August 27, 2018

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

In welcoming our first-year students last week, I urged them to take full advantage of the opportunities they will have during their time at the University of Rochester.

Five of our seniors who were just named Garnish Scholars have done just that. Congratulations to Bryce Ikeda (soccer) of electrical and computer engineering, and Eric Feirouz (swimming), Aiden Finch (baseball), Harleigh Kaczegowicz (baseball), and Benjamin Martell (cross country/track and field) of mechanical engineering who have not only led their teams on the field of play, but also done outstanding work in the classroom. And as you look at their profiles, you’ll notice something else: All of these students have had one or more internships with companies in the fields they’re interested in.

How do you get an internship? A great place to start is the Gwen M. Greene Center for Career Education and Connections. I urge all our students to make full use of the expert counselors and resources there. Also, check out the industry “road trips” the center organizes to major cities across the country for networking sessions in real-life working environments. Five are scheduled this year, including another in a series of trips to Silicon Valley that has proven especially valuable for engineering and computer science students. Learn more here.

Orientation for first-year students wraps up tomorrow with the chance to learn firsthand about two of the opportunities I mentioned in my welcome address. An undergraduate research info session and panel from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Hoyt Auditorium will feature students talking about their current and past research experiences, and also provide information about how to get involved in research.  At 3:30 p.m., Engineers Without Borders will be at Dandelion Square with a fun engineering challenge for students of all majors — and an opportunity to learn more about the outstanding overseas work this group has done.

Reminder to faculty: The deadline to apply for PumpPrimer II awards is October 15. These awards provide “seed money” to help kick start innovative, high-risk research projects so they can obtain the preliminary data needed to leverage external funding. Contact Cindy Gary with any questions. PumpPrimer I and Research Mobility funds are also available and applications are accepted any time.

The Institute of Optics and the Department of Physics and Astronomy have established an Emil Wolf Endowed Award Fund to honor the late Wilson Professor of Optical Physics, who passed away recently. The fund will advance the academic, scholarly, and research missions of the two departments in ways that are consistent with Prof. Wolf’s scientific interests and that honor his long and celebrated association with both departments.  The first action of the fund will be to provide financial assistance to outstanding PhD candidates in physics and optics by designating one student annually as the Emil Wolf Fellow, including a financial stipend to be determined.  The intent is to make the award in January in alternate years to a physics student and an optics student.  Please contact Eric Brandt at ebrandt@alumni.rochester.edu if you are interested in contributing to this fund.

The Institute was recently notified of the untimely death of one of its young alumni, Omer Ropri (’10, ’11 TEAM, ’14 MS), who battled brain cancer for more than five years. Omer’s family has forwarded his textbooks to the Institute so they can be used by other students. Our condolences to his family and friends. Read more here.

Because of the Labor Day holiday the next issue of Hajim Highlights will be September 4.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman