April 15, 2024
University of Rochester video / AJ Pow
Dear members of the Hajim School community,
One of my favorite days of the year is quickly approaching: Design Day. The event marks the culmination of our students’ hard work, creativity, and ingenuity. Seniors in the Hajim School departments and programs, as well as students in data science and the Medical Technology and Innovation master’s degree program, have been busy this year working on a wide range of projects that showcase their design expertise, working under the guidance of their customers and faculty advisors to produce innovative solutions to difficult problems.
For an example of one of the projects you’ll see on display during Design Day, check out this video on YouTube Shorts. Students from the Goergen Institute for Data Science have been working under the guidance of Assistant Professor Caitlin Dreisbach to help the School of Nursing leverage the All of Us Researcher Workbench to define pregnancy episodes and enable faster research into maternal health.
Design Day takes place at the Hajim Quad from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, May 3. The entire Rochester community is welcome to attend. I hope to see you there!
TOCHUKWU IYKE-NZEOCHA EARNS SUE S. STEWART AWARD
Congratulations to biomedical engineering student Tochukwu Iyke-Nzeocha ’24 for earning the Sue S. Stewart Leadership and Community Service Award. Tochukwu was presented the award at the 2024 Susan B. Anthony Legacy Awards Ceremony on Saturday.
The annual award recognizes a senior woman undergraduate student whose life in the University has been distinguished by a commitment to justice, equality, and community service, as these relate to diversity and inclusion, particularly in the lives of girls and women; and whose activities reflect the spirit of these principles and dedication to these qualities as expressed and inspired by the life and career of former Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the University of Rochester, Sue Stewart.
Throughout her time at the University, Tochukwu has demonstrated exceptional dedication and leadership. She has served on the National Society of Black Engineers executive board for four years. Currently, as president of NSBE and a mentor to black female engineering students, she actively works towards fostering a supportive community for minorities in STEM. In addition to her roles in leadership, Tochukwu has contributed significantly to research and industry. As a National Science Foundation REU Scholar at Rowan University, she pioneered approaches to combat antibiotic resistance through hydrophobic ion pairing. Please join me in congratulating Tochukwu!
JAMES SPANN RECOGNIZED FOR PHD POLICY PITCH
Computer Science PhD student James Spann stood out in the “One Page PhD Policy Pitch” competition hosted by the University Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs Office. James was runner-up in the competition, which aims to encourage the translation of academic research into actionable and understandable policy recommendations. His submission was praised for its clarity, relevance, feasibility, and potential impact on public policy. Congratulations, James!
SUSANA MARCOS RECEIVES TOP LABORATORY SCIENCE ARTICLE AWARD
Susana Marcos, the David R. Williams Director of the Center for Visual Science, the Nicholas George Professor in Optics, and a professor of ophthalmology at Rochester, was recognized for her work on a study in the Journal of Cataracts & Refractive Surgery (JCRS). Susana and her fellow authors received the JCRS 2023 Mamalis Award.
The annual award is presented to the best laboratory science article published in the publication in the year, as voted on by the journal’s editors. The authors were recognized at the 2024 American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Meeting in Boston. Read about the study, which uses artificial intelligence to bring clarity to LASIK patients facing cataract surgery.
ALUMNA TO DISCUSS CAREERS IN AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE
Joe Wojcik
Hajim students interested in careers in aerospace and defense will have an opportunity to hear what it takes from an alumna who is a CEO in the industry. University of Rochester alumna Dawne Hickton ’79, the CEO of Cumberland Additive Inc.—a manufacturing company that specializes in printing metals for aerospace, space, and defense—will speak from 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 17 in Wegmans Hall room 1400.
The event is sponsored by the Greene Center for Career Education and Connections, Politics & Markets Project, and Aviation Week Network in collaboration with our chapters of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, National Society of Black Engineers, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Register on Handshake.
GIDS SEED FUNDING PROGRAM INVITES PROPOSALS
University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster
The Goergen Institute for Data Science (GIDS) is now inviting proposals for 2024-25 seed grants in data science. The GIDS seed funding program aims to support collaborative research efforts toward attracting major external funding, with a particular focus on work aligned with at least one of the following research priorities in data science:
- Foundations of machine learning and artificial intelligence
- Imaging, optics, and computer/human vision
- Life sciences and biomedical data science
- Health analytics and digital health
- Human-data-system interfaces/computational reality (including human-computer interaction, augmented and virtual reality, robotics)
- Computational social science
- AI for physical science
The maximum funding amount is $30,000 for one year. PIs must be full-time University of Rochester faculty members and at least one co-PI must be a GIDS affiliated faculty member. Proposals will be accepted until Saturday, June 15. For more information, visit the GIDS research funding website.
PUT YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS TO THE TEST
Hajim students are invited to apply to the Mark Ain Business Model Competition and the Charles and Janet Forbes Entrepreneurial Competition. The Ain Competition is open to all Rochester students and all ideas, while the Forbes Competition is open only to undergraduate engineering students. The deadline to apply to both competitions is April 18. Reach out to the Ain Center for questions on either competition.
DAY OF GIVING IS MAY 1
Rochester’s annual Day of Giving returns on Wednesday, May 1. This is an opportunity to show your support for the areas of the University that are meaningful to you, including those from the Hajim School, with a donation of any size. Learn about all the ways you can participate on the Day of Giving website.
NEWLY FUNDED RESEARCH
University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster
Congratulations to several faculty members who recently secured funding for new sponsored research projects:
- Jessica Shang, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, received $192,108 from the Office of Naval Research for a project led by her collaborators at Rochester Institute of Technology titled, “A Novel Seal-Whisker-Inspired Cyber-Physical Hydrodynamic Sensing System for Complex Flow Detection, Perception and Tracking.”
- Cristiano Tapparello, an associate professor of research in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received $113,879 from the National Institutes of Health for a project led by his collaborators at Stanford University titled, “A facial expression-based personalization engine (FPE) for monitoring and modulating real-time effective engagement in cognitive training in older adults at risk for AD-ADRD.”
Have a great week!
Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman
