At a time when it is more important than ever for scientists to communicate clearly with the public, eight University PhD students and postdocs will do their best to summarize their research with just three minutes and a slide.

They are finalists in the University’s annual Three Minute Thesis competition, which will be held at 4 p.m., next Thursday, April 12, in the Class of ’62 Auditorium at the Medical Center.

“Today, especially in America, there are a lot of people who are skeptical of scientific research – and of research in general – who want to understand where their tax dollars are going. At the end of the day, our research is going to matter to them, and they need to understand that,” says organizer Melissa Glasner, a PhD student in the cell biology of disease program.

Melissa Sturge-Apple, dean of graduate studies for Arts, Sciences & Engineering, says the competition is “a fantastic opportunity for graduate students and trainees to really reflect on what are the essential and important elements in the work that they do – what is the story it can tell to policy makers, practitioners, neighbors, parents, and society that makes a lasting impression.”

A total of 44 students initially entered the competition, which was founded at University of Queensland, and is now in its third year at Rochester. The eight finalists are:

• Jillian Ramos (biology)
• Derek Crowe (genetics, development, and stem cells)
• Parker Riley (computer science)
• Robert Maynard (cell biology of disease)
• Marian Ackun-Farmmer (biomedical engineering)
• Lauren VanGelder (chemistry)
• Simeon Abiola (translational biomedical science)
• Kathryn-Mary Wakim (neuroscience)

By design, half the finalists are from the School of Medicine and Dentistry and the other half from the River Campus.

The winner will receive a $750 research travel award. There are also $500 and $200 research travel awards, respectively, for the runner-up and the people’s choice winner.

“The ability to talk about research and scholarship in simple terms and make it accessible – this really is an art but it is also a very important skill. This isn’t something that is taught necessarily in the training of PhD students and postdocs. This contest provides a catalyst for this type of thinking,” Sturge-Apple says.

Glasner concurs. She competed last year and says the experience “made me think about my science in a more global perspective. It helped me with my communication skills, because I am so used to speaking jargony science with my colleagues, and I would like to reach out to the general public.”

There are benefits to the University as well. When an engineer can talk in a language that a biologist, a humanist, and a psychologist can understand, it helps forge cross-disciplinary connections, Sturge-Apple says. “We can begin to see how the research in one corner of academia may inform that in another corner.  It’s synergistic.  This is how new discoveries are made and new scientific pursuits are born.”

Sturge-Apple says the event is particularly timely “against the backdrop of remembering and honoring all that Louise Slaughter stood for as the only microbiologist in Congress. Because she was a scientist, she understood the value of academic research and scholarship and how it could inform policy.”

“I can promise that attendees at the Three Minute Thesis will come away with a wealth of new information about the corners of academia they may have never known existed.”

The competition is sponsored by the School of Medicine and Dentistry Center for Professional Development; the Arts, Science & Engineering Graduate Studies Office; the Graduate Student Society (School of Medicine and Dentistry); and the Graduate Student Association (AS&E).

University researchers are using lasers to change the surface of metals in incredible ways, such as making them super water-repellent without the use of special coatings, paints, or solvents.

The commercial applications of the technology range from de-icing of commercial airplanes and large trucks, to rust and corrosion prevention of exposed metal surfaces, and to cleaner, anti-microbial surfaces for surgical and medical facilities.

But to make the technology commercially viable, the lasers must become much more powerful.

John Marciante, an associate professor of optics, is working with a venture capital-backed technology company, FemtoRoc Corp., to develop those more powerful lasers. His contract with the company, expected to take six years, has a research budget estimated at $10 million.

“What they [FemtoRoc] need is a high-powered, ultra-fast, femtosecond-class laser system with average power measured in kilowatts, rather than the 10’s of watts now commercially available,” says Marciante. “So, we need to scale up by over a factor of 10.”

“It’s a very ambitious undertaking.”

In 2015, Chunlei Guo, a professor of optics, and Anatoliy Vorobyev, a senior scientist at the Institute of Optics, described using ultra-short laser pulses to create an intricate pattern of micro and nanoscale structures on metal surfaces, giving them a new set of physical properties.

Guo and Vorobyev have also used this technique to create metal surfaces that attract water. Guo’s laboratory has also created a process to treat metal surfaces to absorb virtually all wavelengths of ambient light, which has a wide array of commercial applications, including thin, ultra-efficient solar cells.

However, more powerful, ultra-fast femtosecond laser pulses are needed to speed up the process to make the technology commercially viable.

To develop the lasers, Marciante’s laboratory, which specializes in developing advanced, high-power, fiber lasers, must address two main challenges.

One is that laser beams are usually confined in conventionally designed optical fibers, which tend to be very small in core diameter. In scaling up the laser power, too much light becomes concentrated in the fiber’s core, and nonlinear properties proliferate, causing the laser beam to broaden or become modulated.

“When you try to compress the beam to a short pulse, there’s a lot of energy that doesn’t fit in that pulse,” Marciante explains. “The usable power spreads out, or does not focus where you want it to.”

The second challenge is overheating. “You’re pumping the laser beam at one energy level, at one end, and then extracting it at a lower energy level, at the other end, and no process is 100 percent thermally efficient.  So that extra energy ends up in the fiber. The fiber can get very hot, even to the point of melting,” Marciante says.

In addition to the research done by his own team, Marciante will leverage a network of veteran researchers in the United States and abroad and bring in third party vendors with proven fiber design and manufacturing capabilities.

Marciante’s research has already yielded the following results:

• a proprietary larger core optical fiber with superior laser beam qualities that is compatible with high power ultra-fast femtosecond fiber lasers
• a way to greatly reduce the effects of nonlinearities in the core of the proprietary fiber. “In principal, if you cut fiber length in half, you can go to twice as much energy,” Marciante says. “The tradeoff is, you’re also dumping the heat into half as much space.”

“It’s a very exciting challenge,” Marciante says.

“No one in the world has been able to do this specific kind of femtosecond laser treatment of metal surfaces,” he adds.  “To launch commercial products using this technology will be a real game changer. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create new science.”

BACIEWICZ RECEIVES TOP HONOR

Gloria J. Baciewicz, professor of clinical psychiatry and medical director of Strong Recovery, has received one of the nation’s top honors in the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction for her 25 years as a clinician, leader, and innovator in the field.

The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence presented Baciewicz with the Nyswander/Dole “Marie” Award at the association’s international conference in New York City. The award is named after the two researchers (Vincent Dole and Marie Nyswander) who founded methadone maintenance treatment in the 1960s.

Baciewicz’s accomplishments include expanding the capacity of Strong Recovery’s outpatient opioid treatment program in 2016 (from 650 to nearly 1,000 slots); providing outreach and consultation to residential treatment agencies and the Rochester Drug Treatment Court; incorporating medication-assisted treatments into the traditional “drug-free” outpatient clinics; the development of an Addiction Medicine Fellowship at URMC, and providing free Narcan kit distribution and education across the Rochester area.

Read more here.

‘UN-MEETING’ SEEKS INNOVATIVE IDEAS TO ADDRESS THE CRISIS

Attendees will drive the agenda to come up with new ideas to address the opioid crisis at an “un-meeting” (dispensing with the structure of a classical conference) from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 2 at the Saunders Research Building Atrium.

Hosted by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration, the event will bring together various stakeholders to foster new collaborations and ideas to advance translational science that will reduce the misuse and abuse of opioids and improve outcomes for those affected by the epidemic.

An informal reception will take place in the Saunders Research Building atrium from 5 to 7 p.m. June 1.

There is no cost to attend. Register here for the “un-meeting” by Wednesday, May 23.

The spring 2018 round of the University’s Technology Development Fund has started.

Awards up to $100,000 are open to all faculty, staff, and students.

Eligible projects propose the development of a technology to a commercial endpoint.

A submitted invention disclosure to UR Ventures is required for an application.

Pre-proposals are due April 30 and should be submitted to omar.bakht@rochester.edu. More information can be found at Rochester.edu/tdf

Clay Matlin, History, “’A God abandoned world’: Terror, Tragedy, and Sublime Presence in Postwar America, 1945-48.” 3 p.m. April 9, 2018. Gamble Room, Rush Rhees Library. Advisor: Daniel Borus.

Dustin Olson, Philosophy, “Reflective Equilibrium and Reasonable Disagreement.” 9:30 a.m. April 12, 2018. Lattimore 531. Advisor: Richard Feldman.

Zhentao Hou, Chemistry, “Photophysical Properties of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.” 1 p.m., April 12, 2018. 473 Hutchison Hall. Advisor: Todd Krauss.

Kyle Robinson, History, “Body and Soul of Enlightenment: John Wesley, Methodism, and the Age of Reason.” 3 p.m., April 12, 2018. Rush Rhees Library Room 456. Advisor: Dorinda Outram.

Haiqing Bai, Pathology, “Pump Independent Functions of the Na+, K+ -ATPase B1 Subunit in Restoring Alveolar Epithelial Barrier.” 1:30 p.m., April 16, 2018. Medical Center | 3-6408 K 307. Advisor: David Dean.

Irina Lerman, Pathology, “Neutrophil Elastase and SERPINB1 are Critical Regulators of Prostate Cancer Progression.” 3 p.m. April 17, 2018. Medical Center | 3-6408 K 307. Advisor: Stephen Hammes.

Jessica Lynn Meyers, Toxicology, “Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation during development reduces dendritic cell responses later in life.” 1 p.m., April 19, 2018. Medical Center | Adolph Auditorium, 1-7619. Advisor: Paige Lawrence.

Liwei Wang, Pharmacology, “Region-specific Proteolysis Differentially Regulates Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate Receptor Activity.” 2:30 p.m. April 23, 2018. Medical Center | 1-9576 Ryan Case Method Room. Advisor: David Yule.

Nicolas Patrick Novick Goldstein, Health Services Research and Policy, “Disproportionate Premature Birth in Women of Low Socioeconomic Status: A Psychological and Physiological Stress Explanation of Financial Risk Removal.” Noon, April 24, 2018. Helen Wood Hall | 1W304. Advisor: Peter Veazie.

