Michael Peres and Willie Osterman tintype Snowflake Triptych [Untitled]

Michael Peres joined the teaching faculty at Rochester Institute of Technology in 1986. During his three decade teaching career at RIT, he has served as the acting chair of the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences; the associate chair of the School; the interim chair of the fine art photography program; interim chair of the visual media program; and chair of the Biomedical Photographic Communications department (1989 -2009). Peres' expertise includes photography using a light microscope as well as biomedical photography and related technologies. Peres has been active in publishing most of his career and served as editor-in-chief of the Focal Encyclopedia of Photography - 4th edition. He has presented many papers and imaging-related workshops all over the United States, as well as in Sweden, Canada, the UK, Austria, Tanzania, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia. He has been a member of BioCommunications Association since 1978. Some of his current professional activities include being one of the coordinators for the annual RIT Big Shot and the Images from Science exhibition. He has won numerous awards including the RIT Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching; the Gitner Prize presented by the RIT College of Imaging Arts and Sciences for ourstanding work in the graphic arts (2X); the 2007 Louis B. Schmidt Award presented by the BioCommunications Association for life time contributions to the Biocommunications industry; and the 2010 RIT Frank Romano prize for innovation in publishing in the graphic arts. Michael holds a master’s degree in instructional technology and bachelors degrees in biology and biomedical photographic communications. He is also a registered biological photographer. He was born in Utica, New York and is married to Laurie Susan Peres. He has 2 children, Jonathan and Leah. http://mrppph.cias.rit.edu/Peres_bio_short.html

Willie Osterman is a Professor and Program Chair of the Fine Art Photography department in the Photographic Arts Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology, New York where he has been teaching, researching and working as an active artist since 1984. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in photography with a minor in art history from Ohio University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Visual Design and Photography with the award of two teaching fellowships from the University of Oregon. [from http://wtopph.cias.rit.edu/info.html]