April 8, 2024
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
Today is an exciting day in Rochester because we are directly in the path of totality of a total solar eclipse. The moon will completely block the sun’s bright disk for about three and a half minutes starting at about 3:20 p.m.
For those of you on campus, the University community is invited to gather at the Wilson Quad starting at 12:30 p.m. for an event featuring cosmic donuts, a mocktail bar, and performances from some of our talented University of Rochester community members. The Institute of Optics will provide special viewing stations using their optics equipment and telescopes across campus at the Hajim Quad, Wilson Quad, and outside the Strong Auditorium.
For those of you not in the Rochester area, the Institute of Optics will livestream a view of the eclipse from a solar telescope mounted atop Wilmot Hall. Go to the University’s eclipse website for that and more information.
Some of our student researchers will be hard at work during the eclipse helping NASA study the sun’s corona. Read about their project at the News Center and in this WXXI story.
JESSICA SHANG NAMED YOUNG ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
I’m delighted to share that the Rochester Engineering Society is recognizing Jessica Shang as the 2023 Kate Gleason Young Engineer of the Year. RES will celebrate Jessica’s accomplishment during the RES Awards Program at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 4, at the University of Rochester campus.
Jessica joined the Hajim School in 2016 and is currently an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. Jessica’s research spans many disciplines, including fluid dynamics of the brain, turbulence and viscosity at high-energy density conditions, and biologically-inspired hydrodynamic sensing. Her group collaborates with the University of Rochester Medical Center, LLE, and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, among others.
Read more in the latest edition of the Rochester Engineer and please join me in congratulating Jessica for this terrific honor!
NSBE CHAPTER SHINES AT NATIONAL CONVENTION
Rochester’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) were among the 18,000 attendees at the NSBE 50th Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia in March. The group received tremendous recognition from the national organization, including the following awards:
- Two of the chapter’s members, AlSameer Cooke ’25 and Kadiatou Sow ’26, were selected as Regional Members of the Month for October and December, respectively.
- Our chapter’s senator, Imani Wanyoike ’26, won the Best Professionally Dressed at the Region 1 Professional Fashion Show.
- Our President, Tochukwu Iyke-Nzeocha ’24 was honored with the 2024 Edward E. Barnette Jr. Community Impact Scholarship in front of the 18,000 attendees at the Golden TORCH Awards. This scholarship recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the NSBE mission and show promise in making a positive impact on their communities and society.
- Moreover, our chapter was honored as the Region 1 Most Improved Chapter, a recognition it hadn’t received since 1986.
Congratulations to the entire NSBE chapter for their outstanding contributions and recognition! You make the Hajim School community proud.
ALUMNA PROVIDES AI PERSPECTIVES AND PREDICTIONS FOR 2024
A Hajim School alumna recently shared insight about the evolving landscape of women in AI. Taylor Chartier ’13 MS (chemical engineering) was part of an enlightening webinar hosted by Alumni Ventures titled, “The Sheconomy Webinar Series Part II: Women in AI Perspectives and Predictions for 2024.”
Taylor is the Founder and CEO of Modicus Prime. She brings experience from the pharmaceutical industry previously supporting FDA Biologics License Applications by advancing Quality by Design initiatives. In her work, she’s applied machine learning and artificial intelligence for multivariate modeling to optimize pharmaceutical production, perform root cause analysis, and generate leads, most recently at Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
Watch the webinar on the Alumni Ventures website.
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR DOTTIE WELCH AWARD
Do you know a Hajim staff member who has had an especially positive impact on the experiences of our undergraduate students? Now is your chance to recognize their hard work and dedication. Nominations for our Dottie Welch Student Enrichment Award are now being accepted until Wednesday, April 10.
Until July 2013, as long as there had been a Department of Biomedical Engineering, Dottie Welch was the “go-to” person for BME undergraduate students who needed a form signed, an update on their academic status, or a word of encouragement or support to get through a stressful time. To make sure her long years of dedicated service are not forgotten, we began an annual ritual of presenting the Dottie Welch Student Enrichment Award to a Hajim School staff member “whose performance and dedication enriches the student experience in the tradition exemplified by Dottie Welch during her 25-plus years of service to the students at the University of Rochester.”
Please email the Hajim School with the name of the person you’d like to nominate along with a description of the reason for their nomination. We will review each nomination after the deadline for both number of votes and quality of statements. Please note that faculty are not eligible for this award; it is only for Hajim school staff members.
EXPLORE PATENT LAW CAREERS
This week, the Greene Center for Career Education and Connections, NSBE, and the Department of Chemistry, will host an event for students interested in helping inventors protect their inventions with patents. They will host a presentation and discussion with Anna Verderame ’06 and Nicholas Stadnyk ’08 titled, “Patent Law Careers for People with STEM Degrees,” at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10 in the Wilson Commons Havens Lounge.
Patent law careers are an exciting alternative for people with STEM degrees that may not be interested in a career in academia, industry, or medicine. Register on Handshake.
FINGER LAKES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE
The Center for Emerging & Innovative Sciences (CEIS) and the Center of Excellence in Data Science (CoE) are hosting an event to showcase how artificial intelligence is changing computer imaging and what it could mean for the Rochester economy. The Finger Lakes Science and Technology Showcase will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 25 at the Memorial Art Gallery.
The free event will feature an AR/VR mini symposium, keynote address, town hall discussion, and business/faculty pitch session. Students are encouraged to submit entries to present at the poster session from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the event to the top three posters. Learn more about the event and register.
NEWLY FUNDED RESEARCH
Congratulations to Professor Qiang Lin from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Institute of Optics for receiving $500,000 to collaborate with Winston-Salem State University and Clemson University on a project funded by the National Science Foundation. The project is titled, “Expanding Quantum Research and Education at Winston-Salem State University with Research on Hybrid Microwave-Optical Quantum Devices.”
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
