Project(s): Social Networking Game

Abdul is a 3rd year Graphic Media publishing student at RIT's College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.

As a student researcher at the RIT Open Publishing Lab, he enjoys studying how new media impacts the way we communicate and express ourselves. He hopes to become one of the visionaries whom will bring a new meaning to traditional print.

Abdul has devoted the remainder of his time at RIT to studying Digital output systems, automated workflows, Variable Data Printing, Web Development, Content and Digital Assets Management and strategic planning.

In addition to his work with the OPL, Abdul is a lab assistant at the Digital Publishing Lab at the School of Print Media.

Project(s): Public Knowledge Project

Adam is founder and principal of Adaptive Publishing, a strategic planning, consulting and engineering company with a focus on publishing and graphic communications. Adaptive Publishing works with companies to develop content management and multi-channel publishing strategies, and assist in the development and implementation of systems that enable the delivery of content on-demand.

Adam has detailed knowledge of: Printing and Publishing Technology, Web-enabled Print Production, Web-to-Print, Document Engineering, Digital Printing, Color Management, Graphic Arts Technology Standards, Web Standards, Web Development, Content and Digital Assets Management. He sees printing and publishing technology as providing the tools for communication and access to knowledge.

Adam holds a masters degree from Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Print Media and a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Communications Management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

In his spare time, Adam runs the PrintWiki Project, an open-source knowledge base of information on the printing and graphic communication industry. He currently serves as managing editor of the Print CEO Blog, WhatTheyThink.com's printing industry blog.

Project(s): Open Publishing Guide

Ben is a multi-disciplined media producer. His disciplines range from producing web media, writing music, producing videos, and various different design works.

Ben was born in Vienna, Austria. His media career started early while attending the American International School in Vienna. At the age of six, Ben started to scan in with his father his color books and color them in using Adobe Photoshop. At the age of eight, he designed his first newsletter Newsamania and distributed to readers in the school. He was the designer for both the elementary newsletter What's Happenin' and his Middle School newsletter Middle School Monitor. At the age of thirteen, he designed the opening to the school's K-12 2001 Yearbook, beginning his 6 year commitment to the school's Yearbook. During this time in yearbook, his work was awarded and recognized five times by its publisher, Taylor Publishing, and presented in the publisher's Yearbook Yearbook.

At the age of thirteen, Ben also began to play guitar and take lessons. He picked up the instrument quickly, performing his first live performance in Kutztown, PA. His interest grew stronger with time, and began to compose his own music, ranging from instrumental music to ballads and rock anthems. Upon graduating High School from the American International School in Vienna in Spring 2006, he attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, Surrey, England to earn earn his diploma in Guitar Performance. While there, he submersed myself in the opportunities the school had to offer, including studying with former Alice Cooper guitarist Pete Friesen, and being a session guitarist for John Gallen (one of the sound engineers for the Queen: A Night at the Opera album). It exposed him to several forms of music, and taught him that "there is good in most music...one is naive to stick their noses at music at first hearing."

Here at RIT, Ben is earning his undergraduate degree in New Media Publishing. While studying his professional concentrations, he also continues to personally study several topics in Information Technology, including Java, PHP, and other web development platforms. He currently is a lab assistant for the School of Print Media. His experiences in a variety of different medias helps him contribute to the Open Publishing Guide and other OPL projects as a technical developer and researcher.

Project(s): Public Knowledge Project

Damian is a system administrator for RIT libraries and is deeply involved in many of their web applications such as the Digital Media Library, Open Access Journals, SFX, and Metalib.

He has his BS in Information Technology from RIT, and is currently working towards his MS in Technology Management at RIT.

Project(s): Social Networking Game

Gordon Toth is a third year Software Engineering student from New Jersey.  At the OPL he is currently working on the Social Networking Game.  In his personal time, Gordon enjoys music, video games, having a good time with friends, and of course, the internet.  He is currently trying to master PHP through an on-going website project for the  Rutgers Football Letterwinners Association.

Project(s): Social Networking Game

I grew up in the small town of Waterloo, NY. I have two younger siblings Cody and Chad Weigand. Cody is working for an auto company and Chad is attending high school both still residing in Waterloo. My mother (Lee-Ann), is working for the Geneva City School District as an accountant and cafeteria food management. My father  (Jeffery), works for the Geneva Housing Authority. Waterloo is located in the Heart of the Finger Lakes area.

While attending Waterloo high school, I went to a vocational school from 1999 to 2001 where I studied analog and digital electronics. As well as computer repair and basic networking skills. After graduation, I worked for the NYS Agriculture Experiment Station for 5 years doing HVAC Control Systems and backup for the primary network technician. While working at the Experiment Station I attended Finger Lakes Community College where I obtained my Associates degree in Computer Science. I left my job at the Experiment Station too become an RIT student full time to receive my Bachelors Degree in Software Engineering.

I currently reside in Newark, NY with my wife Johanna and our 4 children Jade (8 years), Joy (6 years), Samantha (3 years), Emelia (15 months), our two Great Danes, and two ferrets.

Project(s): Innovation News

John Karahalis is a first year Software Engineering major at RIT. He helps maintain the OPL website and is currently contributing to the Innovation News project. John hopes to combine his experience with web design, his interest in software usability, and his enthusiasm in Free and Open Source Software to contribute tools which are both useful to end-users and beneficial the FOSS community.

Project(s): Innovation News

Mark Newell is a fourth year New Media Publishing student with a minor in Communications. This is his first and (regrettably) last quarter with the OPL as a student researcher and designer for the CMS portion of the Innovation News project.

Outside of the OPL, Mark has also extended his co-op from last year at the Democrat and Chronicle into a part time position, with hopes of transitioning to full time after graduation. In his year and a half with the company, he has worked extensively on the redesigns of FingerLakesWine.com, RochesterInsider.com, RocLoop.com, and other D&C owned properties. Also in that time, he has designed numerous graphics for the paper, and programmed interactive features including the insider Radio and the "Street Sense" audio interview template.

Outside of work and school, Mark works pretty extensively with Bloody Good Horror, designing and maintaining all web related aspects as well as participating in a weekly round-table podcast that has amassed over 1,000 listeners a week and growing. Mark also "sings" (yells) in a touring hardcore band, Election Day, that is scheduled for a two week tour through the East Coast/Midwest in the Summer of 2008.

Outside of his obligations, Mark spends much of his time planning trips to exotic locales (Dansville) with his girlfriend, exploring social media, listening to music, attending shows, frequenting DogTown Hots, blazing through his Netflix queue, playing FIFA 06, collecting Lucha Libre paraphernalia, and dreaming of having enough money to follow up on some lingering tattoo plans.

Project(s): Innovation News, Open Publishing Guide, Public Knowledge Project, Social Networking Game

Matthew is a cultural anthropologist who focuses on studying how new media tools alter the way groups communicate, and, in turn, how those changes affect the evolution of said tools.  Prior to joining RIT's School of Print Media as a visiting professor, he completed a Masters in the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. Before that, Matthew spent eight years in a variety of internet production, community management, and content strategy roles at Eastman Kodak's kodak.com, during which time he earned one patent.

In addition to his work with the OPL, he is member of RIT’s Lab for Social Computing, a cross disciplinary center focusing on the use of computing tools to facilitate these social and collaborative interactions.

Matthew is currently conducting research on citizen journalism, social computing, and data driven print and will be beginning his PhD studies at Cornell University in the fall of 2008, working in both the Anthropology and Information Systems programs. You can view his personal blog at http://www.waking-dream.com.

Project(s): Open Publishing Guide, Public Knowledge Project

Pat Albanese’s extensive career has been one of exploring the intersection of information and technology. Currently Pat holds the position of Gannet Distinguished Professor in the School of Print Media, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Previously Pat served as the Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of Library and Information Technology Services for Mount Holyoke College. In her position, Pat oversaw all library and computing services and provided leadership and strategic direction for the College’s information technology programs. Among her accomplishments at Mount Holyoke College were the introduction of campus-wide wireless services, a content management system, a web site redesign, the introduction of an open source academic technology platform which includes student e-portfolio, institutional repository and digital course management systems and a campus-wide enterprise level system.

Prior to Mount Holyoke, Pat led the libraries at Rochester Institute of Technology for over 20 years. Among her accomplishments at RIT were the development of an extensive array of digital information services to the campus–including the transition to digital journals, electronic books, and desktop delivery of articles–and installing the first campus wireless network. In addition, she oversaw the planning, renovation and building of a 150,000 sq ft library building, the addition of Java Wally’s library café, a central community-gathering place on campus. Also at RIT, Pat acted as co-P.I. of an $800,000 NFS grant to encourage young women to study science and technology-based disciplines and taught graduate level classes in information technology. Pat has served as a national and international library and information technology consultant, and sat on several national boards. She holds a BA in Philosophy and Masters Degrees in both Library Science and Information Technology.