Hildegard of Bingen composes the cosmos

The New Yorker, January 30

Music critic Alex Ross examines how Hildegard of Bingen became a towering figure in early music history, referencing Hildegard of Bingen by Honey Meconi, the Arthur Satz Professor for the Department of Music and a professor of musicology at the Eastman School of Music, and Hildegard of Bingen’s Unknown Language: An Edition, Translation, and Discussion, a monograph by Sarah Higley, a professor of English.

Last Welcome Week team information session today

The Office of Orientation and First-Year Programs is hosting its last information session for AS&E undergraduate students interested in joining the fall 2023 Welcome Week team today, February 10, at noon in Morey Hall, Room 321. The session will cover the responsibilities of both Welcome Week leaders and volunteers, as well as position perks and the application process. Register here and learn more on the Orientation and First-Year Programs website.

Art New York application, information sessions

Undergraduate Writing Contest

The Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program announces the annual Undergraduate Writing Contest, open to all undergraduate students in AS&E. Monetary prizes will be given to the best submissions in five categories; prizes will also be given to the best multimodal compositions and projects. Graduate students and faculty members from the disciplines judge the work and select at least one winner and one honorable mention per category; judging is blind. Winners will be recognized at the Writing Colloquium Awards Dinner.

You may submit up to one paper or project per category. Entries may be work for a course you are taking this semester or work you completed during a previous semester but should not exceed twenty-five pages. Submissions are due by February 24 at 4 p.m. EST. Further details about the contest can be found online. Contact wsap@ur.rochester.edu with questions.

Be a student representative for the Graduate Student Wellness Committee

Are you a graduate student passionate about wellness? Do you want to share your experience as a student with faculty and staff or cocreate programs and policy changes for all graduate students on campus? The Graduate Student Wellness Committee is looking for student representatives. The committee includes a variety of Rochester graduate school faculty, staff, and students to help understand the needs of students and create wellness events to reach all of Rochester’s graduate students in a more systematic way. To become a student representative or if you have questions, contact Rebecca Block.

Nominations open for Ferrari Humanities Research Award, Judith Kerman Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award

Nominations are invited for the 2023 President’s Ferrari Humanities Research Award and the Judith Kerman Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award in Culture and Technology.

The Ferrari Humanities Research Award promotes and supports humanities research by a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Arts, Sciences & Engineering who is affiliated with the University’s Humanities Center. The award is in the amount of $25,000, which may be spent over two or three academic years. Self-nominations or nominations by department chairs and peers at the University of Rochester must be submitted by February 28. Find more information and submission guidelines here.

The Judith Kerman Faculty Teaching and Mentoring Award in Culture and Technology is designed to recognize the important relationship between teaching, classroom learning, and mentorship through research opportunities, as well as to foster an awareness of the significance of technology from a humanities perspective. An award of $5,000 will be presented to a tenure-track faculty member in the School of Arts & Sciences who excels as a scholar, teacher, and research mentor to undergraduate students and who works at the intersection of technology and humanistic inquiry. In a proposal of fewer than 1,000 words, nominees should describe an activity that they propose to carry out for the benefit of the undergraduate educational experience; be multidisciplinary as well as humanistic in nature; and advance knowledge about the interaction/influence of technology as a cultural or social change agent. Self-nominations or nominations by department chairs or peers at the University must be submitted by February 28 to Michael Cochrane. The award winner will be notified by March 31 and announced in April during a luncheon presentation hosted by the Humanities Center.

Recent books and recordings from the University community

Rochester Review’s listing of Books & Recordings includes recent works by University alumni, faculty, and staff. Find the latest compilation.

‘Changing Perspectives Through the Arts’ event

Teach for the Rochester Education Justice Initiative

The Rochester Education Justice Initiative (REJI), the University’s prison education program, seeks interested Rochester faculty and graduate students to teach credit-bearing college courses for incarcerated students in the 2023–24 academic year. REJI provides college education to incarcerated students at three state prisons—Attica, Groveland, and Wyoming—and, through the Justice Scholars program, helps formerly incarcerated students complete their higher education at colleges and universities in the Rochester area.

Interested faculty and graduate students should complete this application by Wednesday, March 15; include a statement of interest along with your application. Contact Marianne Kupin-Lisbin with questions.

Today, at 9:55 a.m. EST, Josh Cassada ’00 (PhD) will be on NASA TV Live answering questions submitted by Rochester City School District students at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. Cassada, a NASA flight engineer, is currently aboard the International Space Station. Stream the event live.