February 1, 2021
Dear Hajim School community,
Welcome back! As classes begin today for the spring semester, I would like to remind our students that even though our campus is no longer in an Orange Zone, many of our protocols to contain COVID-19 are still in place. In fact, it would benefit us all to review those protocols! Read more here.
Also, even though some of us are still remote, there are still support services available. I encourage students to reach out right away if they need help academically or personally. For example, our CARE office, the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center, the College Center for Advising Services (CCAS), the Greene Center for Career Education and Connections, the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA), the Office of Disability Resources, the Basic Needs Hub, and the University Counseling Center (UCC)/University Health Service (UHS) are all still open to help students.
RESEARCH NEWS
Here is another example of the exciting work being done by our researchers in the area of high energy density physics. A team led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory–which included Gilbert (Rip) Collins, the Tracy Hyde Harris Professor of Mechanical Engineering and associate director of science, technology, and academics at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, and Ryan Rygg, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and of physics and a senior scientist at the LLE–successfully measured carbon at pressures reaching 2,000 GPa (five times the pressure in Earth’s core). This nearly doubles the maximum pressure at which carbon’s crystal structure has ever been directly probed. “This could have implications for carbon in the deep interiors of planets, where the precipitation of diamond is expected. Now we anticipate the diamond structure of carbon will persist over a much greater range of planetary conditions than we previously thought,” Ryan says. Ryan and Rip are also affiliated with the Materials Science Program. Read more here.
Last fall, the Wilmot Cancer Institute highlighted an extraordinary infusion of junior faculty members it has recruited to transform its efforts to defeat cancer. Michael Giacomelli, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, is among this “brain tsunami” that Wilmot deputy director Hucky Land says will add depth and freshness to Wilmot’s outstanding research team for years to come. Michael’s novel 3D imaging device can be rolled on a small cart into an operating room so that surgeons can detect in less than three minutes if the lumpectomy a woman is undergoing to treat breast cancer, for example, clears cancer cells in the outer margins of the breast. Otherwise, the woman would have to wait several days and perhaps undergo a second operation. It is great to see Michael’s research highlighted, and it is another example of the wonderful collaborations that are possible thanks to the close proximity of the Medical Center to the River Campus. Read more here.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2021 University Research Awards, which provide “seed” grants for promising, high-risk projects. Funding is awarded to recipients who demonstrate their projects favor new research with a high probability of being leveraged by future external funding. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. EST on February 12. Completed applications should be directed to Adele Coelho.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS
The National Institutes of Health provide scholarships–including paid summer research and employment after graduation–to undergrads interested in careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. To be eligible, you must have a 3.3 GPA or higher, be a US citizen, and have exceptional financial need. Learn more here. Want to discuss your application? Send the Fellowships Office an email at fellowships@rochester.edu
The Biomedical Engineering Department and Center for Biomedical Informatics at Wake Forest School of Medicine are offering several summer research opportunities in 2021 focusing on Imaging and Mechanics-based Projects on Accidental Cases of Trauma (IMPACT) and other biomedical engineering and informatics topics. Students selected for this Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program will receive a stipend and on-campus housing. The research internships will be offered between May 23 and August 8, 2021. The deadline to apply is February 15. Read more here.
Our NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program on Computational Methods for Understanding Music, Media, and Minds is accepting applications for Summer 2021 until this Sunday, February 7. Students in the REU will receive funding to work on projects in exciting, interdisciplinary research areas that combine machine learning, audio engineering, music theory, and cognitive science, and will be mentored by faculty members from Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brain and Cognitive Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Physics. The REU experience also includes a Python programming boot camp, career planning and graduate school prep workshops, and networking opportunities.
ALUMNI NEWS
Institute of Optics alumnus Dan Gray ’02 ‘03MS ‘07PhD is doing some exciting work to help combat COVID-19. Dan’s company, Gray Optics—founded in 2017 in Portland, ME—has more than doubled its staff to provide customized optical systems that are an integral part of COVID-19 tests, reports Mainebiz, a media organization that reports on the state’s business owners and decision makers. Many rapid tests rely on fluorescence detection using lenses and filters that must be precisely assembled to achieve performance specifications such as depth-of-field and spectral filtering, to a digital image sensor. The Gray Optics team designed those precision optical components for manufacturing at scale. His company, which is an associate member of the Institute’s Industrial Associates, has also recently worked with a Boston start-up on the lens design for an endoscope to help visualize minimally invasive surgery. Well done, Dan!
DATA SCIENCE CERTIFICATE
Join the Goergen Institute for Data Science (GIDS) from 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, February 9 for a virtual info session on the Advanced Certificate in Data Science with GIDS Deputy Director Ajay Anand and Education Program Coordinator Lisa Altman. The advanced 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 and will receive application fee waivers. The program is designed to be a total of 16 credits and can be in completed in 2-4 semesters of study. Zoom link: https://rochester.zoom.us/j/98002625158?pwd=YkhPaU1IOVFXR3UrYi9Mek1zUkVQQT09
Have a great week,
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
