Living materials, which are made by housing biological cells within a nonliving matrix, have gained popularity in recent years as scientists recognize that often the most robust materials are those that mimic nature.

For the first time, researchers at the University of Rochester and Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands used 3D printers and a novel bioprinting technique to print algae into living, photosynthetic materials that are tough and resilient. The material has a variety of applications in the energy, medical, and fashion sectors. The research is published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

“Three-dimensional printing has shown to be an effective technology for fabricating living materials that have many environmental and other benefits,” says Anne S. Meyer, an associate professor of biology at Rochester. “Our photosynthetic living materials are a huge step forward for the field since they are the first example of an engineered photosynthetic material that is physically robust enough to be deployed for real-world applications.”

The work to develop a biologically based material is the latest in a series of research efforts led by Meyer’s lab. Meyer and her research team have been leaders in using bacteria to develop such industrially important materials as artificial nacre and graphene. Read more here.

The Environmental Health Sciences Center (EHSC) has received a $7.7 million, five-year renewal grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS). The grant marks five decades of federal support for research that has helped expand our understanding of how exposure to environmental agents, such as heavy metals, air and water pollution, and pesticides, impact human health.

The center – led by B. Paige Lawrence, the Wright Family Research professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Medicine – has been continuously funded by the NIEHS since 1975 and has attracted more than $100 million in extramural funding.

The center supports research ranging from lab-based science that investigates the biological mechanisms by which environmental chemicals contribute to disease, to population-based studies that inform and improve public health.

The central focus of the EHSC is the increasing recognition that many human diseases cannot be attributed solely to genetics, and that environmental factors – such as air and water quality and access to healthy living conditions – in conjunction with genetic risk factors are major contributors to human disease. Read more here.

Elizabeth Handley, an assistant professor of psychology and the director of research at the University’s Mt. Hope Family Center, and Sheree Toth, a professor of psychology and psychiatry and the center’s director, have been awarded about $150,000 from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to analyze the various ways in which maltreatment affects children’s health.

Discovering the processes underlying the development of psychopathology and resilience among maltreated children offers great promise for prevention, intervention, and social policy initiatives.

Five University faculty members who are being recognized for teaching excellence as part of this year’s Commencement observances.

• Reinhild Steingröver, professor of German at the Eastman School of Music, received the Edward Peck Curtis Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Her research is focused on marginalized voices in contemporary German film and literature. Steingröver has won grants and awards from the German Academic Exchange Service, the Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft (DEFA) Foundation, the Suhrkamp Foundation, and the Eastman School.
• Stewart Weaver, a professor of history whose teaching encompasses a wide range of subjects, including global exploration, natural history, the history of India, British history, and the First World War, also received the Edward Peck Curtis Award. Most recently, Weaver has been at work on “Climate Witness: Voices from Ladakh,” a community-engaged project to help preserve the culture and history of a mountain region in northern India under immediate threat from the forces of climate change.
• Tricia Shalka, an assistant professor in the Warner School of Education and Human Development’s higher education program, received the Graydon Curtis ’58 and Jane W. Curtis Award for Nontenured Faculty Teaching Excellence. Her primary research investigates the impacts of traumatic experience on college students, with a secondary research interest in the internationalization of higher education with a particular emphasis on the experiences of international students in American colleges and universities.
• Ellen Matson, the Wilmot Assistant Professor of Chemistry, also received the Curtis Award. Her research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of multimetallic metal oxide assemblies for applications in energy conversion and energy storage. Currently her work is supported by the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Research Corporation for Science Advancement, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
• Brian Brent, the Earl B. Taylor Professor at the Warner School of Education and Human Development, received the William H. Riker University Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. His research interests include the equity of district- and school-level human and capital resource allocation policies and practices, equity in the ability of districts to raise local revenues, and the cost-effective use of education dollars.

Read more here.

A seminar to support and advance understanding related to the coordination and management of health research will be held virtually over two days, from 9 to 11 a.m. June 1 and 2.

The seminar is presented by the Study Coordinators Organization for Research & Education (SCORE), and sponsored by the UR Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UR CTSI) and the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).

View the agenda and register for this event.

The new UR CTSI Clinical Research Infusion Center, a specialized extension of the existing Clinical Research Center, is now open for business.

The 1,600-square-foot space, located at G-8169 in the Medical Center, provides a safe space for researchers to test new infusion drugs, like monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma.

The center is currently taking applications for studies treating COVID-positive study participants. Learn more in the UR CTSI Stories Blog.

Here are important links for researchers:

• The University’s COVID-19 Resource Center for important updates and guidance on working, teaching, and learning remotely
• University of Rochester Medical Center website for restrictions, resources, and news
• The University’s COVID-19 “Restart and Recovery” web page

PLEASE NOTE that the University’s COVID-19 Dashboard is updated daily and dashboard numbers may reflect additional cases confirmed later in the day. When a new case is known, the contact-tracing process begins immediately with the Monroe County Health Department, with confirmed exposures being contacted and required to quarantine. Remember:

If you feel like you’re experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, it’s best to report them through Dr. Chat Bot immediately. Even if you think your symptoms might be something else, like a cold, seasonal congestion, or allergies, it’s still important to tell University health professionals and contact tracers what you are experiencing—they always want to receive more, not less, information.

Common COVID-19 symptoms include:

• A temperature of 100 °F (37.8 °C) or higher
• Chills
• Muscle or body aches
• Severe fatigue
• Headache
• Congestion or runny nose
• Sore throat
• Loss of taste, smell, or appetite
• Cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Update on CDC masking guidance: Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided updated guidance suggesting that fully vaccinated individuals may safely unmask in many settings. On May 17, New York State announced that it would align with the CDC’s guidance, effective Wednesday, May 19. CURT and University leadership are closely following these announcements and will make a determination on how the New York State/CDC guidance may affect different University operations, activities, and protocols. New York State is expected to soon provide written guidance that will help guide the University’s decision-making.

Therefore, until further notice, the University is still requiring masks to be worn indoors, and they should still be worn by people who are not fully vaccinated when outdoors. All individuals are required to wear masks outdoors when attending crowded settings, events, and gatherings.

The Medical Center also announced last week via the URMC This Week newsletter how this guidance relates to its clinical care settings. It’s noted that vaccinated individuals must cover their faces and physically distance when in clinical settings and long-term care facilities, and all COVID-related safety measures and processes at the Medical Center and UR Medicine remain in place until further notice.

International travel requests resume: The University will resume processing international travel requests for faculty, staff, and graduate students, effective immediately. As US Department of State travel advisories remain escalated worldwide, all international travel will continue to require a review by the Office for Global Engagement. Travelers should resume requests per the Business Expense and Travel Reimbursements policy and all travelers are required to register travel with the Office for Global Engagement via the travel registry. Email Global Engagement with questions or to discuss specific travel requests.