May 2, 2022

Winning entries in the Art of Science Competition, left to right, top to bottom: Biobeams, Refraction of White Light, Nights Lit by Discovery, and Money and Nature.

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Thanks to the University students, faculty, and staff members who submitted 54 entries to this year’s Art of Science Competition—and to the 711 members of the University who cast ballots for the People’s Choice Award. Once again, our students, faculty, and staff found unique ways to communicate science in engaging and accessible ways!

Lynn Sidor, a PhD candidate in biology, won first place for Biobeams, which she created by using fluorescence microscopy to take images of bioglass-coated bacterial cells.

Caitlin LaBianca ’23, a biology and studio arts major, won second place for Refraction of white light passing through colored prisms, noting that “Our conception of the simplest aesthetic things is altered by further understanding of scientific concepts, creating much more complex and nuanced images.”

Third place went to Isabella Orup ’22, a biological sciences and business major, for Nights Lit by Discovery, an acrylic painting inspired by a mouse salivary gland immunohistochemical stain.

Frederick Liu ’23, a computer science and political science major, won the People’s Choice Award for Money and Nature, depicting the effects of oil pollution on a Hawaiian island. “A charming environment,” he notes, “is only one spill away from becoming an unlivable place.”

Special thanks to Brian McIntyre and Michelle Dunn for organizing this year’s competition, and to our panel of judges. Learn more.

DOTTIE WELCH AWARD

One student who voted for Chris Pratt for the Dottie Welch Award wrote: “I have gone to her for help with class labs, senior design projects, research assistance, and even grad school advice. In an environment where it’s really easy to make students feel like they’re clueless, Chris never does. She’s always available and always smiling.”

Whenever students need help designing, testing, or building something, they can rely on senior technical associate Chris Pratt in the Department of Mechanical Engineering to be an invaluable resource and cheerleader.

In appreciation, Hajim School seniors have chosen Chris as the recipient of the 2022 Dottie Welch Award, announced Friday at our Design Day Celebration. The award is given annually to a Hajim School staff member “whose performance and dedication enriches the student experience” in the tradition exemplified by the former undergraduate coordinator in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

“Her dedication to helping the students and her commitment to her job responsibilities are both tremendous,” one student wrote. “As long as she is in her office, she is always willing to help students regardless of who they are or what kind of help they need.”  Another student noted, “throughout my four years she has been one of the many backbones of the ME department. She is always willing to help students and will never make you feel dumb for asking anything. She treats freshmen and seniors alike with respect and kindness.”

Please join me in congratulating Chris for exemplifying so well the important role our staff members play in helping our students make the most of their experiences here. Learn more.

DESIGN DAY

A ‘spine diary’ to alert you if your posture will lead to neck pain . . . a less scary way to remove orthopedic casts for broken arms and legs . . .a fun and friendly way to transport children at Golisano Hospital . . . a computational survey assessing every curb ramp and crosswalk in Rochester . . . a lightweight, less expensive flat panel guitar amplifier for beginners.

And what’s this plan to hang a 9-foot Jaekelopterus in Hutchison Hall?

Are you intrigued? If you were unable to make it to our in-person Design Day celebration, explore these and more than 90 other exciting projects at our Design Day website. Once again our engineering, computer science, and data science seniors, and CMTI medical device design master’s students have demonstrated remarkable persistence and ingenuity during a challenging year. Congratulations to the students, their sponsors, and faculty mentors! And thanks to Paul Funkenbusch, our associate dean, for organizing this celebration.

NSBE CELEBRATES 50

Left to right, Zaynab Dantsoho, Nick Valentino, Gabriel Guisada, Tochukwu Iyke-Nzeocha, Steven Colberg, and Abduljabbar Said.

Congratulations to our student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. NSBE has been a valuable partner in our efforts to attract and retain underrepresented minority students through its mentoring and social activities. The chapter has made it possible for scores of students to attend NSBE national conferences to meet active professionals, hone their networking skills, and interview for jobs and internships.

