March 11, 2024

University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Scientists from the Hajim School have developed new electrochemical approaches to clean up pollution from “forever chemicals” found in clothing, food packaging, firefighting foams, and a wide array of other products. A new Journal of Catalysis study describes nanocatalysts developed to remediate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS.

The researchers, led by assistant professor of chemical engineering Astrid Müller, focused on a specific type of PFAS called Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which was once widely used for stain-resistant products but is now banned in much of the world for its harm to human and animal health. Their novel approach using laser-made nanomaterials created from nonprecious metals could lay the foundation for globally scalable remediation techniques.

Congratulations to Astrid and her team for this exciting advancement. Learn more at the News Center.

PREPARING FOR THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE

Three first-year students, including two from the Department of Computer Science, comprise one of more than 30 teams across the country who will be helping NASA observe the sun’s corona during the total solar eclipse on April 8. Asad Shahab (applied math) and Adam Bowen (computer science) spoke with News 10 WHEC about their participation in the Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) 2024 experiment. Watch the story.

OPTICS ALUMNA A GUEST AT THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Photo credit: The Office of Congressman Joe Morelle

Institute of Optics alumna Alexis Vogt ’01, ’07 PhD, Endowed Chair & Professor of Optics at Monroe Community College, was the guest of Congressman Joe Morelle at President Biden’s State of the Union Address to Congress last week. Congressman Morelle said he selected Alexis to highlight a dedicated partner in our efforts to advance Rochester’s position as a global leader in innovative technologies.

“Dr. Vogt has been a leader in the high-tech optics field for years, and her work has helped propel our region to the forefront of the innovation economy—including helping to secure our recent designation as a Regional Technology Hub,” said Congressman Morelle. “I am proud to have her as my guest to the State of the Union Address and showcase the vital work she is doing to invest in the future of our workforce and our economy.”

Congratulations, Alexis! Read more about her selection.

DEVELOPING SCIENCE-SPECIFIC AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

Photo credit: Ganga Sajith, Illinois Physics

SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, recently featured an optics PhD student who is working to develop and grow the vocabulary and usage of technology- and science-focused ASL. David Spiecker is highly engaged in the Deaf science community as a science communicator, working with projects and organizations such as ASLCORE, Quantum ASL, and Atomic Hands—which David’s sister, Barbara Spiecker, a Deaf scientist with a doctorate in integrative biology, co-founded.

David points out that ASL is an established language—it just needs more people to be using it in scientific fields. “There is a lack of sign language in science and technology; that need has been identified,” says David. “Now, more and more Deaf people are going into science fields, and that makes it even more important to have these conversations around how to express ourselves in our specific specialties.”

Read more at the SPIE website.

EDGE SCHOLARS VISIT MICRON PLANT IN IDAHO

Photo credit: Micron Technology

Two Hajim School students recently visited Micron Technology’s state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication facility in Boise, Idaho, last week as part of the new EDGE Scholars program. On February 26, Velma Ayona ’24 (electrical and computer engineering) and Atlas Kiewel ’27 (optics) toured Micron’s manufacturing facility, the only one for DRAM semiconductor memory chips in North America.

Rochester is a founding member of the new Education Group for Diversification and Growth in Engineering (EDGE) Consortium, an alliance of schools and industry/government partners that seeks to transform the semiconductor industry, and education pipelines, to meet national demand. Students interested in becoming an EDGE Scholar can sign up.

MIKE MORRIS ELECTED TO NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING

I’m happy to share that Mike Morris, the founder and CEO (retired) of Apollo Optical Systems LLC, was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Mike was a professor at the Institute of Optics from 1982 to 2001, has served as an alumni volunteer on the Hajim Dean’s Visiting Committee since 2009 and the Hajim Dean’s Advisory Council since 2020.

Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.” Mike is being recognized for his work on nanophotonic optical filters, super-resolution imaging, laser metrology and optical storage. Learn more at the NAE website.

FIVE FROM THE HIVE: NATALIE FULLERMAN

The University of Rochester Instagram account’s Five from the Hive series provides a behind-the-scenes peek into the lives and experiences of our students through five photos from their camera roll. They recently featured Hajim School student Natalie Fullerman ’24 (optical engineering).

Natalie is minoring in Spanish and is heavily involved in a dizzying number of student clubs and groups, including OPTICA, Society of Women Engineers, Engineers without Boarders, ROC Players, and Tau Beta Pi. She’s a teaching assistant, involved in research, and serves as a tour guide.

Check out the post on Instagram to see a day in the life at Rochester through Natalie’s eyes.

BOUNDLESS POSSIBILITY PULSE SURVEY

As we work towards shaping the future of our institution, we value your insights and perspectives about the University’s Boundless Possibility strategic plan. At this early stage in our work, we are especially interested in assessing awareness and understanding of the strategic plan among our community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

We invite you to participate in a very short survey that will take less than one minute to complete. Your responses will remain anonymous, and the information will be used to help us improve our communications about the plan’s goals and objectives. Complete the survey.

LAST CALL FOR ART OF SCIENCE SUBMISSIONS

(Fateema Islam ’24)

Students, faculty, and staff have less than a week to submit entries for the annual Art of Science competition. All submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on March 17, 2024. For more information about the contest, including rules and the submission form, go to the Hajim website.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman