About EUREKA!
What is EUREKA!?
EUREKA! is an annual 48-hour interdisciplinary collaborative event that provides a unique opportunity for RIT students to engage with a Rochester area community partner to initiate social change through design thinking strategies.
EUREKA! shows students that their passion and skills can really make a difference in the community, and Rochester community organizations benefit from fresh perspectives and approaches to complex challenges. Many students continue to work on their team concepts with the community partner as Capstone Projects and Independent Studies. Several EUREKA! alumni have pursued professional opportunities in social design after graduation as a result of their participation in EUREKA! events.
What does EUREKA! mean?
The word EUREKA! references the moment one has discovered the solution to a problem, as in, “EUREKA!, I have found it!” It is a fun and energetic word… and is a greeting of hello and goodbye among EUREKA! participants.
Who can participate?
All RIT students are welcome! Designers, engineers, business students, et cetera– no matter your major, your skills will be put to good use (and hopefully expanded upon)!
If you’re not a student but still want to participate, we’d love to have you help out in other ways. Contact Lorrie (Lorrie.Frear@rit.edu) to find out what role you can play in EUREKA!
Meet the EUREKA! Team
Lorrie Frear (she/her)
Lorrie Frear is a Professor in the School of Design in the College of Art and Design at RIT.
She is a life-long proponent of interdisciplinary collaborative learning experiences in the classroom, and in active involvement in the community. She has created numerous initiatives and projects throughout her teaching career at RIT to connect students to the Rochester community.
EUREKA! was created in 2014 to provide students with the opportunity to work together to generate solutions to challenges faced by community organizations.
Michael Grippo (he/him)
Michael is a senior in the Graphic Design program at RIT, double minoring in Crafts and Materials and Advertising and Public Relations. He’s interested in motion, typography, print, and branding. Michael also works as a designer with Command+g Design Lab.
Emmitt White (he/him)
Emmitt is a senior in the Graphic Design program at RIT with a minor in Packaging Science. He is the studio manager with Command+g Design Lab and is co-design director of Thought at Work design club. Emmitt shares his personal logo with the popular musician “Russ” (Emmitt gets every other weekend).
Jennifer Zhang (she/her)
Jennifer recently graduated from the RIT Graphic Design program with a Mobile Design and Development minor. She participated in last year’s EUREKA! event with the American Red Cross. This year she returns to be part of EUREKA! as one of the event directors.
Jolie Greco (she/her)
Jolie is a senior in the Graphic Design program pursuing minors in Advertising and Public Relations and Advertising Photography. She is interested in print, social media, and UX/UI design. Jolie was a graphic design summer Intern at the Vignelli Center for Design Studies and works as a senior designer for the College of Engineering Technology at RIT.
Lyle Lewis (he/him, they/them)
Lyle is a Senior RIT Graphic Design student with minors in Advertising Photography, Advertising & Public Relations, and Packaging Science. He is also the Student Ambassador for the RIT CAD Librarian and RIT 365 Facilitator. He loves typography and branding, as well as helping younger designers hone their skills and find their passions.
Meet our facilitators
Every year, we welcome several facilitators to Eureka! to help our student teams ask good questions and develop effective solutions. Our facilitators are often RIT alumni or past Eureka! participants. They’re familiar with the EUREKA! process and they’re here to help you, so don’t hesitate to ask them questions!
Allie Cervantes (she/her)
Allie Cervantes is currently the graphic designer for The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. She loves being able to use her design to highlight the history and culture of play and she works alongside woodworkers, interactive developers, and exhibits designers to create permanent and short-term exhibits for the museum. She also works freelance with Dropout, formerly CollegeHumor, on projects including their new show Smartypants.
Allie graduated from RIT in May 2023 with a BFA in Graphic Design and a double minor in Advertising & Public Relations and Museum Studies. She was a participant in EUREKA! 2021 as a junior and became an event coordinator during her senior year for EUREKA! 2022 with CP Rochester. She is extremely excited to return as a facilitator and can’t wait to see all the wonderful solutions the teams come up with!
Danielle Smith (she/her)
Danielle Suzanne Smith is an Art Director and Illustrator based in Rochester, NY. With over a decade of experience across advertising, editorial production and educational design, she is dedicated to the continued growth of the graphic arts community in Western NY. A proud graduate of RIT and the Eureka! Design Workshop, she was lucky enough to engage as both a participant and alumna facilitator. Her work has spanned clients including the Strong National Museum of Play (which led to Graphis and Addy recognition), Xerox, Instant Pot, Conduent, Highmark and the Memorial Art Gallery, and her freelance opportunities center on independent Rochester creators, musicians and businesses. Her passion for the history of the graphic arts is ever forward, as she hopes to bridge the foundations of the past with the eagerness of new ideas and collaborations.