Metallic hydrogen is one of the rarest materials on Earth, yet more than 80 percent of planets—including Jupiter, Saturn, and hundreds of extrasolar planets—are composed of this exotic form of matter.

Its abundance in our solar system—despite its rarity on Earth—makes metallic hydrogen an intriguing focus for researchers at the University’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) who study planet formation and evolution, including how planets both inside and outside our solar system form magnetic shields.

“Metallic hydrogen is the most abundant form of matter in our planetary system,” says Mohamed Zaghoo, a research associate at the LLE. “It’s a shame we don’t have it naturally here on earth, but on Jupiter, there are oceans of metallic hydrogen. We want to find out how these oceans give rise to Jupiter’s enormous magnetic field.”

Zaghoo and Gilbert ‘Rip’ Collins, a professor of mechanical engineering and of physics and director of Rochester’s high-energy-density physics program, studied the conductivity of metallic hydrogen to further unravel the mysteries of the dynamo effect—the mechanism that generates magnetic fields on planets including Earth. They published their findings in the Astrophysical Journal.

At the LLE, researchers use the powerful OMEGA laser to fire pulses at a hydrogen capsule. The laser impinges on the sample, developing a high-pressure, high-temperature condition that allows the tightly bound hydrogen atoms to break. When this happens, hydrogen is transformed from its gaseous state to a shiny liquid state, much like the element mercury.

By studying the conductivity of metallic hydrogen, Zaghoo and Collins are able to build a more accurate model of the dynamo effect—a process where the kinetic energy of conducting moving fluids converts to magnetic energy.

Gas giants like Jupiter have a very powerful dynamo, but the mechanism is also present deep within Earth, in the outer core. This dynamo creates our own magnetic field, making our planet habitable by shielding us from harmful solar particles.

Researchers can map the earth’s magnetic field, but, because the earth has a magnetic crust, satellites cannot see far enough into our planet to observe the dynamo in action. Jupiter, on the other hand, does not have a crust barrier. This makes it relatively easier for satellites—like NASA’s Juno space probe, currently in orbit around Jupiter—to observe the planet’s deep structures, Collins says. “It is very humbling to be able to characterize one of the most interesting states of matter, liquid metallic hydrogen, here in the laboratory, use this knowledge to interpret satellite data from a space probe, and then apply this all to extrasolar planets.”

Read more here.

Martin Zand, co-director of the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute, has been named senior associate dean for clinical research at the Medical Center.

In his new role, Zand will focus on:

• starting up the new Office of Clinical Research;
• creating a data ecosystem that integrates laboratory and clinical data;
• supporting clinical researchers by ensuring they have more time and resources to conduct research;
• improving the implementation of treatments and therapies.

Zand’s dovetailing roles as senior associate dean for clinical research and co-director of the UR CTSI and its new Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration, will offer medical center research teams greater access to clinical and translational research resources and collaborators across the nation.

Zand took up the post on Wednesday, pending approval from the University’s Board of Trustees.

Learn more on the UR CTSI Stories Blog.

(The Shared Resource Laboratories (SRL) have invested $3 million in the last year in new state-of-the-art instrumentation.  These advanced technologies will enhance the University’s research capabilities in microscopy, mass spectrometry, genomics, and flow cytometry.  This is the second in a series on the new instrumentation.)

The University’s Genomics Research Center (GRC), located within the Wilmot Cancer Institute, provides core laboratory support, technical consultation, assistance with experimental design and data analysis for investigators using high-throughput genomic sequencing, genotyping, and gene expression in their research programs.

In April 2018, a new Illumina NovaSeq6000 DNA sequencer was added to the GRC high-throughput sequencer cluster, augmenting capacity and lowering sequencing costs, including the cost for whole genome sequencing.

Procurement of the NovaSeq6000 signals a new era for genomics at the University, which will aid in advancing personalized medicine and discovery of novel therapeutic approaches towards improving patient outcomes.

