October 9, 2023
Quantum dots fluoresce in a range of colors under UV light in the lab of University of Rochester chemistry professor Todd Krauss. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)
They say, “there’s always a Rochester connection.” That was certainly true last week when the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the latest group of Nobel laureates. Professor Todd Krauss from the Department of Chemistry and Institute of Optics has met all three winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry—and even studied with Louis Brus as a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia University from 1998 to 2000.
The three pioneers of nanotechnology received the prize for their work discovering and synthesizing quantum dots, a development Todd says was “mind-blowing” at the time.
“The idea that you could change the color of the material simply by changing the particle’s size was incomprehensible before that discovery,” says Krauss. “It’s like breaking a cookie in half and having each half taste different than the whole. Showing that size determines the fundamental properties of these materials was the type of groundbreaking discovery that Nobel Prizes are all about.”
Read more about the Nobel Prize discovery and Todd’s connection to Louis Brus at the News Center. You can also learn about Rochester’s Nobel laureates—including the Hajim School’s own Donna Strickland ’89 (PhD).
HAJIM ALUMNI AND FACULTY MEMBER AMONG THIS YEAR’S LUMINATE NY WINNERS
Alumni Juniyali Nauriyal ’18 MS, ’22 PhD, far left, and Brandon Zimmerman ’09, ’12 MS, ’15 PhD, center, were among the winners of this year’s Luminate NY optics, photonics, and imaging startup accelerator competition. Winners were announced by Governor Kathy Hochul in September. (Photo by Luminate)
There was a strong Hajim presence amongst the winners of this year’s Luminate NY optics, photonics, and imaging startup accelerator competition. Luminate NY, which is administered by NextCorps, is the world’s largest business accelerator for emerging companies that have technologies enabled by optics, photonics, and imaging. Alumni Brandon Zimmerman ’09, ’12 MS, ’15 PhD (optics) and Juniyali Nauriyal ’18 MS (optics), ’22 PhD (electrical and computer engineering) and Associate Professor Jaime Cardenas lead companies that were amongst the winners of the sixth year of the cohort-based program, which now has over 50 companies in its portfolio.
Brandon is chief executive officer of the Washington, DC-based company Digiteyez, which received the Outstanding Graduate Award and $400,000 in follow-on investment. The company is digitizing the vision industry by delivering eyecare on demand with Clear, a quick and easy online eye test that customers can take anywhere, from any device.
Juniyali and Jaime co-founded Photonect Interconnect Solutions, which received the Honorable Achievement award and $50,000. The Rochester-based startup is working to reshape the future of optical fiber to photonic chip connections by using laser technology instead of traditional glue.
Congratulations to Brandon and Jaime! Learn more about this year’s winners at the Luminate website.
WILLIAM RENNINGER RECEIVES YOUNG FACULTY AWARD FROM DARPA
Associate Professor William Renninger received a Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)
Congratulations to William Renninger, an associate professor of optics and physics, who received a Young Faculty Award (YFA) from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The YFA program aims to identify and engage rising stars in junior research positions, emphasizing those without prior DARPA funding, and expose them to US Department of Defense needs and DARPA’s program development process.
Will, who recently received Optica’s 2023 Adolph Lomb Medal, is a previous NSF CAREER award winner who studies experimental light-matter interactions. His research group focuses on ultrafast nonlinear optics for applications including imaging deep into the brain, photon-phonon interactions for applications including for telecommunications and quantum computing, and optical systems for ultra-high-speed computing.
The YFA will fund a project that with develop an all-optical contact-free acoustic material spectroscopy system based on traveling-wave optomechanical interactions. Read more about Will’s work at the News Center.
UR BAJA SAE PLACES WELL AT OKTOBAJAFEST
The UR Baja SAE team poses with their car ahead of a successful weekend and the OktoBAJAfest exhibition race. (Photo by Christopher Muir)
The UR Baja SAE team performed very well in several events recently at the OktoBAJAfest exhibition race in Colton, New York. The team’s advisor, Professor Cristopher Muir from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, says they were awarded 3rd place in the design presentation portion and were gridded at #3 for endurance, reflecting their fast car and excellent position in the hill climb event.
“The course was very challenging and there were lots of opportunities to solve problems from broken suspension and drivetrain parts to brake problems (that one ended up being able to be explained and solved via a “statics” problem – an excellent link back to course work),” says Chris. “These problems give the team a chance to work together solving problems to keep the car on the track.”
Eight different students took turns driving throughout the event, a great experience for new and experienced drivers alike. It was wonderful to hear that four alumni from the last three years also attended to support the team. We all wish the team good luck with the rest of the season!
WIC-MIC PRESENTS A DISCUSSION ABOUT REPRESENTATION IN STEM TONIGHT
The student organization Women and Minorities in Computing (WiC-MiC) will present a roundtable discussion titled “Experiences of Being a Minority in STEM” from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 9 in Wegmans Hall room 1201. The event is intended to be a safe, judgment-free space to connect over certain shared experiences within STEM and offer support through professional development and mentorship resources. The event is hosted in collaboration with Out in STEM (oSTEM), the Society of Women in Astronomy and Physics (SWAP), and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Pizza and snacks will be provided.
EXPERTS GATHER FOR COMPUTATION WORKSHOP
Students presented during a poster session in Wegmans Hall during the 6th Eastern Great Lakes Theory of Computation Workshop. (Photo by Daniel Stefankovic)
Our Department of Computer Science recently hosted more than 80 of our region’s brightest minds in theoretical computer science. Researchers from Columbia University to the University of Michigan gathered at Wegmans Hall for the 6th Eastern Great Lakes Theory of Computation Workshop.
The event featured high-profile researchers in computer science from Cornell University, University of Waterloo, Boston University, University of Toronto, University of Michigan, and Columbia University. Twenty-eight students presented during the poster session and the conference’s hot topics included quantum computation, game theory, algorithms, machine learning theory, data privacy, and coding theory.
Thanks to Assistant Professors Kaave Hosseini and Anson Kahng for organizing the event.
CELEBRATE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
Lastly, today is Indigenous Peoples Day in Rochester. To mark the occasion, the Institutional Office of Equity and Inclusion is co-sponsoring Gasgo’sahö:h to celebrate the heritage of the original peoples of Turtle Island, specifically the Seneca and other Haudenosaunee nations. The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Genesee Valley Park and more information is available at the University’s events page.
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
