April 13, 2020

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

I am very pleased to report that Mujdat Cetin, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, has accepted an offer to serve as the Robin and Tim Wentworth Director of the Goergen Institute for Data Science. Mujdat, who has served as interim director since last July, was selected after an extensive international search for the next director. He has done an outstanding job organizing working groups of faculty from across the University to explore collaborative data science projects. Mujdat has an exciting agenda to further engage students, improve educational programs, collaborate with departments on future faculty hires, engage with industry, establish external partnerships, and ensure the institute maintains its competitiveness. (Read more here.) Please join me in congratulating Mujdat!

Congratulations as well to:

Benjamin Miller, professor of dermatology with joint appointments in biomedical engineering and optics, who, along with Marvin Doyley of electrical and computer engineering (who we congratulated two weeks ago), has been inducted as a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Ben is being recognized for “the development and application of versatile optical biosensor platforms, including Arrayed Imaging Reflectometry and integrated photonic sensors.” (Read more here.)
Pok Yung Chester Szeen ’18MS, a data science alumnus, who is included in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia. Chester is co-founder of Mellow, a personal financial and digital payment solution for students and parents, to help children learn about money management.
Researchers at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, including John Palastro and Dustin Froula, who have outlined a method to shape intense laser light in a way that accelerates electrons to record energies in very short distances. With such a technology, scientists could perform tabletop experiments to probe the Higgs boson or explore the existence of extra dimensions and new particles that could lead to Albert Einstein’s dream of a grand unified theory of the universe. (Read more here.)

Last call for submissions to our Art of Science Competition. The deadline is this Wednesday, April 15.

Seniors: Has a Hajim School staff member had a positive impact on your experience as an undergraduate? Now is your chance to recognize their hard work and dedication. Nominations for our Dottie Welch Student Enrichment Award are being accepted until this Friday, April 17. The award recognizes a staff member “whose performance and dedication enriches the student experience” in the tradition exemplified by Dottie, the former undergraduate coordinator of biomedical engineering, during her 25-plus years of service to students. Please email the Hajim School Dean’s Office (hajimschool@ur.rochester.edu) with the name of the staff member you are nominating and a few sentences explaining why you think that person is deserving of the award. Here’s a list of eligible staff.

The awarding of the Welch Award has been a traditional highlight of Design Day. Though we will miss gathering in the Goergen Athletic Center this year, we are planning a virtual Design Day celebration. Seniors, please watch for instructions about how your team can participate. No matter how far they got with their projects, this will be an opportunity for seniors to share the great ideas that inspired their projects, to describe how they adapted to the changed circumstances brought about by COVID-19, and to interact with other students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Also, seniors now have until April 29, the last day of courses, to decide whether to opt for letter grades or S/F. Learn more in this Q&A.

Students preparing to register for fall courses have until April 23 to reach out to faculty advisors, undergraduate advisors, and peer advisors, to consult about academic opportunities, review schedules, discuss course requirements, and get connected to academic resources. For more information on Advising Weeks, visit the College Center for Advising Services website.

Registration itself will take place in UR Student beginning next week. The registration calendar shows the first day students can register, but it is not the only day to do so. Prior to registration, students should complete all onboarding tasks in UR Student. For more information on how best to prepare for registration in UR Student, please visit the UR Student portal for students.

Once again, I want to express how proud I am of our students, staff, faculty, University partners, friends, and alumni who have worked hard to make the best of a challenging situation!

Please, be safe.

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman