November 13, 2017

Dear members of the Hajim School community,

The strong ties between the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Center for Musculoskeletal Research at the Medical Center continue to bear fruit. The center, led by Edward Schwarz, the Burton Professor of Orthopaedics, has been awarded a nearly $6 million, five-year award from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease to create a new multidisciplinary research program devoted to studying bone infections. The grant will allow Schwarz and Hani Awad, professor of biomedical engineering and orthopaedics, to investigate exactly how S. aureus bacteria gets into bone. James McGrath, professor of biomedical engineering, and his spin-off company SiMPore Inc., helped the center show that these bacteria can migrate through tiny pores. Read more here.

Congratulations to Duncan Moore, the Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Professor in Optical Engineering Science, who has received the Edward T. Bryand Distinguished Engineering Award from the University of Maine. The award is given annually to recognize an individual, outside that University, who has brought distinction to the profession of engineering.

Duncan will be co-hosting information sessions on a multidisciplinary technical/scientific innovation course that will be offered during the winter quarter and spring semester to graduate students in STEM fields. Students will network with start-up companies, innovators, and professionals and examine the management practices associated with technical innovation and new business development. Sessions are noon to 1 p.m. at Gleason 244, Davenport Hatch Room (tomorrow), at 1005 Wegmans Hall (Wednesday) and at 1-9525 Northeastern Conference Room (November 28). RSVP to 275-8828 or lynn.doescher@rochester.edu.

Ten members of a new student organization, the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) at the University of Rochester, attended the national SASE conference in Chicago last month with support of a Hajim Student Organization Supplemental Grant. This was a great opportunity for the students to hone their networking skills and pick up useful tips, like how to incorporate story-telling in an interview to help convince an employer you “have the skills, the passion, and know how to gel.” Group co-founder Nola Yang ’18 of chemical engineering especially appreciated the “genuine conversation” she had with a recruiter, which showed her how forming a connection can be as important as landing a job or an internship. This group is a welcome addition to our campus. Learn more here.

“Pursue people.” That’s some additional advice for students from Margo Georgiadis, CEO of Mattel and former president of Google Americas, who joined me for a fireside chat during Meliora Weekend. Specifically, she suggested creating your own “personal board of directors” — the people who have most influenced you at different stages of your life. “What I’ve found magical throughout my career is, they were the people who would then challenge me. ‘Are you really loving what you’re doing? What about it do you love?’ . . . They would encourage me to take that next step, that next risk that might open up a whole new set of opportunities.” Click here to read more, including the five technology revolutions that Margo believes will fundamentally “re-imagine” how we live our lives during the next 10 to 20 years.

Our friends from Advancement would like to share a photo gallery and highlights from Meliora Weekend — and remind us to save the dates for next year’s celebration: October 4-7, 2018.

The Ain Center is sponsoring several events in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, including:

Information sessions on the master of science program in technical entrepreneurship and management (TEAM), 4 to 5 p.m. today (general session) and 5 to 6 p.m. tomorrow (PhD students), both in 1-211 Carol Simon Hall. RSVP to 276-3500 or andrea.barrett@rochester.edu.
Free lecture by Jeannine Shao Collins ’86, CEO and co-founder of Girl Starter, at 4:45 p.m. Wednesday in Schlegel 207. She will discuss her foray into entrepreneurship and her mission to teach women to embrace failure. Register online or call (585) 276-3500.
Evening of entrepreneurial activities and networking with student organization Meliora LaunchPad, 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Hirst Lounge, Wilson Commons.
Student competition for the Hult Prize @ University of Rochester. Students will pitch ideas that “harness the power of energy to transform the lives of 10 million people.” 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday in Schlegel Hall. Attendees should register online or call (585) 276-3500.

A reminder: This Friday, November 17, is the deadline for faculty, staff, and students to submit their ideas for new initiatives or new processes to help our school and University lead through research and become an even more vibrant and impactful intellectual community in the future. The suggestion form, found here, can be submitted more than once if you have multiple ideas.

Have a great week.

Your dean,
Wendi Heinzelman