A new National Science Foundation (NSF) Physics Frontier Center, hosted at the University of Rochester—in collaboration with researchers at MIT, Princeton, the Universities of California at Berkeley and Davis, the University at Buffalo, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—will focus on understanding the physics and astrophysical implications of matter under pressures so high that the structure of individual atoms is disrupted.

The Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures (CMAP) will be funded with a five-year, $12.96 million award from the NSF.

This is the first major initiative from NSF in the field of high-energy-density science and follows several recent smaller grants and awards, including a previous investment in establishing the HADES facility for studies of matter under extreme pressures.

“This effort will help discover the nature of planets and stars throughout the universe, as well as the potential for new revolutionary states of matter here on Earth,” says principal investigator Gilbert (Rip) Collins, the Tracy Hyde Harris Professor of Mechanical Engineering, a professor of physics and astronomy, and associate director of science, technology, and academics at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at Rochester.

CMAP will concentrate on four main areas of fundamental research:

• How hydrogen and helium behave at extraordinary densities in the so-called “gas giant” planets, including Jupiter and Saturn in our solar system. “This plays a key role in our understanding of how our solar system evolved,” Collins says.
• How other elements react at high densities, to understand the nature of terrestrial and water worlds in the universe, and how materials might be manipulated in laboratories on Earth to “harness revolutionary properties.”
• The pathways of energy transport that enable the dramatic change in properties and the energy balance of matter at extreme pressures. This will shed light on the evolution of planets and stars throughout the universe.
• The direct astrophysical implications of extreme matter properties—linking laboratory exploration of matter at atomic pressure with state-of-the-art models of astrophysical objects to better understand astronomical observations.

Read more here.

Jeffrey McCune Jr., an associate professor of women, gender, sexuality studies and of African and African American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named director of the Frederick Douglass Institute.

In that role, he will bring together faculty, students, and staff from across academic disciplines to collaborate in the study of the African diaspora and offer essential programming that explores and promotes African and African American studies at the University.

He will also oversee the interdepartmental undergraduate major and minor programs, as well as the institute’s graduate certificate and predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships.

McCune has personal and academic connections to the institute and the University. In 2006–07, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the institute and a faculty associate at the University’s Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies. McCune joins the University on June 1, 2021. Read more here.

A new, NSF-funded training program in augmented and virtual reality is accepting applications from University of Rochester PhD students.

Students admitted to the program take three new innovative courses and benefit from a variety of professional development mechanisms, including industry internships and immersive professional development encounters with industry leaders.

In addition, students will also work on innovative, interdisciplinary research projects that focus on:

• AR/VR platforms and computation
• Perceptual-cognitive aspects of AR/VR design
• Machine intelligence for AR/VR systems
• AR/VR interfaces and applications

Upon completion of the training program requirements, students receive a certificate.

PhD students in electrical and computer engineering, optics, biomedical engineering, brain and cognitive sciences, computer science, or neuroscience, and interested in AR/VR research are welcome to apply. PhD students in other departments can also enroll if the program administrators decide their participation in the program will benefit them.

To apply for fall 2020, complete the application form by September 10. Read more here.

The Warner School of Education has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study how to create and sustain a challenging mathematics program in high-need and high-poverty secondary schools that could serve as a model to inform others.

Building from the University’s partnership with East High School that began in 2015, this NSF-funded project will explore in depth the sustained and successful mathematics reform efforts at East, a high-need urban secondary school in Rochester. These efforts have successfully led to increased student learning and achievement over the past five years.

The four-year project, “Creating a Model for Sustainable Ambitious Mathematics Programs in High-Need Settings: A Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration,” is funded through the NSF Discovery Research preK-12 (DRK-12) program, which provides grants to enhance the teaching and learning of STEM by students and teachers.

The project team will be under the direction of principal investigator Jeffrey Choppin, professor and chair of teaching and curriculum at the Warner School; and co-principal investigators Cynthia Callard, executive director of the Center for Professional Development and Education Reform at Warner; Shaun Nelms, superintendent at East High, associate professor, and William & Sheila Konar Director of the Center for Urban Education Success at Warner; and William Zahner, associate professor of mathematics at San Diego State University.

Ambitious mathematics instruction involves students solving demanding problems, communicating approaches to those problems, and developing efficient and accurate methods that work across multiple types of problems. Outcomes include an increase in students  taking advanced STEM courses, enhanced student identification with STEM, and increased student competency in core STEM practices. Read more here.

David Turnbull, a scientist at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, who has been awarded a Fusion Engineering Award from Fusion Power Associates. Turnbull is being recognized for his contributions and experiments involving plasma photonics and laser-plasma instability research, and for his leadership abilities. Read more here.

The University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) is now accepting applications for four funding programs with a potential start date of July 1, 2021.

The Pilot Studies Program supports translational and clinical research that moves new discoveries along the translational continuum to humans and the community. There are three award categories: Faculty, Trainee and UNYTE Translational Research Network. View the RFA.

The Incubator Program supports the development of promising clinical and translational research in a collaborative fashion within the institution, where substantial, carefully targeted investments can accelerate progress and create stand-alone research programs. Learn more and view the RFA.

Initial abstracts are due for all opportunities on Monday, September 14.

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.

• For non-Medical Center campuses: A new “Guide for Returning to Campus Workspaces” for faculty and staff working on non-Medical Center campuses provides specific guidance on personal health monitoring, COVID testing, expectations on face masks, physical distancing, and surface disinfection, along with other helpful workplace guidance.
• For the Medical Center: Faculty and staff returning to clinical spaces, labs, classrooms, and administrative spaces at the Medical Center can find the latest information, guidelines, and signage options on a new, online portal urmc.edu/redesigned (University network access required). Topics covered include social distancing and masking, safe socially distanced meals and break time, meeting interactions, health screening information, and more.

Making a commitment to safety: The Covid-19 Community Commitment is rooted in the University’s Meliora Values, among them a dedication to the highest standards in how we treat each other. Faculty, staff, and postdoctoral researchers—as well as students— are asked to commit to following safety and health protocols and help keep the community safe.

Campus signs reflect protocols: The signs of a different campus will be everywhere this fall, as posters, placards, and sandwich boards highlight the University’s new guidelines for mandatory mask wearing, physical distancing, and hand hygiene.

The materials are available to download and print.

An update from President Mangelsdorf: In a new video message, President Sarah Mangelsdorf shares an update on students returning to campus for the fall semester, a phase three COVID-19 vaccine trial at the Medical Center, and a thank you to everyone who has been working hard to keep the University running during the last six months.