September 5, 2023

Professor Julie Bentley ’90, ‘96 (PhD) of the Institute of Optics has been elected to serve as the 2024 vice president of SPIE (Photograph: SPIE)

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

A new academic year is now in full gear, the campus is once again bustling with excitement, and our students, faculty, and staff are as active as ever.

Congratulations to Professor Julie Bentley ’90, ‘96 (PhD) of the Institute of Optics, who has been elected to serve as the 2024 vice president of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics. With her election, Bentley joins the SPIE presidential chain. She will serve as president-elect in 2025, and as the Society’s president in 2026.

A revered instructor and expert in designing lenses and optical systems, Julie will make an outstanding leader for SPIE. Julie says she sees parallels between assuming this position and preparing for the start of the new academic year.

“I find myself searching for the best way to balance previous methods of teaching with the rapidly developed technological advancements that have significantly improved our ability to deliver course content to students,” says Julie. “In a similar fashion, I am looking forward to working with the incredible team at SPIE to find the best ways to embrace recent changes, using them to grow the Society while maintaining the community-focused aspects we all love about SPIE.”

Read more about Julie’s role on the SPIE website.

JAMES C. WYANT NAMED OPTICA HONORARY MEMBER

University of Rochester life trustee James C. Wyant ’67 (MS), ’69 (PhD), ’21 (Honorary), pictured here with his wife Tammy Wyant, has been named an Optica Honorary Member.

Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide, announced that University of Rochester life trustee James C. Wyant ’67 (MS), ’69 (PhD), ’21 (Honorary) has been named an Optica Honorary Member. Honorary Member is the most distinguished of all Optica Member categories. It is awarded by a unanimous vote of the Optica Board of Directors to individuals who have made seminal contributions to the field of optics.

Jim is an important member of the Hajim School Dean’s Advisory Committee and is widely recognized for his pioneering contributions to advancing the science and technology of quantitative interferometric metrology, his leadership as an educator and entrepreneur, and his visionary service to the global optics and photonics community. Last year, Jim and his wife, Tammy Wyant, established a $12 million professorship challenge to support the Institute of Optics and set the course for its continued growth, groundbreaking research, leadership, and scholarship.

Congratulations to Jim for this remarkable and very well-deserved honor. Read more at the Optica website.

MARVIN DOYLEY FEATURED IN ‘DIVERSITY IN ACTION’ MAGAZINE

Marvin Doyley, the Wilson Professor of Electronic Imaging and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Photograph: J. Adam Fenster)

The latest edition of Diversity in Action highlights Rochester as a campus focused on diversifying STEM student populations. They spoke with Marvin Doyley, the Wilson Professor of Electronic Imaging and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, about how the University stays ahead of the curve when it comes to developing medical and engineering courses.

Marvin noted how building diversity is immensely important and said it’s his “life’s mission to diversify STEM for underrepresented students in this space.” I encourage you to read the piece in the September/October edition.

REDUCING ORAL HEALTH DISPARITIES USING AI

Professor Jiebo Luo is part of a team that received NSF funding to develop a smartphone app to help detect tooth decay. (Photograph: JMIR Research Protocols, 2021, e32921)

Jiebo Luo, a professor of computer science and the Albert Arendt Hopeman Professor of Engineering, will collaborate with colleagues from the Eastman Institute for Oral Health to develop a smartphone app that can detect tooth decay thanks to new funding from the NSF.

The NSF grant allows the team to continue to develop and test a low-income community serving infrastructure that combines use of artificial intelligence technology via smartphones with community engagement through interactive oral health community centers, mobile vans, and community health workers.

“This study will evaluate the technology use and community engagement outcomes,” says Jiebo. “Our goal is to meet the parents and children where they are, and to promote prevention, early detection and treatment.”

Read more about this fascinating initiative on the URMC website.

STUDIO X TO HOST INAUGURAL XR RESEARCH EXPO

Studio X is hosting an event to encourage faculty and graduate students to share their extended reality (XR) projects with each other to build greater awareness and opportunities for collaboration. The XR Research Expo takes place Friday, September 15 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on the first floor of the Carlson Library.

The event will showcase the latest XR research and advancements across disciplines at the University of Rochester and in the broader Rochester community. Learn from colleagues, identify points of collaboration, and network with researchers across disciplines. This event is also a great opportunity for students to become acquainted with research groups and potential future opportunities.

Register for the event on the Studio X website.

NSF GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM INFO SESSION

The Office of Student Fellowships is hosting an information session for undergraduate students interested in applying to graduate school in STEM or social science fields. To learn more about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, stop by an information session at Dewey Hall room 2-110D on Tuesday, September 5 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman