August 14, 2023

Tadge Juechter ’79 has guided several model years of the Corvette to production since being named chief engineer for “America’s sports car” in 2006. (Photograph: J. Adam Fenster)

The Hajim School has more than 15,000 alumni across the globe developing transformational technologies, conducting pioneering research, and leading society into the digital future. The latest edition of Rochester Review features an individual with perhaps one of the coolest jobs there is!.

Tadge Juechter ’79 (mechanical and aerospace engineering) has been a member of the Corvette team since 1993 and was named executive chief engineer of Corvette in 2006. He is instrumental in nearly every facet of the vehicle known as “America’s sports car” and has led multiple generations of the car through unique engineering hurdles, most recently with the E-Ray—the first electrified vehicle in the model’s 70-year history.

The story provides a peek into a day in the life of a sports car chief engineer, how he found his path at Rochester, and the ways technology advancements his team makes permeate throughout the GM line of vehicles.

The summer edition of Rochester Review also includes research news about how Professor Doug Kelley and his colleagues are using artificial intelligence to show how brain fluids flow, a look at Ed Hajim’s most recent book, and a gorgeous view of the Eastman Quadrangle during the Hajim School’s Design Day as mechanical engineering students raced around in carts powered by electric drills. Physical copies have been mailed to alumni and the digital version is available online.

MELIORA WEEKEND REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

Speaking of alumni, registration is now open for Meliora Weekend, which takes place from October 5-8. Themed “Be Boundless” this year, the weekend offers a terrific slate of activities and programs for alumni, students, families, friends, and faculty and staff.

In addition to an impressive list of headliners, Meliora Weekend will feature many events that should prove especially interesting for members of the Hajim School community. One of the programs I’m most excited about is a talk by Lee Feinberg ’87 (optics), the optical telescope element manager for the James Webb Space Telescope at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for the past 20 years. There will also be a Q&A session with Ed Hajim, the University’s board chair emeritus and our school’s namesake, held the Wednesday before Meliora Weekend so keep an eye out for information about that event as well.

View the full schedule and register today at the Meliora Weekend website.

RICCARDO BETTI TO RECEIVE 2023 BLAISE PASCAL MEDAL IN PHYSICS

Riccardo Betti. (University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics photo / Eugene Kowaluk)

Congratulations to Riccardo Betti, the Laboratory for Laser Energetics’ chief scientist and the Robert L. McCrory Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. This fall, the European Academy of Sciences will present Riccardo with the 2023 Blaise Pascal Medal in Physics.

The academy established the Blaise Pascal Medal in 2003 to recognize an outstanding and demonstrated personal contribution to science and technology and the promotion of excellence in research and education. Riccardo will serve as an invited speaker at the Academy’s Annual Symposium and Ceremony in October in Madrid, Spain.

This is a tremendous honor and I’m heartened to see Riccardo receiving such recognition from his peers. To read more about Riccardo’s honor as well as awards and accolades received by other faculty throughout the University, go to the News Center.

REU FOR IMAGING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY FOR UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES

Professor Marvin Doyley, top right, with the 11 students who participated this summer in the NSF-funded REU focused on imaging in medicine and biology for underrepresented minorities.

This summer we were delighted to welcome yet another cohort of students for the National Science Foundation-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates focused on imaging in medicine and biology for underrepresented minorities. With support from the Kearns Center, 11 students from institutions across the country including Princeton University, Spelman College, and others, worked on research projects with nine University of Rochester faculty.

Led by principal investigator Marvin Doyley, the Wilson Professor of Electronic Imaging and chair of electrical and computer engineering, and co-PI Jiebo Luo, professor of computer science and the Albert Arendt Hopeman Professor of Engineering, this was an important opportunity for students from underrepresented groups to study some of the most crucial questions in the field.

Thank you to all who helped make this experience a transformative one for the students involved.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman