In his new book, Progress in the Balance: Mythologies of Development in Santos, Brazil, Rochester anthropology professor Daniel Reichman presents different stories about progress as it has played out in the country. In the book, out this year from Cornell University Press, he knocks the traditional equation of progress with industrialization and material wealth off its pedestal.

But Reichman is careful not to advocate for any singular definition of progress in its place. Instead, he presents in each chapter a different story about progress as it has played out in Brazil as the nation remade itself from a major agricultural producer and exporter to a producer, exporter, and a nation of consumers.

“Rapid modernization has created what many Brazilians see as a façade of progress that hides an unstable foundation,” writes Reichman.

There’s “no universal definition of progress,” says Reichman in an interview.

(The project’s co-principal investigators include (clockwise from upper left) Jonathan Zuegel and Antonino Di Piazza of the University of Rochester; Eva Zurek of the University at Buffalo; Franklin Dollar of the University of California, Irvine; and Ani Aprahamian of the University of Notre Dame. (University of Rochester artwork / Julia Joshpe)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the University nearly $18 million over three years to design and prototype key technologies for EP-OPAL, a new facility dedicated to the study of ultrahigh-intensity laser-matter interactions.

The facility could be built at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) upon completion of the design project. The funding, part of NSF’s Mid-Scale Research Infrastructure-1 Program, supports the agency in positioning the United States at the cutting edge of global science and engineering leadership.

A successful EP-OPAL design would enable the highest-power laser system in the world. “Its two laser beams combined will deliver laser pulses with peak power approaching the same total power as incident on the Earth’s surface from the Sun, but focused into an area smaller than the cross-section of a human hair,” says principal investigator Jonathan Zuegel, a distinguished scientist at LLE and a professor of optics at Rochester.

Learn more about vision for EP-OPAL.

Lab assistant Jose Reynoso is pictured with a study subject in the lab of Assistant Professor Brian Keane at the Center for Advanced Brain Imaging and Neurophysiology on August 29. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

In the summer of 2021, the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Diversity Commission and the City College of New York launched the partnership program NEUROCITY at the University of Rochester. To date, the program has placed nearly 30 undergraduate students from historically marginalized backgrounds in research labs across the institution.

NEUROCITY has created a pathway to neuroscience research and, for some students, has transformed their future plans.

“[NEUROCITY] was a very big reason for helping me figure out what I wanted to pursue after graduation,” says Jose Reynoso, an alumnus of the program who now works in a research lab at the Medical Center. “It is the main reason why I want to go down a research path and pursue graduate school.”

Read more about Reynoso’s experience.

A five-year research project with $4.5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health will see if nerve-stimulating earbuds and a newly created peer support app can help reduce risk factors (such as depression) in teens to prevent suicidal thoughts.

Arielle Sheftall, an associate professor in the psychiatry department, co-leads the project at the Medical Center’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide (CSPS) with researchers at University of Notre Dame. They are enrolling teen participants to use the FDA-approved device to stimulate the transcutaneous vagus nerve. This has been shown to decrease anxiety and depression in adults.

Learn more.

Suzanne Haber, professor of pharmacology and physiology and of brain and cognitive sciences, will join research teams around the world to develop next-generation tools for visualizing connections in the human brain.

Supported by the NIH’s ), the research will increase our understanding of the circuitry and cellular mechanisms that underlie brain abnormalities and advance new approaches to treat disorders like Tourette’s syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Find out more.

Friday, October 6, 2–3:15 p.m.
Strong Auditorium

The University of Rochester Democracy Center supports cutting-edge research on the challenges facing contemporary democracies around the world and creates engaging opportunities for students and the public to learn how to fortify civic life. Join a panel of experts as they share their insights on the sources of vulnerability and resilience in American democracy today. Register to attend.

Tuesday, October 10, 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Combined Northeastern Room (I-9525 and 1-9535), 415 Elmwood Ave.

In this interactive informational session, learn how to prepare and maximize involvement and networking opportunities at conferences. School of Medicine and Dentistry PhD trainee Julia Nicosia from biochemistry and molecular biology and Eric Vaughn from myHub will discuss and share personal experiences and engage participants in how conferences can assist you in exploring career opportunities, strengthening networking connections, and furthering knowledge needed for future career exploration. Sign up.

Apply by Monday, October 16, 11:59 p.m.

First-year students, sophomores, and juniors interested in exploring clinical research are invited to apply for the REAL Program, a spring internship designed to advance professional and research competencies through tiered mentorship and hands-on experience. REAL Program interns will be paired with a research team at the Medical Center’s Center for Health and Technology. If you are a motivated self-starter from any academic discipline with an interest in clinical research, you can learn more here. The application is available online.

Wednesday, October 18, noon–1 p.m.
Virtual

Tara Pittman and Jennifer Dahne of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) will describe MUSC’s adoption and implementation of an opt-out, cold-contact patient recruitment policy (referred to as Patient Outreach Recruitment) allowing researchers to reach out to potentially eligible study subjects identified via the electronic health record. The webinar will also showcase REDCap tools, developed at MUSC, to improve both the feasibility and rigor of remote trials. Register to attend.

Friday, October 20, 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Feldman Ballroom, Douglass Commons

The day will begin with informal roundtable discussions, followed by student-presented research talks (10-minute presentations with 5-minute Q&A time) running throughout the day, and will culminate with an informal awards ceremony and networking reception for AS&E graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni. See the full agenda.