March 6, 2023

This illustration from the lab of Chunlei Guo shows the interaction between a perovskite material (cyan) and a substrate of metal-dielectric material. The red and blue pairings are electron-hole pairs. (Graphic by Chloe Zhang).

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Perovskites—a family of materials nicknamed for their crystalline structure—have shown extraordinary promise in recent years as a far less expensive, equally efficient replacement for silicon for harvesting solar energy. A Nature Photonics paper from the lab of Chunlei Guo, a professor of optics, demonstrates a novel, physics-based approach to bring that promise closer to actual applications.

Researchers typically synthesize perovskites in a wet lab, and then apply the material as a film on a glass substrate to explore various applications.

Chunlei’s lab instead uses a substrate of either a layer of metal or alternating layers of metal and dielectric material—rather than glass—increasing the perovskite’s light conversion efficiency by 250 percent. Learn more.

CONGRATULATIONS

William Renninger, an assistant professor of optics and an expert in experimental light-matter interactions, has received the Adolph Lomb Medal from Optica (formerly OSA). The award is presented to an individual who has made a noteworthy contribution to optics at an early career stage.

Will, who joined the University in 2017, is being recognized for pioneering contributions to opto-mechanics, ultrashort pulse generation, novel fiber lasers, and multimode nonlinear optics.

In the area of ultrafast nonlinear optics, he has made advances for mode-locking and soliton formation in fibers, laser cavities, and Kerr resonators for applications including biomedical imaging.

Will has also developed new coherent interactions between photons and phonons for sensing, quantum computing, and RF-photonic signal-processing applications. Current areas of interest in his lab include ultrafast nonlinear optics, photon-phonon interactions, and optical computing.

STUDENTS: e5 DEADLINE NEARS

The spring deadline for e5 applications is Thursday, March 16. The e5 program allows students up to a year of tuition-free study to launch a project and engage in an experiential or entrepreneurial pursuit, whether economic or social in nature. Contact e5program@rochester.edu or https://www.rochester.edu/aincenter/e5/

COMPUTATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE

The Summer Institute in Computational Social Science at the University, taking place May 8–19, is accepting applications until March 17. The program gives students the opportunity to build a computational social sciences project with a team of researchers and is open to seniors planning to do a PhD, master’s students, PhD students, and junior faculty within 7 years of their PhD. Tuition is free and the program will cover the cost of lunch, coffee, and snacks. For more information on the program and how to apply, visit the program website or email Cantay Caliskan.

HAJIM STUDENT LEADERS RECOGNIZED

Left to right, top to bottom: Fiona Au, Anna Guo, Dominique Houslin, Renee Taillie, and Henry Welles.

Each year, Wilson Commons Student Activities recognizes student leaders and student organizations that have enriched the University’s community through their self-development, programs, publications, activities, and community service. Among this year’s winners are Hajim School students in these categories:

Alice Desimone Award: Nominees need not be in high-profile or formal positions of leadership to be considered. Instead, this award recognizes dedication, enthusiasm, collaboration, and positive role modeling as leadership traits that help promote and maintain a strong quality of life for all.

  • Fiona Au ’23 computer science and digital media studies
  • Dominique Houslin ’23 mechanical engineering
  • Renee Taillie ’24 engineering science
  • Henry Welles ’23 computer science

The Outstanding President Award recipient is Anna Guo ’23 of biomedical engineering, the president of the Women’s Rugby club. The award recognizes a college student organization president who performed the responsibilities of leadership in an exceptional way that fostered the success of the organization and modeled Meliora Values in behaviors and actions.

BE A JOE WILSON CONSULTANT

Hajim School faculty and students are invited to participate as either consultants or assisting consultants in the Joe Wilson Science Consultant Program (JWSCP) at the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC). The program matches STEM experts and enthusiasts with 4th and 5th grade classrooms, primarily located in the Rochester City School District.

The goal is to engage students in fun hands-on STEM activities while encouraging them to consider a future STEM career. The program has a wide variety of lessons that consultants are able to be trained in, and once consultants are matched with a classroom, the RMSC assists them as needed to help create a program schedule that supports student interest and classroom content.

The RMSC provides consultants with all training and materials necessary; all you need to do is pick up your kit, travel to the school, and have fun teaching! Learn more about the program and how to participate.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
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