The chapter presented these awards at its celebration:

  • Academic Pyramid of Excellence (APEx) Award to Zaynab Dantsoho ’23 of biomedical engineering. The award recognizes University scholars who have shown a staunch commitment to excel academically and in scholarly endeavors.
  • Arthur J. Bond Faculty Award to NIck Valentino, our assistant director of undergraduate studies who worked closely with NSBE as an academic counselor and director of our STEM-Gems program. The award is given to faculty and staff who advise and support UR NSBE.
  • One Fiyah Alumni Award to Gabriel Guisado ’19 of biomedical engineering. The award is given to alumni who continue to support the chapter. Gabriel is a management consultant at Accenture.
  • Striking Impact of Technical OutReach and Community Health (TORCH) Award to Tochukwu Iyke-Nzeocha ’24 of biomedical engineering. The award recognizes members who have demonstrated outstanding service to the community of Rochester.
  • Burning Desire of Perseverance Towards Success Award to Steven Colberg ’23 of computer science. The award is for leaders who demonstrate commitment to the success of the NSBE chapter and its members.
  • Chicago 6 to 50 Fiyahs Member Award to Abduljabbar Said ’23, president of the NSBE chapter, for his leadership and support of his NSBE colleagues and community.

The Arthur Bond and Chicago 6 to 50 awards are named in honor of the Purdue University students and professor who formed the first NSBE chapter.

BAJA SAE

Our Baja SAE student team recently unveiled the off-road vehicle it will take to competitions against other college teams this spring in Tennessee and right in our own backyard at a competition hosted by RIT at Hogback Hill in Palmyra, NY. The vehicle was started during 2020 at the height of COVID. In accordance with new Baja SAE rules, it is now four-wheel drive, a new challenge for the team, says faculty advisor Chris Muir. It was a significant achievement “to keep the shop up and running safely and do a clean sheet design,” Chris says. Chief engineers Loren McDonald ’20 ME and Daniel Troyetsy ’21 ME were instrumental in pulling this off, as well as the current project team leads:

  • Charles Fleishman ‘23 ME – Drivetrain
  • Lale Yilmaz ‘22 ME – Suspension
  • Alex Nagy ‘24 ME – Frame
  • Colin Blake ’24 ECE – Electronics and Data Collection
  • Conor McCole ’23 classics – Shop Supervisor
  • Sam Kriegsman ’23 computer science and philosophy – Autonomous
  • Chris Harriot ‘23 ME – President
  • Julia Esen ’25 ME – Business Manager
  • Ogi Bosic ’22 ME – Chief Engineer

We wish the team all the best when it competes May 12-15 at Tennessee Tech University, and then again June 2-5 at Palmyra.

OPTICS SUMMER SCHOOL

Last year The Institute of Optics had a record number of participants from 41 companies for its annual summer short course series. The deadline to register for this year’s series is May 27. The program is geared towards grad students, alumni, and industry professionals. The courses, which will be conducted remotely, include Fundamental Concepts, Optical Thin Films, Integrated Photonics Circuits, Applied Concepts, Optical Systems Design, Modern Optical Engineering, Computational Imaging, and Ultrafast Optics & Petawatt Lasers Systems. Contact Tal Haring  for more information.

REMINDER: CEIS APPLICATIONS

The Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS) is soliciting proposals from full-time faculty or other principal investigators interested in promoting technology transfer from our University to New York companies. The center’s Collaborative Innovative Research Program for the 2022-23 program year provides awards that support a broad range of optics, photonics, and imaging interests, including ophthalmic and vision science, fiber optic communications, biomedical imaging, geospatial imaging, precision optics, consumer imaging, and displays. Proposals in other technical areas will be considered as well.

Proposed projects must involve a NY industry partner that is actively engaged with the research, financially sponsoring the research, and willing to provide ongoing economic impact reporting.

Submit proposals by email as attachments using the forms on the CEIS web site. Documentation of company commitment must accompany the proposal. Proposals must be received by Cathy Adams no later than May 16. She can also answer questions about the proposals or the CIR RFP process.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
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