April 17, 2023

Design Day offers Hajim students a chance to showcase their abilities to translate engineering knowledge into practice. Above, Hajim students display a Lunabotics robot that was part of a club project during last year’s annual Design Day. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

With just a few weeks left before commencement, we find ourselves in one of the busiest—and most exciting—times of the year for the Hajim Community.

It is also a time of year when we recognize and appreciate the tremendous work being done by members of our faculty, staff, and students. One of my favorite times to do that is at our annual Design Day, which this year will be April 28.

I encourage you to head over to the Hajim Science and Engineering Quad to check out about 90 capstone projects from across our departments.

Design Day features the work of student teams that partner with local companies and institutions to solve real-world engineering problems. It has grown since 2011 to showcase capstone projects of seniors from all Hajim School departments and Center for Medical Technology and Innovation (CMTI) students.

Design Day presents a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their efforts to translate their engineering knowledge into practice. It’s always exciting to see the wide range of projects and to speak with the students to understand the thought process and the hard work that went into the final designs.

Each year these projects really showcase the creativity, ingenuity, and hard work of our students and the dedication of our senior design instructors.

Mark your calendar and join me next week to let our students know you have seen and appreciate their hard work!

CONGRATULATIONS TO SUSANA MARCOS

Susana Marcos, the David R. Williams Director of the Center for Visual Science and the Nicholas George Professor in Optics and Professor of Ophthalmology, has been awarded the Edwin H. Land Medal by Optica (formerly OSA) and the Society for Imaging Science and Technology. The award recognizes research and work in optics and imaging to create inventions, technologies, and products that have had a major impact on the public. Established in 1992, the Land Medal honors noted scientist and entrepreneur Edwin H. Land, the inventor of instant photography and founder of the Polaroid Corporation.

Susana, who joined the Rochester faculty in 2021, is a pioneer in the development of new techniques for the evaluation of the eye and has authored or coauthored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers in top journals. Her work aims to understand the interplay of structural, biomechanical, and optical properties of the eye—including their impact on retinal image quality and the limits they impose on visual functions and perception—with applications in myopia, presbyopia, cataract, and corneal corrections.

In addition to being a brilliant scientist and engineer, Susana is an entrepreneur. She cofounded 2EyesVision SL and coinvented the SimVis technology, which allows patients to “try on” multifocal corrections before putting in contact lenses or having an intraocular lens implantation.

In other words, she’s an ideal recipient of this particular honor. Congratulations, Susana!

IMAGINING A FUTURE IN OPTICS

Last week the labs at Goergen Hall buzzed with the energy of about 180 Penfield High School students who are interested in pursuing careers in optics—and potential future Hajim students!

The optics department has been working with Penfield for several years now to coordinate the tours for students who participate in the high school’s optics program so they can learn more about opportunities in the field.

“Optics is a fantastic career path so we’re trying to get more students interested,” said Adam Sweeney, a physics teacher at Penfield High School. “Seeing this sort of environment helps them get excited about it.”

It’s also a great opportunity for prospective students to get to see the campus and some of the optics labs.

“This is one of the biggest high school events we have ever hosted,” said Thomas Brown, the Mercer Brugler Distinguished Teaching Professor and director of the Institute of Optics. “It is especially fun to see the high school science teachers getting excited about optics and photonics and the many career opportunities they represent for their students.”

These are just a few of the many exciting things happening at Hajim as we wind down the year. I’m looking forward to sharing more great news and recognitions in the coming weeks.

Have a terrific week!

Your dean,

Wendi Heinzelman