Susana Marcos, the David R. Williams Director of the Center for Visual Science, has been elected to the 2022 class of Gold Fellows by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). The largest eye and vision research organization has a membership of nearly 11,000 researchers from more than 75 countries.

Marcos, who is also the Nicholas George Professor of Optics and a professor of ophthalmology, joined the University last year after serving as a professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid.

Marcos is an internationally recognized expert in the optics of the eye, ocular imaging, and visual corrections. She conducts interdisciplinary research using concepts in physics, optics, and photonics to understand basic mechanisms in human vision, develop diagnostic instruments in ophthalmology, and invent new optical solutions to correct common vision problems, including myopia, presbyopia, or corneal disease.

Marcos is a cofounder of 2EyesVision SL and a coinventor of the SimVis technology that allows patients to “try on” multifocal corrections before putting in contact lenses or having an intraocular lens implantation. She has authored or coauthored more than 190 peer-reviewed papers in top journals and has 21 patents (14 licensed to industry).

ARVO Fellows serve as role models and mentors for individuals pursuing careers in vision and ophthalmology research and “advance research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating, and curing its disorders,” according to the association.

Miki Nakajima (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

Earth’s moon controls the length of the day and ocean tides, which affect the biological cycles of lifeforms on our planet. It also stabilizes Earth’s spin axis, offering an ideal environment for life to develop and evolve.

Because the moon is so important to life on Earth, scientists conjecture that a moon may be a potentially beneficial feature in harboring life on other planets.

Miki Nakajima, an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences, finds it significant that Earth’s moon is much larger in comparison to the size of our planet. In a new study in Nature Communications, she and her colleagues at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Arizona conclude that only certain types of planets can form moons that are large in respect to their host planets.

“By understanding moon formations, we have a better constraint on what to look for when searching for Earth-like planets,” Nakajima says. “We expect that exomoons [moons orbiting planets outside our solar system] should be everywhere, but so far we haven’t confirmed any. Our constraints will be helpful for future observations.” Learn more.

So what is the connection between origami and the quest to find exoplanets capable of supporting life? And what’s the point of trying to find these exoplanets trillions of miles away, when we may never be able to communicate with or visit them?

Two VOX videos produced in partnership with the University’s Center for Matter at Atomic Pressures examine how exoplanets are found and why they matter, in a Q&A exchange between VOX video producer Adam Cole and Sara Seager, an MIT astrophysicist.

CMAP, an NSF-funded Physics Frontier Center is a collaboration of world-leading physicists, astrophysicists, and planetary scientists directed by Rip Collins, the Tracy Hyde Harris Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Physics and Astronomy, and associate director of science, technology, and academics at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The videos, created with assistance from Adam Frank, the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor of Physics and Astronomy, are part of CMAP’s outreach work to inspire the next generation of high energy density scientists, planetary scientists, and astrophysicists.

“In These Times: A Humanities Program for Today,” a free, online discussion series with University faculty, resumes Wednesday, February 16 on zoom.

The series explores not only the individual and social consequences of COVID-19 but also the new visions of human existence inspired by other departures from the “normal,” such as war, revolution, and economic change.

Sessions are from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The series will pick up where it left off in the last fall segment, “Looking Forward:  Reimagining Lives and Societies After Crisis,” which ended in the aftermath of World War I.  Here is the schedule of topics and faculty leaders for the seven upcoming sessions:

• February 16: James Rosenow (English) Cinematic Responses to the Great Depression
• February 23: Robert Westbrook (history) World War II and the American Moral Imagination
• March 2: Earl Conee (philosophy) Are Our Lives Absurd? Perspectives from 20^th Century Philosophy
• March 16: John Kapusta (musicology) How to Change the World:  Making Music in the Long 1960s
• March 30: Laura Stamm (medicine) AIDS as a Social and Cultural Crisis
• April 6: William Bridges (modern languages and cultures) Self-Evident Truths:  Rights, Robots, and Japan
• April 13: John Osburg (anthropology) The Spiritual Crisis of China’s Middle Class

The program is open to anyone—alumni, faculty members, staff, students, and friends of the University far and wide. Registration is required.

February is “Rochester Loves Data” month. Data Science has become an instrumental part in the decision-making in nearly every industry, and healthcare is no exception. Data Science career opportunities in healthcare exist in research and fields like genomics, drug discovery, predictive analytics, and disease tracking.

Join Miner Libraries at 1 p.m. Feb. 28 for a virtual panel discussion on Data Science in Healthcare with three University alumni and local leaders in the field:

• Matthew Giglia, principal data scientist, Excellus BCBS
• Helene McMurray, assistant professor and director-in-training, Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Biomedical Genetics
• Erika Ramsdale, associate professor, geriatric oncologist, and data scientist, Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology

For a reminder email, pre-register here.

Have a question for our panelists? Submit your question when you register or ask your question during the event.

If you have additional questions about the panel please contact Daniel_Castillo@urmc.rochester.edu.

Other “Rochester Loves Data” month events:

• Tuesday, February 15, from noon to 1 p.m. EST: Share your protocols better by attending a workshop  with Lenny Teytelman, CEO and cofounder of protocols.io
• Friday, February 18, from 3 to 4 p.m. EST: Learn tips and tricks for data management planning (DMP) in this session that introduces the DMP tool
• Tuesday, February 22, from 11 a.m. to noon EST: Learn how to clean messy data with OpenRefine in this hands-on, virtual session.
• Friday, February 25, from 3 to 4 p.m. EST: Attend a workshop, share tips, and find answers to questions on using Tableau Public.

Career development awards are an important milestone in the careers of faculty who have the goal of becoming an independent investigator. The application process for these awards requires a strong commitment from all those involved and a clear workplan and defined timeline for success.

A Rochester Early Stage Investigator (RESIN) Seminar from 10-11 a.m. March 9, via zoom, will provide the nuts and bolts for submitting an application and tips for success.

The seminar will be presented by Stephen Hammes, executive vice chair of the Department of Medicine, and Robert Holloway, professor and chair of neurology.

At the conclusion of the seminar, the participant will able to:

• Appreciate the importance and types of career development awards
• Describe the process of applying for a career development award
• Apply “lessons learned” and tips to preparing a successful career development award
• Identify forums and help available at the URMC when preparing an application

Register at https://forms.gle/FGhx8E6igEbWGzZSA