September 26, 2022

This illustration by Benjamin Storer shows oceanic currents from satellite data overlaid with large scale circulation currents (gold lines) which can be extracted with a coarse graining technique developed in the lab of Hussein Aluie.

Dear members of the Hajim School Community,

For the first time, researchers led by Hussein Aluie, associate professor of mechanical engineering, have quantified the energy of ocean currents larger than 1,000 kilometers. In the process, they have discovered that the most energetic is the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, some 9,000 kilometers in diameter.

The team used the same coarse-graining technique developed by Hussein’s lab to previously document energy transfer at the other end of the scale, during the “eddy-killing” that occurs when wind interacts with temporary, circular currents of water less than 260 kilometers in size.

The new results, reported in Nature Communications, show how the coarse-graining technique can provide a new window for understanding oceanic circulation in all its multiscale complexity, says lead author Benjamin Storer, a research associate in Hussein’s Turbulence and Complex Flow Group. This gives researchers an opportunity to better understand how ocean currents function as a key moderator of the Earth’s climate system. Learn more.

CONGRATULATIONS TO . . .

From left to right, top to bottom: Ajay Anand, Jiebo Luo, Chris Muir, Marc Porosoff, and Xi-Cheng Zhang

Four of our faculty members have been recognized for their outstanding achievements.

Ajay Anand, deputy director and associate professor at the Goergen Institute for Data Science, has been instrumental in helping build a robust educational program for undergraduates at the institute. A recipient of this year’s Goergen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Ajay teaches a Data Science capstone course that has grown from 6 to 12-13 teams each semester working on real world, company-sponsored projects. He launched a new Time-series Analysis course that has quickly grown in popularity, and has worked with several departments on integrating data science into their curricula. He also leads a very successful Computational Methods for Music, Media, and Minds REU program that brings students from other colleges to our campus to do research combining machine learning, music theory, and cognitive science.

Jiebo Luo, a leading expert in computer vision, has been named the Albert Arendt Hopeman Professor in Computer Science. Named professorships are part of a long-standing tradition to celebrate the international stature of our University’s faculty members as researchers, scholars, and teachers. An indication of Jiebo’s international stature is this citation from one of his many awards. He has also published extensively in natural language processing, machine learning, data mining, computational social science, and digital health with a current h-index of 107. He shares his expertise through collaborations with faculty across the University on an exciting range of research projects and is co-PI of our new REU “Imaging in Medicine and Biology for Underrepresented Minorities.”

Chris Muir’s outstanding teaching skills have been further recognized with the University’s Goergen Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Chris, a professor of mechanical engineering, enriches our students’ experience in many ways. Years of previous industry experience help him connect what students are doing in the classroom and in their senior design projects to what they can expect when they enter the workforce. He advises our Baja SAE student team, which designs and builds off-road vehicles, and accompanies the team across the country to compete against other college teams. Chris, who previously received the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, is a model teacher of instruction, and exemplifies the Meliora spirit in everything he does!

Marc Porosoff, assistant professor of chemical engineering, has been named a Scialog (short for science+dialog) Fellow for Negative Emission Science. He will join a select group of other early career scientists at a conference in Tucson November 9-12 to share their interest in pursuing collaborative and high-risk research aimed at removing, utilizing, and sequestering greenhouse gases. During the conference, Scialog Fellows form teams and write 2-page proposals “on-the-spot” to compete for funding to execute the collaborative projects that emerge from the dialog. This is a great opportunity for Marc, who has been studying catalysts for carbon dioxide conversion since his PhD and has provided numerous opportunities for students to share in his exciting research in this area (see Outstanding Student below).

Xi-Cheng Zhang, our M. Parker Givens Professor of Optics, former Institute of Optics director, and a leading expert and pioneer in the generation and application of terahertz waves, will receive the IRMMW-THz Society Exceptional Service Award. The International Society of Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves hosts the world’s the oldest and largest continuous forum specifically devoted to the field of ultrahigh frequency electronics and applications. The award recognizes an individual who has contributed continuously, and over a long period of time, to the goals of the society and to expanding the influence and organization of its technical community. Learn more about X.-C.’s pioneering work in generating terahertz waves from water and a wide range of other topics in this interview with Light Science and Applications.

OUTSTANDING STUDENT

Danielle Getz says she had a “fantastic” time doing research this summer in the lab of Marc Porosoff, assistant professor of chemical engineering.

Danielle Getz ’23 decided in high school that she wanted to dedicate herself to mitigating climate change. This summer she worked in the research group of Marc Porosoff on cutting edge research aimed at addressing the problem. The chemical engineering major and Grand Challenges Scholar says she’s “really motivated when I have awesome people I am working with, who are passionate and excited – that’s what I love about the University of Rochester.”

The Grand Challenges Scholar Program, she says, “seemed like a good way to structure the undergraduate experiences and opportunities I wanted to take advantage of, and to network with other students who were ambitious about the same opportunities.” Danielle has also been active in the Society of Women Engineers, helping organize once-a-semester day-long STEM workshops for girls still in elementary school. She has especially enjoyed serving as a workshop leader and teaching assistant — and is a passionate advocate for incorporating a workshop learning model used in physics, optics, and computer science into more engineering courses as well.

After graduation she plans to pursue a PhD, apply for a professorship, “have my own lab, study what I’m curious about, and lead a good team of students.” Learn more here about Danielle’s experiences.

MELIORA WEEKEND

As we celebrate Meliora Weekend this weekend, be sure to take advantage of these opportunities to tour cutting-edge Hajim School labs and studios, hear students describe their research and other achievements, and learn about programs that enrich our students’ experiences.

On Friday:

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) will host guest speaker Scott Smith ’72 discussing STEM Careers in Industry with advice and insights on landing that first job and thriving in a new culture, from 10-11 a.m. in 601 Computer Studies Building (CSB).
The Barbara J. Burger I-Zone, which has supported many of our Hajim student entrepreneurs and Grand Challenges Scholars, will highlight various student ideas and projects from 1-2 p.m.
The Department of Biomedical Engineering will host an Open House from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on the Second and Third Floors of Goergen Hall.
Check out the Gavett Hall Recording Studio (Gavett Hall 204), the sound design classroom (CSB 616), and Tom Howard’s robotics lab (Gavett 146), Qiang Lin’s photonics lab (CSB 108), and Stephen Wu’s quantum device lab (CSB 727D) during an ECE Open House from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Undergraduate Eisenberg Fellows from the Department of Chemical Engineering will share their findings from the research projects they did this summer from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the first floor of Wegmans Hall. The department’s annual alumni award will be presented at 5 p.m.
Several Department of Computer Science students will give poster project presentations from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Third Floor Atrium of Wegmans Hall. Talk with faculty and current students, see what’s new in the CSC department, and enjoy light refreshments.
Experience virtual and mixed reality for yourself when the Mary Ann Mavrinac Studio X is officially dedicated during grand opening ceremonies from 4-5:30 p.m. on the first floor of Carlson Library.
The Institute of Optics will hold a light reception from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the fifth floor lounge at Goergen Hall.

And on Saturday, you can meet students, faculty, and alumni at an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) networking event from 1:30-3 p.m. in 321 Morey Hall. If you are interested in attending, please contact William Most at wmost@u.rochester.edu for additional details.

Visit the Meliora Weekend website for a listing of other activities.

MENTORING FOR STUDENTS

The Fall 2022 Meliora Collective Mentorship Program will bring enthusiastic undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents together in a unique partnership to prepare mentees for their professional future. Sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students are invited to register through Oct. 2. The program is open to all interests. Please take advantage of this opportunity. The relationships established through this program can last a lifetime! Register here.

Have great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman