August 14, 2017

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Congratulations to Adam Sefkow, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and senior scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, who has received a prestigious Early Career Research Program award from the Department of Energy. Adam’s award is to develop a hybrid fluid-kinetic code named CHIMERA to help interpret data acquired from high-energy-density physics and inertial confinement fusion experiments at our OMEGA Laser Facility, the National Ignition Facility and the Z Pulsed Power Facility. The Early Career Research Program, now in its eighth year, supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers, in disciplines supported by the DOE Office of Science. Adam’s research was selected for funding by the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. The award is for $750,000 over 5 years. This year there are 59 recipients among about 700 proposals. Well done, Adam!

The students who participated in the Ghana field school this summer have filed their last entries at the online blog they maintained about their experiences, which included extensive documentation of Elmina Castle where slaves were once held before being shipped overseas. This led to a “humbling moment” for Bill Green ’17 of mechanical engineering, after a Ghanaian named Eric told him, “God bless you for your work.”

“At Elmina (Castle), I sometimes feel confronted with an uncomfortable observation,” Bill relates. “When we look up at a Dutch vault, stretching our tape measures and talking about the construction, we are standing inside a dungeon. This silent, moldy room once held hundreds of lives stripped of dignity, respect, and humanity. Do we add anything to this gruesome narrative by studying the construction methods of a human trafficking enterprise that sought a 12 percent profit margin? Or are we missing the point?

“I look back at Eric. We are not missing the point. He is blessing our attempts to understand, and to safeguard a structure that without continued interest and stewardship, dies, and no longer tells its somber and important story.”

Thanks to Bill for organizing the blog, and to the other students who contributed to it. If you get a chance, please read their entries, and you will understand why I put such a high priority on global experiences for our students. Thanks as well to faculty members Renato Perucchio and Chris Muir of mechanical engineering and Michael Jarvis of history, who led the trip, and to professors Kodzo Gavua and William Gblerkpor of the University of Ghana, who provided invaluable assistance.

The Luminate Accelerator program, launched with $10 million in state funding earlier this year, will provide optics, photonics, and imaging startups from across the country with six months of intensive mentoring through High Tech Rochester, a University affiliated business incubator. The program will have plenty of guidance from Institute of Optics alumni, who fill six of 12 seats on the board of advisors. Don Golini ’86, founder of QED Technologies and member of our Visiting Committee, is chair. Other members are Stuart Elby ’82, a senior vice president at Infinera and member of our Deans Advisory Committee; Stephen Fantone ’79, founder and president of Optikos and DAC member; Jay Kumler ’87, president of Jenoptik Optical Systems; Duncan Moore ’74, our vice provost for entrepreneurship and professor of optics; and Darius Sankey ’93, CEO of 3Discovered.

Other members of the board have also been involved with the Institute of Optics in various ways. They are Eugene Arthurs of SPIE, Milton Chang of Incubic Management, Mike Foley of Artemis Capital Partners, Michael Liehr of AIM Photonics, Ryne Raffaelle of RIT, and Jim Senall of High Tech Rochester.

The Luminate Accelerator is seeking mentors and corporate partners. Read more here  about this exciting project to help grow the photonics industry in Rochester.

Have a great week,

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman