October 25, 2021

These images are part of the two slides Aditya Raghunandan was allowed to use in winning the Steadman Family Postdoctoral Associate Prize in Interdisciplinary Research. 

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

What do car engines and human brains have in common? And in any event, what does Eddie Murphy–stuffing bananas up a tailpipe in a famous scene from Beverly Hills Cop–have to do with cervical lymph vessels?

You would understand the connections very well–if you were fortunate enough to attend the competition for the Steadman Family Postdoctoral Associate Prize in Interdisciplinary Research during Meliora 2021. Aditya Raghunandan, a postdoc in the Mixing Lab of Douglas Kelley, associate professor of mechanical engineering, took first place for clearly explaining his research on the fluid mechanics of the brain’s cleansing glymphatic network. He was allowed only two slides and three minutes.

Most impressive of all, you didn’t need to be a scientist to understand his presentation. That’s why competitions like this are so important. At a time when skepticism about science runs rampant in our society, researchers need to be able to clearly explain their research and why it is important. Well done, Adi! You can read more about his presentation here.

RESEARCH NEWS

Nick Vamivakas, professor of quantum optics and quantum physics and AS&E dean of graduate education and postdoctoral affairs, is part of an exciting research team led by Todd Krauss, professor and chair of chemistry. The team has received a $1.8 million seed grant to establish QuEST–a National Science Foundation Phase I Chemical Innovation Center for Quantum Electrodynamics for Selective Transformations. The project calls for putting molecules in an optical cavity and using quantum packets of energy from light to change the energy states of electrons in the molecule, opening the door for new bonding possibilities and new chemistry. The team will have an opportunity to compete for a Phase II grant—$20 million dollars over four years—to continue the research. Read more.

This is the second major grant exploring light-matter interfaces, led by Todd, that Nick is participating in. A recent $1.95 million grant from the US Department of Energy will support an effort to create interactions of nanoparticles with the quantum light of optical cavities. This could lead to exponentially faster computers, extremely responsive chemical or biological sensors, as well as more secure communication systems.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS AWARD

I am pleased to announce that our Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient this year is Robert Ter Tsu Huang ’70 (MS) ’76 (MA) of electrical engineering, the founder of SYNNEX Corp. Robert is generously supporting efforts to promote the University of Rochester, and connect its alumni, parents, and friends nationwide, through the Huang Series in Technology and Innovation program. The series included a great zoom session recently on Ranga Dias’ groundbreaking work on superconducting materials, with good attendance and lots of questions. And a panel discussion in March on the applications data of science is another good example. The series is a wonderful way to encourage support and engagement from our University community. Robert distinguished himself as SYNNEX president and co-CEO for nearly 30 years, then worked closely with the company to create a lasting legacy of scholarships for college students. We are deeply grateful for his generosity.

PUMPKIN LAUNCH, SPOOKY AR/VR

It’s that time of year when student teams use the trebuchets and air cannons they’ve built to hurl pumpkins into the sky over the Wilson Quad. Be sure to drop by, starting at 1 p.m. this Friday, October 29 to see practice shots, followed by a competition at 2 p.m. Thanks to our American Society of Mechanical Engineering student chapter for hosting and organizing this event. You can also drop by Studio X to try out some spooky AR/VR experiences if you dare! The University’s hub for XR is located on the first floor of the Carlson Science and Engineering Library near the Vista Collaboratory.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEI PANEL

The Department of Chemical Engineering will host a panel discussion on Equity and Inclusion in chemical engineering from 4-6 p.m., this Friday, October 29 via Zoom with:

  • John Ofori ’96 PhD, senior director, New Ventures at US Pharmacopeia.
  • Bianca Dyer ’19 PhD student at Princeton University.
  • Ali Anoff ’07 MS, director and assistant general counsel—patents at Procter and Gamble.
  • Maghesree Chakraborty ’20 PhD, RET design data scientist at Intel.
  • Sean Rodrigues ’12, senior scientist at Toyota North America.

The panelists will discuss their career paths and experiences in STEM and then field questions. Omolade Fasusi, Brian Yegela, and assistant professor Astrid M. Müller will be the moderators. Please register here and click here to submit your questions to our panelists.

COMPUTER SCIENCE ALUMNI PANEL

Four alumni of the Department of Computer Science will discuss “PhD Life and Career in Computer Science” via Zoom from 11:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. this Friday, October 29. The panelists are:

  • Xipeng Shen ’03 MS ’06 PhD, professor of computer science at North Carolina State University.
  • Amanda Stent ’98 MS ’01 PhD, director of the Davis Institute for AI at Colby College.
  • Mayur Thakur ’01 MS ’04 PhD, chief data officer at H1.
  • Chen Yu ’01 MS ’04 PhD, the Charles and Sarah Seay Regents Professor, Department of Psychology at University of Texas at Austin.

The Zoom link is https://rochester.zoom.us/j/95748242245

ULTRASOUND SYMPOSIUM DAY

The 2021 Biomedical Ultrasound Symposium Day, hosted by the Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound, will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 3 in the Feldman Ballroom of Frederick Douglass Commons. It will feature two distinguished lecturers.

Kevin J. Parker, our William F. May Professor of Engineering and dean of emeritus of engineering and applied sciences, will deliver the Distinguished Edwin L. Carstensen Lecture.

Maggie Zhang ’03 MS ’07 PhD of biomedical engineering, now a clinical assistant professor of radiology at the University of Michigan, will deliver the Distinguished RCBU Alumni Lecture.

The symposium will also include graduate student presentations, a poster session, lunch and networking. Find full details here. RSVP to carla.boff@rochester.edu, including name, dietary restrictions and whether you will be presenting a poster.

LEARN ABOUT OUR MAJORS

A reminder to students who are still undecided about which Hajim School major is best for you: Faculty from each of our majors are giving presentations as part of our Full Spectrum series to help you decide. This week’s presentation:

Mechanical Engineering with John Lambropoulos, professor and former department chair. 1 p.m. this Wednesday October 27. Zoom link: https://rochester.zoom.us/j/94394929684

ALUMNI UPDATE

Optics alum Alex Wesley ’10 ’11 MS, the CEO and co-founder of Arovia, is getting a lot of attention on Kickstarter with his company’s latest product – Splay, which doubles as both an expandable display and also as a fully portable projector. At last check, the Kickstarter campaign had garnered nearly $300,000 in pledges. Alex was formerly a product manager at ZYGO corporation. He also has an MBA from Rice University, where he was recognized as one of the top 150 U.S. MBAs to graduate in 2016 by Poets and Quants.  Read more.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
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