January 14, 2019
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
This week we not only start a new semester, but welcome new students — 10 first-year students, 5 transfer students, and three incoming exchange students — plus students returning after taking leave for a variety of reasons, which can include medical, family, military, and internships. Please join me in extending these students a warm welcome and helping them feel at home.
Donna Porcelli has embarked on a well-earned retirement. After joining the University in 1976, she spent 25 years in the Department of Chemical Engineering, working her way up the ranks from secretary to administrative assistant, becoming well versed in departmental practices and University policies. She joined the newly formed Department of Biomedical Engineering in 2001. “We were all newbies,” said Richard Waugh, the department’s founder and first chair, at a recent retirement party in Donna’s honor. “I had never been a department chair, none of the faculty had been faculty before, and Donna was the one who provided us with the guidance and the knowledge it took to really build this department into what it is today.” Click here to read more about the huge impact Donna has had on the department and its students, most recently as graduate program coordinator. This is but one example of the fine work done by the administrative staff members in our departments.
Alumni and friends will be interested in the latest newsletters of the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Computer Science. This is a great way to keep up with what is happening in these departments, including faculty, staff, and student achievements, plus updates about alumni. Thanks to all who had a hand in putting these publications together!
Students considering a career in medicine, or interested in computational biology and data or computer science, will have an opportunity January 25 to learn about an interesting early assurance program for Rochester students in computational medicine at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College. An information session and lunch will be offered from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Greene Center Conference Room, 4-200 Dewey Hall. Computer science alumnus Isidore Rigoutsos (M ’87), the founding director of the Computational Medicine Center at Thomas Jefferson University, and Michael Stillman, the assistant dean of academic affairs at the medical college, will describe how students selected for this program will benefit from a free mentored summer research experience at SKMC, waiver of the MCAT requirement, and preferred admissions to the Computational Medicine track at SKMC, which is in Philadelphia. To register for the information session, click here. Questions? Contact Cathy Caiazza in the Greene Center.
Here’s some additional incentive for Hajim students interested in qualifying as Grand Challenges Scholars to attend a regional meeting from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, January 26, in the Barbara J. Burger iZone at Rush Rhees Library. The event will be held in collaboration with the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship, which will offer an interactive workshop called “The Voice of a Customer.” Students participating in this meeting from our University, RIT, and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry will fulfill the Entrepreneurship competency of the Grand Challenges Scholars Program. The agenda also will include a Design Thinking workshop, Project Management 101 workshop, a hands-on project with a community partner, and brainstorming and collaborating with other students about projects. Students who participate also will get a certificate in Design Thinking. Students not yet enrolled in the Grand Challenges Scholar Program, but interested in doing so, are welcome to participate if space allows. All majors welcome. Interested? RSVP to emma.derisi@rochester.edu.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
