December 5, 2016

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Congratulations to Jackson Abascal ’19,  Zachary Polansky ’19, and Daniel Rubery ’17 of computer science for advancing to the ACM-International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals — the most prestigious programming contest — after finishing 2nd behind MIT in a regional contest held recently at Rochester Institute of Technology. They’ll compete in May at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. This same team just missed qualifying for the world finals last year after finishing 3rd in the regional contest. This is only the second time a University of Rochester team has qualified for the world finals, the first time being in 2010. Click here to read more about what it took for our team to join 131 others in the finals this time.

I am pleased to announce an exciting summer research/global experience for undergraduate and graduate students next May 28 through July 1. Renato Perucchio, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Archaeology, Technology, and Historical Structures Program, will lead a field school at the historic Elmina Castle in Ghana, the most prominent of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in that country. Students will receive hands-on training in the surveying, digital modeling, and engineering evaluation skills used to study and conserve historic structures. Renato will provide detailed information on the field school from 6 to 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, Dec. 8, in Dewey 2-110E during the information session on UR-sponsored Field Schools. Interested students are encouraged to attend and/or contact Renato  (rlp@me.rochester.edu) directly. I strongly encourage students to do so.

David Lippman ’18 of optics spent this past summer as an intern at Arnold & Richter Cine Technik (ARRI) in Munich, Germany. The company engineers and manufactures movie cameras, lenses, lights, and other motion picture technology. David was able to do both lab research and computer programming — and came back with some new ideas about what he might do with his career. Thanks, David, for sharing your experiences. Read more here.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Solar Splash USeed campaign, which has surpassed its $3,000 goal in record time.  Encouraged by this response, team co-president Edward Ruppel is hoping to now raise $5,000 by the time the campaign ends on Dec. 16. The team, which competes against other colleges at an annual five-day meet, is building a new solar-powered boat from the ground up. This is a great hands on experience for students to apply what they’ve learned in class. Click on the updates tab at the campaign website to learn more and see videos about the progress the team has made on the new boat so far.

One of the perks of being a newly appointed dean is the opportunity to invite two very special people to be guest speakers at my investiture next Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 4:30 p.m. in Douglass Ballroom. Anantha Chandrakasan, the Vannevar Bush Professor and head of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, is an expert in ultra-low-power circuit and system design, energy harvesting, energy efficient RF circuits, and hardware security. As my master’s advisor and PhD co-advisor, he had a profound influence in shaping my own career in this field. Alicia Abella, AT&T’s assistant vice president of cloud technologies and services research, is an expert in such areas as cloud computing, human-computer interaction, data analytics, and the Internet of Things. She is also a staunch advocate of a cause that is very close to my own heart — helping minorities and women succeed in engineering. We are fortunate that Alicia will be able to dine with members of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, UR Women in Computing, the Society of Women Engineers, and the National Society of Black Engineers on Monday, and to meet with faculty from the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Computer Science and from the Goergen Institute for Data Science next Tuesday.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman