By creating lenses and mirrors in a range of shapes—not just spheres or rotationally symmetric aspheres—freeform optics promises to deliver increasingly compact, lightweight, and easily targetable LED lighting, space sensing instruments, mobile displays, and a host of other applications.

By showing how to make freeform optical components, the Center for Freeform Optics is bringing new industry partners to the University of Rochester. This, in turn, provides Institute of Optics students not only research opportunities but valuable experience working with outside companies.

For example, Di Xu, a PhD student, began working with CeFO in January on a project that uses optical coherence tomography to measure freeform optical surfaces.

Aaron Bauer, who finished his PhD in June, demonstrated the feasibility of using freeform optics to create compact head-worn displays and related technologies. He will stay on at least another year as a research engineer developing prototypes for projects spawned by CeFO.

Since its 2013 launch under an award from the National Science Foundation, CeFO has been shaping the future of optical instrumentation on a global scale. The center started with seven pioneer members and has more than doubled that number during the past year.

The joint venture of the University of Rochester and the University of North Carolina Charlotte brings the universities and companies together at the precompetitive stage of a promising new technology.

“These are companies that strive to be on the competitive edge; they are leading the innovation in freeform optics for the future,” says Jannick Rolland, the center director and Brian J. Thompson Professor of Optical Engineering. “They want to be educated in the science and engineering of freeform optics now, from design to manufacture, so they can be in front of the competition.”

The Rochester and Charlotte partnership, she explains, resulted from the unique strengths each institution can bring to this field. “We lead in design, while UNC Charlotte is strong in manufacturing optics. We both are leaders in metrology of freeform optics.”

Seven faculty members from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Institute of Optics supervise a total of 11 current projects.

Affiliates’ membership dues are an important source of funding, giving the companies a major say as to which projects to pursue next. “Faculty generate many of the ideas, which the companies work with us to refine and then endorse as a high priority,” Rolland says. “Many of our industry members are interested in large-volume manufacturing of freeform optics. We collaborate closely on getting there.”

The funding and intellectual property are jointly shared by affiliates. In addition, companies can simultaneously pursue private projects with CeFO faculty. Members have engaged in partnerships among themselves as a result of relationships developed under CeFO. There are also pathways as a member to obtain first rights to an exclusive license, Rolland says.

“The program is also an opportunity for students and companies to ‘size each other up’ for potential longer-term relationships—including employment after graduation,” Rolland adds.

Working with CeFO “is sort of in between an internship and purely academic studies,” Bauer says. “It gives you a glimpse into the industry environment. You see what they would expect of an employee if you worked for one of these companies.”

Read more here.

The Research Methods Forum, recently launched by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, allows researchers to present new research ideas and get feedback from a multidisciplinary group of peers, mentors, and potential collaborators. Early stage investigators, in particular, are  encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to submit research grant proposals they are preparing.

“The feedback from experts within and outside my field was invaluable and I will certainly take advantage of their expertise again in the future,” says John Varrone,  postdoctoral associate in the Department of Pediatrics, who presented a KL2 Career Development Award proposal.

Suzannah Iadarola, an assistant professor of pediatrics who presented an R21 proposal, says she “felt a little like I was in a study section for my own grant. . . . I got this extra person to collaborate on the proposal who helped me re-conceptualize the framework and really helped pull together what I was trying to accomplish.”

You can read a Q&A about their participation in the Research Methods Forum.

For more information, click here.  If you are interested in presenting, contact Carrie Dykes.

Douglas Turner, professor of chemistry, who, with his collaborator Ryszard Kierzek, a professor at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, has received the Poland – U.S. Science Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Foundation for Polish Science. The award, established in 2013 and given once every two years, honors their collaboration of more than 30 years investigating the thermodynamics, biology, and structure of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and RNA chemical synthesis. Because of their work, AAAS says, it is possible to predict the structure of any RNA based on its sequence. Their research also elucidates RNA folding rules and the use of modified oligonucleotides to modulate biological activity of pathogenic RNAs, such as inhibiting the growth of the influenza virus. Turner is an internationally acclaimed expert on the biophysics of RNA, especially in RNA thermodynamics. The parameters he developed, known as “Turner Rules,” allow for the prediction of RNA folding. He has published more than 230 scientific articles, cited more than 15,000 times. Read more here.

Sergio Montero has joined the Department of Political Science as an assistant professor after completing his PhD at California Institute of Technology. Montero’s research interests include applied microeconomics, econometrics, industrial organization, and political economy. His current research uses structural models to explain patterns of campaign spending and elections in Mexico. He is also working on developing new machine-learning techniques for understanding electoral behavior in Mexico.

New York State is again funding theme-based projects in clinical and translational biomedical research. The projects should involve research teams with experienced federally-funded investigators and clinical research fellows who must be trained as physicians, dentists, or podiatrists.

The Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program (ECRIP), funded by New York State through the Department of Health, is designed to prepare researchers and research teams to compete for federal funding.

Interested parties should submit a brief one-page abstract by November 14.

The Medical Center has been a major beneficiary of this program, hosting 22 individual ECRIP projects and two center projects supporting 13 trainees since 2002. The Medical Center is allowed to propose one primary and one secondary application. Read more here.

Fabrizio Buccheri, Optics, “Generation and Detection of Pulsed Terahertz Waves with Laser Induced Microplasmas.” 1 p.m., Nov. 18, 2016. Bausch and Lomb 106. Advisor: Xi-Cheng Zhang.

Justin Schultz, Optics, “Singular Atom Optics via Stimulated Raman Interactions in Spinor Bose-Einstein Condensates.” 2:30 p.m., Nov. 18, 2016. Goergen 101. Advisor: Nicholas Bigelow.

Xiangzhi Yu, Mechanical Engineering, “Multi-degree of Freedom Optical Metrology Techniques.” 9:30 a.m., Nov. 30, 2016. Hopeman 224. Advisor: Jonathan Ellis.

Nov. 12: RocHD3: Rochester Healthcare Deep Data Dive, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saunders Research Building. Read more here.

Nov. 14: Initial abstracts due for Incubator Program awards of up to $125,000 per year for each of two years to foster interdisciplinary research collaborations in biomedical research, through the Scientific Advisory Committee of the School of Medicine and Dentistry. Click here for more details. Contact Anne Reed for more information.

Nov. 14: Deadline to submit posters for University’s Center for AIDS Research eighth annual HIV/AIDS Scientific Symposium. Register posters here.

Nov. 14: One page abstracts due to apply for funding for theme-based projects in clinical and translational biomedical research through the Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program (ECRIP). Read more here.

Nov. 16: “Other People’s Daughters: Black Girls’ Experiences in P-12 Schools,” forum sponsored by the Warner School’s Urban Teaching and Leadership Program. 5:30 p.m. Welles-Brown Room, Rush Rhees Library. Read more here.

Nov. 16: Lecture: “A Pilgrimage to World War II Japanese-American Internment Camps.” Notch Miyake. 5 p.m., Gowen Room, Wilson Commons. Part of “Looking like the Enemy: The WWII Japanese American Experience” Humanities Project.

Nov. 17: Reception to begin exhibition of Margaret Miyake’s photographs as part of the “Looking like the Enemy: The WWII Japanese American Experience” Humanities Project. 5 p.m. Hartnett Gallery. Exhibit runs through Dec. 11.

Nov. 30: “How to Prepare a Poster for Presentation.” Denham Ward, professor emeritus of anesthesiology and of biomedical engineering. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Center for Experiential Learning (2-7544), Medical Center.

Dec. 1: Deadline to apply for Humanities Center semester-long fellowships  for proposals that address the theme of “Memory and Forgetting.” To apply, click here.

Dec. 1: Center for AIDS Research eighth annual HIV/AIDS Scientific Symposium. Keynote speakers in the Class of ’62 Auditorium (G-9425) and a poster session from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Flaum Atrium. Contact Laura Enders with questions or for more information.

Dec. 2: Applications due for Collaborative Pilot Studies and Junior Investigator Awards from the Wilmot Cancer Institute. Contact Pam Iadarola for more information.