Thirty-three years ago, Arthur Ashkin showed how a very tightly focused laser beam attracts tiny particles towards it. When the laser beam moves, the particles move with it, held in the focus of the “optical tweezer” Ashkin created.

This discovery, which earned Ashkin a share of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, has since been applied in a variety of ways. For example, researchers have used optical tweezers to trap and sort healthy cells from infected ones.

Now University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology scientists have found another use, which could shed new light on the fundamental properties of lasers–and perhaps lead to better sensors and other devices.

In a paper in Nature Photonics, they describe trapping nanoparticle-sized silica beads with an optical tweezer in a vacuum. The oscillation of the beads is comprised of phonons — basic units of vibrational energy. In addition, the beads cause some of the laser light to scatter. By measuring the scattered light, the researchers are then able to alter the way the beads oscillate and increase the output of energy as measured in phonons.

“If we do it just right, we can cause an oscillation that starts at one amplitude, and becomes bigger and bigger, until we start to exhibit mechanical motion that is analogous to what you would see if you turned on an ordinary optical laser in our labs,” says co-author Nick Vamivakas, an associate professor of quantum optics and quantum physics at Rochester. He is also lead investigator of a $3 million, multi-university Office of Naval Research grant that is funding the research.

Because the tweezer is operating in a vacuum, “we can simulate the dynamics of an optical laser in a very controlled way,” Vamivakas says. “It will allow us to learn about lasers in a way that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”

In addition, because the tweezer enables precise measurements of nanoscale particles, Vamivakas is hoping it can be used to test the validity of some basic theories of quantum mechanics, such as quantum wavefunction collapse.

Vamivakas says his lab is still exploring possible practical applications—such as sensors and accelerometers—that could result from the new tweezer. “It’s like when the laser was first discovered,” Vamivakas says. “Nobody knew what the laser would actually be used for. At this point, it is the demonstration that matters.”

Read more here.

Fulbright Program grants aim to improve intercultural relations and knowledge by making it possible for faculty to either teach, conduct research, or do a combination of both in another country. Participants then return to their institutions to share their global experiences with their students and colleagues.

From India to Tatarstan, from art to anthropology, here are half a dozen Rochester faculty who have shared their experiences as Fulbright Scholars all across the globe.

Catherine Cerulli, director of the Susan B. Anthony Center, was in Delhi, India for the academic year 2017-18 teaching law and empirical research to law undergraduates and masters and PhD students. The goal was to build relationships and potential future opportunities for cross-learning.

Joshua Enck, adjunct instructor in art and art history was in Gurgaon, India, August 2018-January 2019, combining the roles of artist and educator through research on utilitarian metal vessel production and teaching at the Sushant School of Design at Ansal University.

Martin Lynch, associate professor of counseling and human development, was in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan during the academic year 2014-2015 to study what local experts in another culture considered to be key nutriments for children’s psychological well-being.

Daniel Reichman, associate professor of anthropology was in Santos, Brazil during April-July 2016 to understand first-hand the economic and political realities of “big coffee” for the country.

Steven Rozenski, assistant professor of literature, is currently in London to research his book project, “Wisdom’s Journey: Continental Mysticism and Popular Devotion in Trans-Reformation England.”

Llerena Searle, professor of anthropology, has been in Delhi, India investigating the ways in which growing markets in home products fuel changes in the material culture of Indian homes, domestic practices, and gender and class ideals.

Read more about their experiences here.

Research has shown that a frequent pitfall during the transition from high school to college is social isolation. Loneliness can have a serious detrimental effect on a student’s mental health, potentially leading to depression.

But being alone isn’t necessarily bad, argues a team of researchers from the University of Rochester, Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and Ghent University in Belgium. They published their findings about the importance of me-time in the journal Motivation and Emotion.

“Approaching solitude for its enjoyment and intrinsic values is linked to psychological health, especially for those who don’t feel as if they belong to their social groups,” says the study’s lead author, Thuy-vy Nguyen, who received her doctorate in psychology from the University of Rochester in 2018 and who undertook a large part of the research for this study in Rochester.

“These findings highlight the importance of cultivating the ability to enjoy and value solitary time as a meaningful experience, rather than trying to disregard it, or escape from it,” says Nguyen, who’ll be joining the psychology department at Durham University, England, this fall as an assistant professor.

What then marks the difference between useful and potentially detrimental solitude? The key is positive motivation, according to the researchers. A healthy, autonomous seeking of alone time is associated with greater self-esteem, a greater sense of feeling related to others, and feeling less lonely.

Conversely, someone who wants to be alone because of negative social experiences will more likely experience the negative effects of solitude, such as isolation or social withdrawal. The reasons matter as they determine how we experience solitude and the benefits we can get from it, the study concludes.

Read more here.

Four University faculty members who have received the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious recognition for junior faculty members: the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award.

Zhiyao Duan, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, will develop a human-computer music making system that allows humans to work with machines on harmonizing pitch, coordinating musical timing, and conveying expression in music. Using signal processing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning algorithms, Duan will improve current automated accompaniment systems by empowering machines with stronger music perception skills, more expressive performance, and deeper understanding of music theory and composition. (Read more here.)

Pengfei (Frank) Huo, an assistant professor of chemistry, will develop new approaches for investigating the photochemical reactions that are crucial for solar fuel production. A quantitative and predictive understanding of these reactions is hampered by the lack of efficient and accurate theoretical approaches. The Huo group develops new quantum dynamics methods that aim to address these theoretical challenges. (Read more here.)

Amanda Larracuente, an assistant professor of biology, will investigate the function and evolution of centromeres in fruit flies. Centromeres, which vary in size and complexity across organisms, are regions of the chromosome that are essential in ensuring chromosomes separate properly during cell division. Variations in centromeres can have an impact on genome evolution, speciation, and human disease. Larracuente will study the variation of centromeres within and between species to gain insights into their DNA sequences. She will also examine how a class of selfish genetic elements called retrotransposons shape aspects of centromeres. (Read more here.)

Wyatt Tenhaeff, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, will develop a novel chemical vapor deposition process to enable gels to be used as safer electrolytes for lithium ion batteries. Gels offer a compromise between current liquid electrolytes, which are combustible, and solid electrolytes, which are difficult to integrate within existing battery designs, especially within the porous electrodes where charge is stored. (Read more here.)

Help shape the future of the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) by attending a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 23 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Class of ’62 Auditorium.

This meeting is part of an ongoing effort to tailor UR CTSI programming to the research community’s needs, but will also inform the institute’s application to renew its main source of funding.

At the meeting, UR CTSI co-directors Nancy Bennet and Martin Zand will give a brief overview of their application plan and will leave plenty of time for feedback and questions from the UR research community.

Jon Gruber, the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT and coauthor of the new book Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream, will participate in a panel discussion — “Jump-starting Rochester” — alongside Staci Henning of the Greater Rochester Enterprise, Robert Duffy of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, and James Senall of NextCorps. The discussion will be from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17 in the Hawkins-Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library. There will be a book signing following the panel discussion.

Read more here.

The Emergency Department Research Associate (EDRA) Program is a resource available to investigators who wish to access the more than 110,000 patients seen in the Strong Memorial Hospital Emergency Department each year. The program uses well-trained University undergraduate students to screen and enroll patients in the emergency department every day between 8 a.m. and midnight.

Now entering its 22^nd year, the program has successfully screened and consented thousands of patients into dozens of protocols of varying type and complexity. Operating under approval of the Rochester Subjects Review Board, the EDRA employs a dedicated staff and robust quality assurance/improvement processes.

For more information or to schedule a free consultation, email EDRA supervisor Paige Gloster or call 275-5952.

An un-meeting, hosted by the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI), will focus on the development, enhancement, standardization and regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning approaches at all stages of the translational science spectrum.

The un-meeting, which features a unique, attendee-driven format, will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday June 1 at the Saunders Research Building. The intent is to foster new collaborations and ideas, advance research, and explore innovative approaches for technology in translational science.

Register by Monday, May 13.

Synergy Papers — translational research publications that involve multiple research hubs across the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program network — are designed to focus on substantial challenges in clinical and translational science, address gaps in research, and convene new, innovative writing teams. 

Collaborative teams are invited to apply for funding from the UR CTSI Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration (CLIC) for a paper that focuses on either:

• A new approach to a significant translational science process or method roadblock and how to address this challenge to advance translational science.
• A content/knowledge review of a pressing translational science topic across several stages of the translational continuum, identifying gaps and approaches to move the field forward that would also include a section on relevant process gaps.

All application requirements are on the CLIC website. Apply by Wednesday, May 15.

The Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHSC) offers one year of funding up to $30,000 for pilot projects relevant to the EHSC’s theme: environmental agents as modulators of human disease and dysfunction.

Proposed projects should investigate developmental origins of disease at any stage of the life cycle as well as interventions for mitigating such effects. Applicants are encouraged to use emerging technologies (CRISPR, Next Generation or Single Cell RNA sequencing, Big Data Initiatives) and use the unique core facilities of the EHSC.

Applicants must hold a tenure-track faculty position and applications from new investigators collaborating with existing EHSC faculty are encouraged. Initial applications are due by Wednesday, May 1.

For additional information, contact Deborah Cory-Slechta,  Pat Noonan-Sullivan or go to the EHSC website.

Rodrigo Gutierrez Cuevas, optics, “Geometrical representations of structured light: From paraxial to electromagnetic.” 11 a.m. April 19, 2019. Goergen 108. Advisor: Miguel Alonso.

Adam Carreon, mechanical engineering, “Application of Grinding Fundamentals to Develop Material-Specific Relationships in the Dental-Grinding Procedure.” 2 p.m., May 17, 2019. Hopeman 224. Advisor: Paul Funkenbusch.

Today: 2019 Neurosience Retreat. David Amaral, professor of neuroscience at University of California/Davis, will be keynote speaker. 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Memorial Art Gallery, 500 University Ave. Free and open to all members of the University community. To attend, register here.

April 17: Panel discussion: Jump-starting Rochester, with Jon Gruber, the Ford Professor of Economics at MIT and coauthor of the new book Jump-Starting America: How Breakthrough Science Can Revive Economic Growth and the American Dream; Staci Henning of the Greater Rochester Enterprise; Robert Duffy of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, and James Senall of NextCorps. 6:30-7:30 p.m., Hawkins-Carlson Room, Rush Rhees Library. Read more here.

April 17: Jesse L. Rosenberger Works-in-Progress seminar. Anaar Desai-Stephens, assistant professor of ethnomusicology, presents “‘You have to feel to sing!’: Affective Pedagogy, and the Commodification of  ‘Feel’ in (Neo)liberalizing India” as part of the theme of expertise and evidence. Noon to 2 p.m. Humanities Center Conference Room D at Rush Rhees LIbrary. Lunch provided. RSVP by clicking here.

April 22: Deadline to apply for UR-CTSI Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Pipeline-to-Pilot grant of up to $15,000. Read the full request for applications. For questions, contact John Cullen.

April 23: UR CTSI Town Hall meeting to get the research community’s input to help shape the Institute’s proposal for renewed CTSA funding. Co-directors Nancy Bennett and Martin Zand will provide a brief overview of the UR CTSI’s proposed plan. 4-5 p.m. Class of ’62 Auditorium. Add to your calendar.

April 23-24: Workshops on using Dimensions, a linked research information system, to explore a research area, use the API, find collaborators, access metrics and other data, and explore new grant opportunities. Sponsored by River Campus Libraries and AS&E. More information and registration links are available here.

April 25: 31st Annual Genetics Day. 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Class of ’62 Auditorium and Flaum Atrium. Lecture by Phillip D. Zamore, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Massachusetts on piRNAs and the Struggle to Reproduce.  Register for a poster presentation by Monday, April 15, 5:00 p.m.

April 26: Preproposals due for Technology Development Fund awards of up to $100,000 to develop a technology to a commercial endpoint. Submit preproposals to omar.bakht@rochester.edu. View more information online.

May 1: Deadline to apply for funding of up to $30,000 from the Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHSC) for pilot projects relevant to the center’s theme: environmental agents as modulators of human disease and dysfunction. For additional information, contact Deborah Cory-Slechta,  Pat Noonan-Sullivan or go to the EHSC website.

May 2: Jesse L. Rosenberger Works-in-Progress seminar. Tracy Stuber and Anastasia Nikolis, Public Humanities graduate fellows, present a public humanities fellowship update. Noon to 2 p.m. Humanities Center Conference Room D at Rush Rhees LIbrary. Lunch provided. RSVP by clicking here.

May 15: Deadline to apply for funding from the UR CTSI Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration (CLIC) to write a Synergy Paper focusing on a new approach to translational science or a review of a pressing translational science topic. All application requirements are on the CLIC website.

May 23: Deadline to apply for funding from the Center for Emerging and Innovative Sciences (CEIS) to support projects with NY companies that promote technology transfer to those companies. All proposals must be submitted by email as attachments using the forms on the CEIS web site at http://www.ceis.rochester.edu/funding/CIRP.html. Documentation of company commitment must accompany the proposal. Proposals must be received by Cathy Adams (cathy.adams@rochester.edu, 585-275-3999). Questions may be addressed to her as well.

June 1: Un-meeting to foster new collaborations and ideas and explore innovative approaches to the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning at all stages of the translational science spectrum. Hosted by the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI). 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saunders Research Building. Register by Monday, May 13.