University researchers are setting a new standard when it comes to producing ultrafast laser pulses over a broader range of wavelengths than traditional laser sources.

In work published in Physical Review Letters, William Renninger, an assistant professor of optics, along with members of his lab, describe a new device, called the “stretched-pulse soliton Kerr resonator,” that enhances the performance of ultrafast laser pulses. The work has important implications for a range of engineering and biomedical applications, including spectroscopy, frequency synthesis, distance ranging, pulse generation, and others.

The device creates an ultrafast laser pulse—on the order of femtoseconds, or one quadrillionth of a second—that’s freed from the physical limits endemic to sources of laser light—what laser scientists call laser gain—and the limits of the sources’ wavelengths.

“Simply put, this is the shortest pulse ever from a gain-free fiber source,” Renninger says. Read more here.

The Medical Center and Rochester Regional Health are joining a phase 3 clinical trial for a potential coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. The companies received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed to phase 3 on Monday, immediately after which four volunteers in Rochester were the first in the nation to receive the experimental vaccine.

Phase 3 marks the final stage of vaccine development prior to FDA approval, mass production, and distribution. A total of 30,000 volunteers will be recruited at more than 120 sites across the globe for the study, including up to 200 in Rochester. Edward Walsh, a professor of medicine, and Ann Falsey, a professor of medicine and codirector of the Medical Center’s Vaccine Trials and Evaluation Unit, are leading the Rochester arm of the phase 3 trial.

While there are more than 100 potential COVID-19 vaccines in various stages of development, the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is one of only five that have advanced to human phase 3 clinical trials worldwide and only the second in the US. This vaccine is using a relatively new genetic engineering method in which short sequences of the virus RNA, known as messenger RNA (mRNA), provide precise instructions to the recipients’ own cells to produce the virus antigens that activate an immune response that can fight off the infection.

“While there is a tremendous urgency to develop a coronavirus vaccine and this study represents the final stage of human research, it is equally essential that we continue to rigorously evaluate the safety and efficacy of every potential vaccine candidate,” says Walsh.

Individuals interested in learning more about volunteering for the study should call (585) 276-5212 or visit covidresearch.urmc.edu.

Reminiscent of the HIV epidemic, the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting communities of color, not because of biological factors, but because of deeply rooted social and economic inequalities, says a commentary in the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care co-authored in part by School of Nursing faculty members Natalie Leblanc and Mitchell Wharton. 

“While this paper examines inequalities in connection with COVID-19 and HIV, the larger message reflects pervasive health disparities and race-based injustices that continue to persist,” says Wharton, an assistant professor of clinical nursing.

Among the recommendations offered by the paper’s authors:

• Public health education messaging that applies principles of cultural humility and risk communication.
• An interdisciplinary approach to public health and health care that includes grass roots community-based perspectives.
• The integration of training on race, trust, and implicit bias into HIV and COVID-19 programming for all stakeholders .
• Targeted studies that improve our understanding of the social and structural impact of COVID-19, to effectively mitigate the virus’ negative effects on communities of color.
• A holistic way of thinking about health and disease that incorporates the social determinants and contributors to health.

Orlando Harris, an assistant professor of community health system at the University of California, San Francisco who earned his PhD at the School of Nursing in 2014, was the paper’s lead author.  Read more here.

The University’s Department of Psychiatry has been awarded an additional $2.5 million to expand the scope of its UR Medicine Recovery Center of Excellence project, bringing total funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to $9.17 million.

The project focuses on assisting rural communities, particularly in Appalachia, with implementing evidence-based practices that reduce the use of and overdose from synthetic opioids. The additional funding will allow for the development and sharing of materials in four areas:

• Reducing stigma, self-stigma and shame.
• Addressing and preventing opioid-related suicide.
• Improving methadone accessibility in rural opioid treatment programs.
• Providing accessible treatment to patients released from correctional facilities.

The center, one of three Rural Centers of Excellence on Substance Use Disorder in the country, provides organizations across the U.S. with the practical tools to support program development. These tools have been adapted specifically for rural communities, which face a unique set of challenges in addressing this crisis.

Read more here.

Wendi Heinzelman, dean of the Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, who has been reappointed to a five-year term. Under Heinzelman’s direction, the Hajim School has significantly increased research expenditures and added new initiatives in data science, high energy density physics, and augmented and virtual reality, among others. She has expanded experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate students, including introducing the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges Scholars Program (GCSP) to the school. She continues to support and to help launch several large-scale, cross-disciplinary research initiatives, including new initiatives in advanced materials for powerful lasers (AMPL), quantum technologies, materials research, sensors and diagnostics, and biological imaging/microscopy. Read more here.

Riccardo Betti and Wolfgang Theobald, who are among the recipients of this year’s Lev D. Landau and Lyman Spitzer Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Plasma Physics, presented every two years by the respective plasma physics divisions of the American and European Physical Societies. The award recognizes researchers who not only advance their scientific field, but also promote collaboration and unity between US and European scientists. Betti, the chief scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) and the Robert L. McCrory Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Theobald, a senior scientist at LLE, are being recognized “for major advancements of the shock ignition concept through collaborative experimental and simulation efforts in inertial confinement fusion research.” Read more here.

A Visual Toolkit Webinar, presented at 11 a.m. EDT August 20 by the UR CTSI’s Center for Leading Innovation and Collaboration, will:

• give a broad overview of the importance of collecting, harmonizing, and utilizing data from diverse sources for life course research.
• describe data mining techniques for hypothesis generation and give an example of an out of the box collaboration that led to a novel discovery.
• take a deep dive into processes for pooling and harmonizing data and unintended biases that should be considered.

Register now.

A three-day virtual writing boot camp for AS&E graduate students and postdocs will offer a structured experience to identify their writing goals, develop and refine these goals in conversations with peers, and receive support for selecting effective strategies.

The boot camp will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT, August 11–13. Register online. If you have questions or would like to be added to the Graduate Writing Project listserv, contact liz.tinelli@rochester.edu.

Here are important links for researchers:

• University’s COVID-19 website for important updates and guidance on working, teaching, and learning remotely
• University of Rochester Medical Center website for restrictions, resources, and news
• Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA) site on Coronavirus 2019 resources related to sponsored programs
• University’s COVID-19 “Restart and Recovery” web page.
• The Rochester Restart weekly newsletter for a summary of updates.

Webinar outlines health and safety protocols: What protocols are in place if a member of the University community tests positive for COVID-19? How have air handling and ventilation systems been updated on campus? How often will classrooms and high-traffic areas be disinfected? In a panel discussion organized by Provost Rob Clark, University medical, health, and facilities experts outline the protocols and procedures that have been put in place to prepare for the start of the academic year. Watch the video. Read the transcript.

Virtual town hall: Faculty and staff responsible for undergraduate success and safety outlined protocols that are being put in place to support students across academics, student life, residential living, and other areas. Watch the video. Read the transcript.

Students asked to make commitment: As undergraduates and graduate students return to campus, they will be asked to commit to following safety and health protocols. The commitment is rooted in the University’s Meliora Values, among them a dedication to the highest standards in how we treat each other. That means a commitment to follow the University’s requirements on testing and monitoring for coronavirus, wearing a mask and adhering to physical distancing guidelines, and following rules that bar campus guests and visitors. Show your commitment.

Random testing: As part of an effort to more closely monitor the potential for infection on campus, University health experts will randomly test 60 undergraduates for COVID-19 each day. The new protocol is in addition to the initial test that all students living in University housing are required to take. “We are doing this out of an abundance of caution,” says Ralph Manchester, the director of University Health Service, “and doing the best we can to keep the infection under control.” Read more about testing, monitoring, and safety protocols.

Remote learning offers lessons for the fall: Joan Saab, vice provost of academic affairs and Susan B. Anthony Professor of Art History and Visual and Cultural Studies, is among the Coronavirus University Response Team (CURT) members providing holistic guidance and strategy for the University’s nonclinical recovery operations and for the school and unit planning and redesign. She shares her thoughts about approaches to online learning.