Amid growing alarm over the plastic that pollutes our environment, biomedical and optics researchers at the University of Rochester hope to better understand the prevalence of microplastics in drinking water and their potential impacts on human health.

They are collaborating with SiMPore, a company that uses nanomembrane technology initially developed at the University, to devise ways to quickly filter and identify 5 mm or smaller particles of plastic in drinking water samples. They will then test the ability of these particles to cross a microscale barrier that simulates the lining of a human intestine.

“We want to see to what extent the particulates that you consume in your drinking water can pass through your gut and into your other organs,” says Greg Madejski, a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of James McGrath, professor of biomedical engineering. Madejski is coordinating the research with the lab of Wayne Knox, professor of optics. Both are affiliated with the Materials Science Program.

The researchers will filter water through sheets of silicon nitride a hundred times thinner than the diameter of a human hair. Micron-sized slits in the nanomembranes “allow us to catch micron sized debris,” Madejski says. The layer of microscopic debris that accumulates on the surface of the membranes is analyzed in various ways to determine how much of it consists of microplastic particles. Read more here.

Eastman Institute for Oral Health alumni, faculty, and hygienists are participating in a national research network that’s producing an unprecedented knowledge base and will lead to improved patient care faster than ever before.

The National Dental Practice Based Research Network has been so successful that it was recently awarded $22.4 million for another seven years (2019-2026) by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The network is comprised of six geographical regions. Eastman Institute for Oral Health runs the northeast region and has enrolled 1,100 providers to date among the 7,000 practitioners nationwide. Many of these have participated in various studies to investigate research questions and share experiences and expertise.

Nearly 63,900 patients have participated in various studies.

“The dental practice-based research network is a unique investigative union of real-world practicing clinicians and academic clinical scientists that aims to improve the nation’s oral health by expanding the knowledge base for clinical decision-making and moving the latest evidence into routine care,” says Cyril Meyerowitz, the grant’s regional principal investigator and director emeritus and professor, Eastman Institute for Oral Health. “The network is a precious national resource for our profession and our patients, and we are fortunate that NIDCR has invested in the future of our profession.”

Read more here.

Mical Raz joins the Department of History as the Charles E. and Dale L. Phelps Professor in Public Policy and Health.

She joins the University from the Sentara Medical Group in Norfolk, Virginia, where she was a hospitalist since 2017. Before that, she was an advanced fellow at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center and a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.

A historian of American psychiatry, Raz explores the intersection of psychiatry, poverty, and politics. Her current research project is a history of child abuse policy in the United States from the 1970s onward. The book, tentatively titled Abusive Policies: Race, Poverty and the Making of American Child Abuse, is under contract with the University of North Carolina Press.

She is the author of The Lobotomy Letters: The Making of American Psychosurgery (University of Rochester Press, 2013), which was awarded the Jack D. Pressman-Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Development Award. Her second book, What’s Wrong with the Poor? Race, Psychiatry and the War on Poverty (University of North Carolina, 2013), was a 2015 Choice Outstanding Academic Title.

A physician, Raz will also hold an appointment as a hospitalist at the Medical Center. She will teach courses on American health policy and politics and on the US health system.

The Goergen Institute for Data Science trains bachelor’s and masters’ degree students who are interested in working with University researchers on biomedical and/or clinical research projects. Ideal projects can come from any area of research or discipline but should have a large data-intensive component.

Options include:

• Capstone/Practicum (unpaid, team of 4 students for a semester-long project as a requirement of graduation; co-advised by data science instructor)
• Independent Research (unpaid, 3-6 credits, training oriented) or research trainee (unpaid, voluntary/no credit, training oriented)
• Internship (paid, summer, deliverable oriented)
• Co-op (paid, 6 months, deliverable oriented)
• Post graduate employment (paid, short-term or long term)

If you have a project that you would like to have considered, please submit a Project Description that includes a one-page abstract, aims or description of your proposed project. Please make sure to include a brief description of the data set and type of project you anticipate a student would work on.  Project descriptions are due by close of business today, Friday, January 10.

Project requests will be evaluated by members of the School of Medicine and Dentistry Scientific Advisory Committee (SMDSAC) and Goergen Institute for Data Science for merit and feasibility. The projects selected to move forward will be asked to prepare and present a poster describing the project on Friday, January 24 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Flaum Atrium at a networking meeting of the investigators and the GIDS students. Students and investigators will have the opportunity to interact and to discuss the projects together face to face.

Questions about projects can be directed to David_Topham@urmc.rochester.edu and logistic/administrative questions to Tracie_Norman@urmc.rochester.edu

Have you ever wanted to learn how to program or add a new programming language to your existing knowledge? Have you been looking for the right time to pick up a few essential technical computing skills to help with your research projects or course work? Now you have the opportunity during the CIRC Winter Boot Camp.

The Center for Integrated Research Computing (CIRC) is hosting the 6-week program to help students, postdocs, research staff, and faculty learn new programming languages and sharpen their computing and data analytics skills.

The classes are designed for beginners and will cover basic topics to give enough direction to move on to self-learning tutorials or other more advanced coursework.

Topics will include basic training in Linux, programming languages, data analytics tools, and visualization. Extra emphasis will be placed on using these languages, libraries, applications, etc. specifically on BlueHive.

The classes will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings and afternoons in the University’s large-scale, interactive visualization facility, the VISTA Collaboratory, located on the first floor of the Carlson Library. Please see the table on the registration page for the topics, dates, and times and to register for the sessions. Classes start on January 21 and continue through February 27. Space is limited, so please register early.

