In a paper in Light: Science & Applications, the lab of Chunlei Guo, professor of optics also affiliated with the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Material Sciences Program, describes using powerful femto-second laser pulses to etch metal surfaces with nanoscale structures that selectively absorb light only at the solar wavelengths, but not elsewhere.

This surface not only enhances the energy absorption from sunlight, but also reduces heat dissipation at other wavelengths, in effect, “making a perfect metallic solar absorber for the first time,” Guo says. “We also demonstrate solar energy harnessing with a thermal electric generator device.”

“This will be useful for any thermal solar energy absorber or harvesting device,” particularly in places with abundant sunlight, he adds. Read more here.

New research appearing in the journal Addiction shows that the number of deaths attributed to opioid-related overdoses could be 28 percent higher than reported due to incomplete death records. This discrepancy is more pronounced in several states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Indiana, where the estimated number of deaths more than doubles – obscuring the scope of the opioid crisis and potentially affecting programs and funding intended to confront the epidemic.

“A substantial share of fatal drug overdoses is missing information on specific drug involvement, leading to underreporting of opioid-related death rates and a misrepresentation of the extent of the opioid crisis,” says Elaine Hill, an economist and assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and senior author of the study. “The corrected estimates of opioid-related deaths in this study are not trivial and show that the human toll has been substantially higher than reported, by several thousand lives taken each year.”

Hill and her team – including co-authors Andrew Boslett and Alina Denham – found that almost 72 percent of unclassified drug overdoses that occurred between 1999-2016 involved prescription opioids, heroin, or fentanyl – translating into an estimated 99,160 additional opioid-related deaths.

Read more here.

Tufikameni Brima was a post-doctoral associate when she met her first patient with Rett syndrome. The patient’s symptoms reminded her of the symptoms she had seen in her aunt’s child in Namibia.

Now, as a research assistant professor in the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory (CNL) in the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, her work is centered on Rett syndrome and another rare genetic disorder — Batten Disease.

She uses electroencephalogram (EEG) as tool to explore cognitive processing and language comprehension in non-verbal individuals with these rare disorders. She hopes that in addition to objective measures of brain function, her findings will also contribute towards the development of better communication devices for these individuals.

The connection to her aunt’s child has made her work personal — with a mission beyond her initial intentions. “I want to go back home one day and inform people, educate people that it’s not the woman’s fault that a child is born with a genetic disorder. That they have a mutation. That they are not as intellectually capable as other children,” she says. “I want to educate the women there that they do not need to be outcasts because they have a child who is challenged intellectually, or they’re not able to walk, or are wheelchair bound.”

Read more here.

Maya Abtahian, assistant professor of linguistics; Mara Culp, assistant professor of music teaching and learning; Jennifer Kyker, associate professor of ethnomusicology; Cona Marshall, postdoctoral fellow at the Frederick Douglass Institute; and Darren Mueller, assistant professor of musicology, on their acceptance to the Central New York Humanities Corridor’s Minnowbrook Writing Retreat this coming summer. The retreat focuses on sustainable, fulfilling writing practices, how to identify and move past obstacles, and how to make the best use of writing time.

Sydney Simpson, PhD student in virology and immunology, who took first place in the Regulatory Science Talent Competition, hosted by the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Simpson proposed using blockchain software, which is already commercially available and used for supply chains by some businesses, to record transactions involving nationally distributed produce at high risk of contamination (like romaine lettuce).  Ten teams competed in the annual competition to come up with ideas to improve FDA regulation of products. Simpson will present her proposal in person at the FDA next month. Three teams of CMTI (Center for Medical Technology & Innovation) master’s student took second and tied for third. Read more and see videos of the top finishers here.

Entries are being accepted for the annual Art of Science Competition, sponsored by the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The University-wide competition celebrates the aesthetic and interconnected natures of science and art. Submissions can be photographs, illustrations, visualizations, renderings, or posters showing an artistic representation of science, technology, engineering, math, and sustainability themes. Creativity and uniqueness are favored in the judging, as well as the ability of artists to convey the meaning of their work in terms understandable to a general audience.