In addition to bolstering whole genome sequencing capabilities within the GRC, the NovaSeq6000 acquisition will aid investigators interested in studying rare cell populations through single-cell RNA sequencing.

(The Shared Resource Laboratories, which are directed by Tim Bushnell, provide leading edge services and instrumentation to researchers across the University.  The new acquisitions were made possible through a combination of internal investment, NIH grant supplements, and NIH SIG grants.)

Gravely ill patients who have exhausted conventional treatment options will now have a better chance to try cutting-edge treatments thanks to a $4.8 million national effort led by the University of Michigan.

The University of Rochester Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) is one of four institutions involved in the effort, which aims to help more hospitals offer experimental options to their patients via the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Expanded Access process.

“The beauty of this project is that it will reliably harness all of the data generated during Expanded Access use,” said Joan Adamo, director of the Office of Regulatory Support at the UR CTSI, who will lead the effort at the University of Rochester. “That information can now be consistently used to further product development and approval, as well as maintain patient safety.”

Read more on the UR CTSI Stories Blog.

Get an overview of the basic components of writing successful proposals for humanities grants and fellowships, then have a writing session so that you can kick-start your proposals in time for the application season.

All this will be available at a workshop from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, September 14, in Rush Rhees Library Instruction Room B.

The session will end with an opportunity for immediate feedback on your proposal drafts and ideas.

The workshop is geared toward graduate students in the humanities, but is open to all interested grad students. Bring a laptop, and RSVP here.

Novel Biostatistical and Epidemiologic Methods awards through the Clinical and Translational Science Institute support the development of methods that overcome specific analytic limitations and significantly enhance the validity and accuracy, scope, or speed of clinical or translational research.

A maximum of $35,000 will be awarded for a one-year period.

View the request for applications (RFA).

Deadline for submission is September 24, 2018.

Aug. 13: Noon deadline to apply for Community Health Mini-Grants to be awarded in September by the Center for Community Health and Prevention. Up to $1,000 to address barriers to pursuing community health partnerships. Application directions for the grant can be found here. Contact Gail Hamilton via email or at 224-3062 for additional information.

Aug. 27: Deadline to apply to the Pilot Studies Program of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) for seed funding for highly innovative research that spans the translational spectrum in three categories: faculty, trainee, and UNYTE Translational Research Network. View the Request for Applications (RFA).

Aug. 27: Deadline to apply to the CTSI Incubator Program for “super-pilot projects,” two years in duration, that are intended to accelerate innovative scientific discovery in the life sciences and public health, leading to new independently funded research programs. Each award is funded at a maximum level of $125,000 per year for each of two years. View the Request for Applications (RFA).

Sept. 14:  Workshop on basic components of writing successful proposals for humanities grants and fellowships, plus writing session so that you can kick-start your proposals. 10 to 11:30 a.m., Rush Rhees Library Instruction Room B.  The session will end with an opportunity for immediate feedback on your proposal drafts and ideas. Geared toward graduate students in the humanities, but open to all interested grad students. Bring a laptop, and RSVP here.

Sept. 17: Deadline to apply for the Falling Walls competition. Winner of the Rochester competition, to be held October 2 in the Feldman Ballroom, will receive $500 and a trip to the Falling Walls Lab Finale in Berlin, November 7 to 9. Presenters will each have three minutes and three slides to summarize their groundbreaking ideas. Click here to register. Contact Adele Coelho, faculty outreach coordinator, at adele.coelho@rochester.edu for additional information.

Sept. 24: Deadline to apply for Novel Biostatistical and Epidemiologic Methods awards to overcome specific analytic limitations and significantly enhance the validity and accuracy, scope, or speed of clinical or translational research. A maximum of $35,000 will be awarded for a one-year period. View the request for applications (RFA).

Sept. 27: Workshop on Developmental Programming of Disease, focusing on current understanding of mechanisms that underlie early life programming. 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Class of ’62 Auditorium. Offered by the Department of Environmental Medicine and the University’s Environmental Health Science Center. Free and open to all. Registration is requested for ordering refreshments. Read more here.