November 6, 2023

Andrew White writes equations on a whiteboard.

While on academic leave, Associate Professor Andrew White is serving as head of science for Future House. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

One of our faculty members is helping former Google CEO Eric Schmidt launch an ambitious new nonprofit aiming to shake up the future of scientific research. Associate Professor Andrew White from the Department of Chemical Engineering is currently on academic leave serving as head of science for Future House, which was featured in a new Bloomberg profile.

Future House aims to build semi-autonomous artificial intelligence that can scale scientific research, accelerate the pace of discovery, and provide world-wide access to cutting-edge scientific, medical, and engineering expertise. Andrew has been a vocal proponent of using large language models like GPT-4 to reimagine scientists’ tools and experiments and spoke to Bloomberg about how he envisions AI can accelerate the scientific process.

“I think most scientists probably read five papers a week. Imagine what’s going to happen when you have systems that can process all 10,000 papers that are coming out every day,” says Andrew. “In some fields, the limiting factor is not the equipment. It’s not really the cost. It’s the ability of humans to come up with the next experiment.”

While on leave, Andrew continues to serve as part of OpenAI’s “red team,” a group of researchers hired to help mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence models by testing the platform’s capacity for harmful, illegal, or even unintended output. He’s also been involved in policy discussions with US and UK governments, as well as various non-profits on AI policy. Thanks to Andrew for all the work he’s doing on the forefront of a rapidly changing field that’s ripe with potential.

PANEL ON REGULATING AI’S FUTURE

A graphic of the US capitol building surrounded by circuits

As debates intensify on how—and whether—to regulate artificial intelligence, the University will host a panel discussion this week about charting AI’s future. David Primo, the Ani and Mark Gabrellian Professor of Political Science and Business Administration, will moderate a discussion featuring leading experts at the nexus of technology and policy. Panelists will include:

Sara Collins, Director of Government Affairs, Public Knowledge
Mehtab Khan, Fellow, Berkman Klein Center, Harvard University
Hodan Omaar, Senior Policy Analyst, ITIF Center for Data Innovation
Adam Thierer, Senior Fellow, R Street Institute

The event, sponsored by the Politics and Markets Project, is free and open to the Rochester community. It takes place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 8 in Wegmans Hall, Auditorium 1400. Find out more on the Rochester events calendar.

RESUME NIGHT

Pink and tan graphic that says, "WiCMiC & the Greene Center present RESUME NIGHT"

Students can join Women and Minorities in Computing (WiC-MiC) and the Greene Center tonight for an opportunity to learn how to build a great résumé and receive personal feedback. The first 20 attendees will get a résumé kit giveaway. The event takes place Monday, November 6 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Data Science Suite (1201 Wegmans Hall).

PANEL ON EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Four headshots of the speakers at the panel on diversity and equity in chemical engineering

The Department of Chemical Engineering’s panel discussion on equity and inclusion will feature, from left to right, Taylor Chartier ’12 ’13 MS, Fatou Diop ’20, Sheila Yalley ’22 MS, and Abby Zabrodsky ’14, ’19 MBA.

The Department of Chemical Engineering will host a virtual panel discussion on equity and inclusion in the field featuring four Rochester alumnae. The event takes place from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, November 17 via Zoom.

The panelists include Taylor Chartier ’12 ’13 MS, CEO of Modicus Prime; Fatou Diop ’20, now a PhD candidate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Sheila Yalley ’22 MS, a production engineer at Sun Chemical, and Abby Zabrodsky ’14, ’19 MBA, director of business development at Advanced Manufacturing Technology Inc.

The event is free and open for anyone to attend. Register via Zoom and submit your questions to the panelists by emailing Undergraduate Program Coordinator Jennifer Condit.

STUDENTS ADVANCE TO NORTH AMERICA CHAMPIONSHIP IN PROGRAMMING CONTEST

Our computer science students had a strong showing at the North American East Division’s International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC). Rochester fielded four of the 177 teams from the Northeast and East Central regions that competed on October 29.

Rochester’s Team #1—composed of MS student Xiaoou Zhou, Yan Zou ‘27, and Zeyu Nie ’24—solved nine of 12 problems and placed as the third university in the Northeast region, behind just MIT and Harvard. They advance to the ICPC North America Championship to be held in Florida next year.

Other students who participated included Lam Pham ’26, Tran Duy Anh Le ’25, Xingzhi Ye ’25, Yekai Pan ’26, Shuhan Li, ’26, Maki Nampei ’27, Vuong Ho ’24, and Isabel Humphreys ’27. Please join me in congratulating all the students who competed.

STRATEGIC PLAN DISCUSSION FORUMS

Graphic that says "BOUNDLESS POSSIBILITY 2030 STRATEGIC PLAN" next to the University of Rochester seal.

The Rochester community has two upcoming opportunities to discuss the direction of the University and its Boundless Possibility 2030 strategic plan.

Join Provost David Figlio and Deputy to the President Joe Testani at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 8 for a discussion forum. An overview of the plan will be followed by a conversation with David about our commitment to “Research Excellence and Global Reputation.” Staff, faculty, and students are invited to join the discussion and ask questions. It is free and open to all, but registration is required.

All students, faculty, and staff are also invited to join a discussion forum on Friday, Nov. 17, at noon to learn more about the plan, ask questions, and provide feedback. The session will be led by members of the strategic plan Implementation Team. It is free and open to all, but registration is required.

UPCOMING CELEBRATIONS OF NOTE

Friday marks Veterans Day, and the University will host the annual Veterans Reception and Pinning Ceremony beginning at 7 a.m.

The month of November is Native American Heritage Month. The University will host several programs throughout the month, including Haudenosaunee Heritage Celebration Day at the Memorial Art Gallery from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 12.

Have a great week!

Your Dean,
Wendi Heinzelman