September 17, 2018

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

The high energy density physics initiative — led by Gilbert “Rip” Collins, associate director for science, technology, and academics at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and professor of mechanical engineering and physics — has really gained momentum this past year.  And that’s great news — not only because of the slew of exciting discoveries coming out of this program, but also because of the wonderful opportunities this has created for close collaboration between researchers at LLE, the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and the Hajim School, particularly the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The study of materials at extreme pressures yields multiple applications: new astrophysical knowledge about the formation and properties of deep-space stars, planets and other objects; development of new materials for a host of applications here on Earth; safeguarding the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile with fusion experiments rather than actual test detonations of weapons; even the possibility of creating a clean, sustainable source of energy from fusion.

This program has generated seven grants worth about $4 million during the past year, making the University the largest recipient of HEDP grants. Four of those grants have been awarded to Rip and to three assistant professors in mechanical engineering — Hussein Aluie, Jessica Shang, and Ranga Dias. Their projects range from using convergent shock-wave techniques to compress hydrogen atoms beyond atomic scale, to developing better simulations of the fluid instabilities that hinder inertial confinement fusion, to using diamond anvil cells in the quest to produce materials that would be superconductive at or near room temperatures. Read more here.

The three other grants — received by LLE scientists David Turnbull and Valentin Karasev and senior scientists Suxing Hu and Jonathan Zuegel — address topics ranging from thermal management of lasers, to the use of flying focus to extend the focal region of peak laser intensity, to developing new software to improve the predictive capability of density-functional theory (DFT) for plasma-physics and materials studies.

In addition, a high energy density science curriculum for graduate students — the only one of its kind — has been launched in collaboration with the University of California. All of these developments bode well for positioning LLE and the University as leaders in this field. It’s going to be exciting to watch this initiative continue to grow.

Hussein Aluie has also received a $568,000 grant from NASA to study mesoscale ocean eddies. These ubiquitous swirls – about 100 km in size – are critical in transferring heat poleward and impacting larger scale circulation and climate. For more than a decade now, satellites have been able to collect data on these eddies and researchers have been actively working on understanding their role and how to best parametrize their effect in climate models. Hussein will apply advanced quantitative tools developed in his lab to better understand how these eddies are “coupled” to larger circulation patterns with the goal of improving our capability to predict climate change.  His work, in collaboration with Matthew Hecht of Los Alamos National Lab, Geoffrey Vallis of the University of Exeter, and Mahmoud Sadek, a former postdoc in Hussein’s group now at Cairo University, could be especially useful for the upcoming SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite mission in 2021.

Faculty members working in augmented and virtual reality, please take note: The University’s AR/VR Initiative is hosting a day-long, joint meeting on October 1 with RIT faculty interested in this field. Details here. The goal is to help identify potential collaborations and partnerships. Please register by next Monday, September 24. This is an exciting, emerging field in which we can have a significant impact.

Hajim School postdocs take note: Today is the deadline to sign up for the Steadman Family Postdoctoral Associate Prize in Interdisciplinary Research, to be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, October 5 in Goergen 101 (Sloan Auditorium) as part of Meliora Weekend. The competition is open to AS&E and School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD) postdocs, who present their research in a 5-minute oral presentation, using a single, static slide,The winner will receive $1,000, with a total of $2,500 being awarded.  Audience members will determine the people’s choice award of $250. Postdoc application requirements and complete award details are here. Applications should be submitted to janice.vanopdorp@rochester.edu. Let’s have a good showing from the Hajim School!

Please join me at 3 p.m. today in the Feldman Ballroom as the AS&E Discussions on Topical Challenges series continues with a lecture by Diane E. Ambler ’71 on “Women as Leaders: A New Mindset.” Diane is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of K&L Gates LLP and is also a member of the executive boards of both the Women in Law Empowerment Forum and the National Association of Women Lawyers. She will speak about historical changes and work still to be done in the area of women and leadership. A reception will follow from 4 to 5 p.m. This event is free and open to all students, faculty, and staff.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman