It’s February 11.

Spring break is 22 days away.

And this is what’s in focus.

Spotlight: Commencement 2022

On May 13, we’re celebrating all members of the Class of 2022, in-person, in Fauver Stadium.

[Sound of a stadium crowd going wild here.]

You’ve probably heard the news, but it’s the kind of news that has us ignoring concerns of being repetitive. We’re excited, and we want to talk about it.

“It feels very Rochester,” says Dean Gloria Culver. “We’ll all be together at this big ceremony, as one university, but we’ll still have the very personal moments. I think it’s symbolic of the way students, regardless of their majors, take advantage of all the University has to offer to develop as a student and grow as a person.”

The celebration is also “very Rochester” in the sense that we’ve celebrated this way in the past. This won’t be our first University-wide celebration and it won’t be the first time we’ve held Commencement in Fauver Stadium. Rochester conferred degrees in the stadium from 1953 to 1966, and then again from 1987 to 1995. When Commencement returns to the stadium in May, it will be bolstered with additional bleachers to accommodate about 14,000 people.

Graduating students will receive a limited number of tickets for family and friends. For additional details and information about the celebration, check out the full story.

And May will be here sooner than you think, so keep an eye on the Commencement website for updates.

Picture above: Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Rochester professor (1967-85) Anthony Hecht gives a Commencement address to a filled Fauver Stadium in 1987.

Zooming In

Giving you a closer look at some news you might be interested in reading.

On Earth-like planets. Planets that are just far enough from their stars for surface water to remain a liquid are considered to exist in the “Goldilocks Zone.” This is an important indicator of habitability. Miki Nakajima, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, has found another significant distinction that will help narrow our search for Earth-like planets: moon size. Earth’s moon, which is vital to life as we know it, is uncommonly large compared to Earth’s size. A study led by Nakajima, examined moon formations and concluded only certain kinds of planets can form moons like ours. So, what does this new criterion mean? Find out.

On Laura Ackerman Smoller. She’s a professor in and chair of the history department and a scholar of medieval and Renaissance Europe. And she’s currently crushing it. Last month, Smoller became a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, which is the academy’s highest honor for North American medievalists. On the same day, she also received notice that she earned a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship to write her third book, tentatively titled Astrology and the Sibyls: Paths to Truth in Medieval and Renaissance Europe. Get the details.

News Flash

It’s common for our faculty members to have their perspectives published in national media. Here’s an example from Mical Raz, the Charles E. and Dale L. Phelps Professor in Public Policy and Health in The Washington Post:

“Reducing child poverty is a no-brainer—but not because of effects on children’s brains”

Quick View

Here’s a glance at some other noteworthy School of Arts & Sciences stories you might have missed.

Research. Undergraduate students gain valuable experiences through a research program led by mathematics faculty members.

Psychology. Assistant professor Bonnie Le coauthored a COVID-19 study that found mental health benefited from children and romantic partners.

Economics. Rochester economist Narayana Kocherlakota says the consensus is wrong, a fiscal policy is a better economic stimulant than a monetary one.

Physics. Nicholas Bigelow, the Lee A. DuBridge Professor of Physics is one of two professors at Rochester recognized for efforts to advance science.

On the Horizon

Looking for something to do? Consider attending one of the upcoming events below. For all other School of Arts & Sciences events, check the University Calendar.

2/11…Data Science: Careers in Data Science—Erika Ramsdale ʼ21

2/11…Dance and Movement: Trilogy of Dance Films

2/17…Modern Languages and Cultures: Take No for an Answer

2/18…Political Science: Riker Seminar Series—Rafaela Dancygier

2/24…International Theatre Program: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

3/1…English: Plutzik Reading Series—Sally Keith

3/15…Humanities Center: Sawyer Seminar—Film Screening, Negra

3/17…Art and Art History: ‘Our Friend Angela”: The Black Communist Star

3/20…Music: Concert Extravaganza at Kodak Hall

3/28…Chemistry: Physical Seminar—Christina Li