To register for any of the sessions, visit: https://registration.circ.rochester.edu/bootcamp (Please note that the registration link is only accessible from a UR/URMC trusted network or VPN.)

The 21st annual Diabetes Conference: Individualizing Diabetes Care—Targets and Treatments takes place Saturday, March 7, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Topics include technology, obesity, nutrition, gestational diabetes, and caring for the pediatric or hospitalized patient, as well as updates in research and treatment options.

Feeling collaborative? A new URMC Scientific Research Calendar, now available, pools all submitted research events related to science, technology, engineering, and math across the University of Rochester River Campus and Medical Center. The University has a strong legacy of pioneering research and fosters a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary research environment. This calendar is your tool to explore it.

CONFERENCES

LECTURES AND TALKS

Jan. 22: Rosenberger Work-in-Progress seminar. Andrew Cashner (Music) (internal fellow). 12:30 to around 1:45 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Humanities Center. River Campus.  All are welcome to attend, exchange ideas, and have lunch.

Jan. 30: Phelps Colloquium. “A Vision for the Future: How to Recruit Neural Plasticity for Sight Restoration,” by Krystel Huxlin, professor in the Department of Ophthalmology. “Making Stars and Planets in the Laboratory and Pushing the Frontiers of Physics with Lasers,” by E. Michael Campbell, director of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. 4-5:30 p.m. Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons, River Campus. Register here.

Feb. 6: Rosenberger Work-in-Progress seminar. Tom Fleischman  (History) (internal fellow). 12:30 to around 1:45 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Humanities Center. River Campus.  All are welcome to attend, exchange ideas, and have lunch.

Feb. 19: Rosenberger Work-in-Progress seminar. Sue Uselmann (ESM Humanities) . 12:30 to around 1:45 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Humanities Center. River Campus.  All are welcome to attend, exchange ideas, and have lunch.

Feb. 26: Phelps Colloquium. “Surgery of the Future: 3D-Printed Patient-Specific Organs Guide the Way for Complex Cancer Surgery,” by Ahmed Ghazi, associate professor, Department of Urology. “Structural Engineering to the Rescue of Cultural Heritage,” by Renato Perucchio, professor and chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and director of the Program in Archaeology, Technology, and Historical Structures. 4-5:30 p.m. Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons, River Campus. Register here.

March 4: Rosenberger Work-in-Progress seminar. Eduardo Herrera (Musicology, Rutgers) (external fellow). 12:30 to around 1:45 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Humanities Center. River Campus.  All are welcome to attend, exchange ideas, and have lunch.

March 18: Rosenberger Work-in-Progress seminar. Elena Bellina (ESM Humanities). 12:30 to around 1:45 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Humanities Center. River Campus.  All are welcome to attend, exchange ideas, and have lunch.

March 26: Phelps Colloquium. “Harnessing Immunity to Fight Cancer: Clues from the Tumor Microenvironment,” by David Linehan, professor and chair, Department of Surgery. “Preparing for the Worst: Portrayal of Downside Risk in Professional Investment Advice,” by Joanna Wu, professor of business administration,  Simon Business School. 4–5:30 p.m. Eisenberg Rotunda, Schlegel Hall, River Campus. Register here.

April 2: Rosenberger Work-in-Progress seminar. Alexandra Lindgren-Gibson (History, Univ. of Mississippi) external fellow). 12:30 to around 1:45 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Humanities Center. River Campus.  All are welcome to attend, exchange ideas, and have lunch.

April 16: Rosenberger Work-in-Progress seminar. Ash Arder (Studio Art) (visiting artist). 12:30 to around 1:45 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Humanities Center. River Campus.  All are welcome to attend, exchange ideas, and have lunch.

April 22: Phelps Colloquium. “Making Fuel and Fertilizer from Sun, Air, and Water,” by Kara Bren, professor in the Department of Chemistry. “A Black Musician in the Court of Henry VIII. You’re Kidding, Right?” by Lee Koonce, president and artistic director of the Gateways Music Festival in association with Eastman School of Music, and senior advisor to the dean, Eastman School of Music. 4–5:30 p.m. Max of Eastman Place, 25 Gibbs Street, Rochester.  Register here.

April 30:  Rosenberger Work-in-Progress seminar. Khan and Sullivan (Public Humanities fellows). 12:30 to around 1:45 p.m. in Conference Room D of the Humanities Center. River Campus.  All are welcome to attend, exchange ideas, and have lunch.

GRANT DEADLINES

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. 3: Deadline to apply for 2020 University Research Awards. The Request for Proposal and application are available here. Questions and completed applications should be directed to Adele Coelho at adele.coelho@rochester.edu.

FELLOWSHIP, TRAINING PROGRAMS

Feb. 1: Applications due for clinical and translational research training in cancer control and preventive research. Helps postdoctoral MD or PhD researchers establish careers as independent investigators. For more information, contact  Michelle Janelsins, Ph.D., or Gary Morrow, Ph.D., program directors of the UR Cancer Control Research Training Program,  or Kate Kessler, program coordinator. Learn more.

Feb. 14: Applications due for the 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 MD or MD/PhD degrees who have completed their residency training and intend to pursue an academic career in clinical, translational or basic cancer research. Learn more. For questions and to submit applications, email Pam Iadarola.

Feb. 14: Applications due for Wilmot Cancer Institute Predoctoral Cancer Research Fellowship Program. Contact Thom Fogg with questions.