997) at the low frequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer. (2014)   I recently graduated my third doctoral student Dr. Yujie Qiu (PhD Imaging Science 2013). Note the informal commencement attire worn by RIT faculty.   I am saddenened to report the passing of SPC US Army Raliek Boswell on 24 September 2012. Raliek was a summer 2007 CIS High School Intern in the Magnetic Resonance Laboratory.   My high school chemistry and physics teacher, Mr. Henry J. McCann, at a school reunion. He was undoubtedly the first teacher who inspired me to become a scientist. I saw in him that evening the same personable, energetic, and keen-witted teacher who motivated me to learn chemistry and physics from his lectures and demonstrations. Thank you Mr. McCann.   Research group dinner June 2010. From left to right: Nitin Nampalli (BS EMCR 2010), Yujie Qiu (PhD Imaging Science 2013), Wei, Shunxu Ge, me, Elizabeth Hornak, Gina Campbell, Derrick Campbell (MS Imaging Science 2014), Hongmei Yuan (MS Chemistry 2011).   RIT Provost Jeremy Haefner presenting the 2010 RIT Trustees Scholarship Award at the a dinner on May 11.   Rebecca Smith (BS Chemistry 2011) happily collecting another R1 value.   Wenjia Zhang & Emma Satterfield, two members of my fan club from Missouri University of Science and Technology who met me at the 2010 Experimental NMR Conferecne in Daytona Beach, Florida.   Christmas 2009 Hongmei Yuan (MS Chemistry 2011) and my daughters (left) and Yujie Qiu (PhD SIMD 2013), husband Wei, and my daughters (right).     During the summer of 2009, I visited China to present a series of lectures on NMR. Here is my billing at Henan University in Kaifeng, Henan, China.   My host was Professor Xiuhua Liu from Henan University. Here we are pictured with her graduate student Lin (Lee) Zhang at the Great Wall north of Beijing.   Other members of her research group are pictured in the following images.     Group dinner Summer 2008. Pictured from left to right are Jennifer Swartzenberg (BS Chemistry 2009), Dr. Brittany Lipchick (BS Chemistry 2008) & firend, Sang Yun Moon's (MS Chemistry 2008) family, and my family.   The summer of 2007 research group from left to right, Sang Yun Moon (MS SIMG 2008), Dr. Brittany Lipchick (BS SCHC 2008), me, Raliek Boswell (CIS HS Intern), and May Cheung (CIS HS Intern). The picture was taken at the 2007 RIT Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.   May and Brittany discussing results over lunch.   May and Raliek preparing for the symposium.   Dr. Victor Rendano presenting a plaque recognizing my Keynote Address at the 2007 American College of Veterinary Radiology meeting.   Dr. Tina Bray (PhD Imaging Science 2006) collecting NMR data and as a new PhD.     Dr. Tina Bray (PhD Imaging Science 2006) and Mitch Burgess (BS Engineering Technology 2002) overseeing the drilling of our field wells one warm January day in 2001.   I spent the summer of 2005 in the research group of Dr. Ulrich Scheler, IPF, Dresden, Germany.   Installation of the 500 MHz NMR spectrometer in 2003.   Dr. Thomas Servoss (PhD Imaging Science 2001) was my first Imaging Science PhD student. I missed his hooding ceremony while on sabbatical in Italy, so we reenacted it once I returned.   Views of the Bay of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius from my apartment while on sabbatical in Italy.   Devi Ramanan (BS Chemistry 1995) at commencement.   Devi Ramanan (BS Chemistry 1995) and Dr. Jo Roe (BS Chemistry 1994, MS Chemistry 1996) preparing reverse micelle solutions.   Dimitrios Psarros (MS ICSG 1994) working on his image segmentation tools package.   Lada Jawny (BS Imaging Science 1993) passes the research torch to Rebecca Bogdan (BS SIMG 1994).   Dr. Lynn Fletcher (BS Imaging Science 1992) presenting her research at the Society of Magnetic resoance in Medicine meeting in Berlin, Germany in August 1992.   Dr. Edward Szczepaniak (MS EQAS 1992) at the low frequency ESR spectrometer.   Scott Szeglowski (BS Imaging Science 1992).   Dr. Karl Helmer getting a little frustrated with the Mac based system on the 200 MHz NMR.     Go to: [ Home | Research | Services | Capabilities | Instruments | Personnel | Reports | Activities | Links | IP ] Magnetic Resonance Laboratory Center for Imaging Sciecne Rochester Institute of Technology 54 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5604 e-mail: jphsch@rit.edu Copyright © 2026 RIT MRL All Rights Reserved.