February 17, 2020
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
I am delighted to introduce the first of several almunae in engineering and computer science who we are highlighting this year in conjunction with the University’s Celebration 2020 initiative. As President Sara Mangelsdorf noted last month, we observe two important anniversaries in women’s history this year: the 200th anniversary of Susan B. Anthony’s birth, and the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Many University departments and units are planning to mark this year through lectures, concerts, and other events that recognize and honor the impact of Rochester women (see calendar).
By celebrating the achievements of notable University of Rochester women students, staff, faculty, and alumnae in engineering and computer science the Hajim School hopes to reinforce why it is so important to do all we can to address the under-representation of women and minorities in STEM fields.
Consider what these alumnae have achieved:
Donna Strickland ’89PhD, shown at upper left, inspired us all when she shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for the pioneering work she did in chirped pulse amplification (CPA) with Gérard Mourou as a graduate student in Optics here. CPA paved the way for the more compact and precise high-intensity laser systems that have enabled breakthrough research and applications in multiple fields. Read more here.
Theophana Mitsa ’88M ‘91PhD, upper right, co-invented Blue Noise Mask with Prof. Kevin Parker while she was a graduate student here in Electrical Engineering. The widely used halftoning technique was one of the most lucrative inventions in our history, allowing the University to invest in new faculty, programs and buildings. Theo later wrote the book on temporal data mining. Read more here.
Tanzeem Choudhury ’97, lower left, was an exemplary undergraduate in Electrical Engineering who is now a leading researcher and innovator in developing novel wearable and mobile systems for capturing and influencing everyday human behaviors. The Cornell University professor is co-founder of HealthRythms Inc. and was named one of 35 top innovators under 35 by MIT’s Technology Review. Tanzeem is an outspoken advocate for gender equity. Read more here.
Diane Litman ‘82M ‘86PhD, lower right, was the first woman to receive a PhD in Computer Science at Rochester. Now a professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Diane is widely recognized for her work in the areas of artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, knowledge representation and reasoning, natural language processing, and user modeling. Read more here.
Stay tuned next month when we continue our celebration of women’s achievements with an additional set of profiles.
Speaking of notable achievements by women, congratulations to Jannick Rolland, our Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering, director of the Center for Freeform Optics, director of the Robert E. Hopkins Center, and CTO and co-founder of LighTopTech. Jannick has been selected as the 2020 recipient of The Optical Society (OSA) Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize. Jannick is being honored for numerous creative and innovative applications in several fields of optical engineering including astronomy, medical imaging, augmented and virtual reality, image science, and freeform optics. Read more here.
The three student program assistants for our Grand Challenges Scholars Program — Afnan Ahmed ’21, a business major; Claude Mulindi ’22 of chemical engineering; and Joshua Batres Wang ’22, an engineering science and business major – will speak about the program at the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship’s Monthly Student Entrepreneurship Lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. this Friday, February 21, in 307 Rettner Hall. The monthly gatherings are open to students of all disciplines and levels of study who are interested in entrepreneurship and innovation. The National Academy of Engineering has identified 14 broad problems facing society in the areas of sustainability, health, security, and knowledge. Each Grand Challenges Scholar designs a personalized program that explores one of the 14 challenges through five program areas, including an entrepreneurial or innovation experience. This will be a great opportunity to learn about the benefits of this program from students’ perspectives. Register online or call 585-276-3500. Contact Meghan Plate with questions.
The latest annual report is out from the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS), which plays a critical role in connecting researchers at local universities with New York State companies to advance innovative technologies and solutions. Of 18 projects funded for 2019-20, 8 involve faculty and researchers with primary appointments in the Hajim School, including Tom Brown, Jaime Cardenas, Paul Funkenbusch, Zeljko Ignjatovic, Wayne Knox, Amy Lerner, Kevin Parker, Jannick Rolland, Cristiano Tapparello, and Hui Wu.
They are doing projects with a range of companies, including Carestream, Clerio Vision, L3Harris Technologies, LighTopTech, and Optimax. With support from New York State, CEIS is able to provide matching funds for company sponsored projects on campus and the University provides additional leverage in the form of reduced University overhead. “This greatly increases the impact of the investments made by the companies,” says CEIS director Mark Bocko. “Over the last two years our projects have contributed to the creation and retention of more than 100 jobs in the region and have had more than $100M in economic impact.”
On a different note, on behalf of the entire Hajim School community, I would like to express support for our Chinese students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends who have been impacted by the outbreak of novel coronavirus in their homeland. We all need to be mindful that, even though there is no indication the virus has been present at any of our campuses, this does not lessen the anxiety of those who have friends and loved ones in affected areas. Please note that a new website has been launched where members of the University community can view the most recent University statements and news about the illness; a FAQ designed to answer many questions students, faculty, and staff may have about the 2019-nCoV; and links to other sources of information.
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
