August 23, 2021
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
Welcome to the start of the semester!
As many of you may have heard by now, Lisa Norwood, our assistant dean of undergraduate studies, is retiring after 26 years of truly outstanding service in that position. No one has worked harder or more successfully than Lisa to foster diversity in our school, and to create new pathways for women, under-represented minority, low-income, and first-generation students to excel in engineering. Please be sure to tune in next week when we will devote the entire issue of this newsletter to highlighting Lisa’s many contributions.
Lisa will definitely be a tough act to follow!
That’s why I am thrilled to announce that Alvin Lomibao ’09 ‘13MS, our assistant director of undergraduate programs for the past six years, has been selected as our new assistant dean. We had an outstanding slate of candidates, but Alvin’s experience, his thoughtfulness, his analytic eye, and his sincere desire to help both students and colleagues really stood out. His prior work as project manager and student organization advisor with Wilson Commons Student Activities contributes to his broad understanding of how things work on the River Campus. And his background as a biomedical engineering alum of our school, with both undergraduate and graduate degrees, is an added bonus. I am excited to work with Alvin in taking Hajim School advising, initiatives, and programs to the next level!
EXCITING NEWS AT LLE
A burst of energy that lasted 100 trillionths of a second has reverberated far and near– and was especially good news for our scientists at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. Their colleagues at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced last week that an experiment at the National Ignition Facility had generated more than 10 quadrillion watts of fusion power.
This puts researchers at the threshold of fusion ignition, fulfilling a 40-year quest. Perhaps more importantly, it validates the laser-driven implosion techniques that LLNL and LLE have closely collaborated on as a way to assess the viability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile and perhaps even pave the way for an abundant supply of clean energy.
“This really clears up a lot of the concern about the ability to ignite thermonuclear fuel in the lab, or that we would need much bigger lasers to do it. This is a major step forward,” says Riccardo Betti, who is LLE’s chief scientist, a professor of mechanical engineering, and a leading expert in the field. Adds LLE Director Michael Campbell: “Research on OMEGA played a critical role in developing the physics and diagnostics that enabled this achievement. We are very proud to be a member of this community and look forward to even greater fusion performance in the future.” Read more.
Speaking of LLE, please join me in welcoming Chris Deeney, who will become deputy director beginning August 30. Chris previously served as chief science and technology officer, National Security Directorate, at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), in addition to his years of experience at the Nevada National Security Site, the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), and the Sandia National Laboratories. Chris is known as a scientific and innovation leader with direct experience running complex operations. In addition, he has an insider’s knowledge of the federal system, which oversees the LLE’s funding. Welcome aboard, Chris! Read more.
CAMPUS UPDATES
We still have high hopes of providing a rewarding, primarily in-person learning experience for our students this academic year, starting with the first day of classes on Wednesday.
But in order for that to happen, we cannot turn a blind eye to the possibility of a resurgence of COVID-19, especially given the emergence of the Delta variant. As Michael Apostolakos, chief medical officer at our Medical Center, says: “We must use every available weapon in our tool kit to keep our faculty, staff, students, patients, and visitors safe, and prevent another surge of COVID in our community. Our health care workers, who have helped our community through the last two surges, need all of us to pitch in and do everything we can to tamp down what surely is looking like a third wave of COVID.”
So I urge our students, staff, and faculty to please do your very best to comply with the latest vaccination and masking protocols. Students, you can do your part to keep the University community healthy and safe by taking the COVID-19 Commitment.
OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS
When I welcome our incoming first year and transfer students from 9:30-10:30 a.m. tomorrow at Hubbell Auditorium, I will encourage them to explore the multitude of learning experiences on our campus beyond the classroom. Here’s a nice overview of how students have engaged with our Utilities and Energy Management Office on a wide range of projects related to sustainability, green energy, and energy management, based on our own University’s creation and use of energy. This rich vein of data is perfect for engineering and computer science students to mine as they pursue our Grand Challenges Scholars program, independent research, and class projects.
FRAMELESS XR SYMPOSIUM
I encourage Hajim School students and faculty to participate in the Rochester Institute of Technology’s 6th Annual Frameless XR Symposium on November 18 and 19. This interdisciplinary symposium focuses on research, innovation, and artistic creation in the fields of virtual and augmented reality. This is great opportunity to foster more collaboration with RIT in a key area of learning and research at our University. RIT welcomes both in-person and remote participation for presenters and attendees this year. Further announcements will be posted on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Please note: The submission deadline for papers, talks, and workshops is September 3. Submission deadline for demos, installations, performances, and works in progress is October 8.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
