March 9, 2020

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Last week our students received an important email about UR Student, the new information system the University is implementing to update and streamline our student records, financial payment processes, and registration systems, while also providing secure access.

I cannot emphasize enough the need for all of our students to set up their individual accounts now and complete a set of “onboarding” actions so they will be able to register for fall courses starting early next month.

Instructors will also use UR Student to approve student registrations for fall 2020 if a course is configured to require instructor permission. And starting in July, students and parents will use the system to view their student account activity and make payments.

The UR Student IT team has provided detailed timelines and step by step instructions, and the March 1 issue of Read This from University Communications provides an excellent overview that can help us all get “on board” with this important initiative. Click here to learn more about the project and get help during the transition. If you need assistance, call the University IT help desk at 275-2000, option 5. Hajim Highlights will continue to provide reminders and updates at key stages of the UR Student implementation process.

Congratulations to:

  • Daniel Blumenthal ‘81 of electrical engineering, now a professor at the University of California Santa Barbara, who is the recipient of OSA’s 2020 C.E.K. Mees Medal for his work with photonic integrated circuits and their applications.
  • G. Michael Morris, a former faculty member of the Institute of Optics, who is the recipient of OSA’s 2020 David Richardson Medal. Mike is being recognized for contributions to the commercial development of diffractive and beam shaping optics, achievements in entrepreneurship, and ongoing support of education in optical engineering. Mike was the CEO and co-founder of RPC Photonics and is presently serving as the CEO of Apollo Optical Systems.
  • Three teams of CMTI (Center for Medical Technology & Innovation) master’s students who took second place and tied for third in the Regulatory Science Talent Competition, hosted by the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. John Lisi, Kale Friesen, and Eric Cecco finished second for proposing a national award to incentivize competition between medal device companies, similar to the JD Power Award.  Mia Fiacchi, Catherine Krawiec, and Anna Olsen proposed a Food Cam mobile app that would better inform shoppers at grocery stores about food ingredients, their purposes, and whether they are considered safe — and also alert consumers to product recalls. The team tied for third place with Shannon Keenan, who proposed a mobile app for users to log their daily prescriptions and to receive risk and benefit information and FDA alerts when there are changes in their prescriptions’ safety information. Read more and see videos of the top finishers here.

In addition to hosting a reunion, our Baja SAE student team is marking its 40th anniversary with a crowdfunding campaign now through April 11, aimed at raising $15,000. The team designs, builds, and tests a single-seater, off-road vehicle and enters it at Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) competitions across the United States. This is a great opportunity for our students to gain real-world experiences in CAD, manufacturing, teamwork, and business that are crucial to becoming well-rounded and successful engineers. The Baja SAE design series this year has started its transition into a four wheel-drive, rather than two-wheel drive competition. So a successful fundraising campaign is critical; it would give our team a big boost in meeting the challenge of researching, designing, and building a four-wheel drive vehicle in time for next season. You can learn more and make a donation here.

Last month, Henry Kautz, professor of computer science and founding director of the Goergen Institute for Data Science, received the Robert S. Engelmore Memorial Lecture Award at the 34th Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Henry, currently serving as director for the division for Information & Intelligent Systems at the National Science Foundation, gave a compelling lecture about what is at stake as the field of artificial intelligence enters its “third summer”: Will it be used to eliminate human freedom and dignity or usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity, knowledge, and freedom? Click here to see a video of his observations.

Ajay Anand, deputy director of the Goergen Institute for Data Science, is spreading the word that University researchers, departments, and offices can find solutions for their data problems by sponsoring student practicum projects through the Institute — at no cost. “We see this as a win-win opportunity for both the students and the sponsors,” Ajay says. Read more here.

Our spring edition of Rochester Engineering magazine is hot off the press. Click here to read about:

  • our University’s first two women engineering graduates;
  • our efforts to attract and retain first-generation, minority, and/or low-income engineering undergraduates;
  • the new recording studio in Gavett Hall and the success of the audio and music engineering program;
  • Hajim patents and how Blue Noise Mask, in particular, has benefited our school;
  • Tyrone Jimmison, our executive director of advancement.

Have a great week and enjoy Spring Break!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
Hajim header