January 21, 2020

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Entries are now being accepted for our annual, University-wide Art of Science Competition, which celebrates the aesthetic and interconnected natures of science and art. We welcome photographs, illustrations, visualizations, renderings, and posters showing an artistic representation of science, technology, engineering, math, and sustainability themes. Creativity and uniqueness are favored in the judging, as well as the ability of artists to convey the meaning of their work in terms understandable to a general audience.

Again this year we have an online submission form; the deadline to submit high resolution jpeg entries (300 dpi, at least 3,000 pixels wide) is March 20. Cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 will be awarded to winning student entries; student, faculty, and staff entries will all be eligible for a People’s Choice Award of $250. For inquiries, contact Brian McIntyre and the project team at artofscience@gmail.com. Let’s see if we can break last year’s record number of 84 entries! Click here to read about last year’s winning entries.

Congratulations to Heta Gandhi, a PhD student in the lab of Andrew White, assistant professor of chemical engineering. Heta has received a prestigious fellowship from the Molecular Sciences Software Institute (MolSSI) to further refine a new software program the lab developed to conduct its simulations of peptide self-assembly. This is particularly important in protein aggregation diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, where self-assembly of mis-folded proteins is believed to be the underlying cause. Heta is one of 8 recipients chosen from nearly 60 applicants. Read more here.

Students at all degree levels interested in studying electricity, energy transition, and climate mitigation in Rome this summer can apply for a new internship offered by the Enel Foundation and the Fulbright Program. Deadline to apply is February 14. Visit the Center for Education Abroad for more information.

The Goergen Institute for Data Science (GIDS) is offering an advanced graduate certificate in data science beginning this fall. Applications for fall are being accepted until March 15. The certificate program is designed for individuals who have a working knowledge of data science gained through industry or academic experience but would like to formalize their training with a deeper mastery of the fundamental concepts in the field. Current University employees and graduate students are welcome to apply. The program is designed to be a total of 16 credits and can be completed in 2-4 semesters of study. Detailed information on the program and how to apply for admission is available at this link. For further information, reach out to gids-advcert@rochester.edu.

Next Monday, January 27, world-renowned communications expert Jean-luc Doumont will give a talk titled “Making the most of your presentation” at 10 a.m. in the Gowen Room (Wilson Commons Room 213). This talk is especially relevant for anyone in a technical field. The SPIE Student Chapter and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics are sponsoring this event. Please RSVP so we can make sure to have space for everyone. Here are videos of Doumont discussing effective slide presentations, teaching beyond the lecture, and communicating with non-scientists.

The Office of the Provost is offering a workshop on “Managing Your Scholarly Identity,” which I strongly urge our faculty members to attend from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. February 5 in the Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons. Click here to read more about why this issue is so important not only for our faculty and researchers, but for our rankings as a University. Lunch is provided. Email Adele Coelho with questions. Register here.

Here’s an early heads up on a talk that should be especially interesting: Eileen Collins will be on campus March 21 to discuss her experiences as a NASA astronaut, pilot, and commander. Collins, who has logged 872 hours in space, was the first woman to pilot a spacecraft and the first to command a space mission. Ticket prices will be $6 for undergrads; $8 for faculty, grads, and staff, and $10 for the general public. Ticket sale dates will be announced closer to the event. Watch here for more details.

Have great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman