08/23/2013

"Through the Lens" at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine

Gazing at the Holon Design Museum in Israel late last year, Tamara Hagoel was struck by intriguing patterns of light, shadow, and fluid curves of weathered steel bands that define and support the building. Hagoel, a fourth-year student at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, captured handsome images on her camera, but saw them in a different light when she returned home.

“Later on, when I was looking at my photos, it reminded me of the ribcage,” she said, referring to the structure of the museum’s unique exterior design.

In Hagoel’s photograph, shot at an angle with a brilliant blue sky background, it appears as if the viewer is peering through the body’s ribs from inside the thoracic cavity.

The photograph won first place in the New Perspectives category of the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s “Through the Lens Initiative,” created by Dean Wolfgang Gilliar, DO, to generate photographs that relate to the school’s “Hands, Minds, and Hearts” motto.

“We thought to add a small but meaningful humanistic component to what we do and simply want to stimulate our students’ and faculty’s senses through a fun and active initiative,” said Gilliar, who worked decades ago as an official photographer for a political figure. “Harnessing the sense of seeing- either while actively taking photographs or simply viewing subjects – and then reflecting on what is seen will help sharpen the sense of observation.”

The initiatives themes for the rest of the year are: Hands and Touch; Minds: Thinking Further; and Hearts: Emotions and Reflections. The school will display large-scale winning photographs throughout its buildings and will award small monetary prizes to first-, second-, and third-place winners.

“I like building design, geometry, and shapes,” said Hagoel, who studied urban design and architecture as an undergraduate student, along with pre-med courses. “Whenever I see something that speaks to me, I try to take a lot of pictures.”

Currently in an internal medicine rotation at Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica, NY, Hagoel hopes to attain a residency in pediatrics.

“I really like working with kids and I think they’re really inspiring,” she says. “I think I can use my creativity to connect with them.”


About NYIT
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 13,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, more than 95,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

Contact:
Elaine Iandoli
Writer/Reporter
(516) 686-4013