September 27, 2021
Michael Giacomelli, at left, and Ranga Dias
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
Congratulations to two of our early-career faculty members whose exciting research has garnered them well-deserved recognition.
Michael Giacomelli, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, has been chosen as one of this year’s “Brilliant 10” by Popular Science magazine. The list recognizes early-career scientists and engineers who are developing ingenious approaches to problems across a range of disciplines. Michael is developing novel technology that would enable surgeons to detect within minutes whether a potential nonmelanoma skin cancer is malignant and, if so, whether surgery to remove it is successful. “We’re excited to see how Michael’s work to make microscopy more compact and accessible can help healthcare professionals address cancers more quickly,” says the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Corinne Iozzio. Learn more.
Ranga Dias, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has received a $1.6 million grant from the Gordan and Betty Moore Foundation to support his lab’s groundbreaking efforts to create viable superconducting materials. “There is very limited academic research being conducted in the US in superconducting materials at high pressures,” Ranga says. To encourage more young scientists to focus on doing active research in this field, Ranga will also use the award to conduct workshops to train students, postdocs, and other researchers how to use high-pressure techniques in their labs. Learn more.
Well done, Michael and Ranga!
STUDENT AWARDS
Congratulations as well to two of our optics students who are among the winners of the Synopsys 2021 Robert S. Hilbert Memorial Optical Design Competition. The annual competition celebrates exceptional optical design research projects by college students in North America who use Synopsys optical software solutions.
Yuxuan Liu, a Ph.D. candidate in the research group of Jannick Rolland, the Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering and director of the Center for Freeform Optics, used CODE V and LightTools to design “A Freeform Hyperspectral Imager Design within CubeSat Format.”
The satellite imaging system combines a reflective triplet imager and a double-pass reflective triplet spectrometer for remote sensing. Yuxuan thanks Jannick; Aaron Bauer, research assistant professor of optics, and industry mentors from the Center for Freeform Optics for their support.
Jacob Sacks ’22 received an award for “Cat-Car-Cam: A Panoramic Objective for Videography in F1 Racing.” He used CODE V software to design a catadioptric panoramic lens to mount on top of a Formula 1 racing car. The lens is capable of capturing video from all sides simultaneously to create an immersive, interactive experience. Jacob thanks Julie Bentley, professor of optics, for her support.
In addition, nearly half of our University’s Garnish Scholar-Athlete Award recipients this year are engineering, computer science, and data science majors. The award recognizes senior varsity athletes who lead their teams on the field of play, while also doing outstanding work in the classroom.
They include:
- Caden Cole of computer science who is linebacker on the football team;
- Will Eisold of optics, a member of the men’s soccer team;
- Kudzai Mbinda of chemical engineering, a sprinter in track and field;
- Emma Schechter of data science, who plays soccer; and
- Amanda Strenk of chemical engineering, a member of the field hockey team.
You can learn more here about their most memorable experiences on the field and also about the classes, internships, and faculty mentors they’ve learned the most from.
LEARN ABOUT GRAND CHALLENGES SCHOLARS
Students, are you looking for a way to connect with a vibrant community? Do you have an innovative mind? The Grand Challenges Scholars Networking Event at 4 p.m. October 1 at the first floor of iZone is an opportunity for you to connect with other on-campus innovators. Explore how you can tailor your Rochester experience through the exclusive resources and networking that the Hajim Grand Challenges Scholars Program offers, while taking the time to connect with other like-minded students. If you have questions or want more info, email emma.derisi@rochester.edu. Learn more about the Grand Challenges Scholars Program here.
STUDENT THINK TANK COMPETITION
The Ain Center for Entrepreneurship is putting together a team of engineering and computer science students to participate in the Spark Competition, a virtual think-tank style event created by Ramboll Corp. The company’s 16,000 experts create sustainable solutions across buildings, transport, water, environment and health, architecture, landscape and urbanism, energy, and management consulting.
The student team from the University of Rochester will compete against teams from such diverse universities as Clarkson, Purdue, Northwestern, Drexel, and University of Pennsylvania. Kickoff is planned for Friday, October 22 with online video submissions due Friday, November 12. Winners will be announced and prizes will be distributed at the competition finale Thursday, November 18.
Interested in participating? Send your resume no later than October 1 to Kathy Driscoll at Kathy.driscoll@rochester.edu. Resumes will be reviewed by a panel and decisions will be made the first week of October.
REMINDER ON SBIR WORKSHOP
The deadline to register for the upcoming workshop on SBIR and Other Resources to Support University Technology Commercialization is Friday, October 1. The workshop from 3-6 p.m. October 8 at the Class of ’62 Auditorium will feature:
- An overview of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant programs, trends, and funding opportunities.
- Insights on strategies for developing successful proposals from a panel of University researchers who have led and partnered on SBIR/STTR projects.
- Information about University resources that support technology commercialization.
Contact Karen_Grabowski@urmc.rochester.edu with any questions. An in-person workshop is planned. A final decision will be made by October 1 and registrants will be notified if the meeting is switched to a virtual format and a link will be provided.
ALUMNI NEWS
Congratulations to Sean Welch ’95 of chemical engineering who has been named commanding officer of the Los Angeles-class, fast-attack submarine USS Oklahoma City. Sean, a former executive officer of Oklahoma City, was commissioned in 2002 through Officer Candidate School. The Oklahoma City is based at Guam. Los Angeles-class submarines carry a complement of about 130 officers and crew members.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