High resolution jpeg entries (300 dpi, at least 3,000 pixels wide) should be submitted to the online submission form. The deadline is March 20. Cash prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250 will be awarded to winning student entries; student, faculty, and staff entries will all be eligible for a People’s Choice Award of $250. For inquiries, contact Brian McIntyre and the project team at artofscience@gmail.com.

Click here to read about last year’s winning entries.

The Ernest J. Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience will fund up to 21 pilot project awards in 2020 to support novel basic, clinical and translational projects in the neurosciences. Awards are open to all faculty members across both the Medical School and the River Campus in these five programs:

The Schmitt Program in Integrative Neuroscience (SPIN) supports pilot and feasibility awards (up to $50,000 per award) for basic science and translational projects that advance our understanding of both normal and abnormal brain functioning (4-5 awards available).

The Harry T. Mangurian Jr. Foundation (MF) offers pilot and feasibility awards (up to $50,000 per award) for basic, clinical and translational projects that specifically support research on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (2 awards available).

Rochester Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research (RCADR) supports pilot and feasibility awards (up to $50,000 per award) for basic science and translational projects that advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Center for Health + Technology Clinical Neuroscience Pilot Program (CHET) offers pilot and feasibility awards (up to $50,000 per award) for clinical research projects leveraging novel digital technologies that advance our understanding of areas of unmet need in clinical neuroscience (4 awards available).

University of Rochester Center for Advanced Brain Imaging and Neurophysiology (UR CABIN) offers pilot and feasibility funds (up to $10,000 per award) to support innovative, investigator-initiated basic and clinical neuroscience research using the PRISMA 3T magnet (up to 6 awards available).

For more information, download the RFA. Application submissions are due on Monday, March 16.

Jade Welch, chemistry, “Disulfide Constrained Peptides: Properties and Applications.” 2 p.m., today, March 6, 2020. 108 Goergen. Advisor: Bradley Nilsson.

Zachary T. Hilt, translational biomedical science, “Platelet Derived Beta-2 Microglobulin and Transforming Growth Factor Beta Polarize Monocytes Towards Divergent Phenotypes.” 3 p.m., March 9, 2020. Ryan Case Method Room 1-9576 (Medical Center). Advisor: Craig Morrell.

COMPETITION

March 9-13: Registration available for the Three Minute Thesis competition, open to current PhD and professional doctorate (research) candidates who have passed their qualifying exam or are in their third year of study or greater.  For more information, contact: Daniel Curran, PhD student in chemistry, or Olivia Marola, PhD student in pathology.

March 20: Deadline to submit images for the annual Art of Science competition. Read more here.

April 8: Final Three Minute Thesis competition that challenges doctoral students to describe their research within three minutes to a general audience. 4 p.m. Medical Center’s Class of ’62 Auditorium (G-9425), with a reception to follow.

TRAINING SEMINARS

March 19: Presenting Your Research. To help students prepare for the AS&E Graduate Research Symposium. 12:30-1:30 p.m., Havens Lounge, Wilson Commons. Register online to attend. For more information, including workshop descriptions, visit the research symposium website.

March 24: Networking at Conferences. To help students prepare for the AS&E Graduate Research Symposium. 12:30-1:30 p.m., Havens Lounge, Wilson Commons. Register online to attend. For more information, including workshop descriptions, visit the research symposium website.

CONFERENCES & SYMPOSIUMS

LECTURES AND TALKS

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 20: 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

March 16: Deadline to apply for pilot project funding from five programs, through the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. For more information on the awards, download the RFA.

April 15: Deadline to apply for pilot funding from the Rochester Roybal Center for Social Ties & Aging Research (The STAR Center) to promote the social well-being and healthy aging of those caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. There are two pilot award opportunities—the STAR Constellation Pilot Award and the ProtoSTAR Pilot Award. Learn more.

May 3: Deadline to apply for pilot project funding from the Center for Research on Flavored Tobacco (CRoFT) for research to inform FDA regulation of tobacco products. The application should be submitted through the REDCap portal at http://j.mp/39bC1WF. Questions?  Application contact: Jacqueline Attia, WNY_CRoFT@urmc.rochester.edu Scientific/research contacts:  Scott Steele, scott_steele@urmc.rochester.edu or Deborah Ossip, deborah_ossip@urmc.rochester.edu