May 3, 2021

The Department of Biomedical Engineering has much to be proud of after its first 20 years. Learn more about this important milestone below.

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

What an amazing time of year! So many events, so many awards!

First, congratulations to Ranga Dias, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and Yuhao Zhu, assistant professor of computer science. They are among five University recipients of National Science Foundation CAREER awards. These awards are the NSF’s most prestigious recognition for early-career faculty members, providing recipients with five years of funding to help lay the foundation for their future research.

Ranga will use his award to continue his lab’s ground-breaking quest to create superconducting materials. The hydrogen-rich compounds his lab has created so far become superconducting only while compressed at extraordinarily high pressures inside a diamond anvil. Ranga’s lab will seek to create ternary (three-component) and quaternary (four-component) compounds in a search for the right chemical structure and chemical bonding of materials that will remain superconducting when the pressure is removed.

Yuhao will use his CAREER award to design interacting software and hardware mechanisms that can increase the performance and energy efficiency of the smaller and smaller transistorized chips being created. These chips are clustered with a wide variety of hardware accelerators, which increase the speed and performance of individual algorithms. Yuhao will apply these mechanisms for reconstructing and rendering Elmina Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ghana, on mobile virtual reality devices. This is a unique collaboration involving the Ghana field school.

Well done, Ranga and Yuhao!

STUDENT AWARDS

The latest recipients of University Student Life Awards, also known as Rocky’s, include:

Kathryn Colone ’21 of biomedical engineering, who received the Athletic Leadership Award for contributing to campus life and demonstrating leadership within her sport. Kathryn, a research assistant in Amy Lerner’s lab, is a member of the women’s field hockey team who was named a Garnish scholar in 2020. Kathryn says the minors she is pursuing in mechanical engineering and philosophy nicely overlap with her concentration on biomechanics in her major. The philosophy minor, for example, has provided opportunities to discuss ethical concerns in medicine as well as critical social issues.
Savannah Schisler ’22, a double major in mechanical engineering and in physics and astronomy, who received the Transfer Student Award. Savannah, who transferred from the University of California, Davis in 2019, has demonstrated “a quick and successful transition to the institution and taken full advantage” of her time at the University. She does research in the lab of Jessica Shang, plays on the women’s field hockey team, is a Kearns Scholar, and a member of several student organizations, including Society of Women Engineers and Society of Women in Astronomy and Physics.
CSUG, the Computer Science Undergraduate Council, which received the Excellence in Programming Award for its exceptional creativity, planning, and execution of programs that appeal to a broad cross-section of the University community and show originality and participation by members of the organization during all phases of the effort. CSUG has done an outstanding job of organizing the DandyHacks hackathon and coding workshops.

Congratulations as well to Miguel Yakouma ’23, a biomedical engineering major from Bangui, Central African Republic, and Mohammed Bah ’23, an international relations major from Monrovia, Liberia, who have received a Davis Projects for Peace grant. Their project seeks to restore social bonds between warring religious groups in The Central African Republic. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the project will be conducted remotely via Zoom for three weeks in June. This was one of 125 projects selected, with each being awarded $10,000 for implementation this summer. The Davis Projects for Peace program selects young people whose initiatives bring new thinking to the prospects for peace in the world. Read more here.

BME CELEBRATES 20 YEARS

The Department of Biomedical Engineering is our youngest department. But it has so much to be proud of after its first 20 years. Under founding chair Rick Waugh and current chair Diane Dalecki it has become an exemplary, well-rounded department, noted for its remarkably talented students, faculty, and staff; internationally recognized research; outstanding programs in senior design and medical device design, among others; gender parity in enrollments and faculty; highly successful, engaged alumni, and a welcoming, supportive spirit of collegiality.

I recently joined Diane to discuss the department’s origins, accomplishments, goals, and how alumni and friends can help it continue to grow. Did you know the department was intentionally designed to span both the Medical Center and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences? Read more here.

ASME CELEBRATES 75 YEARS

Our American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) student chapter is celebrating its 75th anniversary with an in-person event from 1 to 5 p.m. this Friday, May 7 in and around a tent between Schlegel Hall and Strong Auditorium. There will be a mix of speeches, presentations, and demos by students, engineering groups, and faculty and administrators. I will be announcing our Art of Science Competition winners and this year’s Dottie Welch Award recipient. Other planned events include unveiling of the Baja SAE off-road vehicle, an expo-style display of projects from various engineering clubs, plus a talk on diversity in engineering by Beth Olivares, dean for diversity in Arts, Sciences and Engineering, and Vice President Mercedes Ramírez Fernández, the University’s chief diversity officer. University students, staff, and faculty are invited to attend. In accordance with COVID safety protocols, attendance is limited to 200 people at a time, with a maximum of 50 allowed in the tent at any time. Please join us in celebrating our remarkable achievements despite the pandemic! Read more here.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Please join me for a timely panel discussion on the History and Challenges of Asian/Pacific Americans in STEM Fields from 10 to 11 a.m. this Friday, May 7. Given the persistent discrimination, unconscious bias, and stereotyping being experienced by Asian/Pacific Americans in our society–including higher education–it is important to recognize their significant contributions in science and technology, and the challenges they face. We have a stellar panel to discuss this, including:

Hochang B. Lee, the John Romano Professor of Psychiatry, professor of neuroscience, and chair of psychiatry
Jiebo Luo, professor of computer science
Govind Agrawal, the James C. Wyant Professor of Optics
Stephen Wu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering
David Chen, co-founder of AngelVest Group and a member of the ECE Advisory Board
Wuxiucheng Wang, ECE PhD student
Gary Ge, PhD/MD candidate in optics and medicine

Questions or suggestions can be sent to the moderator, Hui Wu, professor of electrical and computer engineering, at hui.wu@rochester.edu The Zoom link is https://rochester.zoom.us/j/98833626038. Thanks to the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science for hosting this event.

DESIGN DAY

Be sure to view our Senior Design and Capstone projects starting next Monday, May 10 at www.hajim.rochester.edu/senior-design-day. Though we miss the in-person, pre-COVID Design Day celebrations, this virtual observance has the advantage of letting family, friends, and colleagues from across the globe view and comment on these exciting projects.

REMINDER TO SENIORS

Please submit your photos to be featured in the Commencement slideshow. Email photos of you and any Hajim seniors to Anna Alden (aalden@ur.rochester.edu) no later than this Friday, May 7. These photos will be shown at the start of each ceremony.

Let us know what’s next! Please fill out this survey to share what your next steps are after graduation, including if you’re still weighing your options. Your identity is protected so you may feel comfortable answering all questions.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman

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