March 25, 2024

A graphic with green illustrations of butterflies in the background that says, "ART OF SCIENCE COMPETITION Vote today for your favorite! Voting ends March 27"

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

Beauty is all around us and especially in the scientific work we pursue. Each year, we explore and illuminate the aesthetic beauty that results when science, art, and technology intersect through the annual Art of Science Competition.

Sponsored by the Hajim School in collaboration with River Campus Libraries, the University-wide competition offers student prizes of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place. All faculty, staff, and students are also invited to submit entries for the People’s Choice award.

I’m delighted to share that this year, a record 84 Rochester community members submitted entries, ranging from microscopic views of flowers to images of celestial bodies. Voting for the People’s Choice award is open now through midnight on Wednesday, March 27. Vote now.

GRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

Graduate students deliver poster presentations in Feldman Ballroom.

The incredible work of Hajim School graduate students will be on full display this week. The third annual Graduate Research Symposium takes place at 3 p.m. this Wednesday, March 27 in the Feldman Ballroom.

The event will feature a poster session with monetary awards for selected posters followed by an awards ceremony and networking reception. Winners will be announced during the awards ceremony and networking portion of the event from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the Feldman Ballroom of Douglass Commons. Coffee, cookies, and appetizers will be served.

Go to the Graduate Symposium website to see the program and research abstracts for this year’s presenters.

REMINDER: BOUNDLESS POSSIBILITY PULSE SURVEY

To the right of the University of Rochester seal, text reads "BOUNDLESS POSSIBILITY 2030 Strategic Plan"

The University is still seeking your insights and perspectives about the Boundless Possibility strategic plan. At this early stage in the strategic plan, we are especially interested in assessing awareness and understanding among our community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

If you haven’t already, please complete a very short survey that will take less than one minute of your time. Your responses will remain anonymous, and the information will be used to help us improve communications about the plan’s goals and objectives. Complete the survey.

TRACE-BMPS HOLDS INAUGURAL MEETING

Jim McGrath presents a slide about TraCe-bMPS in front of a filled auditorium.

One of the Hajim School’s most exciting new initiatives kicked off in earnest last week. The Translational Center for Barrier Microphysiological Systems (TRaCe-bMPS) held its inaugural meeting on Friday, March 22, bringing together experts from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Led by Jim McGrath, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biomedical Engineering, TRaCe-bMPS aims to develop five Food and Drug Administration–qualified drug development tools to study barrier functions in disease—interfaces in tissue that are critical for the progression of infection, cancer, and many autoimmune disorders. The center was established earlier this year with a $7.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The TraCe-bMPS scientists will create the drug development tools using microphysiological systems—small chips with ultrathin membranes of human cells. They will be built using the modular, mass-producible µSiM chips pioneered by Jim. Learn more about TraCe-bMPS at the News Center.

Have a great week!

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman