October 28, 2019

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Congratulations to Bob Boyd, professor of optics, who has been selected as one of the co-winners of the American Physical Society’s 2020 Frank Isakson Prize for Optical Effects in Solids. Bob, who is also affiliated with the Materials Science Program, is being recognized for pioneering contributions to the discipline of composite optical materials and metamaterials, including seminal work on the understanding of nanoscale optical composites, and for developing metamaterials and metasurfaces for crucial photonics applications. This is a well-deserved recognition for one of our outstanding researchers.

Congratulations as well to six Hajim School sophomores who have received the Suzanne J. O’Brien Book Award, which recognizes students who excelled academically and in leadership roles in their first year at the College.

They are:

Ognjen “Ogi” Bosic, who grew up in Bosnia and Herzegovina and speaks five languages. Ogi is pursuing a major in mechanical engineering and a minor in archeology, technology and historical structures. His nominator praised his leadership skills on the UR Baja team. He was elected by his peers into a significant role during his second semester; he continues as team lead for the frame and chassis team this year.
Jonah Davis from Rowley, MA, who was active in marching band, theater, and athletics in high school. Jonah is pursuing a major in computer science and has also sampled coursework from disciplines including psychology, classics, linguistics and astronomy. He is active in Pep Band, and TOOP – “The Opposite of People” – a student-run theatre company.
Sangwu Lee, a computer science major, who was born in Korea and is a graduate of Armand Hammer United World College, a boarding school in New Mexico, where he participated in a variety of community service programs. He is a TA for a graduate level data science course, is president of the Japanese Student Club, a member of the Data Science Council, and works for two research groups.
Zachary Mustin from Milton, MA, who is a computer science major and has also completed coursework in psychology, public health, philosophy, and political science. This year, he is taking voice lessons at the Eastman School of Music; serves as the assistant music director for the Yellowjackets, one of our all male a cappella groups; is a resident advisor; and a member of Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity.
Helena Schreder, from Lancaster, PA, who is pursuing a major in mechanical engineering and taking coursework in studio art. This summer, she served on the small team of students and staff that planned new student orientation for our entering first year students, transfer students, and the families of our new students. She is a member of the club basketball team and Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.
Kendra Watson, a chemical engineering major, who is from Mercer Island, WA. While in high school, Kendra was selected to participate in a four-week program at Smith College focused on science and engineering. She has studied trumpet at the Eastman School, and is taking courses in German. Kendra is a member of the women’s varsity track and field team and serves as a workshop leader for CHM 131.

It is pretty awesome watching a pumpkin arch through the skies toward the far end of the Wilson Quad after being shot from an air cannon. But old-fashioned trebuchets carried the day Friday at our annual pumpkin launch where accuracy was the key factor. Of six teams entered (two from RIT), our AICHE team took first place. The UR Makers team may have come in second in the scoring, but showed tremendous team spirit. Meanwhile, the donuts disappeared fast during the esocial on the Wilson Commons porch, where several miniature pumpkins were no doubt relieved to be painted, not launched. Thanks to the student chapters and faculty members who participated in making this a memorable, safe pumpkin launch!

Students interested in applying for the Grand Challenges Scholars Program can attend any of five application workshops and information sessions, starting this morning. You can meet with an advisor to finish your application, or simply learn more about how your experiences fit in with the program. This is a great opportunity for undergraduates to earn recognition by unifying their classwork, research, global experiences, and entrepreneurial activities under a unifying theme — one of the 14 grand challenges identified by the National Academy of Engineering.The sessions, all at the iZone, will be held:

Today, October 28, 10 a.m. to noon.
Tuesday, November 5, noon to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, November 13, 8-9 p.m.
Thursday, November 21, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday, November 22, 2-4 p.m.

As students consider which classes to take for next semester, they should take note of an exciting new course: Data, Algorithms and Justice (PHL 235), which will focus on a number of questions that arise in the design, development and deployment of machine learning algorithms. Topics include bias in algorithms, the impact of social media algorithms on public discourse, and how society should be structured when many basic tasks will be performed by machines.

The course will also count towards a new cluster that is being proposed: Ethics of Technology. Three other courses offered this spring — PHL 102 (Ethics), 103 (Contemporary Moral Problems) and 230 (Environmental Justice) — would also count toward the new cluster. Given the increasing complexity of the challenges that engineers and computer and data scientists face — and the high stakes involved — it is more important than ever for our students to have a solid grounding in ethics.

We also encourage our students to be well versed in entrepreneurship, to better understand how to bring their discoveries to the marketplace where they can make a difference. So graduate students may want to attend one of the upcoming information sessions on OPT 481/TEM 411: Technical Entrepreneurship. The multidisciplinary course is an opportunity to network with startup companies and innovators, to examine management practices associated with technical innovation and new business development, and to work on teams with MBA candidates and graduate-level engineering, science, and medical students. The information sessions will be held noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, November 4, in Gleason Hall 244, and noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, November 12, in Gleason Hall 335. Lunch will be served. RSVP to (585) 275-8828 or lynn.reiner@rochester.edu.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman