A newly formed cosmology group at the University will join researchers worldwide in peering back through 12 billion years of the universe’s 13.8 billion-year history using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI).

The Rochester group includes professors, postdoctoral research associates, graduate students, and undergraduates with expertise in particle physics, astronomy, data science, and computer science.

Mounted atop a telescope in Arizona, DESI will aim 5,000 fiber-optic eyes at 35 million galaxies and 2.4 million quasars—the most luminous objects in the universe — to unravel more clues to the mystery of dark energy, and ultimately create the most detailed 3-D map of the universe ever made.

“The main goal of DESI is to measure the scale of the universe with far greater precision and speed than ever before,” says physics professor Regina Demina, who spearheaded the creation of the cosmology group.

Read more here.

Academic freedom, global engagement, and the open communication of knowledge and research are core commitments of the University. New guidelines for international research engagement are now available.

The guidelines include sources of assistance to facilitate these interactions and help faculty avoid running afoul of University policies or federal regulations. The University’s Committee on Science and Security developed the guidelines in response to mounting bipartisan concerns at the federal level about the security of the nation’s research and intellectual property, particularly at research universities like Rochester.

Federal rules and practices are still emerging, but increased scrutiny has accentuated potential pitfalls for individual faculty and institutions as we continue to develop international research partnerships. This is an evolving state of affairs, and our guidelines will also evolve as federal policies are established or changed.

We encourage members of our research community to continue to reach out and engage with international colleagues, but in doing so, to be sure to use the resources outlined in our new guidelines to identify and avoid potential pitfalls. 

“Non-native accents can have substantial effects on how people are treated, how they are perceived, and how socially and economically successful they are,” says Florian Jaeger, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences and co-author of a paper in Cognition. The paper shows how strongly these accents are shaped by the first language a speaker learned growing up.

The work — conducted by lead author Job Schepens as part of a Fulbright fellowship at the University of Rochester in collaboration with researchers in Germany and Holland — is the first to evaluate these effects on a large scale and may lead to novel methods of instruction for adults learning to speak foreign languages.

The team analyzed a data set of more than 50,000 adults who learned Dutch as their second or third language. The team found that a little less than half of the individual variance in the perceived proficiency of learners was accounted for by a handful of factors: the learner’s education and gender (women had higher scores than men), the learner’s age upon arrival in Holland, the time they spent in Holland before taking the exam, and the learner’s first language. This last factor alone accounted for one to two thirds of the explained variance in learners’ proficiency.

The results corroborate an important insight from research on how languages should be taught to adults, Jaeger says. “Since the language the learner grew up with has a large effect on what they struggle with, language instruction that takes into account a learner’s first language likely promises to be more effective.”

Read more here.

Todd Krauss, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry, and Benjamin Miller, Dean’s Professor of Dermatology, who have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Krauss studies the fundamental physical properties of nanomaterials, including how nanomaterials interact with light and how nanomaterials can convert energy from light into the formation of chemical bonds. Miller is focused on two areas of research: how various molecules recognize RNA sequences; and how the optical properties of nanomaterials might aid in the development of new biosensors for biological investigations and clinical screenings. Read more here.

Two faculty members and a visiting professor at The Institute of Optics have been named fellows of the Optical Society (OSA), the world’s leading organization devoted to optics and photonics.

• Julie Bentley ’90, ’95 (PhD), associate professor of optics, is being recognized for “outstanding international leadership in optical design shown through international conference organization, innovative optical design methods, and an unparalleled level of excellence in teaching and mentoring.”
• Jennifer Hunter, associate professor of ophthalmology, biomedical engineering, optics, and the Center for Visual Science, is being recognized for “the development of ophthalmic imaging systems that provide unprecedented insight into the function and structure of the retina.”
• Taco Visser, a professor of theoretical physics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and a visiting professor of optics and physics at Rochester, is being recognized for “foundational contributions to optics in the field of plasmonics and coherence.”

Read more here.

Peter Christensen, an associate professor of art history, has been named a juror for the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), one of the three non-governmental or intergovernmental organizations that advise UNESCO in its deliberations. Read more here.

Fernando Zvietcovich, a PhD candidate in the lab of Kevin Parker, the William F. May Professor of Engineering and dean emeritus of engineering and applied sciences, is the winner of the 2020 SPIE-Franz Hillenkamp Postdoctoral Fellowship in Problem-Driven Biomedical Optics and Analytics. The annual award of $75,000 supports interdisciplinary problem-driven research and provides opportunities for translating new technologies into clinical practice for improving human health.

Matthew Omelsky joins the faculty as an assistant professor of English. He is a  specialist in world Anglophone literatures with an emphasis on African and Caribbean literatures.

Omelsky’s doctoral research at Duke University was on global black cultures and utopian desire. At Duke, he taught courses on the novel; literature and the environment; and cyborgs and aliens in science fiction, fantasy, and horror literature.

He has published articles in the journals Research in African Literatures, Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art, Cambridge Journal of Postcolonial Literary Inquiry, and Cultural Critique. He coedited “Climate Change and the Production of Knowledge,” a special issue of the South Atlantic Quarterly, in 2017. His awards include a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship.

At Rochester, Omelsky will teach courses on African diasporic literature and film as well as develop new curriculum in conjunction with the Frederick Douglass Institute and other initiatives in global cultures and literatures on campus.

Martin Zand and Nancy Bennett, co-directors of the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI), urge all University faculty members to complete an online survey on research collaborations.

The survey takes 10 minutes or less and will help us understand how our research environment is evolving and where we could focus efforts to foster collaborative science and support emerging investigators and networks. Participating investigators, networks, groups, centers or departments can request their results, which will be available in early 2020.

Learn more about the survey and past results on the UR CTSI Stories blog.

Two pairs of economics graduate students received the inaugural round of grant awards from the River Campus Libraries.

As a supplement to the libraries standard data purchasing, the awards give students a path to acquiring critical data that fall outside of the libraries’ purchase policy.

Shafaat Khan and his partner, Armen Khederlarian, and Min Fang and his partner, Zibin Huang, are the first beneficiaries of the new data grant program, which supports the research of undergraduate and graduate students in Arts, Sciences & Engineering, the Warner School of Education, and Simon Business School.

Read more here.

The University’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide (CSPS) announces fellowship positions for postdoctoral training in suicide prevention research.

The fellowships provide up to three years of stipend support and related benefits for early career investigators committed to careers in suicide prevention research.

Each fellow works closely with a primary mentor, takes courses, and participates in a diverse array of CSPS research and training activities. There is intensive mentorship in grant writing, study design, and data analysis from CSPS core faculty.

Members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Send inquiries to Yeates Conwell, M.D.  Learn more.

Madison Lee Doolittle, pathology, “Dissecting the Genetic Influences on Osteoporosis Reveals Zbtb40 as a Novel Regulator of Osteoblast Function.” Noon today, December 6, 2019. 2-6408/K207 (Medical Center). Advisor: Cheryl Ackert-Bicknell.

Elizabeth Leah Gerber Saionz, translational biomedical science, “Time is Vision: Properties of Vision Early after Occipital Stroke and Capacity for Recovery.”  9 a.m., December 9, 2019.  Adolph (Lower) Auditorium 1-7619 (Medical Center). Advisor: Krystel Huxlin.

Yichi Zhang, electrical engineering, “Sound Search by Vocal Imitation.” 9 a.m., December 9, 2019. Computer Studies Building Room 426. Advisor: Zhiyao Duan.

Jessica Hogestyn, neuroscience, “Human herpesvirus 6A latency gene U94A impairs motility and maturation in glial cells and neurons: Implications for neurodegenerative disease.” 1 p.m. December 9, 2019. Class of ’62 Auditorium (Medical Center).  Advisor: Margot Mayer-Proschel.

Qi Jin, optics, “Terahertz Aqueous Photonics.” 1 p.m. December 9, 2019. Gamble Room, Rush Rhees LIbrary. Advisor: Xi-Cheng Zhang.

Xi Lin, pathology, “The Effects of Macrophages on the Synovial Lymphatic System in Mice with Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis.” 10 a.m. December 10, 2019. 3-6408/K307 (Medical Center). Advisor: Lianping Xing.

Kevin Liang, optics, “Mathematical Tools for Understanding the Effects of Mid-spatial Frequency Structures on Freeform Surfaces.” 3:30 p.m. December 10, 2019. Humanities Center, Conference Room D.  Advisor: Miguel Alonso.

Yang He, electrical engineering, “Kerr frequency combs in lithium niobate.” 9 a.m., December 12, 2019. 601 Computer Studies Building. Advisor: Qiang Lin.

Shaorong Yan, brain and cognitive sciences, “Predicting the Predicting Brain.” 10 a.m., December 12, 2019. 269 Meliora Hall. Advisor: Florian Jaeger.

Jose Fernando Zvietcovich Zagarra, electrical engineering, “Dynamic Optical Coherence Elastography.” 10 a.m. December 12, 2019. Hopeman Building Room 224. Advisor:  Kevin Parker.

LECTURES AND TALKS

Today: “Air Pollution Exposure and Effects on Fetal Growth: From Beijing to Rochester,” presented by David Rich, associate professor of medicine, environmental medicine, and public health sciences. Public Health Grand Rounds. Noon to 1 p.m., Helen Wood Hall Auditorium.  Lunch available as supplies last; bring your own beverage. ASL interpreters, hearing loops, and other accommodations are available upon request. Contact Carolyn Settle at 224-2061 with requests or questions.

GRANT DEADLINES

Today:  5 p.m. deadline for postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty to file letters of intent for the UR CTSI Career Development Award (KL2). The award provides two years of support for the early career development of multidisciplinary clinical and translational scientists. The program fosters the transition of KL2 scholars to an independent career as a clinical and translational investigator, generally by means of an individual K- or R-award. View the request for applications.

Dec. 30: Deadline for self-nominations, or nominations by peers or department chairs for the 2020 President’s Ferrari Humanities Research Award. The $25,000 award promotes and supports humanities research by a tenured or tenure-track faculty member in Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (AS&E) who is affiliated with the University’s Humanities Center. The recipient of this annual award must demonstrate a creative research approach that either builds on a previous record of published work in peer-reviewed journals or books, or charts a direction that promises a new publication stream. Read more here.

Jan. 31: Initial proposal abstracts due for Department of Public Health pilot proposal applications that have a substantial component of, or impact on, public health sciences, practices, or policies.  Applicants may request a maximum of $25,000 for one year and must hold a position of assistant professor or higher. Learn more.

Feb. 14: Applications due for Wilmot Cancer Research Fellowship program, which funds physicians for up to three years allowing them to investigate the causes, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of cancer. Mentored research training for physicians with M.D. or M.D./Ph.D. degrees who have completed their residency training and intend to pursue an academic career in clinical, translational or basic cancer research. For questions and to submit applications, email Pam Iadarola.