Andrew Allbee, Genetics, “Lmx1a is required for Drosophila ovary stem cell niche formation and organogenesis.” 3 p.m., April 27, 2018. Medical Center | 1-7619 Adolph (Lower) Auditorium.  Advisor: Benoit Biteau.

Today: Critical Medical Ecological Perspectives on Diabetes in the Pacific Islands. Presented by Timothy Dye. Noon to 1 p.m. Helen Wood Hall 1W-304. Public Health Grand Rounds.

Today: CIRC Spring Workshop on using BlueHive, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. VISTA Collaboratory, first floor Carlson Library. All workshop attendees should bring their own laptops and have a computing account on BlueHive. Beginner sessions in morning (Getting Connected, Overview of BlueHive, Intro to Linux); more advanced sessions in afternoon (Slurm Resource Management, Modules and Software, Jupyter, Gitlab, Remote Visualization, and Q&A). No registration required.

Today: “Translating Neuroscience: Obstacles and Opportunities.” Keynote address by Kafui Dzirasa, associate professor in the departments of psychiatry and behavioral science, neurobiology, biomedical engineering, and neurosurgery at Duke University. Medical Scientist Research Symposium. 3 to 4:30 p.m. Class of ’62 Auditorium. Jointly sponsored by the Medical Scientist Training Program and the Dr. Thomas A. and Joyce E. Pearson Endowed Lectureship fund. More information here.

April 9: Deadline to submit proposals for three Center for AIDS Research pilot grants. See the CFAR Pilot Funding Opportunities page and the specific RFA’s for additional information.  Contact the CFAR administrator (Laura_Enders@urmc.rochester.edu) for additional information on eligibility, budgeting guidelines, and required cost sharing forms no later than March 23.

April 12: “Forgetting Fear,” presented by Daniela Schiller, professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Humanities Center Public Lecture Series. 5 to 6 p.m., Hawkins Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library. Read more here.

April 12: “The American Health Paradox: What’s Missing?” Presented by Nancy Bennett, professor of medicine and public health sciences, director of the Center for Community Health, and co-director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Phelps Colloquium Series. 4-5:30 p.m., Helen Wood Hall. Click here to register.

April 12: Three Minute Thesis competition: final round. 4 p.m., Class of ’62 Auditorium. Read more here.

April 16: Deadline to apply for Community-Based Participatory Research Pipeline-to-Pilot grant of up to $15,000 from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. For academic and community partners currently completing the CTSI’s Introduction to Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) program, or who have demonstrated experience in CBPR. For more details, see the RFA. Contact Indrani Singh with questions.

April 18: SBIR/STTR Symposium – Succeeding at SBIR/STTR Grants.  Hosted by NextCorp. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 260 East Main Street, Suite 6000.  Indepth session on writing successful proposals, understanding key agencies and seed funding for Phase 0 –  customer discovery & proposal development.  For details and to register go to https://nextcorps.org/event/succeeding-at-sbir-sttr-grants/

April 20-21: UpStat 2018: Better Living Through Statistics conference. A friendly and empowering annual gathering of statisticians, applied mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, and data scientists from upstate New York and its neighboring regions. We are interested in contributions to statistical methodology as well as to statistical practice, consulting, and education. Read more.

April 28: All In: When Theory Meets Practice in Education Reform. Symposium sponsored by the Warner School Center for Urban Education Success (CUES). 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., East High School. Free and open to the public. Read more here.

April 30: Deadline to submit pre-proposals for University Technology Development Fund awards. Submit to omar.bakht@rochester.edu. More information can be found at Rochester.edu/tdf

April 30: “Zionism: Conflicting Dreams.” Public lecture by Israeli author Amos Oz, the inaugural Farash Fellow for the Advancement of Jewish Humanities and Culture. 5 p.m., Hawkins Carlson Room at Rush Rhees Library. The lecture will be followed by a reception in the Humanities Center. Presented by the Farash Foundation, the Humanities Center, and the Center for Jewish Studies. For more information, contact Jennie Gilardoni.

May 15: Respiratory Pathogens Research Center Scientific Symposium. Featured speakers, lectures by RPRC investigators, poster session. Lunch and refreshments provided. 7:45 a.m. to 6:30 pm., Saunders Research Building. Registration is free, but pre-registration is required by April 27 at RPRCSymposium.urmc.edu

May 17: “Ever Better Teams: A CTSI Team Science Summit.” Interactive symposium featuring keynote presentation by Gaetano “Guy” Lotrecchiano, an associate professor of clinical research and leadership at The George Washington University, and breakout sessions for networking and dialogue on the future of team science at URMC. 1 to 5 p.m. Hosted by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Contact Oksana Babiy with questions.

June 2: “An ‘Un-Meeting’: Addressing the Opioid Crisis through Translational Science.” 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saunders Research Building Atrium. Hosted by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration. There is no cost to attend. Register here by Wednesday, May 23.